IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING CARRIAGES AND BUILDINGS, PART OR PARTS OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE TO THE OBTAINMENT OF MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson,. of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING CARRIAGES AND
BUILDINGS, PART OR PARTS OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE TO THE
OBTAINMENT OF MOTIVE POWER."-A communication from John Chilcott.
and George T. Palmer, both of the City of Brooklyn, State of New York,
in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson -at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th January 1854.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING CARRIAGES
AND BUILDINGS, PART OR PARTS OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE TO THE
OBTAINMENT OF MOTIVE POWER," a communication from John Chilcott and
George T. Palmer, both of the City of Brooklyn, State of New York, in the
United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the ventilating or cooling of railway carriages
and buildings by means of a film of water kept constantly trickling over a
web of fibrous, porous, or perforated material stretched over the windows of

page_text: the carriage or building to be cooled. By this means the incoming air is
perfectly cooled, and the entrance of dust effectually prevented. In place of
fibrous material plates of glass of an angular form may be so arranged as to
be constantly kept moist with running water. As applied to railway carriages,
a tank of water is fitted to the bottom of the carriage, and the water is pumped
up to another reservoir on the top of the carriage, the pumps being worked by
a wind wheel of a peculiar construction. This wheel contains a series of
buckets or chambers arranged circumferentially, and is surrounded by a
number of moveable wind guides to direct the wind upon the wheel in the
proper direction from whatever quarter it may be blowing. This description
of wheel is obviously applicable as a tidal wheel for water currents, and for
obtaining power for raising water and other mechanical purposes, as for grist
mills, &c.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th July 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry Johnson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING
CARRIAGES AND BUILDINGS, PART OR PARTS OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE
TO THE OBTAINMENT OF MOTIVE POWER," a communication from John Chilcott
and George T. Palmer, both of the City of Brooklyn, State of New York, in
the United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Henry Johnson, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said

page_text: 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 John Henry Johnson, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to the cooling and ventilating of carriages and build-
ings in general, but more particularly to the ventilating of railway carriages,
and consists in the employment of a film of water kept constantly trickling over
a web of fibrous, porous, or perforated materials stretched over the windows
of the carriage or building to be cooled. By this means the incoming air
is perfectly cooled, and the entrance of dust effectually prevented. In place
of fibrous material, plates of glass of an angular form may be so arranged
as to be constantly kept moist with running water. As applied to railway
carriages a tank of water is fitted to the bottom of the carriage, and the water
is pumped up to another reservoir on the top of the carriage, the pumps being
worked by a wind wheel of a peculiar construction. This wheel contains a
series of buckets or chambers arranged circumferentially, and is surrounded'
by a number of moveable wind guides to direct the wind upon the wheel in
the proper direction from whatever quarter it may be blowing. This-description
of whicel is obviously applicable as a. tidal wheel for water currents, and for
obtaining power for-raising water and other mechanical-purposes.
The same arrangement of apparatus is equally applicable with slight modifi-
cations to the warming of carriages and buildings by purifying and warming
the air previous to its entering therein.1
Fig. 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings represents a complete side
elevation and partial section of a railway carriage fitted with the improved
cooling and ventilating apparatus. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional plan of the
wind wheel with its corresponding wind guides. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side
elevation of one of the window gauzes. Fig. 4 represents a corresponding
vertical section of the same. Fig. 5 represents an arrangement for working
the
pumps from the axes of the carriage wheels. Fig. 6 represents on a small
scale a sectional elevation of another arrangement for working the wind wheel.
Fig. 7 is a sectional plan of the same; and Fig. 8 is a detached side elevation
of the governors or regulators.
The rest of the Figures on the Sheet of Drawings represent various modi
fications and details of the principle of purifying air for ventilating purposes,

