AN IMPROVEMENT IN WATERCLOSETS
Year: 1837

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREEMAN
ROE, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, Plumber, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Seventh day of July, in the first year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Freeman
Roe, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Freeman Roe, my exors, adñññors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Freeman Roe, my exors, adñiors, or 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN WATERCLOSETS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Freeman Roe, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Freeman Roe, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the

page_text: grunto atac, and to the gures and letters marked econ
that is to say:-
My Invention, consists in an improved construction of basin for water-
closets, whereby the water coming from the supply pipe is more advantage-
ously applied; and in order fully explain my Invention, I will describe the
various Figures shewn in the Drawing.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 a side view, of a basin constructed
according to my Invention. In each of these Figures the same letters
indicate similar parts, a, a, being a vessel, channel, or recess formed around
the upper part of the basin, and is constantly open into the basin, as is clearly
shown in the Drawing at b, b, b, the part c of the opening b being covered or
made closed in order to prevent the water at the front of the basin from
splashing up; for were that part not closed the water, in consequence of the
force with which it comes round to that point, might rush out and over the
person sitting on the seat of the watercloset to which my improved basin is
applied. d is the water-supply pipe, and e the ordinary distributing plate
within the basin; f is an opening from the supply pipe to the recess, vessel, or
channel a, a, a, formed at the upper part of the basin, by which some of the
water from the water-supply pipe will pass into the channel a, a, a, and will
overflow the top thereof at b, b, b, as is clearly shewn in the transverse section,
Figure 3, where the parts are shown in the position they would be imme-
diately after the closet has been used and the pan g lowered to discharge the
soil and previous contents of water. During the time that water is flowing
in from the water-supply pipe such water will be distributed by the ordinary
distributing plate, in addition to which the water will fill the channel or vessel
a, a, and flow over at b, b, and wash down the sides of the basin of the water-
closet in a more effectual manner than when the distributing plate only is
employed. h is the opening by which the water proceeds from the water-
supply pipe to the distributing plate; and so soon as the water is shut off, and
no longer flows through the water-supply pipe, than that portion of water
which remains in the channel, vessel, or recess around the basin will run into
and become the after-supply for producing a water joint to the bottom of the
basin, as is shewn at the section, Figure 4, which is taken from front to back.
Figure 5 (also a section taken from front to back) represents the parts in
the position just after the pan g of the closet is closed, and the water shut off
from the water-supply pipe; and the water is shewn in the act of running
from the recess or channel a, a, into the pan to form the water joint.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
constructing the same, I would remark, that although I prefer the basins to
be made of earthenware, and all in one piece, as is shewn in the Drawing, I
would state that I do not confine myself thereto, as other materials may, as
heretofore, be employed for making the basins. And I would further remark,
that in place of making the channel, vessel, or recess a, a, which is around
the upper part of the basin, in one piece with the basin, it may be added to
the basin, care being observed that in forming and affixing the same that the
water shall at the upper part of the channel, vessel, or recess have free access
to overflow into the basin, and when the supply of water is cut off that the
water remaining in the channel, vessel, or recess a, a, a, may from the lower
part thereof flow into the basin to make the necessary water joint.
I would remark that I am aware that various means of obtaining an after-
supply of water to the pan has been before resorted to, for some of which
Patents have been obtained. I do not therefore claim that as a new Invention,
nor do I claim any part of a watercloset other than is hereafter particularly
named & as above explained; and although I have shewn a particular shape
of basin I do not confine myself thereto.
But what I do claim is, the mode of applying the channels, vessels, or
recesses a, a, a, at the upper parts, or suitably above the pans or valves of the
basins of waterclosets and opening into the basins in such manner that the
water may flow over, and at the same time retain a supply of water for
forming the water joint, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Freeman Roe, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
saurand sight hundred and th
Inrolled the Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-eight.