IMPROVED MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING THE EXCREMENT OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES AND FOR FACILITATING THE DRAINAGE OF HOUSES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jasper Wheeler Rogers, of Peat House, Robert's
Town, in the, County of Kildare, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING THE EXCREMENT OF
TOWNS AND VILLAGES AND FOR FACILITATING THE DRAINAGE OF HOUSES."
Sealed the 9th April 1861, and dated the 11th October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jasper Wheeler Rogers
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th October 1860.
I, JASPER WHEELER ROGERS, of Peat House, Robert's Town, in the County
of Kildare, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVED MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING THE EXCREMENT
OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES, AND FOR FACILITATING THE DRAINAGE OF HOUSES," to be
as follows:
My Invention of "Improved Means of and Apparatus for Collecting the
Excrement of Towns and Villages, and for Facilitating the Drainage of
Houses," consists of certain improvements upon an Invention having similar
objects in view, and for which I obtained Letters Patent on the 8th day of
April 1857 (No. 992).

page_text: According to my present Invention a strong air-tight pipe of suitable
capacity is placed in the sewer, and is made to communicate at one end with
a large close air-tight chamber, so constructed as to admit of a vacuum being
formed therein when required. The main sewer pipe also communicates by
means of branch pipes with the waterclosets of all the houses in the district or
street through which the main sewer pipe passes. Each of these branch or
house pipes is provided at some convenient place with an air-tight valve, by
closing which all communication with the main sewer pipe may be temporarily
suspended. The main sewer pipe is also provided at suitable places and
distances apart with air-tight valves of any convenient or suitable construction,
so that the main sewer pipe may be capable of being divided into air-tight
sections or compartments of convenient size, simply by closing two of the air-
tight valves. Air-tight stand pipes or other analogous contrivances are adapted
to each section of the main sewer pipe, for the purpose of communicating with
the interior of the sewer pipe by means of a portable air pump, whereby the
air from the sewer pipe may be exhausted.
It will be understood that all the excrement and soil from the closets of the
houses will pass down the branch or house pipes into the main pipe in the
sewer, and will be conducted by this pipe to the large vacuum chamber at the
end, and where the soil will be deodorized by being mixed with peat charcoal.
The liquid portion of the sewage will pass upwards through filtering beds
made of peat charcoal and other substances, and when deprived of its gases
the liquid portion may be allowed to run off. The solid matters may from
time to time as they accumulate be removed from the large chambers and
conveyed away. It will be understood that by creating a vacuum in the large
chamber at the end of the main sewer pipe, or in the pipe itself, all the soil
and water will be drawn from the house or branch pipes towards the outfall.
Should, however, a serious obstruction be found to exist in any of the branch
pipes, it may be speedily removed by closing the ends of that section or com-
partment of the main pipe with which the obstructed house pipe communicates,
and also closing all the unobstructed house pipes connected with that section
of the main tube, leaving the air valve of the obstructed. pipe open. Then,
upon exhausting the air from the main tube, the atmospheric pressure will act
upon the obstruction in the branch pipe from behind, and will force it forward
out of the main tube. It will, of course, be evident, that, instead of exhausting
main tube or any of its sections or compartments by means of an exhaust-
the apparatus or air pump adapted directly thereto, the sections of the main
tube may be made to communicate with a vacuum chamber placed at any

page_text: convenient spot, and by exhausting this latter first, and then suddenly opening
a communication between it and the main tube; or one of its sections or com-
partments, the latter with the branch pipes connected therewith will be
exhausted suddenly, and any obstructions therein will be quickly removed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jasper Wheeler Rogers in the Great Seal Patent Office.
on the 11th April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, I, JASPER
WHEELER ROGERS, of Peat House, Robert's Town, in the County of Kildare,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Jasper Wheeler Rogers, Her special license that I, the
said Jasper Wheeler Rogers, my executors, administrators, and, assigns, or
such others as I, the said Jasper Wheeler Rogers, my executors,. adminis-
traters, 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 "IMPROVED MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR. COLLECTING THE
EXCREMENT OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES, AND FOR FACILITATING THE DRAINAGE OF
HOUSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jasper Wheeler
Rogers, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jasper Wheeler Rogers, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of improved means of and apparatus for collecting the ex-

