IMPROVEMENTS IN TROUGH WATERCLOSETS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Batcheldor, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Cement Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TROUGH WATERCLOSETS."
Sealed the 20th March 1868, and dated the 24th September 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Batcheldor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th September 1867.
I, GEORGE BATCHELDOR, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Cement
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN TROUGH WATERCLOSETS," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to provide trough waterclosets at a less
price and in part of non-absorbent and more durable materials than those
now in use. For this purpose I make or construct the trough of earthen or
stone ware, and in or over the soil pipe leading therefrom I fix or form a valve
seating, the valve of which is connected to a lever or its equivalent; this
lever or its equivalent is led outwards into a locked-up space, the key of
which is in the possession of the attendant who from time to time withdraws
the valve and flushes the trough. The seats are of any ordinary form.. In

page_text: practice it is convenient, both in respect of economy and convenience in fitting
up, to construct the trough of two or more pieces or earthen or stone ware;
these I connect together by flange or other joints.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Batcheldor in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
BATCHELDOR, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Cement Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Batcheldor, Her special license that I, the said George Batcheldor,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such, others as 1, the said George
Batcheldor, my exécutors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TROUGH WATERCLOSETS," upon the condition (amongst others), that I, the
said George Batcheldor, 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 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 George Batcheldor, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of illus-
trative Drawings, and to the figures and letters thereon, that is to say:-
The substitution and employment in courts and densely populated parts of
towns, of waterclosets for and in the place of the open ash-pits and cesspools
which hitherto have been commonly used are sanitary necessities of the age.
The adoption of the ordinary syphon waterclosets, both those of the self-acting

page_text: class and those operated by the hand, is attended with many drawbacks,
amongst others, (a.) a larger supply of water is requisite in most towns; this
can only be obtained at considerable expense; (b.) it is difficult to educate
persons as to their management, and consequently where they have been tried,
they have been not unfrequently damaged and put out of order; hence the
adoption of the class of closets called trough waterclosets, to which my
Invention relates.
Trough closets are those in which a trough, usually partially filled with
water, is provided to receive the excrementitious matter, and such troughs are
provided with a valve under the control of an attendant, who from time to
time opens the valve and allows the contents to flow away, and at the same
time flushes the trough.
Now hitherto the troughs of these closets have been made of slabs of slate
or stone bolted or otherwise bound together, and from the nature of the
materials the internal surfaces of the sides of the troughs have necessarily
stood at acute angles to each other, and consequently not only did not the soil
flow properly away, but a large quantity of water was requisite for cleaning
and flushing; &, further, apart from the high cost, unless slate of very good
quality was used absorption of the soil took place, and subsequently offensive
gases were given off.
The object of my Invention is to provide trough waterclosets at a less price
with rounded surfaces or surfaces sloping towards the outlet valve and in
part, that is to say, as regards the trough part, of non-absorbent and more
durable materials than those now in use. For this purpose I make or con-
struct the trough of earthen or stone ware, and in or over the soil pipe leading
therefrom I fix or form a valve seating, the valve of which is connected to a lever
or its equivalent; this lever or its equivalent is led into a locked-up space, the
key of which is in the possession of a person whose duty it is to see that from
time to time the trough is emptied and flushed; the seats are of the ordinary
form. In practise it is convenient, both in respect of economy and con-
veniene in fitting up, to construct the trough in two or more. pieces (it can
be and sometimes is made in one piece); but that details of
my Invention
may be clearly understood I have appended hereto a Sheet of illustrative
Drawings of various modifications.
Figs. 1, 2, & 3 are views respectively in longitudinal section, transverse
section, and plan of a double-seated trough closet, shewing also the lock-up
part; the same letters denote like parts.
a is the trough; it is here made in three parts, the junctions being sockets.
of the ordinary form; 6 are the seats; c, overflow pipe with syphon or bend

page_text: led away to the communication to the sewer; d, the valve seating fixed in the
lowest part of the trough immediately over the soil pipe e leading to the
sewer; f, the valve suspended from or secured to the rod h, which rod passes
upwards into the space A between the side walls and transverse partitions B
with door at C. The weight of the valve and spindle, the latter being guided
by the stay i, augmented by the pressure of water or soil in the trough, is
sufficient to keep the valve against its seating. When the trough is to be
emptied hand f are raised and h passed over the book j; when the contents
have run out the attendant attaches a piece of flexible or other tube to the
nozzle at k, turns the tap 1, and consequently lets on the supply of water con-
nected therewith, and proceeds to flush out the trough. After the trough has
been flushed the valve is again allowed to rest on its seating, and water is
turned on preferably until the level shewn in Fig. 1 is reached. m is a
cast-iron wall box in which the water tap and pipes are placed to prevent their
being stolen; where there is little danger of this the tap 7 might be open, and
the flexible pipe a fixture. n is a tell-tale overflow to inform the attendant
when c is choked.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section; Fig. 5 a transverse section, and Fig. 6 a
plan, all of a trough closet with a single seat, the lock-up part being also
shewn. o is the trough made in two pieces; p, the seat; q, the overflow and
syphon pipe; r, tell-tale overflow; s, valve seating; t, soil pipe; u, valve and
rod; v, suspending hook; w, wall box containing water tap with nozzle ;
D, lock-up space between the side walls E and the transverse partitions F, the
latter supported over the trough o by the timbers G.
Fig. 7 is a plan view of a trough suitable for a closet with three seats;
here x is the central part of the trough, in the lowest part of which the valve
seating would be fixed; and y are bends, fitted into sockets on x, with the
openings turned upwards so as to stand immediately below the seats.
Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 9 a transverse section of a trough
suitable for a closet with two seats made in one piece of earthen or stone
ware; and Figs. 10 and 11 are like views of a like trough for a one-seated
closet.
"
It will be obvious that in these modifications, as indeed is the case in all
the others, that the internal surfaces in every part have a descent towards the
outlet opening, and have no corners or angles to which excrementitious or
other matter can easily adhere. It will also be obvious that the troughs can
be variously modified both as to form and number of pieces; those shewn on
the Drawings, however, where the troughs are made in a number of pieces I
prefer, for some of the parts are articles in ordinary commerce, and are to be

page_text: had at a low price, and besides a convenient opening is left through which
the soil pipe can be reached should a piece of cloth or other material
choke it.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and particularized
the same by various details, I would have it understood that what I claim
is,―
First. The construction of the troughs of trough waterclosets in the
manner and of the form herein-before described and illustrated in the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
Second. The combination of earthen or stone ware troughs having rounded
or sloping internal surfaces without acute angles with a valve seating and
valve, substantially as herein-before appears.
Third. The combination of the whole of the parts forming the trough
waterclosets, substantially as herein described and shewn on the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Bacheldor, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
In the presence of
JOHN T. KING,
Patent Agent,
Liverpool.
GEORGE BATCHELDOR. (L.S.)