IMPROVE- MENTS IN TAPS OR VALVES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to, James Morris Gale, Civil Engineer, of Glasgow, in
the County of Lanark, and Thomas Kennedy, Water Meter Manufacturer,
of Kilmarnock, in the County of Ayr, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TAPS OR VALVES."
Sealed the 31st December 1861, and dated the 4th July 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Morris Gale and
Thomas Kennedy at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 4th July 1861.
We, JAMES MORRIS GALE, Civil Engineer, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, and THOMAS KENNEDY, Water Meter Manufacturer, of Kilmarnock,
in the County of Ayr, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TAPS OR VALVES," to be as follows, that, is to say:-
This Invention relates to the production of taps or valves suitable for street
wells, and for any situation where it is desirable to have a tap which is self-
closing, and is durable, and not easily put out of order.
In a tap constructed according to this Invention the body consists of a
cylindrical barrel, one part of which is of less diameter than the other, the
inlet from the service pipe being by a branch entering laterally the smaller
part, whilst the outlet branch communicates laterally with the larger part
of the barrel. At the enlargement of the barrel there is an internal step
forming a seat for the valve, which when closed prevents the passage of the

page_text: water through from the inlet to the outlet. The valve is a washer of leather
or similar material fixed on a spindle. One end of this spindle projects through
the small part of the barrel, and has a cup leather fixed upon it, which serves
as a packing for that end of the barrel, whilst the internal pressure upon it
balances the pressure upon the valve washer. The other end of the spindle
enters a second spindle made tubular to receive it, in which second spindle it
can turn whilst being moved longitudinally by it, being connected by a pin and
groove. The second spindle is screwed externally by preference with a quick-
pitched screw, of, say, four threads, and works in a correspondingly screwed
part of the barrel. A washer on the inner spindle acts as a packing between
the screw and the parts through which the water passes. The second or
outer spindle projects externally beyond the screwed part, where the barrel
terminates, and has fixed upon it a weighted lever or a pulley or quadrant,
with a cord and weight attached, whilst the extreme end of the spindle is
squared or otherwise shaped to receive the handle or key, by means of which
the tap is opened. The opening is effected by turning the outer spindle, which
through the action of the screw draws the valve washer from its seat, whilst
on the handle being released the weight by the reverse action closes the valve.
The discharge pipe is by preference formed with a coil or convolution, which
has the effect of throwing the water off in a solid stream; and a small branch
tube is added to insure the emptying of the coil on closing the tap, so as to
prevent injury by frost. An important feature in the arrangement is the
constructing and putting together of the parts in such a way that the moving
parts can be easily removed, and the whole be examined, cleaned, or repaired
without unfixing the tap body or any of the pipe connections.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Morris Gale and Thomas Kennedy in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 31st December 1861.
10 ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
MORRIS GALE, Civil Engineer, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, and
THOMAS KENNEDY, Water Meter Manufacturer, of Kilmarnock, in the County
of Ayr, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the

page_text: said James Morris Gale and Thomas Kennedy, Her special licence that we,
the said James Morris Gale and Thomas Kennedy, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such other as we, the said James Morris Gale and
Thomas Kennedy, our 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 TAPS OR VALVES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said James Morris Gale and
Thomas Kennedy, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 we, the said James Morris Gale and Thomas
Kennedy, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 in writing, reference being had to
the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to the production of taps or valves, suitable for
street wells, and for any situation where it is desirable to have a tap which is
self-closing, and is durable, and not easily put out of order.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood and
carried into effect, we have hereunto appended a Sheet of explanatory Draw-
ings, representing two examples of our improved taps, which we will particularly
describe, premising that the same reference letters mark the same or like parts
in all the Figures.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a street well, showing a modification of our
improved tap in elevation within it; Figure 2 is a horizontal section, and
Figure 3 is a plan of the tap, detached and drawn to an enlarged scale. In
this example the body of the tap consists of a cylindrical barrel A, B, one
part, A, of which is of less diameter than the other, B, the inlet from the
service pipe being by a branch C, entering laterally the smaller part A, whilst
the outlet branch D communicates laterally with the larger part B, of the
barrel. At the enlargement of the barrel there is an internal step, forming a
slightly projecting seat E, for the valve, which when closed prevents the
passage of the water through from the inlet C to the outlet D. The valve is a

