IMPROVE- MENTS IN FIRE ENGINES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, of
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, and 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Armand le Comte
de Fontaine Moreau at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 11th November 1854.
I, PETER ARMAND le Comte DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of 4, South Street,
Finsbury, London, and 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, Patent Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention communicated to me of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FIRE ENGINES" to be as follows:-
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 represents one half of the ma-
chine, and Figure 2 the other half. A, A, A, A, is the body of the machine,
which is composed of rolled copper, forming a hollow cylinder, and enclosing
another cylinder B, B, B, B, also hollow, and of half the diameter of the
cylinder A. It is fastened to the latter by the plates C, C, which form a
circular space, hermetically closed by being soldered to the superior part
D, D. Two pistons E; E, and G, G, with leather stuffing are attached to
the same piston rod V, and. work in the above-mentioned cylinders.
The lower piston E, E, has a valve of leather F, F, which opens upwards.
The upper piston G, G, is, without a valve, and has attached to it a zinc
tube H, H, which occupies the ths of the distance between the. two

page_text: pistons E, E, and G, G, the interior- of which forms an air chamber. The
interval I, I, between the two cylinders B, B, and C, C, forms also an air
chamber. J is the waste pipe, which can be lengthened at pleasure by a
leather or other flexible pipe, to which is attached the ordinary mouth-piece
for the jet. The two pistons E, E, and G, G, are represented at the bottom
of their respective cylinders; as they are fastened to the same piston rod V,
they work simultaneously; when they ascend, the lower piston E, E, creates a
vacuum, and the water in the cistern N rises.through the openings K, K, which
are in the socle, and enters the leather valves L, L, which open upwards,
and allow the water to pass freely, and follow the ascent of the piston; at the
downward stroke of the piston the valves L, L, close, and the valves F, F, of
the lower piston E, E, open, and allow the water to pass between the two
pistons E, E, and G, G; on repeating the upward stroke, the water between
the two pistons E, E, and G, G, is raised by the lower piston E, E, whose
diameter is double that of the upper piston G, G, and one half of the water
is forced out of the waste pipe J, whilst the other. half follows the ascent of
the upper piston G, G; when the downward stroke of the pistons is again
made, the same operation herein-before described is repeated by the lower
piston E, E, whilst the upper piston G, G, forces the water beneath it through
the waste pipe J, by means of the pipe M, which passes through the bottom
of the cistern N, and is fitted at its upper extremity against the valve L, and
has a hole peirced in it equal in size to 3rds of the 1000th part of the square
of the opening of the valve L. A very small quantity of air is admitted into
the body of the machine along with the water; this air occupies the air
chambers I, I, and H, and gives an increased force to the already compressed
air in these parts of the machine, and thus enables me to obtain a regular
stream of water from the waste pipe J without increasing the size of the air
chambers. A hole for the waste air is made in the air chamber I, I, and by
means of a small tube O the waste air and water is conducted to the bottom of
the cistern N; this hole is of about the same size as that in the pipe M.
SPECIFICATION-in-pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 9th May 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
ARMAND le Comte DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of 4, South Street, Finsbury, a
London, and 39, Rue de l'Echiquier; Paris, Patent Agent, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, Her special license that I,
the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Peter Armand le Comte
de Fontaine Moreau, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FIRE ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, 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 Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine
Moreau, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:
The Invention communicated to me consists in certain new and improved
mechanical contrivances for the construction of fire engines.
The improvements are shewn in the accompanying Drawings. Drawing I.,
Figure 1, is a vertical section of the pump, in which A, A, A, A, is a hollow
brass cylinder, forming the body of the pump, and enclosing another cylinder
B, B, B, B, of about half its diameter. These two cylinders are fastened
together by means of the flange C, C, which encloses a circular space D,
hermetically stopped with tin solder at the upper part. E and G are two
pistons, with leather stuffing Q'; attached to the same rod V, and working in
the cylinders A and B. The lower piston E, E, is provided with a leathern
valve F, and opens upwards. The upper piston G is solid, and attached to it
is a zinc cylinder H; H, which occupies six-sevenths of the space between the.
two pistons E and G. The interior of the zinc cylinder H forms an air vessel.
The interval I, T, between the two cylinders A and B, forms also an air vessel.
J' is the delivery pipe, to which the hose is screwed, and which may be pro-

