Specification of Thomas Walker and Thomas Ferdinand Walker : utilizing sewage.

  • Walker, Thomas, 1859-1912.
Date:
1865
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Specification of Thomas Walker and Thomas Ferdinand Walker : utilizing sewage. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Provisional T. T. F. Walker s Improvements in Apparatus for the Utilization of Sewage, reservoir, to pass through a trough, by which the heavier solid matters may be arrested, whilst light bodies in suspension, such as paper, rags, and fibrous matters, will pass over the wall forming one side of the trough, and will be intercepted by a grating provided for that purpose. Corks and other light floating matters are detained in this trough by a screen, under which the 5 sewage passes on its way to the settling pit or reservoir; this trough may be formed with inclined ends, up which may be drawn scrapers or other suitable cleansers for clearing the trough of the matters collected therein. The more liquid portion of the sewage matters is received from the trough into one end of a settling pit or reservoir, the bottom of which inclines to a 10 central gutter, by which the drawing off of the more solid matters therefrom is facilitated. These settling pits or reservoirs we prefer to be arranged in pairs, so that one may be receiving the matters for subsidence whilst the matters subsided are being withdrawn from the other. The more solid matters may be withdrawn by pumping apparatus such as that described in 15 the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, the said Thomas Walker, bearing date the 21st day of November 1862, No. 3132, or by other suitable means. The more fluid portion of the matters passing from the surface of the settling pit or subsiding reservoir is allowed to overflow at the opposite end into a gutter or reservoir, and is thence, by pumping apparatus, raised or 20 forced into other elevated reservoirs or feeders, from which, by suitable conduits, it may be conveyed for irrigating purposes to the districts desired. The improvements relate, secondly, to pumping apparatus of the character of that described in the said former Specification as particularly adapted to the pumping of sewage matters, in which, in place of the sewage matters 25 acted upon coming in contact with the piston, there is a diaphragm of flexible material to act on the sewage matters, and water or other suitable fluid intervening between the diaphragm and the piston. We have found, when employing material for the diaphragm which resists the passage through it of liquid matters, that such diaphragm is liable to 30 become injured, either when there is too little or too much water or other fluid between such diaphragm and the piston ; and an object of this part of the improvements i§ to govern the quantity of water or other fluid so applied. For this purpose we apply, in connection with the chamber, between the diaphragm and the piston, two taps or valves, one of which acted upon by 35 the diaphragm when there is an excess of fluid between such diaphragm and the piston to admit, of an escape of a portion thereof, and the other is acted upon by the diaphragm when there is too little fluid between it and the piston to admit of a further supply thereto from a suitable reservoir. These taps or