INODOROUS BASINS AND DESCENT PIDES O Grace
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jacques Pelegrin, of Bordeaux. in the Department
of the Gironde, in the Empire of France, Undertaker, for the Invention
of "INODOROUS BASINS AND DESCENT PIDES O Grace"
of the Gironde, in the Empire of France, Undertaker, for the Invention
of "INODOROUS BASINS AND DESCENT PIDES OD Grace"
Sealed the 28th May 1861, in pursuance of an Order of the Lord Chancellor,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jacques Pelegrin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
November 1860.
I, JACQUES PELEGRIN, of Bordeaux, in the Department of the Gironde, in
the Empire of France, Undertaker, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "INODOROUS BASINS AND DESCENT PIPES OF GLASS," to be as follows:-
I propose to substitute glass in lieu of porcelain, enameled metal, and other
material hitherto used for the pans and descent pipes of waterclosets, and by
a novel arrangement to make the pan inodorous and self-cleansing. For
private waterclosets I propose to make a reservoir entirely of glass, and in two
parts, firstly, a cylinder, at the bottom of which will be an orifice, to which
will be soldered a pipe, and by which the water from the cylinder will escape
into a channel or groove in the basin or pan hereafter mentioned, at the
bottom of which there will always be water exposed to atmospheric pressure;
secondly, a vase, in the form of a decanter reversed, in the cylinder, so that
its mouth will just touch the water at the bottom of the cylinder, being
arrested by two glass rings, one on the decanter, the other on the cylinder (a
glass button on the upper part of the decanter will allow it to be withdrawn
and replaced.) This vase or reversed decanter is used on the principle that
a liquid contained in a vessel hermetically closed at the top, and having no
other issue than the lower end, plunged in a liquid cannot escape by reason

page_text: of the atmospheric pressure weighing upon the liquid in which its end plunges,
except inasmuch as this latter is withdrawn, in which case the water seeking
its level will replace that drawn off until the decanter is empty. The pan or
basin will also be entirely of glass, and formed of two principal parts brought
together by mastic or caoutchouc, and resting at their point of junction upon
a ring similar to that on the neck of a bottle. At the bottom of the basin
will be four half-circular holes, through which the fecal matter will escape to
a receptacle beneath, which will contain a supply of water proportioned to the
use made of the closet. Into this receptacle will plunge the extremity of
the upper pipe, all gaseous exhalations being thus prevented, and into this
water (only one-sixth part of which will be in contact with the exterior air)
will fall the fecal matter which, under its influence, will disintegrate and
liquify, and as the quantity of liquid is increased by urine from above or
water from the reservoir, will escape to the cesspool. The action will be as
follows: A cover will be placed on the upper basin, in which is the channel.
or groove communicating by a pipe with the reservoir. This cover will
descend about three parts down the groove, and as it is placed the water will
escape from the groove into the basin, washing it all round, and renewing the
water in the receptacle, drives the fecal matter into the cesspool. A small
quantity of water will remain in the channel, and prevent any escape of gas
from the receptacle. When the cover is removed a vacunm will be formed
in the channel placed level with the lower orifice of the cylinder reservoir,
from which water will immediately rush in sufficient quantity to fill the
channel. A moveable glass grating may also be placed within the basin, to
separate the urine and the fecal matter.
For public waterclosets I propose to use the same description of decanter
reservoir, but to surround the basin with a half-circular plate of glass, having
around it a channel and border; into this channel the water from the reservoir
will enter upon the principle above stated. At certain points of this plate
will be two small slots into which will enter two glass teeth, forming part of
an upper moveable plate, having on its surface numerous orifices separated
by grooved surfaces to prevent sliding at the extremity, opposed to the basin a
piece or plug of glass, which will plunge into the large channel where the
water circulates, and at the other extremity, towards the two angles near the
basin; also beneath the plate two glass teeth which arrest its fall at a given
point; this moveable plate will be cut semicircularly to the edges of the
basin, and be placed like it level with the ground. It will readily be under-
stood how the water enters of itself into the basin. The upper moveable
plate will in its normal state be horizontal, and its plug, by reason of its

