IMPROVEMENTS IN COCKS, TAPS, AND VALVES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Rowland, of Salisbury, in the County of
Wilts, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COCKS, TAPS, AND
VALVES."
Sealed the 8th November 1864, and dated the 10th May 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Rowland at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th May 1864.
I, JAMES ROWLAND, of Salisbury, in the County of Wilts, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COCKS,
TAPS, AND VALVES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in constructing a conical valve seat or shell of the
cock or tap, and fitting to the same a corresponding conical plug, which plug
by reason of the enclosed space provided above the opening of the duct or
waterway can be made solid, and be lifted up by the spindle being screwed
and working through a female screw in the cap or head piece; or a wedge or
wedges, or camb or lever, or the equivalents thereof, may be used to lift up.
the valve or plug, which being lifted up will allow the liquid or fluid to flow
out, and being lowered again into its seat will shut effectually the cock or
valve.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Rowland in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th November 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ROWLAND, of Salisbury, in the County of Wilts, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Rowland, Her special licence that I, the said James Rowland,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Rowland, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COCKS, TAPS, AND VALVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said James Rowland, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Rowland, 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:
This Invention consists in constructing a conical valve seat in the shell or
seat for high-pressure water or steam pipes, or in the.steam passages to the.
top and bottom of steam cylinders, for which purpose my Invention is
particularly applicable. To the afore-mentioned conical valve seat I fit a
corresponding conical plug of wood, brass, iron, or other equivalent' material
which can be élévated from or lowered into the above-named conical valve
seat when it is required to open or shut the valve. I do not confine myself to
the conical shape of my valve plug and valve seat, as they may be made in
various forms, such as a frustum of a cone or wedge, or frustum of a square or
rectangular pyramid. The above-named wood or metal plug can be raised or
lowered in its seat by various mechanical appliances, such as in the case of

page_text: high-pressure water and steam pipes, by means of a lever or screw working.
through a female screw in the cap or head piece, or in the case of being used:
for steam; cylinder valves, in which case, there would be two steam valves and
two eduction valves, and also in some cases an additional valve for working
steam expansively; they may be opened and shut by means of levers actuated
by cambs driven by an eccentric keyed on the main shaft of the engine, or by
means of a wedge or wedges, or by other appliances, the valve spindles in all
cases working through stuffing boxes packed with hemp, metallic-packing, or
other equivalent material.
The object of my Invention is to construct an equilibrium valve to super-
sede the common slide and Cornish valves now in use, in both of which
arrangements there is enormous loss of power in the engine consequent on
the great friction in the working of the slide. This object is attained in my
Invention for, as will be shown' more clearly on reference to the Drawings
accompanying this Specification, as soon as the conical or wedged shaped plug
is removed from its seat, a space immediately occurs between it and the side
of the valve, the steam or water making its escape by this space, and no such
friction takes place as occurs during the whole travel of the slide.
In order that this my said Invention may be the more readily seen and
understood, I have hereunto annexed Drawings in illustration of its practical
application to the valves of a steam cylinder, whereby the enormous friction
in the ordinary slide valve is avoided, and the power therein expended is saved.
Like letters and figures marked thereon are used to denote similar parts.
:
In Drawing No. 1, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a steam cylinder with
my valves applied to it, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on or
about the line c, d; Fig. 1 is front view of the valve casing, showing the
steam passages in dotted lines; and Figs. 4 and 5 represent my valve in its
seat with an elevation, Fig. 5, of the valve plug. In Drawing No. 2, Fig. 1
is an elevation of the same steam cylinder with the valve casing removed, and
showing the rods whereby the valves are worked; Fig. 2 is a section of the
same, and Fig. 3 shows side and. end views of the valve plug.
A is the steam cylinder; B1, B2, B3, B', are my improved valves; C, C, C, C,
are the steam passages; D, camb for working the valves; E, camb frame, and
F, supports for camb.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and how the same may be best carried into practical effect, I wish
it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details or
relative dimensions or forms above described; but what I do claim is this,
namely, the general arrangement and construction of conical or. wedge

page_text: shaped valves, as herein-before set forth and described, whereby friction is
avoided and power saved.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Rowland, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
JAMES ROWLAND. (L.S.)
Witness,
CHARLES S. BAKER,
General Patent Company, Limited,
71, Fleet Street.