IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR CLEANSING SEWAGE AND OTHER WATERS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Walker, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
FOR CLEANSING SEWAGE AND OTHER WATERS."
Sealed the 27th July 1860, and dated the 30th January 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Walker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
January 1860.
I, THOMAS WALKER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS FOR CLEANSING SEWAGE AND OTHER WATERS," to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to means by which the subsiding of the particles
of matter held in suspension in the waters is facilitated, and their cleansing
thereby obtained.
For this purpose the sewage or other water is conducted into a small pool,
the object of which pool is to break or moderate the force of the water when
issuing from the drains or conduits, and to let it flow into a larger pool or
reservoir, which I call the subsiding pool, as quietly as possible, so as to reduce
the agitation of the water as much as possible, which is done by allowing the
water to flow from the first pool to the second or subsiding pool only by a
channel or channels opening into the lower part of the second pool; which
channel or channels I should prefer to be long, narrow, and horizontal.

page_text: The second, or subsiding pool, is formed with an inclined bottom rising from
the point of admission thereto to that of exit, where the cleansed fluid passes
off into a suitable channel; which inclined bottom serves to intercept the
particles of matter held in suspension in the water whilst on its way from the
entrance to the exit, and also increases the facilities for drining and emptying
the pool; and the superficial surface and cubical contents of this second pool
or reservoir should be such that there may be time between the point of
entrance thereto and that of exit for the gradual deposit by gravitation of the
particles of matter which had been held in suspension in the water whilst it
was in agitation passing through the drains or conduits to the pools.
In order to reduce as much as possible the cost of enclosing walls, I prefer
that the bottom incline upward, not only from the point of admission thereto to
the outlet, but also to the sides, and that the overflow be over an extended
line and into a channel adapted to conduct away the cleansed water.
The bottom may be concreted and paved, and a railway or railways applied
to facilitate the passage of carriages for the removal of the deposit.
I also apply valves or sluices to close admission to the pools, and pipes, with
other valves or sluices, to facilitate the drainage thereof when the removal of
the deposit is desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Walker, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th July 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WALKER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Walker, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Walker, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said. Thomas
Walker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN

page_text: MEANS FOR CLEANSING SEWAGE AND OTHER WATERS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Walker, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the dato of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Walker, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
The improvements relate to means by which the subsiding of the particles
of matter held in suspension in the waters to be cleansed is facilitated, and
their cleansing thereby obtained.
For this purpose the sewage or other water is conducted into a small pool,
the object of which pool is to break or moderate the force of the water when
issuing from the drains or conduits, and to let it flow into a larger pool or
reservoir, which I call the subsiding pool, as quietly as possible, so as to reduce
the agitation of the water, which is done by allowing the water to flow from
the first pool to the second or subsiding pool only by a channel or channels
opening into the lower part of the second pool, which channel or channels I
should prefer to be long, narrow, and horizontal.
The second, or subsiding pool, is formed with an inclined bottom rising
from the point of admission thereto to that of exit, where the cleansed fluid
passes off into a suitable channel; which inclined bottom serves to intercept
the particles of matter held in suspension in the water whilst on its way from
the entrance to the exit, and also increases the facilities for draining and
emptying the pool; and the superficial surface and cubical contents of this
second pool or reservoir should be such that there may be time between the
point of entrance thereto and that of exit for the gradual deposit by gravi-
tation of the particles of matter which had been held in suspension in the
water whilst it was in agitation passing through the drains or conduits to
the pools.
In order to reduce as much as possible the cost of enclosing walls, I prefer
that the bottom incline upward, not only from the point of admission thereto
to the outlet, but also to the sides, and that the overflow be over an extended
line, and into a channel adapted to conduct away the cleansed water.
The bottom may be concreted and paved, and a railway- or railways applied
to facilitate the passage of carriages for the removal of the deposit.

page_text: other valves of Suices to a
the deposit is desired.
But that the nature of the improvements and the means which I adopt in
carrying the same into effect may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe
the Drawing annexed, in the different Figures of which the same letters are
used to indicate like parts wherever they occur.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
I would here state that I prefer to arrange the apparatus double, in order
that whilst one pool or reservoir is being filled, the other which had been pre-
viously filled may be undergoing the process of cleansing for re-use by the
removal of the matters obtained by subsidence.
Figure 1 shews a plan view of a double apparatus constructed according to
my improvements, having two subsiding pools or reservoirs A, A; Figure 2
shews a longitudinal section of one of these pools or reservoirs, and connecting
parts taken through the line (1), (1), of either of them; Figure 3 represents a
transverse section of Figure 1 through the lines (2), (2); Figures 4, 5, and 6
represent transverse sections through the lines (3), (3), (4), (4), and (5), (5).
The sewage or other water to be cleansed is conducted by the passage or way
a into the compartment 6, thence by the opening of either of the passages c, c,
it may be conducted into one or the other of the compartments or small pools
61, 6. And it will be seen that each compartment 6' is separated from a sub-
siding reservoir A by a partition wall d, except by a passage e, which I prefer
to be at or near the bottom of that part of the reservoir A. By this means the
force of the water issuing from the sewers may be broken or moderated and
the water be admitted into the reservoirs A, much more quietly, whilst
lighter matters, such as cork, &c., will be prevented from passing into the larger
reservoirs A. And it is desirable that the difference between the size of the
respective chambers 61 and the passages therefrom in relation to the supply
passage a be such that the fluid may enter the reservoirs A as quietly as
possible, so as to reduce the agitation of the water to the lowest amount. It
will be seen that the subsiding pools are each formed with the bottom inclined
from the end where the wall d is, or the point of entrance of the water, and
which is the deepest to the opposite end or point of exit, and that the sides
are also considerably inclined as stated; f is the channel into which the water
flows from the reservoirs A, after subsidence therefrom of the more solid
matters has taken place. When one of the reservoirs A is filled the passage c
thereto may be closed, and the other passage c opened to fill the other reser-

page_text: voir, and then after allowing a sufficient time for subsidence the more fluid part
may be allowed to pass off by the passage g, and the remaining solid matter
may then be readily carted away. Facility for draining and carting away the
deposit is given by the inclined character of the bottoms of the reservoirs, and
when one reservoir is cleansed the operation will be reversed so as to fill it and
stop off the supply to and cleanse the other reservoir. And it will be under-
stood that the sewage water being admitted only at the bottom of the deep
end of each reservoir the solid matter commences settling while it is yet near
to the bottom, and scarcely any except the finest ever rises or comes near to
the surface of the water, the only motion of which is a very slow onward
movement depending upon size in relation to supply towards the overflow,
whilst the constant interception from the upward inclination of the bottom of
the pool will cause the water to rise from its entrance to its overflow.
Having thus described the nature of the said improvements, and the means
which I adopt in carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details referred to, so long as the
peculiar character of the improvements by which facility is given for the
cleansing of sewage and other waters by subsidence be retained substantially,
as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Walker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
5
WILLIAM BROOKES,
73, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agent.
THOS. WALKER. (L.S.)