page_text: weight being greater than that of the two teeth diametrically opposed to it,
will rest in the water channel. When any person approaches the basin, no
sooner will his feet have passed the pivots than, by reason of his weight, the
upper plate will slightly sink towards the basin and the inferior plate, and rest
thus as long as the weight remains, while the plug leaving the channel clear,
water from the reservoir will rush in and take its place. When the person
withdraws, the upper plate will resume its original position, and the plug will
drive all the water out of the channel, and having no other issue than by the
lower fixed plate, which will be slightly inclined towards the basin, it will enter
this latter, and after washing it feed the receptacle in the same manner as
effected by putting on the cover in the case of the private watercloset before
described. The glass descent pipes will be blown or cast (as desired), and
if of blown glass may be blown double, and filled up with mastie.
.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Jacques Pelegrin
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th June 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JACQUES
PELEGRIN, of Bordeaux, in the Department of the Gironde, in the Empire of
France. Undertaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Iler most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Iler
reign, did, for Ierself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Jacques Pelegrin, Her special licence that I, the said Jacques
Pelegrin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Jacques Pelegrin, 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 "IN-
ODOROUS BASINS AND DESCENT PIPES OF GLASS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Jacques Pelegrin, 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 Inven-
tion, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jacques Pelegrin, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
forming part of this my Specification, and to the letters of reference marked
thereon.
I consider the apparatus usually termed watercloset has hitherto failed to
answer the purpose for which such accommodation is intended, that, in fact,
it is not inodorous, that exhalations arise, and the parts are acted upon and
deteriorated by the fecal matter. The object of my Invention is to stop all
exhalation, and it is attained by the employment of glass in the construction
of the entire apparatus (and consequent non-oxidation of the parts).
I will first treat of the manner in which I construct private waterclosets,
and to avoid repetitions I desire it to be understood that the glass to be used
may be cast or blown as pleasure or economy may dictate.
In the construction of the private closet, the upper reservoir, which supplies
the whole, is in a cylinder, and has the appearance of an inverted decanter,
its capacity usually about three gallons. Following the principle that liquid
in an inverted vase hermetically closed at its upper end, and having no issue
except at the vent formed at its base, and plunged in liquid, cannot escape by
reason of atmospheric pressure on its surface where the neck is plunged
in liquid, the water in the reservoir does not flow until that in which the vase
is plunged is diminished or drawn off, and then the water seeking its level
replaces the loss, and so on till the reservoir is emptied. This reservoir
apparatus will be immediately understood by reference to the Drawing,
Figure 1 and 5, C. This reservoir is in two parts, as shewn. A cylinder
(holding the inverted decanter) at the bottom of which a tube T carries off
the water into the basin when required. At the bottom of the decanter is a
glass ring, and another in the cylinder; a stop at the top of the decanter
allows the fixing or unfixing thereof. The basin is made in two pieces, an
inner and outer, cemented (filled up) with caoutchouc, mastic, or other
cement; it reposes, when fixed, on a ring (similar to that on the neck of a
wine bottle); or the basin may be made in cast glass, and in a single piece.
The principal piece of the apparatus is what I term a cistern, represented in
the Drawing by letter M, Figure 1. It is made of a single piece of glass,
and is blown to the shape shewn in the Drawing, of about a third of an inch
thick in the upper surface (as seen in the Drawing) are made four semi-
circular orifices 0, 0, 0, 0, of about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, to
allow the fecal matters to run off as disintegrated. Below the orifices a

page_text: reservoir of water is shewn (into which the fecal matters from the basin are
received) which is supplied with sufficient water, as hereafter described, into
which the extremity Ẹ of the upper piece or sumpf dips, intercepting exha-
lation. The fecal matter is soon disintegrated (as the operation is always
going on), and passes off at 0, 0, 0, o. The capacity of this reservoir may be
two quarts.
I now proceed to describe in what manner and proportion the water enters
the reservoirs. The piece L, Figure 1, has been already described. It is a
basin dipping slightly into the water of the reservoir. On its upper edge or
circle all round is a groove of moderate depth, capable of containing, say,
half a pint of water. If this basin (the form of which may be varied) be
made of cast glass it should be about three-eights of an inch thick or there-
abouts, but the upper portion must be thicker to admit of the groove
aforesaid; if of blown glass, the construction has been already described, but
in this case the groove or channel is formed by the mastic or cement itself,
the glass rising above the filling in for that purpose. It will be seen that
the basin is sustained by a ring on the neck of the cistern M, the basin being
larger in diameter. The movable cover N (Figure 1 and others) is placed
on the basin, and its edge fills about three parts of the groove of basin, which
is supplied by means of the tube T. On placing the cover, the water in the
channel or groove escapes or rather overflows into the basin, washing the inner
surface thereof, and forces the fecal matter into the reservoir below. A small
quantity of water remains in the groove, intercepting any exhalation from the
basin. A plate of glass J (Figure 1 and others) is placed at the junction of
the vase with the part acting as sumpf to the reservoir. This plate forms a
moveable grating, which is pierced with holes, the larger one, forming centre,
is about three inches in diameter, the spaces of solid glass between the orifices
are cut (or cast) into angular stops. This plate is moveable to allow of its
being taken out of the basin and cleaned, if required, or, to allow the other
parts of the apparatus to be cleaned. It is thus my glass closet is constructed
quite inodorous, guaranteed from exhalation from the cistern M, by the inter-
mediate reservoir, and from the lighter gases from the reservoir and basin by
the water channel and cover N, and assisted by the material (glass) of which
the whole is composed, (which always retains a polished surface.
I will now proceed to describe how I apply my Invention to public water-
closets. I would first observe that I prefer, for reasons hereafter mentioned,
that the top of the basins should be even, or nearly so, with the surface of
the ground or flooring. The whole of the parts described as applicable to the
construction of private waterclosets are retained, and those hereafter described

