IMPROVEMENTS IN LIQUID MANURE AND WATER CARTS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Richards, of Wincanton, in the County of
Somerset, Ironmonger, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIQUID
MANURE AND WATER CARTS."
Sealed the 29th November 1864, and dated the 8th June 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Richards at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th June 1864.
I, THOMAS RICHARDS, of Wincanton, in the County of Somerset, Iron-
monger, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LIQUID MANURE AND WATER CARTS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in liquid manure and
water carts. For these purposes the liquid manure or water to be carried by
a cart is placed in a vessel, which by preference is of a cylindrical form, though
other forms of vessels may be used. This vessel is arranged to turn on an axis
which is supported in suitable bearings. One end of the axis is hollow in
order that the water or liquid manure may be run off thereat. The vessel and
the bearings of its axis are mounted in a suitable frame, which is by preference
carried by and moves on two wheels, one on each side, the axle of which
wheels is preferred to be slightly bent where it passes under the vessel. It
will be evident that only that part of the water or liquid manure contained

page_text: in the vessel which is above the axis on which the vessel turns will run out
thereform; in order therefore to be able to empty the vessel the vessel has
in its interior a longitudinal radial partition extending from one end of the
vessel to the axle, and also somewhat beyond it; by this means, if the vessel
be turned on its axis, the water or liquid manure below the axis is caused by
the partition to rise above the axis, or if desired, the vessel may be divided
by more than one partition, and the compartments into which the vessel is
thus divided will be emptied as the compartments are in succession raised
above the axle. The turning of the vessel on its axis may be done by any
convenient mechanical arrangement, but it is preferred to have at one end of
the vessel a screw wheel fixed thereto, and to give motion to the same by a
screw on a cranked shaft.
By the above arrangement, the weight of the vessel and of its contents is
brought into the most favorable position for the draft horse, whilst the supply
of water or fluid can be run off at such a height from the ground as to supply
the vessel of a drill or other machine, or the tank or tender of an agricultural
steam engine, or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Richards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th
December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
RICHARDS, of Wincanton, in the County of Somerset, Ironmonger, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Thomas Richards, Her special licence that I, the said
Thomas Richards, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said 'Thomas Richards, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and 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 LIQUID MANURE AND WATER CARTS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Richards, my executors or adminis-

page_text: trators, 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 Thomas Richards, 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:-
carts.
This Invention has for its object improvements in liquid manure and water
For these purposes the liquid manure or water to be carried by a cart
is placed in a vessel, which by preference is of a cylindrical form, though other
forms of vessels may be used. This vessel is arranged to turn on an axis,
which is supported in suitable bearings. One end of the axis is hollow, in
order that the water or liquid manure may be run off thereat. The vessel and
the bearings of its axis are mounted in a suitable frame, which is by preference
carried by and moves on two wheels, one on each side, the axle of which
wheels is preferred to be slightly bent where it passes under the vessel. It will
be evident that only that part of the water or liquid manure contained in the
vessel which is above the axis on which the vessel turns will run out therefrom;
in order therefore to be able to empty the vessel, the vessel has in its
interior a longitudinal radial partition, extending from one side of the vessel
to the axis, and also somewhat beyond it. By this means, if the vessel be
turned on its axis the water or liquid manure below the axis is caused by the
partition to rise above the axis, or if desired the vessel may be divided by
more than one partition, and the compartments into which the vessel is thus
divided will be emptied as the compartments are in succession raised above
the axis. The turning of the vessel on its axis may be done by any con-
venient mechanical arrangement; but it is preferred to have at one end of
the vessel a screw wheel fixed thereto, and to give motion to the same by a
screw.
By the above arrangement the weight of the vessel and of its contents is
brought into the most favorable position for the draft horse, whilst the supply
of water or fluid can be run off at such a height from the ground as to supply
the vessel of a drill or other machine, or the tank or tender of an agricultural
steam engine or otherwise.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
more fully the manner of performing the same.

page_text: Figure 1 is a side view, and Figure 2 a back view of a liquid manure or
water cart constructed in the manner I prefer for carrying out my Invention.
a is the vessel in which the water or liquid manure is to be contained. This
vessel is by preference formed of thin plates of metal as is sbewn; the vessel
turns on axes placed at its ends, the bearings of these axes are carried by a
frame b, which is shewn in the Drawings, to be supported on two wheels c;
when however the cylinder a is of large size it is preferable that the frame
should be supported on four wheels; d is the longitudinal radial partition,
which passes from one side of the vessel towards the centre and extends
slightly beyond it. The partition after it has passed beyond the centre of
the vessel is bent round, as is shown in the sectional view of the vessel a at
Figure 3. At the back of the vessel a is a screw wheel e, into which a screw
f gears. On the axis of this screw is a hand wheel g, by which the screw can
be turned, and the vessel a thus revolved on its axis. At the front end of the
frame is fixed a pump h, by means of which the vessel may be filled. The
vessel for this purpose has an aperture formed in it which is brought under
the delivery spout i of the pump when the vessel is to be filled. The contents
of the vessel are drawn off through the pipe k, that is connected by a short
length of flexible pipe to the end of the hollow axis that is at the back of the
vessel. This pipe, when the vessel is being filled, is turned up and hung by a
small hook on its side to an eye at the top of the cylinder, so that the top of
the pipe is above the cylinder. When drawing off the contents the pipe is
unhooked, and the fluid that is above the axis is first allowed to flow through
the hollow axis, the vessel a is then gradually turned round on its axis, by
which means the water or liquid manure that was below the axes is raised
by the longitudinal partition, and so caused to flow out of the hollow axis,
and by this means the vessel may be completely emptied.
By constructing water and liquid manure carts as above described, the
water or liquid manure may not only be delivered from the vessel at a height
from the ground suitable for supplying the vessel of a liquid manure drill, or
for supplying an agricultural steam engine or other vessel, but the reservoir
or vessel containing the liquid manure is also brought much lower than here-
tofore, so that the weight of the vessel and its contents is in a much more
favorable position for the draft horse, and the cart will also oscillate less than
water and liquid manure carts as heretofore constructed. Another advantage
arising from constructing liquid manure carts in the manner above described
is that the revolving motion of the cylinder will mix up the sediment with the

page_text: liquid manure, thus causing is to be discharged without trouble, and also
delivering the manure of a more equal quality than hitherto.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Richards, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
said Thomas
presence of
Richards in the
EDWIN INGS,
Wincanton, Postmaster.
THOMAS RICHARDS. (L.S.)