IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING AND FILTERING SEWAGE, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED FOR THESE PURPOSES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Leopard, of Hassocks Station, Hurstpier-
point, in the County of Sussex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TREATING AND FILTERING SEWAGE, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED FOR
THESE PURPOSES.”
Sealed the 19th August 1870, and dated the 21st February 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Leopard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st February 1870.
I, JOHN LEOPARD, of Hassocks Station, Hurstpierpoint, in the County
of Sussex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING AND FILTERING SEWAGE, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE
EMPLOYED FOR THESE PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in treating and filtering
sewage, and in apparatus to be employed for these purposes.
For the purpose of filtering sewage I cause it to flow down a zig-zag
channel having a slight fall or inclination; across the channel at intervals
are placed frames containing straw, or it might be rushes or broom, sea-
weed, or such like substances. As the sewage flows through these filters

page_text: the solid matter contained in it is arrested by the straw or like material,
whilst the clear liquid flows away from the bottom of the zig-zag
channel into an outlet sewer or passage. This outlet sewer or passage I form
to be a continuation of the inlet sewer which delivers sewage to the
upper end of the zig-zag filter, and the inlet sewer I provide with sluices
or valves so that the sewage may either be directed through the zig-zag
filter or may in case of need be allowed to flow direct into the outlet
sewer or channel. I prefer to arrange the open zig-zag channel filters
in pairs, the lower ends of the channels of each filter being brought
together so as to flow into the same outlet sewer, whilst the inlet sewer
is provided with sluices so that it may be caused to supply sewage to the
upper end of either filter or to both filters at once if desired. Upon
the bottom of the open zig-zag channels deodorizing material or other
material to act chemically upon the sewage may be placed, or these
materials might be placed in filter frames placed across the open zig-zag
-channel-so-that-the-sewage-must-flow-through it, or deodorizing or other
material may be sifted or thrown into the sewage as it is flowing down
the channel, or the materials may be mixed with the sewage before the
is allowed to flow down the filter.
sewage
.
The filter frames are so constructed as to be readily lifted up from the
open channels and be emptied and refilled. The straw with the solid
parts of the sewage arrested in it is placed into bins, together with a
small quantity of dry earth or material to absorb any smells that may
arise, and may afterward when the mass has settled down be carted
away and used as manure.
The frames for holding the straw or filtering material I prefer to form
of network attached to two bars, one fixed across the top and the other
across the bottom of the channel.
The water as it flows through the filter may be caused to drive a water
wheel to work any machinery employed in connection with the filtering
apparatus.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said John Leopard in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th August 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LEOPARD, of Hassocks Station, Hurstpierpoint, in the County of Sussex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Leopard, Her special licence, that I,
the said John Leopard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Leopard, 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 TREATING AND
FILTERING SEWAGE, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED FOR THESE PURPOSES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Leopard,
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 date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Leopard, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in treating and filtering
sewage, and in apparatus to be employed for these purposes.
For the purpose of filtering sewage I cause it to flow down a channel
having a slight fall or inclination. Across the channel at intervals
are placed frames containing straw, or it might be rushes or heath, sea-
weed, or such like substances. As the sewage flows through these
filters the solid matters and organic or other impurities contained in

page_text: it are arrested in the straw or like material, while the clear liquid flows
away from the lower end of the channel into an outlet, sewer, or passage.
The filter frames are so constructed as to be readily lifted up from the
open channels to be emptied and refilled. I prefer to form them of
network attached to two bars, one placed across the top and the other
across the bottom of the channel. The straw or other filtering material
with the solid parts of the sewage arrested in it, is, when removed from
the filter frames, placed into bins, together with a small quantity of
material to absorb any smells that may arise and may be used as
manure.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe more fully the manner in which I prefer to carry the same
into effect.
The channel along which the sewage is to flow may either be_a_
-straight-channel-or-a zig-zag or winding channel, and it may be con-
structed of metal or masonry, or otherwise, and be either covered over at
the top or left open as preferred. I prefer that the channel should be
about four feet in depth. Across the channel are placed numerous filters
of vegetable absorbent defecating material, such as straw, hay, husk,
rush, flag, fern, heath, sawdust, foliage, and sea-water plants:
In the Drawing hereunto annexed I have shown the manner in which
I prefer to construct the filters. Each of such filters is composed of a
net marked a attached to two bars b, b, one of which passes across the
top and the other across the bottom of the channel. The bottom bar
can be raised when it is desired to remove the straw or material, and to
place fresh straw or material into the net any convenient arrangement
may be employed for so raising and lowering the bottom bar in the
arrangement shown in the Drawing. The bottom bar is near each of its
ends attached to an endless chain which passes around a pulley cat
the bottom of the channel, and also around a pulley d carried by an
axis e above the top of the channel. By turning this axis by any suit-
able means motion may be given to the endless chains, and the bottom
bar 6 can be raised or lowered. When the bar is raised into the position
shown at Figure 1 the net can be emptied and refilled, or be taken away
and a fresh one substituted for it, provision being made for readily
attaching and detaching the bar 6 to and from the endless chains. When
the parts are in the position shown at Figure 1, and fresh straw or
material has been placed into the net, the grating f is turned down to

page_text: enclose the straw or material, and the bar is lowered to the bottom of
the channel into the position shown at Figure 2, so that the filter lies
across the channel, and the stream of sewage passing down the channel
has to filter through it. In place of the straw or filtering material
being held in a net in the manner above described it may be otherwise
held in place across a channel for sewage to filter through it; as, for
example, it may be packed in between two vertical gratings placed
across the channel, or the gratings might be circular, and the sewage
be supplied to the central space, and be allowed to filter out through
the gratings, deodorizing, material, such as sawdust, may be thrown on
to the sewage as it is flowing down the channel.
As before stated the straw or filtering material with the solid parts
and impurities of the sewage arrested in it is when removed from the
filter frames placed into bins, together with a small quantity of sawdust
or other material to absorb any smell that may arise, and such materials
may be used as manure.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim
is,―
First. The filtering or treating sewage to separate the solid from the
liquid part by causing it as it flows along a channel to pass through
filters composed of straw, rushes, sea weed, or such like material.
Second. The arrangement of apparatus substantially as herein described
and shown by the Drawings for treating or filtering sewage.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Leopard, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
JOHN TODADD