CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON WATERCLOSETS
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BEACHAM, of Paradise Street, Finsbury Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Cabinet Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of February, in the sixth year of
His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Beacham, His especial licence that I, the said John
Beacham, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John.
Beacham, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON WATERCLOSETS;" in which said Letters Patent.
there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John Beacham, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent (as in and by the same) reference.
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Beacham, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawing hereunto annexed, and the following
description thereof (that is to say):-
My Improvements in Waterclosets consist in a method of working the valve
through which the soil and water is discharged, by means of a spring barrel
and its appendages, as will be seen in the Drawing hereunto annexed.
Fig. 1 represents a portable chamber convenience, with the improvements
connected thereto, all shewn in the section. Fig. 2 is a section of the external
vessel, only the improved parts of the apparatus being shewn in a complete
state. a is the pan as usual, at the bottom or throat of which the dish valve b
is placed, and held by means of a lever c jointed to the standard d. At the
lower part of the standard an arbour is affixed, to which one end of a con-
volute spring fis mado fast, and after coiling several times round the other
end of the spring is attached to the box or barrel. Upon the periphery of
this barrel a stem g is fixed, which supports an antifriction roller h. This
roller acts against the inclined plane on the under side of the lever c, and by
the force of the spring keeps up the valve, when the soil or water deposited
in the pan causes the lever with the dish valve to descend, as shewn by dots.
The force of the convolute spring f carries the barrel back to its former
position, and the friction roller has the stem rises, running against the inclined
plane, lifts the lever and brings the dish valve again into its horizontal situation.
In order to regulate the force of the spring, a ratchet wheel i is fixed upon
the square end of the arbour &, which ratchet, being turned round until the
spring is sufficiently wound up, is then held fast by the pall k let fall into one
of its teeth. The contrivance is shewn in the Drawing attached to a port-
able vessel as a chamber convenience, and for that reason a rim descending
from the seat is made to pass into a groove filled with water, by which means
an air-tight joint is produced; but the improvement is applicable to water-
closets generally, and may be attached thereto without materially altering its
construction, or in any way varying its principles.
I wish it therefore to be particularly observed, that my improvements in
wdterclosets consist in adapting to the valve the combination of the convolute
spring barrel, the stem with its antifriction roller, and the inclined plane upon
the lever in the manner above described, by which contrivance the anti-
friction roller working against the enclined plane on the under side of
the dish valve allows the valve to open when loaded with soil or water,
and after that has passed down into the lower receptacle the valve closes