IMPROVEMENTS IN PLUGS FOR INSERTION IN WATER GAS AND OTHER MAINS FOR CONNECTING SERVICE PIPES TO SUCH MAINS UNDER PRESSURE "
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carl Julius Tetens Hanssen of Flensburg, Prussia Civil
Engineer for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLUGS FOR INSERTION IN
WATER GAS AND OTHER MAINS FOR CONNECTING SERVICE PIPES TO SUCH
MAINS UNDER PRESSURE
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carl Julius Tetens Hanssen
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th June 1882.
CARL JULIUS TETENS HANSSEN of Flensburg, Prussia, Civil
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PLUGS FOR INSERTION IN WATER GAS AND OTHER MAINS
FOR CONNECTING SERVICE PIPES TO SUCH MAINS UNDER PRESSURE
"
;
Engineer
Heretofore the holes made in suitable distances in gas water and other mains for
connecting service pipes to them have been closed by means of iron or brass cocks
screwed into them. The service pipe is screwed to such a cock when required and
when the connection has been fully made the cock is opened so as to admit water
or other fluid from the main to the service pipe. Or the cocks are sometimes
screwed into a saddle piece which is clamped on to the main over such a hole.
These cocks afterwards must remain in their places and are as a rule not used
afterwards. The value of these many cocks thus uselessly buried in the ground
represents a rather considerable capital.
The object of my invention is to do away with these cocks and to substitute
therefor an efficient cheap and convenient plug.
The plug is made in the form of a gun metal or other nipple or tube screwed on
the outside at its lower end for insertion into the hole in the main and screwed
inside or otherwise suitably formed at its upper end for connecting the service pipe
thereto. The inside of the lower part of the nipple is by preference taper and may
be formed with concentric grooves or other recesses especially if it is not made
conical; it is filled with a plug of hard sugar or other material soluble in water,
the grooves serving as additional means to retain such material. The underside of
this material
protected by means of a layer of paraffine wax or other suitable

page_text: material not soluble in water and thus enabled to withstand the fluid pressure in
the main until the drilling and tapping apparatus is removed and the previously
prepared service pipe screwed into the nipple.
By pouring a little water into the service pipe the upper unprotected part of the
sugar or other soluble material will be gradually more or less dissolved and the
pressure in the main will at last break through the layer of paraffine and the
remaining sugar, and force the same up and out of the service pipe.
The nipple may be screwed into the main itself or into a saddle clamped on the
main.
For water mains with moderate pressure or for gas mains the soluble mass is
sufficient and the protecting layer of paraffine wax is then not required.
Any suitable well known apparatus for drilling and tapping such holes in mains
may be used for forming these tapped holes in the main, and for screwing these
nipples into such holes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Carl Julius Tetens Hanssen in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th December 1882.
CARL JULIUS TETENS HANSSEN of Flensburg Prussia Civil Engineer
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PLUGS FOR INSERTION IN WATER, GAS AND OTHER MAINS
FOR CONNECTING SERVICE PIPES TO SUCH MAINS UNDER PRESSURE
"
Heretofore the holes made at suitable distances in gas water and other mains for
connecting service pipes to them have usually been closed by means of iron or brass
cocks screwed into them. The service pipe is screwed to such a cock when required
and when the connection has been fully made the cock is opened so as to admit
water or other fluid from the main to the service pipe Or the cocks are sometimes
screwed into a saddle piece which is clamped on to the main over such a hole.
These cocks afterwards must remain in their places and are as a rule not used
afterwards. The value of these many cocks thus uselessly buried in the ground
represents a rather considerable capital.
The main object of my Invention is to do away with these cocks and to substitute
therefor an efficient cheap and convenient plug.
The plug is made in the form of a gun metal or other nipple or tube screwed on
the outside at its lower end for insertion into the hole in the main and screwed
inside or otherwise suitably formed at its upper end for connecting the service
pipe thereto. The inside of the lower part of the nipple is by preference taper and
may be formed with concentric grooves or other recesses especially if it is not made
conical; it is filled with a plug of hard sugar or other material soluble in water,
the grooves serving as additional means to retain such material The underside of
this material is protected by means of a layer of paraffine wax or other suitable
material not soluble in water and thus enabled to withstand the fluid pressure in
the main until the drilling and tapping apparatus is removed and the previously
prepared service pipe screwed into the nipple. By pouring a little water into the
service pipe the upper unprotected part of the sugar or other soluble material will
be gradually more or less dissolved and the pressure in the main will at last break
through the layer of paraffine and the remaining sugar and force the same up and
out of the service pipe The nipple may be screwed into the main itself or into a
saddle clamped on the main.
For water mains with moderate pressure or for gas mains the soluble mass is
sufficient and the protecting layer of paraffine wax is then not required.
Any suitable well known apparatus for drilling and tapping such holes in mains
may be used for forming these tapped holes in the main and for screwing these
nipples into such holes.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will now proceed to describe it in detail and with reference to
the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a nipple constructed according to my
Invention and suitable for making service pipe connection with water mains being
intended for temporarily closing the hole drilled and tapped in such main. It is
for this purpose screwed outside below at a for screwing into the said hole and it
is shown screwed outside at its upper portion a' for connecting to the service pipe
but this part may be made in any suitable form; it is also as shown at a screwed
inside for the purpose of enabling it to be inserted in the main, as will be described
further on.
The lower portion of the nipple is bored conical and filled with a
substance soluble in water, and the lower face of this substance is coated with a

