US576797A - Island - Google Patents

Description

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S. WHITE. FIRE I ROTEOTION FOR CITIES.

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S. WHITE.

i PIRE PRUTBGTIONFOR CITIES. No. 576,797. Patented Feb. 9, 1897,.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

STILLMAN IVHITE, nOF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

FIRE PROTECTION FOR CITIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 576,797, dated February 9, 189'?.

Application filed April 21, 1896. Serial No. 588,443. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, STILLMAN WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island7 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire Protection for Cities; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot' the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to improvements in systems of fire protection for cities; that is to say," cities or other places having a system of Waterworks in which the hydrostatic pressure at the fire-hydrants is inadequate to force streams of water to the desired extent without the use of steam fire-engines.

It is well known that in many cities the hydrant service alone is incapable of properly protecting property located in the oenter or business portion of such cities, and even with the use of Steamers as usually employed and adapted to be connected with the fire-hydrants the service is liable at all times in case of a serious tire to prove insufficient owing to the time required for the Steamers to reach the lire and the time consumed in getting up steam. Moreover, it sometimes happens that when the street mains are comparatively' small the volume of water necessary to supply a number of Steamers and other lines of fire-hose is greatly diminished by such unusual demands upon the watersupply. Consequently the normal hydrostatic pressure is correspondingly reduced.

I am aware that a plan has been proposed to employ a system of pipes, mains, and distributing-pipes arranged substantially in the ordinary manner, and subdivide the same, by means of mechanically-operative valves, into two or more tire-districts. Different pressures may be maintained in the different districts by auxiliary pumps, but in order to eiect such variations in pressures the connecting-valves are iirst manipulated, thereby reducing the pressure in the mains of the surrounding districts and for the time being practically isolating them, the people meanwhile being subjected to no small inconvenience by reason of such reduced pressure in the service-pipes. Another objection to the said proposed plan is. that the suddenl increase of water-pressure in the pipes of the subsections or divisions in case of lire is liable to produce breaks in the service connections. At the same time, too, the plumbing connected therewith will necessarily be subjected to such increased pressure and may prove unequal to the demands upon it.

The object I have in view is to provide certain sections or districts of cities with an improved system of protection against losses by hre and to overcome the objections or disadvantages and defects inherent in systems of lire protection hitherto employed. p

By means of my invention property located in the center or district most liable to destructive tires is in fact more fully protected than the contiguous districts. By its employment a much greater volume of water is always available Yand ready for instant use, the normal pressure being atleast equal to that of the mains in the surrounding districts communicating with and forming a part of the principal service.

I may state here it is well known that in a system of water-service having a normal pressure or hydrostatic head, say, of seventy-tive pounds per square inch, the corresponding available pressure at the fire-hydrants would be about sixty pounds, such dierence or loss in pressure being due to the small size of the mains or piping used, friction, &c.

In my improved system or special service the central fire-district is preferably provided with an independent or auxiliary main communicating with the piping of the principal service by one or more self-closing valves, thereby keeping the auxiliary piping filled with water from the main system, a series of'hydrants located in said auxiliary main, whereby the pressure in the principal service may be utilized through the auxiliary main in case of ordinary tires occurring in said district, and pumping means connected directly with a reservoir orgriyer or other suitable source of supply and witl'sai'd'aulxilia'ry main capable of pumping water from said reservoir, &c., and forcing it through the auxiliary main at any desired high pressure, even up IOO to t-wo hundred pounds. The instant, however, such pressure exceeds that of the principal service the inflow of water from the latter into said main will cease, the valves automatically closing at the same time, thereby preventing' all possibility of contaminating the water used for domestic purposes. If desired, the auxiliary main need not be connected in any manner with the service-pipes of the existing system, but can be filled by an independent pipe or conduit leading from the high-service station.

In the accompanying three sheets of drawings, Figure l is a plan view showing a system embodying my improvement and capable of affording 'increased water and pumping facilities for the inclosed district. Fig. 2 is a transverse section, enlarged, taken on line a: 0C of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a slightly-modified form of the manner of arranging the water piping or mains of the auxiliary pumping system; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation in partial section, showing an independent pipe extending fromthe main service reservoir to the auxiliary pumping mechanism.

In the drawings, a indicates portions of the streets of a city arranged in a well-known manner. The squares bounded by the streets may form centers devoted to mercantile and manufacturing purposes and located in the low-lying district. As a rule most, if not all, of the taller, as well as the more valuable buildings of a city, are located in the lowlying district, where the greatest hydrostatic head is available. Even with such water-facilities it frequently happens in ease of fire that the available pressure is far from being sufficiently effective.

