IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING OR DISCHARGING ALE OR OTHER LIQUOR OR LIQUID FROM CASKS OR RECEPTACLES, AND FOR RAISING THE SAID ALE, LIQUOR, or Liquin TO A HIGHER LEVEL
Year: 1871

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Heinrich Stapfer and Joseph
Sinclair at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 4th May 1871.
WC, HEINRICH STAPFER, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,.
Dentist, and JOSEPH SINCLAIR, of the same Place, Fish Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING OR DISCHARGING ALE OR OTHER LIQUOR OR LIQUID
FROM CASKS OR RECEPTACLES, AND FOR RAISING THE SAID ALE, LIQUOR, or Liquin
TO A HIGHER LEVEL," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates more particularly to apparatus to be employed
in lieu of the ordinary beer engines or pumps for raising or forcing ale
or other malt liquor into the "vault," "bar," or other place in which
or from whence the said ale or liquor is supplied to consumers, which
said vault, bar, or place is ordinarily on a higher level than the store,
vault, or room containing the casks of ale or liquor. And our Invention
may also be applicable in the case of other liquids, such as, for example,
spirits or oils. For this purpose we make use of the pressure of air
acting on the surface of the ale or liquid in the cask or receptacle, and
we obtain the said pressure by admitting water at a suitable or sufficient

page_text: pressure to the interior of a closed vessel or chamber. The air con-
tained in the said vessel or chamber is compressed by the influx of the
water, and a communication is established for the passage of air from
the said vessel or chamber to the cask, the said air entering the cask
and acting on the surface of the ale or liquid for the purpose as aforesaid. 5
The arrangements for controlling the flow of water and air may be
varied.
In an arrangement which we have adopted the said vessel is made
of copper or other suitable material, and is fitted with a ball cock or
float valve, through which water is admitted from the main or other
source of supply, and also with a valve by means of which the water
may be discharged from the said vessel, and with inlet and outlet valves
for air.
In some cases wherein the pressure of the water is greater than is
required or than the vessel is designed to resist, the said vessel may
be fitted with a relief or safety valve, or the water inlet pipe may be
fitted with a "diminishing valve," or both the safety and the diminishing
valve may be employed. The outlet valve for air is preferably formed
as a back pressure valve, and the said valve, or a pipe leading therefrom
is coupled by means of a length of flexible tubing with a tube or hollow
peg screwed or suitably fixed in or on the cask. A stop valve is fitted
to the pipe, through which the water enters the said vessel, and the
said valve is so arranged in connection with the air inlet valve and
with the water discharge valve as that the said valves may be operated
upon simultaneously by means of a rod or handle situated in the room
or place into which the liquor or liquid is forced or raised, so that
supposing the said vessel to be empty so far as water is concerned, by
actuating the said handle the air inlet and the water discharge valves
will be closed and the said stop valve will be opened, and the apparatus
may be employed for the herein specified purpose until the water has
risen to such a height within the vessel as to raise the float of the ball
valve, and so to stop the inlet of the water. The air inlet and water
discharge valves may now be opened and the stop valve be closed by
means of the said handle, whereby the water will be caused or permitted
to discharge itself from the vessel. Onc vessel may be connected with
more than one cask if required.
In some cases we measure the volume of air entering the cask by
causing the said air to flow through a, meter, such measurement

page_text: furnishing an approximate indication of the quantity of liquid dis-
charged from the cask. Two or more vessels may be employed in
connection, so that in the case of two vessels, for example, one vessel
may be in operation during the time required to empty the other
vessel.
We may make the apparatus entirely or to a great extent self-acting,
as, for example, we may employ two floats within the apparatus, one
float at the upper part and one at the lower part thereof, the upper float
acting by its buoyancy on the water inlet and discharge valves or on
a two-way valve when the said float is submerged or partly submerged,
the lower float acting on the said valves or valve by its gravity when
the said float is left uncovered by the effluent water. In such a case the
air inlet valve may be opened or closed by the action of the said floats,
or may be suitably formed to open and close self-actingly, as in the
case of the outlet valve for air.
The term valve as herein used must not be understood as excluding
cocks or taps.