page_text: longed at will, finishing with the ordinary nose-piece for the jet. The two
pistons E and G are represented in Figure 1 at the bottom of their stroke;
being fixed to the same piston rod they work simultaneously. On their ascent
the lower piston E creates a vacuum, and the water in the reservoir Qrises
through the openings K, K, in the four sides of the lower breeching, and the
leathern valve L, L, opening upwards, allows the water to pass freely through,
and follow the piston in its ascending motion. The water between the two
pistons E and G is raised by the lower piston E, the diameter of which is
double that of the upper piston G. One half of the water is forced out of the
delivery pipe J connected with the jet, whilst the other half follows the ascent
of the upper piston G. When the two pistons are at the end of their stroke,
the change of motion takes place; the valve L, L, closes, and keeps the water
in, and the valve F, F, opens, when the lower piston passes freely through the
water as far as the bottom of its stroke; during this time, the upper piston,
performing its stroke, forces the water back into the delivery pipe J under-
neath. The hollow piston rod may be replaced according to circumstances by
a solid rod, and in some cases the ordinary piston and valve may be adapted
to the pump herein described. The pipe M, which passes through the bottom
of the reservoir Q, is provided at its upper extremity, which is in contact
with the valve L, with a hole, pierced in it about one-fifth of an inch square,
by which a small quantity of air is admitted into the body of the machine
along with the water, and occupies the upper part of the air chamber I and H,
giving an increased force to the already compressed air therein, thus enabling
me to obtain a regular and unintermittent flow of water from the delivery
pipe J without increasing the bulk of the air chamber. A hole for the egress
of the air is made in the chamber I, and by means of a small tube O, the
waste air and water is carried to the bottom of the reservoir; this hole is of
about the same size as that in the pipe M.
Figure 2 represents a plan of the cap piece O', which connects the upper
part of the cylinder A to the standard P. This Figure, together with the
remaining Figures on this Drawing, is drawn to the full size of the several
parts when executed.
Figure 3 is a plan of the body of the piston G, G.-T,-T,-are-two-lugs,
-having-eyes-U,U, to which the connecting rod is attached means of a pin.
Figure 4-is a plan of the valve seat R'.
Figure 5 is a plan of the head of the piston P, P, provided with two arms
T, T. The rod V is connected to the upper piston G by means of a screw W,

page_text: by means of a central bolt Z; also by bolts J, passing through the holes a, a.
Four bars B should be soldered to the piston rod V and cylinder H, H, to
maintain the latter in the centre of the main cylinder A; the zinc air vessel
should also be joined at its lower part to the external cylinder by means of bars.
The upper part of the cylinder is closed by a plate C, C.
Drawing II. represents the pump set up in the cistern (scale, one-twentieth
full size. Figure 1, plan. C, C, wooden handles for giving motion to the
lever bar; the handles are moveable, and when not in use slide parallel on
the guides D, D, outside the reservoir, so as to form a shaft, and facilitate the
transport of the engine. E, E, iron frame for uniting the standard P of the
lever bar to the reservoir Q.
Figure 2, vertical section of the above, through the line A, B. J, J, two
bolts, serving to hold the cylinder to the reservoir; K, K, lever bars of cast
iron; K', K', wrought-iron plates; K", K", two pieces of wood for uniting the
two iron plates, the length of each being from L to M; N, N, tie rods, em-
ployed to give the necessary strength to the balance lever; O, connecting rod,
adjusted to the lever bar and to the piston of the pump; P, wooden standard,
bolted to the bottom of the reservoir; Q, Q, reservoir. Figure 3, elevation
of the engine; Figure 4, transverse section, through the line C, D, Figure 1.
P, P, standard of the lever bar, bolted to the bottom of the reservoir, and
attached by means of iron framing E to the interior and exterior part of the
reservoir.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details of construction herein laid down,
reserving to myself the right of modifying the same; but what I claim
is, the mechanical arrangements for the construction of a fire engine, as
herein-before described, and referred to in the Figures of the annexed
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine
Moreau, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.