The piping of the usual Waterworks system above referred to is shown by dotted lines b l). The water circulating therein may be taken from any suitable source, as a large elevated reservoir, from which the water flows by gravity. The service-piping l) is used for supplying water for various purposes as common. It is also provided at intervals with lire-hydrants 71 as usual. Thus it will be seen that thepressure in the said piping is substantially uniform or normal while furnishing water to the house connections, &c. 5 but upon opening several of the hydrants h, as in case of a large fire, the normal pressure is liable to be materially reduced. I may add that usually the distributing or service pipes i) are comparatively small, being often not more than six inches in diameter in the down-town districts.

In my improved system I provide the center or business portion D of the city with independent auxiliary piping, as c, and an independent pumping plant, as A, Fig. l, having a force-pump B, capable of taking water from any convenient source, as a river or lake R, the water being conducted to the pump by a suction-pipe c and discharging from the pump to the said piping c. I prefer to use very strong pipinghaving a diameter, say, ol' twelve to sixteen inches, the same being provided with suitable fire-hydrants 7L'.

The pumping plant A, as stated, is wholly independent of the main system of piping b. Therefore the pump B may be made to force water into the auxiliary piping c at a pressure greatly in excess of that carried in the main system. The boilers used for generating steam for operating the pumping machinery -may be of the quick-steaming type, so that in case of emergency the continuously-banked fires in the furnaces may be quickly brought into service, the increasing` steam-pressure being then utilized in the pumping machinery to supply water to the hydrants h' at pressures greater than can be developed in piping l) and its hydrants 7i.

In order that the auxiliary mains c shall at all times have a pressure in them equal to that in the principal mains b, the two systems may be united, as shown in Figs. l and 2, wherein a short connection f and self-closing valve fu allows water to flow freely from the pipe l) into pipe c until the pressures are equalized, or rather until the pressure in i) produces a corresponding pressure in c. It may happen that in the event of a small iirc occurring in the center or district D the normal pressure of the main system transmitted therefrom into piping c and its hydrants h may be sufficient to extinguish such fire without aid from the said auxiliary pumping plant; but in case a greater pressure and volume of water is required the pump Bis started. The

increasing pressure in piping c will then almost immediately operate to close said valve o, thereby isolating the two systems.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the water in the mains b cannot become polluted or contaminated by water passing from the auxiliary system, because whenever the pressure in the latter is less than that of the mains D water will fiow from piping b into c, and when the pressure in both is equalized or when that in c exceeds the pressure in b the valve or valves o automatically close, thus preventing a backiiow of water into the mains b.

In Fig. 3 I have represented a manner of connecting my improved system with a storage reservoir r, the latter being elevated, so as to supply the regular service-piping b, substantially as usual, the piping, the., for con ducting water from the reservoir being omitted. In said figure the auxiliary pumping plant A is substantially the same as shown in Fig. l, but in the former, however, the two systems are wholly independent of each other. This is effected by an independent main d, leading from the reservoir to the piping c and pump. If desired, water can be taken direct from the river R and forced into piping c, first closing the valves o2, v3, fu", and o0. In such case in the event of fire the hydrants h would discharge river-water only, the pressure being that due to the action of the pump B.

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This may be accomplished by simpl y closing.

the inlet-valve c and opening valves 'U5' and "03, the latter being located in the inlet-pipe c2, branching from said independent main d. Obviously in such case the head on the suction side of the pump would be the same (less the friction) as that due to the elevation of the reservoir. The same result as to pressure in piping c may be attained by the use of a smaller reservoir or tank t, located contiguous to the pump and connected with it by the inlet-pipe c4. In the latter case valves c, v2, and v3 are closed, valves c4, c5, and UG being open. Said valve n, located in branch pipe c5, leading from main d to said tank t, is opened and closed at intervals simply to discharge water into the tank, from which latter it flows or is sucked into the pump, the pressure being plus or minus, according to the position of the tank with respect to the pump.

Fig. 4 is practically a side elevation of the arrangement shown in Fig. 3. The reservoir a" forms an independent source of water-supply for the auxiliary pumping system by means of the suitably-valved main d. The

reservoir is also used to supply water to the main system of piping b.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent- The improved system of fire protection herenbefore described, the same comprising two concurrent systems of piping, each provided with nre-hydrants or outlets, one of said lines having a substantially constant hydrostatic head or pressure, and the other being provided with a pump or similar discontinuable means for producing when required a higher pressure in said line than in the former, and a valve which automatically permits the ow of the liquid from the piping of constant pressure into the other line when the pressure in the latter is sufficiently reduced, but checks the flow of the liquid back into said line of constant pressure, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have axed my si gnature in presence of two witnesses.

STILLM AN WHITE.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. REMINGTON, REMINGTON SHERMAN.

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