IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING, DRYING, AND DEODORIZING HUMAN EXCREMENT
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Taylor, of Romsey, in the County of South-
ampton, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING,
DRYING, AND DEODORIZING HUMAN EXCREMENT."
Sealed the 26th September 1861, and dated the 9th April 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Taylor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the 9th
April 1861.
I, FRANCIS TAYLOR, of Romsey, in the County of Southampton, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
RECEIVING, DRYING, AND DEODORISING HUMAN EXCREMENT," to be as follows:--
Upon a floor so constructed that the liquid excrement may run to one place
either to be wasted in a sewer or retained in a tank or moveable vessel for
purposes of irrigation, I propose to place a large turntable to revolve upon a
centre pivot, so arranged with numerous small notches at the outer edge or
otherwise as to admit of its being turned a short distance after each time of
These notches are to be caught by a spring connected with the heel of
the door of the privy, or otherwise acted on so that each time the door is
opened the turntable shall be moved one notch; the seat of the privy to be
placed over the outer part of the turntable, so that the solid excrement shall
be safely dropped on to it, the urine running off to the water floor below. By

page_text: the action of the spring on the door, the table being moved one notch, the
deposit of excrement is passed on slightly, and the next deposit is made in a
fresh place. A thorough draught of air is to be allowed between the turn-
table and the floor of the privy. The floor of the privy must be sufficiently high
above the turntable to allow of a considerable accumulation of excrement to
be made smell-tight. By this process the excrement is dried by natural means,
just as guano is dried, becomes hard and inoffensive, retaining all its fertilising
properties, not having the opportunity of fermenting and decomposing. The
paper which is used in the privy is collected, and after soaking in water and
washing off the small quantity of excrement it is soiled with, is to be scalded
and made up again into paper. In large establishments where the quantity of
excrement deposited on the turntable is too great for the natural drying process
to be carried on, artificial heat may be introduced, either by a furnace and
flue for the purpose, or by allowing some of the heat and soot from a house
flue, conveniently placed, to enter under the privy floor and over the excrement
on the turntable; or an ash-house may be constructed over the outer edge of
the turntable opposite to that over which the seat of the privy is, so that coal
and wood ashes may be sifted daily, and falling through a hopper may be
deposited on the excrement, and absorbing its moisture may dry and deodorise
it, and add to the bulk and value of the resulting manure. For perfect deodori-
zation, a funnel of coal tar may be placed under the seat of the privy, out of the
way of any accident, to drop occasionally a drop of tar upon the recently
deposited excrement, and so completely to deodorise it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francis Taylor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th October 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
TAYLOR, of Romsey, in the. County of Southampton, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Francis Taylor, Her special licence that I, the said Francis
Taylor, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Francis Taylor, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter

page_text: 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
APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING, DRYING, AND DEODORIZING HUMAN EXCREMENT,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis Taylor,
my executors or administrators, by an. instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 Francis Taylor, 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
thereof, that is to say :-
.
Upon a floor so constructed that the liquid excrement may run to one place
either to be wasted in a sewer or retained in a tank or moveable vessel for
purposes of irrigation, I propose to place a large turntable to revolve upon a
centre pivot so arranged with numerous small notches at the outer edge. or
otherwise, as to admit of its being turned a short distance after each time of
use. These notches are to be caught by a spring connected with the heel of the
door of the privy or otherwise acted on, so that each time the door is opened
the turntable shall be moved one notch; the seat of the privy to be placed
over the outer part of the turntable, so that the solid excrement shall be safely
dropped on to it, the urine running off to the water floor below. By the.
action of the spring on the door, the table being moved one notch, the deposit
of excrement is passed on slightly, and the next deposit is made in a fresh
place. A thorough draught of air is to be allowed between the turntable and
the floor of the privy. The floor of the privy must be sufficiently high above
the turntable to allow of a considerable accumulation of excrement, and be
made smell-tight. By this process, the excrement is, dried by natural means,
just as guano is dried, becomes hard and inoffensive, retaining all its fertilizing
properties, not having the opportunity of fermenting and decomposing. The
paper which is used in the privy is collected, and after soaking in water and
washing off the small quantity of excrement it is soiled with, is to be scalded
and made up again into paper. In large establishments where the quantity of
excrement deposited on the turntable is too great for the natural drying
process to be carried on, artificial heat may be introduced, either by a furnace
and flue for the purpose, or by allowing some of the heat and soot from a

page_text: house flue conveniently placed to enter under the privy floor and over the
excrement on the turntable; or an ash-house may be constructed over the
outer edge of the turntable, opposite to that over which the seat of the privy
is, so that coal and wood ashes may be sifted daily, and falling through a
hopper may be deposited on the excrement, and absorbing its moisture may
dry and deodorize it, and add to the bulk and value of the resulting manure.
For perfect deodorisation a funnel of coal tar may be placed under the seat of
the privy out of the way of any accident; to drop occasionally a drop of tar
upon the recently deposited excrement, and so completely to deodorise it.
IIaving thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
:: Figure 1 shews a vertical section of part of a closet or privy, and Figure 2
shews a plan of a turntable or platform below the floor of the privy or closet.
It will be seen that the space under the floor of the privy or closet is open to
the atmosphere, so that the outer atmosphere may circulate freely therein, and
dry the excrements from time to time deposited on the turntable or platform,
and this drying may be quickened by making use of fire heat, as above
mentioned, and provision may, when desired, be made for employing tar to aid
in deodorizing the excrements.
a is the seat of the privy; b is the floor; c is the door, from the lower part
of which descends a cranked iron, which when the door is opened gives motion
to a driver d, which acting on the teeth of the ratchet e fixed to the turntable f
gives motion to such turntable each time that the door is opened. The
turntable is mounted on an axis g, as is shewn. The bottom h of the space
below the floor of the privy or closet is inclined in order that the urine may
descend into a proper tank or receiver or to a proper drain.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Taylor, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
FRANCIS TAYLOR. (L.S.)