US124657A - Improvement in street-sprinklers - Google Patents

Description

` Patented'march19,1e72..

L. F. BANCRQFT.

Street Sprinkler.

Q/Ifyeqlm? J my.

Wil-lse a5 SELF AND ANDREW'B. YETTER, OF NEW "YORK, N. Y.

EMPROVEWIENT IN STREET-SPRENKLERS.'

Speciication forming part of Letters Patent No. 124,657, dated March 19, 1872.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lonnr F. BANcRorr, of the city and county of Worcester and Oommonwealth `of l\/Iassachusetts,-have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street- Sprinklers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawing which forms Ja part of this specification, and in which- Figure l represents a view of the front end of the body ortank of a street-sprinkler with my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents alongitudinal central section of the tank, showing a side view of the valve devices. Fig. 3 represents a transverse vertical section of the rear end of the tank, showing a rear view of the valve devices. Fig. 4 represents, on an enlarged scale, a rea-r view of the top 'ends of the footlever and latch devices 5 and Fig. 5 represents, on an enlarged scale, a plan view of the same.

The object of my present invention is to provide a convenient valve mechanism for regulating the Yflow of water in street-sprinklers, which can be easily operated by the foot of the driver, thereby leaving his hands free for managing the team. To this end my inven` tion consists in arranging the valve rods through the forward end of the tank, and combining with said rods a series of foot-levers, as hereinafter explained; also, in the peculiar devices for connectingk the valves with the valve-rods; and inthe devices for holding the foot-levers in position, as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing, the parts marked Arepresent the tank, body, or reservoir of the spri nkler. B indicates the drivers seat; G, the footboard; and D D D the passages leading respectively to the right side, center, and left side of the perforated semicircular discharger, which discharger is made as described in Letters Patent No. 101,700, granted to John A. Bancroft, et al., April 12, 1870; and therefore need not be herein shown and described. The passages D D D are closed by valves E, made of rubber or metal, and having long upwardprojecting spindles, E', which are supported by upright standards F, fixed to the bottom of the tank A, the valve-spindle being arranged through the ends of horizontal arms c, which project from the rear sides of said standards. Bell-crank levers G are provided at their elbows to the tops of the standards F, and to the horizontal arms of said levers G the top ends of the valvespindles E are attached by means of link-pieces b, while the upright arms of the bell-crank levers G are pivoted to the ends of the valve-rods H, which latter extend to the exterior of the tank at its forward end. Stufiing-boxes I are provided where the rods H pass through the head A of the tank.

These stufling-boxes are made of the form shown, and are screwed into openings formed in the head A', until their external ilangerests against the outer surface of the head. The packing-nutsJ are screwed into the boxes I from the interior of the tank, and the packing within the boxes I forms water-tight joints and prevents leakage around the rods H, which latter, being made smooth, can be easily slid back and forth through the boxes for operating the valves E, and thus opening and closing the passages D. The forward ends of the rods H are attached, by means of links "d, to the foot-levers K, which have their lower ends pivoted in studs f, secured to the lower .part of the head A', lwhile their upper ends project up through a slot in the central part of the foot-board G in the manner illustrated in the drawing. The side levers are turned inwardI above their junction with the valve-rods, so that all the levers pass through the foot-board in close proximityto each other. The center lever ,is provided with a cross-head, e, at its upper end, and the side levers are turned outward at a level with the cross-head of the center lever, to form a sufficient space for the foot,

levers are pressed forward to open the valves the latch L catches ontodugs t, formed -on the sides of the central lever, and thereby retains the levers in the position indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 2, thus keeping, the valves E open until the latch is tripped and the levers released, when the valves willbe instantlyclosed by the action of the coiled-wire springs M, which are arranged around the valve-rods H, with one of their ends pressing against the packingnuts j, and the others against the pins m set through the rods. It will be understood that a dii'erent arrangement of springs may be used from that herein shown, and said springs may be combined with the levers or rods on the exterior of the tank, or in the interior. Veights may also be used for closing the valves, when desired; but I prefer the construction herein shown. If the driver desires to shut off the water from one side of the discharger while passing carriages, or while running near the sidewalk, he releases the lever corresponding to the side he desires to shut by springing the upper end of said lever outward, so that it will pass by the end of the cross-head e; and if he desires to shut oft' all the water, he trips the latch L by pressing down its rear end with his heel. Lugs may be formed on the side levers, to catch onto the latch L in a manner similar to the central lever, if desired; or a separate latch may be provided for that purpose, so as to hold one of said side leversindependentof the cen tral lever. In lieu of the spindle-valves E E', as herein shown, a simple clapper-valve may be used in connection with the bell-crank levers Gr and valve-rods H. The parts of the carriage not shown herein may be made in the ordinary manner, and do not therefore require further description.

It will be observed that with the valve mechanism constructed and arranged as herein shown and described, the driver can with his feet conveniently and easily regulate and control the flow of water while occupying his position on the seat B, thus leaving both of his hands freeffor the management of his team.

Having describedmy improvements in streetsprinklers, what I claim therein as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, s-

1. The combination and relative arrangement, with the valves and the front end of the tank in a street-sprinkler, of the stuflingboxes I, valve-rods H, and foot-levers K, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination,with the tank in a streetsprinkler, of three valve-rods, the front ends of which extend through proper stuffing or packing boxes in the front end of the tank, and three foot-levers, a holding mechanism, and closing mechanism, whereby either or both of the side valves can be opened or closed, by the foot of the driver, independent of the center valve, and retained in such position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3, The combination, with the valve-rods H, arranged through the stuffing-boxes in the head or front end -of the tank, of the foot-le vers K e c, latch device L, and springs M, substantia-lly as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination and relative arrangement, with the passages D and valve-rods II, of the spindle-valves E E', standards F a, bellcrank levers G, and links b, substantially as shown and described.

LOREY F. BANCROFT.

' Witnesses:

Gans. H. BURLEIGH, A. E. Pinnen.

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