CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE METHOD OF CLEANSING SEWERS AND DRAINS, AND IN THE Mawwww AnARATUS CONNECTEDRE
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Blades, of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Surveyor, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE METHOD OF CLEANSING SEWERS AND DRAINS, AND IN THE
Mawwww An An
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Blades
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th December 1852.
I, RICHARD BLADES, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Sur-
veyor, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF CLEANSING SEWERS AND DRAINS, AND IN
THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to facilitating the removal from sewers and
drains of obstructions, such as mud, silt, sand, and other solid or in-
soluble deposits that cannot readily be removed by the process called
"flushing."
In the first place I provide the sewers and drains with manways
or openings at suitable distances, in order to allow of ready access
to any required point. When it is desired to cleanse any part of

page_text: the sewer or drain, the manways above and below that part must be
opened. A small float of any suitable form or material is then to
be placed in the water at the upper opening, and floated down to the
lower opening by means of the stream or current in the sewer or
drain. This float is attached to and carries with it, a small line of
Manilla grass, hemp, silk, or other suitable light substance, and thus
a communication is established between the two openings. By means
of this line (or a stronger one attached thereto), one end of a chain
of suitable strength is next drawn through and is then attached to
a "crab" winch, or other similar lifting or winding apparatus, worked
either by manual labor, or by steam or other power. Suitable
dredging or excavating tools are then attached to the chain, and
drawn through, followed by buckets, scrapers, and sweeping brushes.
The mud, sand, silt, or other deposit is thus swept down to the lower
opening, whence it can be raised in buckets, or in any other conve-
nient manner, after which the sewers or drains may be "flushed"
with water. In the event of any sewer or drain becoming entirely
obstructed or "silted up," a communication between the two man-
ways or openings must be established by means of a jointed rod con-
structed of cane, wire, or other suitable material, which is to be forced
through the upper stratum of the silt, which is the most penetrable
portion; and when once a communication has been established, the
cleansing operations will proceed, as in the former instance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Richard Blades in the Great Seal 2
Patent Office on the 16th June 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
RICHARD BLADES, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Sur-
veyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 3
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the

page_text: sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Richard Blades, Her special
license that I, the said Richard Blades, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Blades, my ex-
ecutors, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF CLEANSING SEWERS AND
DRAINS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Blades, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Richard Blades, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
saine is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertain
in and by the following statements and accompanying Drawings
(that is to say):
My Invention of Improvements in the Method of Cleansing Sewers
and Drains, and in the Machinery or Apparatus connected therewith,
relates to the method of facilitating the removal from sewers and
drains of obstructions, such as mud, silt, sand, and other solid
or insoluble deposits, which cannot readily be removed by the
ordinary process commonly called "flushing." In order to faci-
litate this operation in the first place, I provide the said sewers and
drains with manways or openings, placed at certain suitable or conve
nient distances apart, in order (when requisite) to allow of ready
access to any particular point. When it has become necessary or
desirable to cleanse any part of the sewer or drain, the man ways
both above and below that part must be opened. A small inflated

page_text: bladder or float of any suitable form or material, is then to be placed
in the water at the upper opening, and floated (by means of the stream
or current in the sewer or drain) down to the lower opening. This said
bladder or float is attached to and carries with it a small line formed
of Manilla grass, hemp, silk, or other suitable light substance, and
thus a communication is established between the two openings or
man ways. By means of the said line (or by means of a stronger
one attached thereto), one end of a chain of suitable strength is next
drawn through. This said chain is then to be passed round a pulley
and drawn upwards through the opening or manway, where it is to
be attached to a "crab" winch or other suitable lifting or winding
apparatus, which may be worked either by manual labor, or by steam
or other power. Suitable ploughing, dredging, or excavating tools are
then to be attached to the said chain, and drawn through the sewer
or drain, by means of the said "crab" or winch, followed by buckets,
scrapers, and sweeping brushes. The mud, sand, silt, or other de-
posit is thus loosened, and carried or swept down to the lower
opening or manway, whence it can be raised in buckets, or by any
other suitable and convenient means, after which the sewer or drain
may be "flushed," or cleansed with water in the usual manner. In
the event of any sewer or drain becoming entirely obstructed or
"silted up" (as it is termed), a communication between the two
manways or openings must be established by means of a jointed rod,
constructed of cane, wire, or other suitable material, which is to be
forced through the upper stratum of the silt, which being the last
deposit is the most penetrable portion; a line must then be floated
through, as above described, and a communication being thus esta-
blished, the cleansing operations will proceed as in the former
instance. The practical application of my Invention of improvements
in the method of cleansing sewers and drains, and the construction
of the machinery or apparatus connected therewith, will be readily
understood upon referring to the Sheet of Drawings annexed, and
the following explanation thereof. The Drawing is made to a scale
of one quarter of an inch to a foot, and similar letters of reference
are placed upon corresponding parts in both figures.

page_text: 9.9,
Fig. 1, is a transverse section of a sewer and gulley, or drain
pipe, shewing the method of clearing the latter; and Fig. 2, is
a longitudinal section of the sewer or drain, exhibiting also the
manways, "crabs," and other apparatus employed. a, a, repre-
sents the level of the road or street; b, b, is the sewer or drain;
c, c', are the manways or openings; and d, d, are the gullies or
side drain pipes. The water is supposed to be flowing from right
to left in Fig. 2, consequently c, is the upper manway or opening,
and c', is the lower man way, or opening; e, e, is the float, which
is represented as having been carried by the current from the upper
opening c, to the lower opening c², carrying with it a small light
line ff. To this line f, f, a cord is attached, and by this means
the chain represented in the Drawing by the dotted line is
drawn through the sewer. The chain g, g, is then passed round
pullies h, h, attached to frames i, i, temporarily fixed in the sewer
or drain for that purpose. Each end of the chain h, h, is then at-
tached to one of the "crabs" k, k, and a plough or other suitable
excavating tool b, b, being fastened thereto, is dragged backwards
and forwards by means of the "crabs" until the silt, sand, or other
deposit is thoroughly loosened. A bucket or scoop m, m, is then
attached to the chain, and the loose deposit is thereby carried down
to the opening or manway c¹, whence it may be raised by means of
buckets, or in any other convenient manner. A brush n, n, is then
attached to the chain g, g, drawn through backwards and forwards
in the saine manner as often as necessary, after which the sewer or
drain may be "flushed" with water in the ordinary manner. 0, 0,
represents the jointed rod for boring through any solid obstruction
that might prevent the float from passing from one opening to the
other. At one end of the said rod o, o, a boring tool p, is fixed,
which is forced forward by turning the screw g, by hand, the said
screw working in a frame temporarily fixed in the sewer for that
purpose. As the boring tool p, advances, a fresh length or joint is
screwed on until the tool has penetrated entirely through the ob-
struction; it is then removed, and the small line f, f, being floated
through the opening thus formed, the chain g, g, is drawn through,

page_text: and the cleansing operations proceed as before. In Fig. 1, the ap-
plication of the said jointed rod and boring tool to clearing the
gullies, or side drain pipes, is clearly shewn.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said improve-
ments in the method of cleansing sewers and drains, and in the
machinery or apparatus connected therewith, together with the
manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark,
in conclusion, that I claim as my Invention the method of establish-
ing a communication between different parts of a sewer or drain by
means of a float and line, and also the apparatus connected therewith,
as shewn in the Drawings, and above described for loosening and
removing the deposit of sand, silt, &c., from such sewers and
drains.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Blades, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
RICHARD BLADES. (L.S.