A MODE OF PAVING IN A CERTAIN MANNER PARTS OF PUBLIC ROADS, WHEREBY THE DRAUGHT OF WAGGONE, CARTS, COACHES, AND OTHER CARRIAGES IS FACILITATED
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
PARKIN, of Baches Row, City Road, in the County of Middlesex, Merchant,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Fourth, in and by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date.
at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of March last, for Himself, His heirs and
successors, did give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Parkin, His special
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas
Parkin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of them, by
myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies, servants or
agents, or such others as I, the said Thomas Parkin, my exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, and Dominion of
Wales and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A MODE OF
PAVING IN A CERTAIN MANNER PARTS OF PUBLIC ROADS, WHEREBY THE DRAUGHT
OF WAGGONE, CARTS, COACHES, AND OTHER CARRIAGES IS FACILITATED;" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
Thomas Parkin, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to.

page_text: be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar
months next and immediately after the date of tho said recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, referrence being thereto had, will more fully
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Parkin, do horeby declare the nature of my said Invention by the
following description thereof, and the manner in which tho samo is to be
performed and carried into effect by the Drawing which is hereunto annexed,
referrence being thereunto had, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
as follows, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in a certain mode of paving parts of public roads
with granite or other sufficiently hard durable stone laid down in two rows
or lines at proper distances asunder for the wheels of waggons, coaches, or
other carriages to travel upon; and the peculiarity of the said roads or stone-
ways which I claim as new consists in the mode herein-after to be described
of laying, placing, or joining the said rows or lines of stone so as that every
individual stone, when laid down in its place in the line or row, will be sup-
ported or borne up by the two adjacent stones, thereby preventing the lino
from sinking partially, or deviating from a plane surface, and at the same time
(where the ground is sufficiently hard) superseding the necessity of the cross
bearers or sleepers which are usually employed in laying down railways.
Figure 1 upon the annexed Drawing will serve to explain the first modo
which I adopt of laying or jointing the seperate stones together, in order to
form one line or row of the stoneway aforesaid. A represents the seperate
portions of stone, the extreme ends of each of which said stones are formed (to
an angular shape) so as to enter or lock into the two adjacent stones in
a manner which is technically called a bird mouth. By this mode, if the
extreme ends or abutments of the line are prevented from giving way outwards,
the line or row of stones would, upon moderately hard ground, be capable,
under a considerable pressure, of maintaining an uniform linc, even without
the aid of the sleepers B, which are represented in the Figure as laying imme-
diately under the middle of the joints between the stones, and their solidity
would be further insured by bringing the joints together with Roman or other
coment.
Figuro 2 upon the Drawing exhibits a section of another of my modes
of laying or jointing the seperate stones together to form a line or row for
the stoneways aforesaid. In this mode the ends of each stone are dressed
square so as to fit against each other end to end, as seen at A, A, Figuro 2,
and a small hole or cavity of any suitable form is made in each end of cach

page_text: stone, into which said cavities a short portion of an iron bar or other sufficiently
hard material is inserted, bearing half its length in each stone, as represented
at a, a, Figure 2.
Figure 3 exbibits one of the stones in perspective, and a shews the piece
of iron adapted to fit into the cavity C in the end of the stone; it is repre-
sented as a portion of a square bar, but in many instances I prefer a round
bar, since the holes or cavities in the ends of the stones would be formed with
greater facility. B, represents the cross bearers or sleepers, which would be
required in laying the stoneway on soft ground. This mode of joining the stones
is very efficient, since it prevents the seperate portions of stone from deviating.
out of a right line in both directions, as well as connects them together in a
solid manner.
Figure 4 and 5 represont another of my modes of jointing the stones
together to form a stoneway; it is somewhat similar to the mode last described,
but instead of making a hole in each end of each stone, a horizontal groove
or channel is formed at each end, as will appear evident from inspection of.
Figure 5 at C, C; and when the seperate portions of stone are brought
together a piece of flat bar iron or other hard material, as shewn at a, is
inserted one half its breadth into each groove, as seen at a, a, Figure 4.
Figures 6 and 7 represent a mode of jointing the separate portions of
stone together for a stoneway: each end of each stone has two grooves or
channels cut in it, being at right angles to each other in form of a cross, and
when the stones are disposed in a line or row, a cross formed of cast iron or
other suitable material is inserted between the joints so as to bear one half
its width in each stone, as shewn at a, a, in the section Figure 6. One of
the portions of stone with the cross a detached is shewn in perspective at
Figure 7. This mode of jointing will be found more expensive than the ones
above described, but in some situations its solidity would render its application
desireable.
Figure 8 upon the annexed Drawing will serve to explain one of my afore-
said modes of paving two narrow lines or rows in public roads to facilitate
the draught of waggons, coaches, or other carriages. This mode consists in
laying down upon a level with the surface of the road long and flat plates of
cast iron, situated at proper distances asunder for the wheels of carriages to
travel upon. These plates I propose to cast in lengths of thirty feet, more or
less, according to the nature of the situation and ground where they are to be
laid, and, to render them sufficiently strong at a moderate expense, I place
them upon a row of stones and secure them by screw bolts thereto, having
the heads of the said bolts recessed or countersunk in cavities formed upon

page_text: the surface of the plates, with nuts screwed on beneath the stone, as will
appear evident from inspection of Figure 8. The stone proper for this purpose
may be obtained at a reasonable rate, since it does not require a hard and
tough surface to resist the action of the carriage wheels, but only sufficient
strength to stiffen the iron plates. This mode of constructing an iron way will
answer very well without employing cross bearers or sleepers, since the plates
may be cast of sufficient length to prevent their sinking below the level of tho
surface of the road, except in wet or soft ground.
I have now described my mode of paving parts of public roads in order to
facilitate the draft of waggons, carts, coaches, and other carriages, and I
hereby declare that I do not claim generally as my Invention the laying of
rows or lines of stones in a road for the wheels of carriages to pass over, but I
claim as new and as my Invention the particular modes which I have herein-
before described with reference to the Figures upon the Sheet of Drawings
which is hereunto annexed of forming the junctions of the separate portions
of stone to form a stoneway for the purposes aforesaid.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-
THO (LS.) PARKIN.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-eighth day of May,
in the year of our Lord 1825, the aforesaid Thomas Parkin came before
our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.