AN IMPROVED METHOD OF FASTENING OR CONNECTING BRICKS TOGETHER FOR BUILDING PURPOSES."
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Hudson Smithett, of the Inner Temple, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD
OF FASTENING OR CONNECTING BRICKS TOGETHER FOR BUILDING PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Hudson Smithett
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th April 1864.
I, RICHARD HUDSON SMITHETT, of the Inner Temple, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF FASTENING OR CONNECTING BRICKS TOGETHER FOR BUILDING
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention is designed to afford a ready means of fastening, connecting,
or bonding bricks together, especially for corners, foundations, or other parts of.
buildings which are required to be of extra strength so as to give greater.
solidity and durability thereto.
In carrying out my Invention I cast, mould, or otherwise form in each brick
(when being made) two holes of a cylindrical or other form extending through
the same from the top to the bottom or nearly so, such holes being situated
(in the case of a brick of nine inches long, by four inches. and a half wide)
about two inches and a quarter from each end on the central line, so that in
whatever way the bricks may be placed or bonded in building, the holes in

page_text: each brick will correspond with the holes of two adjacent bricks, either above
or below (or both.) In bricks or blocks of a different size, the holes must be
formed in suitable positions so as to correspond' when the bricks or blocks are
used in building. In either case when using such bricks or blocks I fasten
or connect them together by placing in the holes pegs or dowels, made (by
preference) of hollow metal, and either filled up or otherwise with clay or other
material, each peg or dowel passing through at least two bricks or blocks and
thus fastening or connecting them together..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Hudson Smithett in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th October 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
HUDSON SMITHETT, of the Inner Temple, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the 27th year of Her reign,
lid, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant, unto me, the said
Richard Hudson Smithett, Her special license that I, the said Richard Hudson
Smithett, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Richard Hudson Smithett, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD
OF FASTENING OR CONNECTING BRICKS TOGETHER FOR BUILDING PURPOSES,"
upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Hudson Smithett, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to bet
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Hudson Smithett, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the

page_text: following statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, that is to say:
This Invention is designed to afford a ready means of fastening, connecting;
or bonding bricks together, especially for corners, foundations, or other parts
of buildings which are required to be, of extra strength, so as to give greater
solidity and durability thereto...
.
:
In carrying out my Invention I cast, mould, or otherwise: form in each
brick (when being made) two. holes.of a cylindrical..or other form, extending
through the same from the top to the bottom or: nearly so, such holes being
situated (in the case of a brick of nine inches long by four inches, and a half
wide) about two inches and a quarter from each end on the central line, so that
in whatever way the bricks may be placed or bonded in building, the holes in
each brick will correspond with the holes of two adjacent bricks either above
or below (or both.) In bricks or blocks of a different size the holes must be
formed in suitable positions so as to correspond when the bricks, or blocks are
used in building. In either case when using such bricks or blocks, I fasten
or connect them together by placing in the holes pegs or dowels made (by
preference) of hollow metal, and either filled up or otherwise with clay or other
material, each peg or dowel passing through at least two bricks or blocks and
thus fastening or connecting them together..
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "An Improved
Method of Fastening or Connecting Bricks together for Building Purposes,"
I will now proceed to describe, more in detail the manner in which the same
is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect. And in order
that the same may be distinctly understood, I have annexed hereunto a Sheet
of Drawings illustrative thereof and have marked the same with figures and
letters of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation
thereof, that is to say:
Figure 1 in the annexed Drawing is a plan view (drawn about half scale)
of a brick for building purposes constructed according to my Invention, and
Figure 2 is a side or edge view of the same.
a, a, are two holes or perforations extending through the same from top to
bottom. It will be seen that these holes or perforations are situated in the
centre of each half of the brick so that in whatever way the bricks are bonded
together in building, the holes in each brick shall correspond with the holes of
two adjacent bricks as seen in the plan view Figure 3. As the building pro-
ceeds, these bricks are connected together by inserting pegs or dowels b, b, b, b,
into these holes, which pegs or dowels may be of any convenient length and
of a circular or other section, and either solid or (which I prefer) made of

page_text: hollow metal, as shown at Figure 4, and filled with clay, cement, wood, or other
suitable material. By this method the several bricks become bonded or united
together into one solid mass. (as it were), and a very greatly increased solidity
and consequent durability is imparted to the building.
Figure 5 shows part of the angle of a building constructed with bricks made
according to my Invention and connected or fastened together with pegs
or dowels as above described. The latter may be made of any convenient
length, but I prefer to make them about six inches long at the least, and
to place them so that each one passes completely through one brick, and
about half way through the bricks immediately above and below it as shewn
at Figure 5.
: Having now particularly described the nature and object of my said Inven-
tion for "An Improved Method of Fastening or Connecting Bricks together
for Building Purposes," together with the manner in which the same is to be
or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I would remark in con-
clusion that I claim as my Invention, fastening or connecting bricks together
for building purposes by casting, moulding, or otherwise forming two holes in
such bricks, and connecting the same by pegs or dowels, substantially in the
manner and for the purposes above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Hudson Smithett, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
R. H. SMITHETT. (L.S.)