IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING, LIGHTING, VENTILATING, AND FIREPROOFING BUILDINGS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thaddeus Hyatt, of Gloucester Gardens, Hyde
Park, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturer of Patent Lights,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING, LIGHTING,
VENTILATING, AND FIREPROOFING BUILDINGS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thaddeus Hyatt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th May 1874.
I, THADDEUS HYATT, of Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park, in the
County of Middlesex, Manufacturer of Patent Lights, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING,
LIGHTING, VENTILATING, AND FIREPROOFING BUILDINGS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO
BUILDING MATERIALS AND APPLIANCES, AND TO SHIPS," to be as follows:-
The crection of combustible buildings being partly if not mainly
attributable to the case and cheapness of obtaining materials for such
constructions and the difficulty of obtaining cheap and reliable, firc-
0
A
:

page_text: proof appliances and materials to make buildings safe, that Invention
is most deserving which deals practically with the subject, by putting
upon the market the means for making the constructions required.
My improvements have reference therefore to the requirements of
trade, for whenever it becomes as profitable to sell fireproof and fire-
proofing building appliances and materials as to deal in the other sort,
then the community will get the benefit and security of fireproof
houses.
According to another part of my Invention connected with the fore-
going, I make openwork corrugated sheet metal by cross corrugating
the metal, and cutting the flat portions included within the corrugations
so as to form tongues, which tongues are bent outwards, thereby. pre-
senting a good holding surface on both sides of the sheet for holding
any plastic fireproofing material with which it may be overlaid. These
sheets of metal are light, cheap, and easily applied as fireproof sheathing
to all parts of buildings. When bent in U form and filled with Portland
cement, concrete, or "beton coignet," these cross corrugated sheets_
make excellent floor beams for short spans, and if applied side by side
on the "all-beam principal," fireproof floors of considerable span may
be safely made of them.
:
According to another method of making fireproofing sheathing plates
of cross corrugated metal, I stamp or press the metal up so that the..
portions included within the corrugations obtain a considerable
clevation, I then perforate the sides of these elevated parts without
destroying their shape or strength, so as to admit the plastic filling a
to pass through the openings and to thus key itself to both sides of the
sheet....
According to another part of my Invention I make beams of inter-
laced strips of metal or of woven wire shaped and conditioned not only
to firmly hold the cement or concrete which fills its interstices, as a part
of the body for its protection against fire, but also for its value in
résisting compressive strains. These lattice beams may be of various
forms, box, tubular, H and T shaped, in section.
:
By one method I braid the metal ribbons or strips into hollow tubes
after the manner of braiding whip stocks. These tubes I then use in
the shape thus made with the addition of a cement or concrete covering
and lining, and a special tie rod fastened along its middle bottom line'
.

page_text: inside the tube, or I place the tube as made in suitably shaped dies, and
by mechanical appliances I bring it into some other shape, such as a
hollow web and flange or otherwise, and then overlay and prepare it as
described:
According to another plan I wind the metal strip or strips around a
mandril, and make thus a long spiral closely or loosely coiled and of
the length desired. To this coil I attach a tie properly fastened, I then
fill and overlay it with cement, concrete, or their equivalents. This
beam Ï further perfect in some cases by a metal tie at the top to give it
metallic strength, both at the top and bottom,
By another method of operating I make an openwork skeleton beam;
or several of them, on a sheet of metal by slitting the sheet, and
drawing the metal ribbons or strips thus made outwards in opposite
directions so as to form a hollow openwork tube which may be variously
shaped, I then place and fasten a tic in the manner already described,
and protect and strengthen the construction by means of cement or con-
crete as already described.
According to another part of my Invention I combine web and flange
beams in a floor construction, upon a system which practically converts
cach pair of beams into a hollow tube, with reference to the holding and.
binding power of the top flanges upon the concrete filling underneath
them, between the webs of the beams. In this system the beams are
placed near enough together to practically form hollow tubes, and of
consequence are made as much lighter as there are more of them; the
system being the use of a large number of thin light beams set near
together in opposition to a few heavy ones set wider apart. These thin
light beams I prefer to make with flanges very much wider than are
commonly made on such beams, and I prefer to bind a number of them
together by cross tie rods passing through openings at the centre of the
web of the beams.
According to another part of my Invention I make hollow beams of
thin metal of any suitable or known form, and prevent the collapsing
of these. hollow beams by means of a filling or lining of cement within
them.
In the Specification of my Patent, No. 3124, A.D. 1871, I have:
described tubular beams for an "all-beam floor," which are cylindrical
in shape and.in some cases filled solid with fireproofing materials.
A 2
14