page_text: crement of towns and villages, and for facilitating the drainage of houses"
consists of certain improvements upon au Invention having similar objects in
view, and for which I obtained Letters Patent on the 8th day of April 1857,
(No. 992.) According to my present Invention a strong air-tight pipe of
suitable capacity is placed in the sewer, and is made to communicate at one
end with a large close air-tight chamber, so constructed as to admit of a vacuum
being formed therein when required. This air-tight main sewer pipe is sub-
divided by means of valves, or other analogous contrivances into sections of
convenient length, and it communicates by means of branch pipes with the
water-closets of all the houses in the district or street through which the main
sewer pipe passes. Each of these branch or house pipes is also provided at
some convenient place with an air-tight valve to which access may be obtained
with facility when required, and by closing the valves of the respective branch
pipes all communication with the main sewer pipe may be temporarily sus-
pended. The main sewer pipe being also provided at suitable places and
distances apart with air-tight valves of any convenient or suitable construction,
the main sewer pipe may be capable of being divided, as above mentioned, into
several air-tight sections or compartments of convenient size, simply by closing
two of the air-tight valves. Air-tight stand pipes or other analogous con-
trivances are adapted to each section of the main sewer pipe for the purpose
of communicating with the interior of the sewer pipe, so that by means of a
portable air pump the air from any particular section of the sewer pipe may
be exhausted when required.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn at Fig. 1 a diagram expla-
natory of the mode of carrying out my Invention. a, a, is the main sewer
pipe; b, b, are the branch pipes, communicating with the water-closets of the
houses; c, c, are valves, adapted to the main sewer pipe and placed at conve-
nient distances apart, so that the main sewer pipe may be divided into sections;
d, d, are valves, adapted to each of the branch or house pipes b, b, so that
the communication of each and all of them with the main sewer pipe may be
cut off when required; a* is a stand pipe, communicating with the main sewer
pipe for the purpose of exhausting the latter by means of an air pump. It
should be understood that all excrementitious matter and soil from the
closets of the houses will pass down the branch or house pipes b, b, into the
main pipe a in the sewer, and will be conducted by this pipe to the large
vacuum chamber at the end, and where the soil will be deodorized by being
mixed with peat charcoal after being lifted out of the chamber or receptacle
by means of an archimedean screw or buckets. The liquid portion of the

page_text: sewage will pass upwards through filtering beds made of peat charcoal and
other substances, and being by this means deprived of its gases, the liquid por-.
tion may be allowed to run off into streams or rivers without affecting their
purity. The. solid matters will from time to time as they accumulate be.
removed from the large chambers and deodorized by means of intermixture
with peat charcoal; as aforesaid, and conveyed, away. It will be understood.
that by partially or entirely emptying the chamber of its solid and fluid con-;
tents and then creating a vacuum in the chamber at the end of the main sewer;
pipe or in the pipe itself, or any section or part thereof that may have been,
temporarily separated from or divided off from the rest, all the soil and water
will be drawn from the house or branch pipes towards the outfall.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the valve I propose to employ in carrying out
my Invention, but other constructions of valves may be used if preferred; e is
the valve box, which is provided with a conical seat f. A flap valve g with a
conical face to fit the seat fis mounted on a hinge joint h, and is provided
with a sector rack i, in which gears a snail or worm j at the lower end of the
spindle k, the upper end of which may be reached with facility when it is
required to actuate the valve. A valve of this construction is not liable as
others to get clogged and out of order. Should a serious obstruction be found
to exist in any of the branch pipes it may be speedly removed by closing the
valves at the ends of that section or compartment of the main pipe with which
the obstructed house pipe communicates, and also closing all the unobstructed
house pipes connected with that section of the main tube leaving the air valve
of the obstructed pipe open. Then upon exhausting the air from that parti-
cular section of the main tube the atmospheric pressure will act from behind
upon the obstruction in the branch pipe, and will force the obstructing matter
forward out of the branch pipe into the main tube, from whence it will be
conducted into the reservoir at the end of the sewer. It will of course be
evident that instead of exhausting the main tube or any of its sections or com-
partments by means of an exhausting apparatus or air pump adapted directly
thereto, the sections of the main tube may be made to communicate with a
vacuum chamber placed at any convenient spot, and by exhausting this latter
first and then suddenly opening a communication between it and the main
tube or one of its sections or compartments, the latter with the branch pipes
connected therewith will be exhausted suddenly, and any obstructions therein
will be quickly removed by being propelled forward towards the vacuum.
Having now described my Invention of "Improved Means of and Appa-
ratus for Collecting the Excrement of Towns and Villages, and for Facilitating

page_text: the Drainage of Houses," and having explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I claim as the Invention, secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid, connecting the branch drain pipes of houses and buildings with main
sewer pipes that are capable of being made air-tight, or which communicate
with an air-tight chamber. I also claim the adaptation or application to such
main sewer pipes and branch drain pipes of valves or other analogous con-
trivances, whereby the main sewer pipe may be divided, when required, into
air-tight sections or compartments, to which air pumps for exhausting the
same may be adapted, and the communication of the branch pipes with the
main, sewer pipe may be cut off when desired.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jasper Wheeler Rogers, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.