IMPROVEMENTS IN STOP COCKS OR VALVES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Henderson, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Plumber, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STOP COCKS OR VALVES."
Sealed the 19th September 1856, and dated the 31st March 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Henderson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st March 1856.
I, HENRY HENDERSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STOP-COCKS OR VALVES," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of stop-cocks
or valves intended for the regulation of the flow of water, steam, and other
liquids or aeriform bodies, in such manner as to insure more complete tight-
ness and accuracy of working than has hitherto been the case, and dispensing
with the necessity of grinding up conical surfaces, as in the common stop-
cock. The Invention may be carried out under various forms, but as adopted
for common water stop-cocks it may be conveniently applied in this way:--The
shell of the stop-cock consists of two separate tubular portions, one a straight
tube with an expanded end, and the other a curved discharge portion; one
end of the latter part is screwed externally to fit a corresponding internal

page_text: screw in the expanded end of the straight part, which expanded portion is the
actual valve chamber. The screwed end of the elbow or curved tube is faced
truly square across to form the working valve face for an elastic disc of leather,
caoutchouc, or other material fitted up against a collar or metal disc piece on
a longitudinal valve spindle, by which the stop-cock is worked and adjusted.
The after end of this spindle is entered into a fixed central guide eye piece in
the straight tube, whilst its front end, considerably prolonged beyond the valve
disc, is passed through the centre of the screwed end of the elbow tube, and
out through a short narrow tubular piece cast on the elbow in a line with the
axis of the valve face. This spindle has upon it a small secondary shoulder,
on which is passed a short piece of elastic tube, extending nearly to the front
end of the spindle, and answering as the stuffing for the spindle in its passage
outwards. The extreme end of the short stuffing box tube is screwed exter-
nally with a coarse and rapid thread, to receive a correspondingly screwed nut
cap piece, on which is the working lever of the stop-cock; this adjusting nut
has the front end of the spindle screwed into it, or otherwise attached to its
centre, so that when the stop-cock is fitted up, the slight turning of the nut in
either direction either opens or closes the water-way, by drawing the valve disc
away from or up to the working face. This arrangement produces an accu-
rately-fitting valve, and when opened no escape can take place past the actuating
spindle, as the elastic encircling cover upon the spindle most effectually closes
no the passage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Henderson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
HENDERSON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Plumber,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Henderson, Her special license that I, the said Henry Henderson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Henderson, my executors, administrators, or 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,

page_text: and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STOP-
COCKS OR VALVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry
Henderson, 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 Henry Henderson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of stop-cocks
or valves, intended for the regulation of the flow of water, steam, and other
liquids or aeriform bodies, in such manner as to insure more complete tightness
and accuracy of working than has hitherto been the case, and dispensing with
the necessity of grinding up conical surfaces, as in the common stop-cock.
The Invention may be carried out under various forms, but as adopted for
common water stop-cocks, it may be conveniently applied in this
way:-The
shell of the stop-cock consists of two separate tubular portions, one a straight
tube, and the other a curved discharge portion; one end of the latter part
is screwed externally to fit a corresponding internal screw in the expanded
end of the straight part, which expanded portion is the actual valve chamber.
The screwed end of the elbow or curved tube is faced truly square across to
form the working valve face for an elastic disc of leather, caoutchouc, or other
material, fitted up against a collar or metal disc piece on a longitudinal valve
spindle, by which the stop-cock is worked and adjusted. The after end of this
spindle is entered into a fixed central guide eye piece in the traight tube,
whilst its front end, considerably prolonged beyond the valve disc, is passed
through the centre of the screwed end of the elbow tube, and out through a
short narrow tubular piece, cast on the elbow in a line with the axis of the
valve face. This spindle has upon it a small secondary shoulder, on which is
passed a short piece of elastic tube, extending nearly to the front end of the
spindle, and answering as the stuffing for the spindle in its passage outwards.
The extreme end of the short stuffing box tube is screwed externally with a
coarse and rapid thread, to receive a correspondingly-screwed nut cap piece, on
which is the working lever of the stop-cock; this adjusting nut has the front
end of the spindle screwed into it, or otherwise attached to its centre, so that

page_text: when the stop-cock is fitted up the slight turning of the nut in either direction
either opens or closes the water-way, by drawing the valve dise away from or
up to the working face.. This arrangement produces an accurately-fitting
valve, and when opened no escape can take place past the actuating spindle,
as the elastic encircling cover upon the spindle most effectually closes up the
passage.
"
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I have
hereunto appended a Sheet of explanatory Drawings, shewing the mode of
carrying my Invention into practical effect...
Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings is a longitudinal section; Figure 2 is a
side elevation; and Figure 3 is an end elevation of a tap or stop-cock, as con-
structed according to my improved system;Figure 4 is a side elevation of a
stop-cock constructed internally like that represented in Figures 1; 2; and 3,
but which is opened and shut by means of a milled head instead of a lever.
The shell or body of the stop-cock consists of two separate pieces A, B, the
latter, formed with the curved discharge spout C, being screwed into the former;
the inner end-D of the piece B is faced truly square across to form a seating
for the valve or closing piece E to work up against. The valve E is a disc
faced with a washer of leather or other suitable material to form a tight joint
when the valve is closed, and this disc is fixed on a spindle F, which projects
through a tubular portion G of the piece B. This tubular portion G is formed
externally with a strong screw thread or threads of coarse pitch, and a cap II
with a corresponding internal screw thread works upon the portion G, and,
being connected by a pin and screw nut I to the spindle F, moves this last
longitudinally in or out, accordingly as it is turned in one direction or the other:
A weighted lever J is fixed or formed on the cap H'in such a position as to
tend to keep the valve closed, the lever serving to turn the cap by when it is
wished to open the valve. Any escape is prevented through the tubular part
G, through which the spindle F projects, by means of a tube K, of caoutchouc
or other suitable elastic and impervious material. This tube Kis held by
being stretched at its inner end over an enlarged part of the spindle F, and
at its outer end by being turned back and stretched over the mouth of the
tubular portion G; which is made with a lip to retain it in place. Instead of
forming a lever on the cap H, it may be made with a 'milled rim L, as shown
in Figure 4, so as to be turned by the finger and thumb.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion

page_text: to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my Invention; but what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the system or mode of constructing stop-cocks or valves, wherein the
closing piece is a disc fitting upon an annular seating, and fixed upon a spindle
projecting through the body of the stop-cock or valve, so as to be actuated by
means of an external screw or otherwise, the spindle being connected to the
body of the stop-cock or valve by a tube of caoutchouc or other suitable elastic
material to prevent leakage, as herein-before described.
Second, the application and use of an elastic tube for the prevention of
leakage in stop-cocks or valves, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Henderson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-six.
HENRY HENDERSON. (L.S.)