IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CLEANSING OF SEWERS AND OTHER WATERCOURSES OR WAYS
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Robinson Fricker
and John Manley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,, with
their Petition, on the 13th November 1861.
We, HENRY ROBINSON FRICKER. of No. 106, Leman Street, Whitechapel.
Architect and Surveyor, and JOHN MANLEY, of Fairmantle Street, Truro, in
the County of Cornwall, Civil Engineer and Mining Agent, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING
THE CLEANSING OF SEWERS AND OTHER WATERCOURSES OR WAYS," to be as
follows:
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for facilitating
the cleansing of sewers and other watercourses or ways. For these purposes
an axis or bar is used, having thereon numerous tines or blades or stirrers.
so formed and arranged, that by the act of drawing or moving such shaft or
axis longitudinally through water or mud. such shaft or axis will rotate together
with the tines, blades, or stirrers thereon, so as to agitate the mud and matters
which are below the water, and will thus cause such mud and matters to be
mixed with the waters which are in the sewers or other waterways or courses.
By these means, by the simple act of drawing the apparatus above-mentioned
DS1

page_text: through a sewer or other watercourse or way, the mud and matters at the
bottom will be stirred and agitated with the water above, and will be carried
away with such water when the same is flowing, or if at rest, when the stirring
takes place, the water will, when permitted to flow, carry off the mud and
matters thus mixed therewith. In sewers, culverts, and other watercourses
or ways where the inverts and sides are constructed of bricks or other mate-
rials liable to injury if struck by the tines, blades, or stirrers, it is desirable that
the shaft or axis should be supported at the ends or other parts in such
manner that the tines, blades, or stirrers may not, on being drawn along and
rotated strike the bottom or sides of the waterway, and such supports may
have wheels, or. be otherwise constructed. to facilitate the apparatus being
moved freely through sewers or other like watercourses. In order that the
shaft or axis carrying the stirrers may turn freely, some or all of the blades
are made to incline to the shaft or axis, and the wire rope. chain, or strap
used for dragging the apparatus through a watercourse is attached by means
of swivels, to allow of the rotation of the apparatus without twisting the rope,
chain, or strap. When the sewer or watercourse or way is underground, then
provision is made to draw the apparatus to-and-fro through the same by con
ducting the wire rope by guide pulleys in suitable shafts, or the apparatus may
be drawn through a watercourse in any suitable manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Robinson Fricker and John Manley in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 13th May 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY.
ROBINSON FRICKER, of No. 106, Leman Street, Whitechapel, Architect and
Surveyor, and JOHN MANLEY, of Fairmantle Street, Truro, in the County of
Cornwall, Civil Engineer and Mining Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Henry Robinson Fricker and the said John Manley, Her special licence that
we, the said Henry Robinson Fricker and the said John Manley, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry Robinson
Fricker and the said John Manley, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all

page_text: 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 APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CLEANSING OF SEWEES
RIVERS, AND OTHER WATERCOURSES OR WAYS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Henry Robinson Fricker and the said John Manley,
our executors or administrators. by an instrument in writing under our, or
their, or one of their hands and seals. should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1. the said Henry Robinson Fricker. on behalf of
myself and the said John Manley, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The cleansing of sewers, rivers, and other watercourses or ways is effected
by the following means: A bar or axis of wood or iron having thereon
numerous tines, or blades, or stirrers, these are fixed round the circumference
of the bar or axis in such a position as to stand in the plane of the thread of
a screw, the bar forming the center or shaft of such screw. thus placed, the
tines, or blades, or stirrers are actually detached portions of the thread of the
screw: the two ends of the shaft or axis are iurnished with swivels, and by
the act of drawing or moving the shaft or axis longitudinally through water or
mud, such shaft or axis will revolve or rotate together with the tines, or blades,
or stirrers thereon, so as to agitate the mud and matters which are below the
water, and beat up and intimately mix such mud and matters as are in the
sewers, rivers, or other waterways or courses with the water. By these
means by the simple act of drawing the apparatus above mentioned through a
sewer, a river, or other watercourse or way, the mud and matters at the bottom
will be stirred. agitated, heaten up, and intimately mixed with the water above.
and will be carried away with such water when the same is flowing, or if the water
is at rest, when the stirring takes place, the water will. when permitted to flow.
carry off the mud and matters thus mixed therewith. In sewers. the latter
mode is sometimes preferable. either in consequence of the gradient or inclina-
tion being very slight, or from some peculiarity of the outlet, and in such
cases sluice gates, penstocks, or stankboards are used, and when the sewer or
watercourse or way is underground. then provision is made to draw the
apparatus to and fro through the same by means of a wire rope, a chain, or

page_text: strap conducted by guide pulleys in suitable shafts; this rope, chain, or strap
being attached to the two ends of the apparatus by means of swivels, thus to
allow of the rotation of the apparatus without twisting the rope, chain, or
strap. To facilitate the passage of the apparatus through very heavy deposit,
some or all of the tines or blades or stirrers may be made to incline towards
the shaft or axis. In very small sewers or pipe drains the apparatus being
made of a suitable size is fixed on the end of a rod or rods, as at Fig. 4 in the
accompanying Drawing, the junction being constructed as a swivel, as at a,
and is then thrust forward and drawn backward alternately through the drain:
in these cases, if the rods are united together by screws, it will be necessary
that the joints should be clipped or fastened, to prevent their becoming
unscrewed and disunited by the rotation of the apparatus. In sewers, culverts,
and other watercourses or ways, where the inverts and sides are constructed of
materials liable to injury if struck by the tines, blades, or stirrers, it is desi-
rable that the shaft or axis should be supported at the ends or other parts, in
such manner that the tines, blades. or stirrers may not, on being drawn along
and rotated, strike the bottom or sides of the waterway, and such supports
may have wheels, or be otherwise constructed to facilitate the apparatus being
moved freely through sewers or other like watercourses, or the tines, blades, or
stirrers themselves, or some or all of them may be furnished with wheels, as
at Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawing. In the performance of large works,
such as the cleansing of harbours, rivers, or canals, it is desirable to work
several of these machines together, side by side.. so as to cover as large a
surface at a time as possible.
In the accompanying Drawing. Fig. 1 represents the apparatus furnished
with swivels and protecting wheels, Fig. 2 furnished with swivels but without
wheels, Fig. 3, a section of the apparatus, Fig. 4, a small apparatus fixed on a
rod by means of a swivel.
In witness whereof, I. the said Henry Robinson. Fricker, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord 1862.
(L.S.) HENRY ROBINSON FRICKER.