page_text: by passing it through a sheet or film of water carried by porous, fibrous, or
other similar material.
A, A, is the body of the carriage which is fitted with a water tank B at its
under side. Another tank C is fitted on to the top of the carriage, and is
supplied with water by the small force pump D, in connection with the lower
tank by the pipe E, shewn in dotted lines. The pump D is worked by the
horizontal wind wheel F, which will be herein-after described, the vertical axis
of which is cranked and connected to the plunger of the pump by the con-
necting rod G. It will thus be obvious that on the rotation of the wind wheel
the force pump will be actuated, and the water in the lower tank will be raised
into the upper one, whence it flows by the series of pipes H, H, into the short
discharge pipes I, perforated on their under sides, and placed over each window
of the carriage. The windows or air inlets are wholly or partially covered
with a web of fine gauze or other fibrous or porous material J, a small aperture
or window J being left in some cases in the centre of the gauze. The water
from the discharge pipes trickles down this gauze, thereby perfectly saturating
it, and affording a cooling medium through which the air must pass on entering
the carriage. As the water trickles down the gauze it flows into the lower
receiving pipes or ducts K, whence it pours off by the vertical pipes L, into
the bottom horizontal pipe M, and thence by the short pipe N, into the bottom
reservoir or tank B. From this tank the water is again pumped up into the
upper tank, and again flows down by gravity over the window gauzes, thereby
keeping up a constant circulation. The pipes or ducts I and K, above and
below the windows or openings which are situated in the doors of the carriage,
are connected with the fixed vertical distributing pipes H and L, by a short
piece of flexible tubing O, in order to allow of the carriage doors being opened
without interfering with the flow of the water; or in place of the flexible
tubing an elbow or other jointed pipe might be used for the same purpose.
In place of gauze it is proposed to adopt strips of glass arranged angularly
in the frame of the window to form a lattice, as shewn at O'. The wind wheel
F, which is shewn on an enlarged scale at Fig. 2, is carried by a vertical shaft
P, working in suitable bearings, and the upper extreme end of the shaft is
fitted with a vane Q. It will be observed that the wheel is constructed in the
ordinary form, being fitted with a series of straight pallets R, which form the
air chambers or buckets. These buckets are wholly enclosed, except at the
periphery of the wheel, where alone the wheel has access to them. Round
the outer circumference of the wheel are arranged a series of fixed and
moveable wind guides or conductors S and T. These are intended to direct
and concentrate the force of the wind upon the pallets R, and thus gain

page_text: additional power and direct the wind always in one direction upon the peri-
phery of the wheel. Thus from whatever point the wind may be blowing, the
wheel will always revolve in the same direction, as shewn by the arrow 1.
Although the guides S and T are represented in Fig. 2 as being arranged all
round the wheel, they need only be fitted on two sides of the same when
employed on railway carriages, the arrangement shewn at Fig. 2 being appli-
cable for raising water in buildings generally, which water is employed for
cooling the same, in a similar manner to that described with reference to the
cooling of railway carriages. The action of the wind guides S and T, is as
follows:-Supposing the wind to be blowing in the direction of the arrow 2, it
will impinge upon the moveable guides S, and throw them into the position
shewn in the Drawing, while the wind rushing in comes in contact with the
pallets R, and gives motion to the wheel in the direction of the arrow 1.
Should the wind, however, veer round to the quarter shewn by the arrow 3,
the moveable wind guides or conductors will all turn on their fixed centres,
and swing round to the position indicated by the dotted lines, the direction of
revolution of the wheel remaining unchanged. The moveable wind guides
are so jointed that they assume a curve when swinging in one direction, and
straighten when swinging in an opposite direction, as shewn in the Drawings;
but this arrangement is by no means necessary, as they may be made plain
without joints, if desired. U, U, are a series of wind regulators actuated by
rods V, and levers W, which will be herein-after more fully explained. By
means of these regulators the volume of wind entering the wheel may be
regulated according to the amount of power required. The ventilator X has
its lower orifice within the wind wheel, as shewn in Fig. 1, and is attached to the
vane Q, with which it revolves, so that that the passing wind creates a vacuum
at the mouth of the ventilator, and carries off the impurities of the air from
the interior of the carriage or building. The dome Y is composed of fretwork,
so that whilst it presents an ornamental appearance, it likewise affords free
ingress for the wind on all sides. In place of working the pump or pumps by
the wind wheel as shewn at Figure 1, they may be actuated by an eccentric A
(Figure 5) fixed on one of the axis B of the carriage wheels, the pump C being
fitted to the under side of the carriage, in place of on the top thereof. Another
mode of communicating motion to the wind wheel is represented in Figures 6
and 7. In this arrangement the wind is conducted into the buckets of the
wind wheel by means of the conical receiver A, which is attached to the vane
B, and revolves with it, so that the wide mouth C of the receiver is always
presented to the wind, which is directed to the buckets by the end D of the
receiver, being suitably curved for that purpose.