page_text: added, the latter, to obviate the inconvenience which would arise from parties
using the basins not replacing the covers, or soiling in front of the basin. I
place a large plate of glass, which I call a sink (of form suitable to the edge
of the basin) bordered B, B, B, B, (see Figure 8) all round. Next this
border is a groove or channel, say, about half an inch deep, and nearly twice
that width, except next the letters B, B, where it is partially covered by a
superior plate of glass A, A, A, A, (the whole, with the position of the basin
and upper reservoir, shewn in plan at Figure 3, A, B, C, J; into this channel
water passes from the decanter reservoir by means of the tube T, on the
principle previously set forth. This plate is about an inch in thickness, and
slopes slightly from b, b, towards the basin. At the points R, R, (see section,
Figure 6) are two grooves forming rests or sockets for the points P, P, of the
upper plate A, A, A, A, (shewn in plan, Figure 3, and in section at Figures 5
and 6), forming lever, these points, of about half an inch in substance, being
part of the upper or lever plate, in the surface of which plate numerous
orifices 0, 0, are made, as distinctly illustrated in the Drawing, Figure 3. At
the extremity farthest from the basin a heel-piece S, about one inch thick,
and twice that width, drops into the largest part of the water channel or
groove. At the other end of this plate, and near the two angles A¹, A¹,
nearest the basin, will be seen dentals P1, P1, about half an inch thick, form
stop for the upper plate after it has descended (as will be described) about
half an inch. The upper plate is cut next the basin, to follow the form of the
latter, and is placed on the same level. It will be thus easily understood how
the water flows into the basin. The movable upper plate in its normal
position is horizontal, and its heel S, by reason of its weight being greater
than the dentals PI, plunges into the wide portion of the groove. When an
individual approaches the basin, scarcely shall his weight have passed the
pivots P, P, but he will press down the plate at the basin and lift the heel-
piece S, as see-saw. The fall towards the basin is about half an inch. As
soon as the heel-piece S rises, the water rushes into the vacuum so made in
the groove from the reservoir by the tube T. As long as the individual
remains on the portion of the plate next the basin, his weight keeps the
piece S elevated; on his departure it drops into the groove, displacing all the
water therefrom, which, finding no other exit than over the lower fixed plate,
flows by means of the slope before mentioned into the basin, which it cleanses,
and passes on to the covered reservoir herein-before described. The orifices
0, 0, 0, 0, which are seen in the moveable upper plate, permit the urine to run
on to the lower or fixed plate, and flow also into the basin. The position of
the basin on the level (or nearly so) of the ground is preferable as regards a

page_text: public watercloset to the basin with seat, it having been observed that however
clean the seats may be the public has a dislike to use them. The slight
see-saw movement of the upper plate need be no obstacle to my system being
adopted, there being no jerk for the dentals of the upper plate, 'drop less than
half an inch, and that on to a shallow bed of water, which deadens the fall.
To assist the cleanliness of public waterclosets, there may be fixed along the
wall a plate of glass from fifteen to twenty inches in height, by washing
which, when required, the walls are kept from being dirtied, and offensive to
the eye.
The advantage of making pipes of glass instead of iron or pottery has
already been proved, as those made of the latter material possess always a
polished surface, guaranteeing against all ordinary obstructions, and for this
and other reasons I employ them as descent pipes for my waterclosets. These
pipes may be cast in one piece, or an outer and inner pipe may be blown,
placing the smaller inside the larger, and filling in with mastic or other
cement as described in reference to my glass watercloset basins. The pipes
should have a ring at their ends to serve as fulcrum in fixing.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the means
by which I carry it into practical effect, I would here observe that any
description of glass from the finest cast to the coarsest blown or bottle glass
may be used for all or any of the parts; and I would have it distinctly under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein set forth, as
such may and indeed must be varied to suit the circumstances of particular
cases, nor do I for the same reason confine myself to any precise relative
proportions of parts to each other; but what I claim is the exclusive use
(as of my Invention) of the construction of private and public waterclosets
entirely of glass, essentially in the manner herein-before described and
illustrated by the annexed. Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jacques Pelegrin, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
JACQUES PELEGRIN. (L.s.)
Witness,