page_text: "
substance y not soluble in water. As soluble substance brown or so called "moist
sugar, and as nonsoluble paraffine wax has been found suitable for pressures up to
700 feet head of water; the sugar should be dry and hard when the nipple is to be
applied.
Figure 2 shows another form of nipple for water mains and suitable for a lead
or tin lined lead service pipe.
Figure 3 shows a form of nipple suitable for inserting an elbow, which connects
to the service pipe
Figure 4 shows the nipple applied to a saddle c which is clamped on to the main
in two halves.
Figure 5 shows a simpler form of nipple suitable for connecting a service pipe to
a gas or other low pressure main, in which case a thin layer x of sugar is only
needed, the insoluble layer y being omitted.
The nipples constructed as above described may as already stated be used in
connection with some known suitable apparatus for drilling and tapping mains
under pressure and for inserting. I will however now describe an apparatus of a
somewhat novel form which I have found very suitable for the purpose but which I
do not specially claim.
Figure 6 is a vertical section through the apparatus and Figure 7 an end view
of same
It consists mainly of a cylinder A with stuffing box for the bar B of the
drilling and tapping tool, which is worked by a ratchet brace C that is held by a
staple D fixed on the stuffing box or cover A'. The bar B is enlarged at its
lower end B' which carries the drill and tap E, and this part B¹ is passed through
the plug of the cock F.
The apparatus is fixed water or gas tight on the saddle G which is placed on the
main and held thereto by the chain H and the tightening nut h. The required
hole having been drilled and tapped in the main, the ratchet brace C is taken off,
and the bar B with tap E raised so far that the cock F can be closed: the cover A¹
is then screwed off, the tap E removed, and. mandril I Figure 8 with a patent
nipple on, screwed on to the lower end of the bar B instead. The cover A¹ is now
again fixed on the cylinder A along with the bar B with mandril and nipple,
and the cock F having been opened the bar B is passed down through it, and the
nipple is then screwed into the tapped hole in the main. The bar B is now
unscrewed from the nipple and the entire apparatus removed, and the service pipe
connected to the nipple. A little water poured into the latter soon dissolves the
sugar plug therein; and when thus sufficiently dissolved or weakened the
pressure in the main will break the insoluble coating y and force it and the
soluble part away through the service pipe which meanwhile has been connected
or carried into the house as required.
Should a lead service pipe connected to one of my patent nipples burst or
become leaky, for instance at the point k Figure 11, then the pipe h is squeezed
fat at cut off at that place, and gently hammered down into the nipple so as to
keep tolerably water tight; I then place a saddle piece over it having rather
larger hole than the ordinary ones and slightly higher, and connect the apparatus
figures 6 and 7 thereto and to the main as before described, and bore out the piece
of lead pipe in the nipple. To remove the latter and replace it by a new one I
fix a mandril figure 12 on the lower end of the bar B this mandril is formed with
a conical left handed thread below and will when screwed into the nipple serve to
unscrew it from the main.
In cases where a valve or cock is required near the main, for the purpose of
offering facility for repairing the service pipe, I find it advantageous to use the
simple and cheap form of valve shown at Figure 9 (but any other or ordinary
kind of stop valve or cock may be used if desired) The valve proper consists in
a spindle b with a disc at its lower end having a soft metal ring d which forms
joint against the valve seating f; on the spindle is placed a soft metal washer e
which forms joint between the spindle and the body of the valve, when the valve
is held in the raised position shown by the cotter g; h is the service pipe. To close

page_text: the valve I may conveniently use the screw staple shown in figure 10; the fitters
tool or staple T is placed on the body of the valve so that the parts t come under
the flange on the body of the valve; the cotter g is then taken out and the valve
spindle b pushed down by means of the screw T¹. .In some cases I find it
advantageous to place this valvė figure 6 at an angle; and to drill the hole in the
main accordingly.
.
And having now described and ascertained the nature of this invention and the
manner of carrying the same into effect I.declare that, I claim :-
:
Firstly The employment and mode of application of hollow plugs or nipples
for connecting service pipes to water and other mains under low fluid pressure or
under ordinary or considerable fluid pressure said plugs or nipples containing a
material easily soluble by a solvent such as water applied from the side towards
the service pipe and for ordinary or considerable pressure provided on the side
towards the main with a thin protecting crust of material not soluble or not
quickly soluble by the fluid in the main all substantially as described and
as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Secondly: The construction of hollow plugs or nipples substantially as described
with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
In witness whereof I the said Carl Julius Tetens Hanssen have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Twentyeighth day of November in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty two:
C. J. 1. HANDSEN.
(1.3.).