page_text: I may here observe, that I do not confine myself to the use of the wind
wheels solely for the purposes of raising water on railway carriages as I have
herein-before described, but I propose applying them to any building or struc-
ture, and using them for any other mechanical purpose where power is required.
Neither do I limit myself to the use of wind for working the same, as the
motive power may be equally well obtained from water, the wheel being used
in localities where tidal or other water currents are easily accessible. For the
purpose of actuating the wind regulators U (Fig. 2) the governor represented
at Fig. 8 is employed. This governor, which may either be self-acting or not,
as required, consists of a pair of governor balls carried by the spindle Z in
connection with the shaft P of the wind wheel, and when the motion of the
wheel becomes too great for the weighted arms of the governor, these latter
will rise and draw up with them the spur pinion a to the position shewn in the
Drawing; this pinion is thereby brought into gear with the spur wheel b on the
shaft c, which is in connection with the regulating levers W. It will thus be
obvious that the levers W will be partially turned, and the regulating valves U
wholly or partially closed, thereby shutting off or diminishing the supply of air
to the wheel, and reducing its speed accordingly. d is a bevel wheel fast on
the end of the barrel or drum e, which slides longitudinally on the shaft f
The ropes or cords g and h are supposed to extend from the top of a building
down through the floors to any desired apartment. When it is required to
diminish the velocity of the wind wheel, the cord or rope h (attached to the
the lever i) is pulled, and the lever caused to oscillate on its centre j. As the
free end of this lever embraces the end of the drum c, it follows that on
pulling down the cord h the bevel wheel on the end of the drum will be thrown
into gear with the bevel wheel on the shaft c. By this means the drum e is
rotated and the cord or rope 9 (which is attached to the regulating levers W
in the wind wheel) is wound up and closes more or less the regulators U,
thereby diminishing the speed of the wheel. It will thus be obvious that the
speed of the wind wheel may be regulated with facility either by self-acting
mechanism or by hand. By the employment of a sheet or film of water in
the manner I have herein-before described, all dust and impurities will be
removed from the air at the same time that it is effectually cooled. In order
that the water may be always kept clean and pure, it is made to percolate
through a suitable filter after leaving the window gauze and before entering
the lower tank, so that any dust or impurities which it may have taken up on
running down the gauze will be completely removed from the water before it
is again pumped up into the upper tank. This part of the Invention, namely,
the use of a film or sheet of running water in conjunction with gauze or other

page_text: similar porous material may be also employed for refrigerators, thereby dispens-
ing with the use of ice in many cases. Fig. 9 of the Drawings represents a
vertical section of another modification of apparatus for cooling and purifying
the air in railway carriages and buildings on the principle herein-before
described; and Fig. 10 is a corresponding sectional plan of the same. In this
arrangement the upper part or roof of the carriage has a raised portion formed
upon it, the upper part of which forms a water tank or reservoir A, and the
sides are lined with gauze or other suitable fibrous or porous material B, which
constitutes an efficient air filter. The water in the tank A flows into the
perforated pipes C, which are placed immediately over each sheet of porous
material. From these pipes it flows over the surface of the gauze B, whence
it falls into the lower tank D. A small pump E which may be worked by a
wind wheel, as herein-before described, serves to supply the upper tank A with
water from the lower one D, thus keeping up a constant supply and flow of
water. F is another pump fitted underneath the carriage, and connected with
the bottom tank G, which serves as an auxiliary for supplying the tank A.
H, H, are air and overflow pipes connecting the different water tanks A, D,
and G. On the outside of the raised portion of the carriage roof which con-
tains the gauze or air filter B are fitted a series of vertical supports I. To
these supports are hinged the moveable wind guides J, by which the air for
ventilation is directed upon and through the saturated gauze or air filter B.
By this means the air is perfectly cooled and freed from dust, insects, and other
foreign matters before entering the interior of the carriage K, where it is
distributed equally by means of the perforated air pipe L, which is fitted with
a series of short vertical branches M opening into the cool air chamber. Fig. 11
represents a vertical section of a another mode of cooling and purifying the air;
and. Fig. 12 is a corresponding horizontal. section of the same. In this
arrangement the air filter is saturated by one tank A, and is composed of two
sheets of gauze B, B, placed at an angle and filled in between with slices of
sponge. The water is taken up by the capilliary attraction of the gauze sheets
and sponge, and the filter becomes thereby perfectly saturated. The air enters
in the direction of the arrows,.and after passing round the sides of the filter it
penetrates the saturated sponge and gauze, and passes down the ventilator or
air pipe C into the interior of the carriage or building to be ventilated. Fig. 13
represents a vertical section of another modification of the same principle.
The air enters in the direction of the arrow, and penetrates the inclined
gauze A, which is kept constantly saturated by the upper water tank B. This
tank is supplied by the feed pipe C and pump D situated in the supply tank E.
A. ball cock. E is fitted to the supply tank to admit a proper quantity of water
'