page_text: washer F, of leather, gutta percha, vulcanised rubber, or similar material fixed
on a spindle G. Or the valve and its seat may both be of metal, and either
conical or flat, and when of metal the valve may be contrived so as to be
capable of adjusting itself truly to its seat. One end of the spindle G projects
through the small part A of the barrel, and has a cup leather H fixed upon
it, which serves as a packing for that end of the barrel, whilst the internal
pressure upon it balances the pressure upon the valve washer F. The other
end of the spindle G, enters a second spindle I, made tubular to receive it,
which second spindle I, can turn upon it whilst moving it longitudinally, being
connected by a pin and groove at i. The outer spindle I is screwed externally
with, by preference, a quick-pitched screw of, say, four threads, and works in a
correspondingly screwed part b of the barrel B. A washer J on the inner
spindle G acts as a packing between the screw and the parts through which
the water passes.
The valve washer F is fixed on the spindle G, between
a shoulder thereon and a tubular piece K, passed on between the two washers
F and J, a nut j, screwed upon the spindle outside of the latter washer J,
securing the whole. The second or outer spindle I projects externally beyond
the screwed part where the barrel B, b, terminates, and has fixed upon it (a
weighted lever or a quadrant or) a pulley L, with a cord m or a chain and
weight M attached, whilst the extreme end of the spindle is shaped to receive
the handle or key N, by means of which the tap is opened. The opening is
effected by means of the handle N, by turning the outer spindle I, which
through the action of the screw at b, draws the valve washer F from its seat,
whilst on the handle N being released, the weight M by the reverse action
closes the valve. This discharge pipe D is by preference formed with a coil
or convolution P, which has the effect of throwing the water off in a solid
stream, and a small branch tube Q, uniting the two lower parts of the coil,
is added to insure the emptying thereof on closing the tap, and thereby
prevent injury from frost.
An important feature of our improved tap is the constructing and putting
together of the parts in such a way that the moving parts can be easily
removed, and the whole be examined, cleaned, or repaired, without unfixing
the tap body A, B, or any of the pipe connections. Thus the tap body A, B,
is by means of lugs a, fixed in a horizontal position (in this example) upon
brackets R, cast upon the inside of the well or fountain S, Figure 1. On
removing the handle or key N, the spindles I and G, with the valve details
upon the latter, can be withdrawn completely from the tap body A, B, for
examination or repairs without taking to pieces any other part.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section, and Figure 5 is a plan, of another example

page_text: of our improved tap, in which the cup leather H (Figure 2) for balancing the
internal pressure, is dispensed with, the weight M which closes the valve F,
and keeps it closed, being sufficiently great to act against the internal pressure,
whilst the inlet part A of the tap body is cast with a closed outer end. In this
example also the valve spindle G is somewhat modified, being shaped so as
to dispense with the tubular piece K (Figure 2) between the valve F and
washer J. The spindle G is enlarged and a cup-shaped recess is turned out
of its face, to receive the valve washer F, which is held in its place by a screw g.
The projecting cylindrical rim of the recess protects the washer F, and renders
it very durable. In other respects the tap represented in Figures 4 and 5 is
the same as that shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and the description already
given applies to both.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, we have to state that
we do not restrict ourselves to the precise details herein-before described or
delineated, and that we do not claim to have invented every separate detail
herein-before described and delineated; but that what we consider to be novel
and original, and claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent, is,
First, the arranging and combining of the parts of taps or valves substan-
tially in the manner herein-before described.
Second, the contriving of the details of taps so that the moving parts may
be removed for examination or repairs without disturbing the tap body or
pipe connections, substantially as herein-before described.
Third, the forming of the discharge pipe of a tap or valve with a coil or
convolution substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
°
In witness whereof, 1, the said James Morris Gale, on behalf of myself
and of the said Thomas Kennedy, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty-eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
JAMES M. GALE. (L.B.),