Iм- PROVED MEANS FOR DETECTING AND PREVENTING THE WASTE OF WATER IN CISTERNS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Gascoigne Lynde, of Great Queen Street,
in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVED MEANS FOR DETECTING AND PREVENTING THE WASTE OF WATER IN
CISTERNS."
Sealed the 15th December 1857, and dated the 20th June 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Gascoigne Lynde
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th June 1857.
I, JAMES GASCOIGNE LYNDE, of Great Queen Street, in the City of.
Westminster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said.
Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS FOR DETECTING AND PREVENTING THE WASTE OF
WATER IN CISTERNS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is so to modify the apparatus which regulates
the delivery of water to cisterns or receivers, that if the ordinary ball-cock fails.
to act from any cause and cut off the supply at the required period, other and.
more efficient means will come into operation and stop the supply, which
cannot then be renewed until attention has been given to the re-adjustment of
the apparatus. The means which I prefer to employ in attaining this end is
to mount loosely on the stem of the plug or valve a second ball or float, which
dips into a small supplementary cistern. Projecting from the socket of the
loose rod which carries the float is a pin that bears against a stop pin on the
valve stem when the float is lifted by the rise of water in the supple-

page_text: mentary cistern, and thereby turns off the supply. I so arrange this cistern
that it shall not receive water when the ordinary cut-off apparatus is in proper
order, but so that water may flow into it before the water level in the large
cistern rises to the height of the overflow pipe, and thereby lift the loose valve
and cut off the supply.
By this means it will be understood that a constant service may be laid on
without risk of waste of water occurring, as the second float when brought into
operation will cut off the supply, and not permit the admission of more water
to the cistern until attention has been given to the re-adjustment of the
apparatus.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Gascoigne Lynde in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
GASCOIGNE LYNDE, of Great Queen Street, in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Gascoigne Lynde, Her special license that I, the said James Gascoigne
Lynde, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Gascoigne Lynde, my executors, 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 "IMPROVED MEANS
FOR DETECTING AND PREVENTING THE WASTE OF WATER IN CISTERNS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Gascoigne Lynde, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 James Gascoigne Lynde, do hereby declare"
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The great difficulty in introducing a constant supply of water to London
and other large towns has arisen chiefly from the inefficient means available
for preventing the waste of water which occurs on the overflowing of cisterns
consequent on the failure of the ordinary ball-cock to act when the cistern is
filled, and cut off the supply. Now the object of my Invention is so to modify
the apparatus which regulates the delivery of water to cisterns or receivers
that if the ball-cock fails from any cause to act at the required period other
and more efficient means will come into operation, and stop the supply, which
cannot then be renewed until attention has been given to the re-adjustment of
the apparatus. In order to attain this end, I mount loosely on the stem of
the cock or valve of the water supply pipe a second ball or float, which dips
into a small supplementary cistern, arranged to receive water from the main
cistern just before it reaches (owing to the unchecked supply) the level of the
waste water pipe. As the water rises in this supplementary cistern, it will lift
the float, which by a suitable connection with the cock or valve stem will turn
the cock and cut off the supply.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents in sectional elevation a
cistern fitted according to my Invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan or bird's-eye
view of the same. a, a, is the main cistern, and b, the supplementary cistern,
which may be inserted within or placed adjacent to the main cistern, as
thought most convenient, it being in the latter case connected to the cistern
by a pipe fitted at the proper level for leading off water to the cistern b, just
before it has attained the height of the waste water pipe; c is the water
supply pipe, provided, as usual, with a cock or valve d and a float e, which is
fitted to the squared end of the valve stem. This stem, it will be scen, is
somewhat elongated, for the purpose of carrying a second float f. The socket
of the arm or lever of this float f is mounted loosely on the stem of the cock
d, but it has only a limited amount of play thereon, for the purpose to be
presently explained.
In the Drawing I have shewn the socket of the float lever f as provided
with a pin projecting laterally therefrom, which pin bears against a stop pin
on the valve stem when the float is lifted by the rise of water in the sup-
plementary cistern, and thereby turns off the supply; but other equivalent
contrivances may be readily adopted for transmitting motion from the rising
float to the valve stem. When the float f by the rise of the water in the
small cistern has closed the supply pipe, it will, by reason of there being no

page_text: escape for the water in the small cistern, retain its raised position, and
consequently no further supply will be admitted to the main cistern until the
apparatus is re-adjusted. The want of water will therefore afford evidence of
the derangement of the cut-off apparatus, and call immediate attention to the
fact, whereas by the single ball-cock now in use water may be running to
waste for hours or days without the fact being known or heeded. In order
to re-adjust the apparatus, in addition to easing the cock or valve, (the sticking
of which is the usual cause of waste,) it will only be necessary to bale out or
run off the water from the small into the large cistern, and the float f will
then fall and permit the float e to descend and open the water supply pipe.
From the above explanation it will be understood that with the use of my
Invention a constant service may be laid on without risk of waste of water
occurring, for as soon as the ordinary float fails, by its deficiency in buoyant
power to turn the cut-off valve, the second float will be brought into action,
and thus by the combined operation of the two floats the cock will be caused
to cut off the supply. Then by the float of the supplementary cistern
remaining in its raised position, and preventing the admission of more water to
the cisterna until attention has been given to the readjustment of the
apparatus, the opportunity for the supply cock of any cistern in constant use
to stick so fast as to resist the combined action of the two floats can never
occur, as the absence of water will necessitate the giving attention to the
apparatus on the first indication of its disarrangement.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improved Means for
Detecting and Preventing the Waste of Water in Cisterns," and explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that
under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim the apparatus herein
described, or any mere modification thereof, whereby the overflow water from
the supply cistern, after a given level is attained therein, is enabled to bring
into action a float which will shut off the supply cock or valve, and retain it in
a closed position when the supply cistern is exhausted of water.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Gascoigne Lynde, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of December, in the year-
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
JAMES G. LYNDE. (L.S.)