page_text: into the lower reservoir G. His a fan wheel enclosed in a suitable casing
which communicates with the submerged pipe I. This pipe is perforated at its
upper surface, so that the air, on being driven into it, will rise in small bubbles
through the water, and will be perfectly cool'd and purified on entering the
chamber J, whence it passes to the interior of the carriage or building to be
ventilated. In order to prevent the upper tank from overflowing, a waste or
overflow pipe K is fitted thereto. Figure 14 represents a vertical section of
another arrangement of the same apparatus. This apparatus is placed on the
top of the carriage or building to be ventilated, and the air to be purified
enters in the direction of the arrow and passes through the inclined air filter
A, whence it passes down the ventilator B into the interior of the apartment
to be ventilated. The air filter is composed, as hercin-before described, of
sheets of wire gauge or porous, perforated, or fibrous material, filled in between
with slices of sponge. A jet of water is made to fall over the inclined filters
from the rose C placed immediately over their apex, as shewn in the Drawing.
D is a small force pump which is situated in the tank E, and forces the water
up the supply pipe F through the rose jet before mentioned. The ventilator
B is fitted with a cap or cover G, which may be raised or lowered by turning
the screw H, thereby serving to regulate to a nicety the quantity of purified
air entering the carriage or building to which the apparatus may be applied.
Figure 15 is a vertical longitudinal section of another arrangement of apparatus
for cooling and purifying air on the principle herein-before described; and
Fig. 16 represents a detached plan view of the dash wheel A employed therein.
This apparatus consists of a chamber B containing an upper and lower water
tank C, D. Two inclined pieces of wire gauze or other similar material E, E,
are fitted to the under side of the upper water tank, and dip at their lower
edges into the water of the lower tank D. These gauzes are kept constantly
saturated by a continuous current of water flowing over them from perforations
in the bottom of the upper tank C. In the centre of the chamber and between
the gauzes E is fitted the revolving dash wheel A, which is composed of a series
of sheets of wire gauze or other similar material F, each sheet carrying at its
outer edge a strip of sponge or other absorbent material G, which dips into the
water in the tank D during the revolution of the wheel. By this means the
water is more effectually distributed over the gauzes E, and is more intimately
mixed with the air by being kept constantly agitated in the form of a shower
inside the space between the inclined gauzes. The air enters the apparatus
in the direction of the arrows, and passes through the film of water on the
inclined gauzes E, whereby it becomes cooled and purified. The upper tank
is kept supplied, by means of a pump. in the manner herein-before described.

