Inventor of the Beer and Spirit Raising Engine.

The Bruce Engine had played an important part in the Scottish Licensed Trade, overall the Bruce engine pumped millions of gallons of spirit and ales throughout the United Kingdom. In Glasgow they were used almost in universal use. Mr Bruce’s establishment at 67-73 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, it was in 1878 that the business was founded in the name of Phillips & Bruce, but since 1882 it had been carried on by Archibald Bruce. Mr Bruce had large contracts in the matter of gas fitting and plumbing and his proficiency in these departments was given much satisfaction as his patent engines and other inventions.

Mr Bruce employed twenty to thirty engineers from his large premises in Cathedral Street, there was a spacious sale shop and office to which was attached the workshop. The inventor of the Automatic Beer and Spirit Raising Machine Mr Bruce was well known amongst various members of the Scottish Licensed Trade. After fitting hundreds of engines in Glasgow pubs, neighboring towns including Broxburn, Coatbridge, Airdrie and Bathgate caught on to the idea and wanted a machine installed. Mr Bruce advertised that his Beer Engine took up little space, is connected with the main and therefore requires no cistern or air-receiver, and would pay for itself in a couple of months.

Mr Bruce also invented the “Waste Not,” and “Challenge. ” The Waste Not was a development of the Bruce with the difference that it had double action, doubly quick motion and does its work with perfect thoroughness without the loss of one drop of water. It was also fitted up with Bruce’s patent automatic regulator and with a pressure of fifty feet; the water, after working the engine, was forced to a height of about forty-five feet to a cistern. By a simple arrangement the “Waste Not” could be made to work an organ bellows. Its cost was only about one-sixth of the ordinary hydraulic engine.

The “Challenge,” was the latest design by him for situations where there is low or almost no pressure of water supply. It consisted of a dome-topped cylinder, enclosing a large float-ball rising and filling on a central rod. When the water is turned on this float-ball ascended and gradually raised an oscillating cradle containing a brass ball weight. On the desired height being reached by the float, the cradle was tilted, causing the ball to roll down, and suddenly strike a lever which at once closes, by a double-faced plug valve, the water inlet, and at the same time opened the waste-water outlet. The float-ball then sinks, and in doing so, reversed the cradle, the ball rolled back, striking the lever on the other side, the water outlet was closed and the inlet opened and the process was repeated.

Mr Bruce also had a measuring tap patented, the tap could measure half a glass, a glass or a run through, he stated that it measured even with greater exactitude than the half gill and gill stoups.