10 



Ward's Patent for Improvements 



tight through the plug of each cock, so that by bearing 

 upon a plate at the bottom of the cock, and supporting 

 the greater part of the weight of the plug, or stopper, the 

 latter may be turned by a moderate power applied by the 

 engine-driver at the capstan-formed-top, or by other suit- 

 able means. By the cocks, q, and r, a communication 

 may be made between the pipe entering the bottom of the 

 cock and any one of the four ways, m, m, is a pipe in 

 connexion with the main, or traction-tube, n, is a pipe 

 leading from the pipe, o, in connexion with the outlet- 

 valves of the pump, a, to the under part of the double 

 way-cock, s, and so communicating either with the pipe, 

 p, or the atmosphere through the aperture, v. p, is a 

 pipe leading from the cocks, l, and s, to the lower part of 

 cock, Q. T*, and t^, are pipes leading from the first of the 

 three reservoirs hereinbefore mentioned, to cock, q, and 

 also to cock, R. The pipes, T^, and respectively lead 

 in like manner from the second and third reservoirs to 

 the cocks, q, and r. o^, and o^, are pipes from the out- 

 let-valves of the pump, b, to the bottom of cock, r. 



The operation of the lastly hereinbefore described 

 apparatus is as follows : — The shafts, d, and d^, being 

 disconnected at the clutch, e, the pipe, k, being put in 

 communication with the pipe, p, and also the pipe, n, with 

 the atmosphere, through the cock, s, and the aperture, v, 

 the pipe, p, being also put in communication with the 

 pipe, T^, by the cock, q, the air-pump, a, being put in 

 action by the steam-engine, c, the first reservoir will 

 become exhausted, but such exhaustion need not be con- 

 tinued to a very high gauge ; for example, the first reser- 

 voir may be exhausted until a barometer gauge attached 

 thereto shows the height of about fifteen inches of mercury ; 

 by a change of position of the cock, q, the second reservoir 

 may then be exhausted to about twenty inches of its 

 gauge, and lastly, by a further change of the cock, the 

 third reservoir may be exhausted to about twenty-five 

 inches of its gauge. I mention the gauges by way of 

 illustration, and not for positive or even approximate 

 direction; for the gauges at which it will be most advisable 

 to work will evidently depend as well upon the size of 

 the reservoirs as on a variety of other contingencies. The 

 reservoirs being exhausted, the engine must be stopped, 

 the shaft, d^, and consequently the pump, b, put in con- 

 nexion with the engine, the cock, l, turned so as to put 