page_text: Figure 17 represents a vertical section of an apparatus for warming as well as
ventilating railway carriages and buildings, and for purifying the air before
entering therein; and Figure 18 is a plan of the same. In this arrangement
the air enters in the direction of the arrow, and passes in between the vertical
pipes or flues A through the gauze air filters B, which are constructed on the
principle herein-before described. The air thence passes down the pipe C in the
direction of the arrows into the horizontal air pipes D, which are distributed
over the under surface of the carriage or building floor. These pipes are
perforated on their upper surfaces, whereby the air is equally distributed
throughout the carriage or building to be ventilated. The water from the
upper tank-E falls in the form of a shower upon the inclined ventilator or air
filters B, (keeping them constantly moist) whence it falls into the under tank
or reservoir F. Should it be required to warm the air before entering the
carriage, a small stove G is employed, the smoke and heated gases passing off
by the flue H, and through the flues I, A, and J, which surround the tanks and
serve to keep the water contained therein from freezing; whilst at the same
time warm water is distributed over the gauzes or filters B. The tank E is
fitted with a waste pipe K, opening into the under tank F to prevent overflow,
and the tank F is also supplied with an overflow pipe L, which opens into the
bottom tank M. This tank contains a small force pump N which supplies the
upper tank E through the supply pipe O. The air is admitted to the apparatus
by the wind regulators P, in Figure 18, where two pairs are shewn, each pair
being opened or closed according to the direction in which the carriage is
moving. Figure 19 represents a vertical section of another modification of appa-
ratus. for warming and ventilating carriages and buildings. The air enters by
the pipes A, and passes down the pipe or passage B, in the direction of the
arrows to the passage C, which leads directly to the central aperture D in the
gauge wheel E, as shewn by dotted lines in the Drawing. This wheel is
shewn on an enlarged scale at Figs. 20 and 21. It is covered with gauze, and
furnished with pieces of sponge F, arranged at equal distances round its cir-
cumference. The object of these sponges is to take up the water from the
tank G in which the wheel revolves, thereby keeping the surface of the wheel
constantly saturated with running water. The air having been drawn into
the interior of the gauze wheel in the manner herein-before described, is dis-
charged therefrom by centrifugal force, and passes on in the direction of the
arrow to the dash wheel H, which is constructed and operates in a manner
precisely similar to the dash wheel represented in detail at Fig. 16. After
passing through the dash wheel the air impinges against and passes through
the endless gauze belt I. This belt is supported and put in motion by the

page_text: pulleys J. The lower portion of the belt dips into the water contained in the
reservoir or tank G, and by revolving therein draws up the water upon its
exterior surface, which is thus kept constantly saturated with running water.
The end of the upper tank K immediately above the belt I is minutely per-
forated to allow a gentle shower of water to fall thereon, at the same time the
air is still further purified by passing through the falling water before reaching
the belt. On leaving the saturated endless belt I, the air passes upwards in
the direction of the arrows, and enters the air chamber L surrounding the stove
M. After passing round the stove the warm air enters the perforated dis-
tributing pipes or channels N placed under the floor of the carriage or building
to be warmed and ventilated. The tank K is supplied with water from the
tank G by the force pump P and supply pipe Q. As the supply pipe is made
to pass through the body of the stove, the water becomes heated, so that all
danger of its freezing in the winter time is avoided, as the whole of the water
in the apparatus is heated more or less by the stove M. The small tank R
serves to supply the necessary amount of water to the tank G, the correct level
of which is maintained by the ball cock S. Fig. 22 represents a detail plan
of another modification of air wheel on the same principle, but of a slightly
different construction to the air wheel represented at Figs. 20 and 21. In this
arrangement the wheel consists of a double cone of wire gauze, perforated
metal, or fibrous or porous material. At the junction or bases of the two
cones A and B is fitted a zone of sponge or other absorbent material C, which
takes up the water in which the wheel revolves and distributes it equally
over its surface. The air to be purified is drawn into the wheel through the
inlet pipe D, situated at its axis, and is discharged through the film of water
on the gauze by centrifugal force. This wheel is enclosed in a case when in
use, and is employed much in the same manner as the wheel, Figs. 8 and 9.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of the said Invention; but what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general arrangement and construction of apparatus for cooling
and purifying the air for ventilating railway carriages and buildings, as herein-
before described.
Second, the system or mode of cooling, purifying, and removing dust and

page_text: other foreign matters from the air employed in ventilating railway carriages
and buildings, by causing such air to be passed through a film or thin sheet of
water which is kept constantly flowing over any suitable perforated, fibrous, or
porous material, as herein-before described.
Third, the peculiar arrangement and construction of wheel, herein-before
described, to be used as a prime mover, whether actuated by wind or water
currents; and,
Fourth, the application and use of the fixed and moveable guides for direct-
ing and concentrating the force of the wind or water upon the pallets of the
wheel, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four.