page_text: By my present improvement when I make a beam in the form of a
hollow cylinder, I strengthen it from its interior not by loading it with a
complete solid interior filling, but by a lining which may be earthen
tubes cemented together within it or a cement or concrete tube formed
within it over a core which is afterwards withdrawn. By one plan of con-
struction I make these hollow beams double, that is to say, of two metal
tubes one within the other, the interior one by preference being set
cccentrically to the outer one, and made fast to it along the middle
bottom line of the tubes, the space between them will then be crescent
shaped and the concrete filling therein be thickest at the top in the
plane of the compressive strain. Tie rods may be added for additional
strength, and when so added I use them in the form of a flat bar which
I place inside the tubes and there rivet and protect by plaster of Paris`
or other fire-resisting material. These hollow thin metal beams I also
make in all the forms in which solid cast and wrought iron beams are
usually fashioned, and I fill the interior space with cement or concrete
which preserves it from collapsing. These beams require additional
metal for tie rods which I add in the form of flat bars rivetted to the
bottom of the beam, as already described.
According to one method I make these beams of perforated sheets of
metal, by means of which the exterior coating of cement becomes keyed
or interlocked with the interior filling.
According to another part of my Invention I make rolled or cast solid
beams with openwork webs for facilitating the incorporating and holding
of cement, concrete, or other filling between the beams, and also for
holding any fire-proofing material below the beams to protect the bottom
flanges from fire.
According to one method the web of the beam is made with a rango
of openings of considerable size along the middle from one end to the
other to admit, the interlocking of the concrete from one side to the
other of the beam, or to admit the passage of cross bars, beams, tubes,
or cylinders, in order to laterally connect, stiffen, and bind any number
of beams together-in a floor so as to distribute the weight that may come
upon it. By a variation of the mode of thus laterally connecting the
beams I make beams with countersinks upon their webs, in place of a
holes, of such a nature as to be capable of holding the ends of hollow
tubes placed crosswise between the beams, cross tie rods being used to
tighten the construction after the cross tubes are in position.

page_text: :
By another modification, where these large cross tubes are not
employed, I form the beam with a range of holes or countersinks near
the top flange, or, where no top flange is near the top of the web, for
the purpose of holding small cross tubes or cross bars as, binders to keep
the concrete beneath them from breaking up under strain. But for the
purpose of protecting the lower flange of beams against the destructive
action of flame I form the beam with a light false flange and web, or
with a web only. This web is made with either a range of holes or a
range of countersinks, like those already described for holding cross bars
.or tubes, and for holding any plastic or other fire-proofing material, the
cross bars or tubes when employed also serving as a floor to hold in part
the concrete above it between the beams, and as à ceiling to the room
below.
:
In order to protect the lower flange of beams not made with false
webs I have devised an appliance to serve the same purpose, which I
term a "beam rider." This rider I make in several ways. According
to one method, and which I think the best, it is made to be held in
place by the weight and pressure of the concrete or other filling
between the beams. For this purpose it is so shaped as to not only rest
upon the flange, but also to run up behind the filling against the web of
the beam, and where formed to overlap the flange at both sides thereof
without covering the under face of the flange it runs up and over the
top of the beam, resting upon it, and fitting it as a saddle does a horse.
Made in this way and in sections they are easily applied when the beam
is in position, but if made to be held by and to the lower flange only they
would require to be either made in interlocking halves, or be slid upon
the beam before it was put in place upon the walls, or be rivetted or
screwed to the flange. But my object is to avoid labor in attaching as
well as needless expense in constructing these riders. The simplest plan
therefore is the one to which I give the preference, and which consists
merely of a strip of iron bent or made with two angles opposed to each
other, the strip having a horizontal face or seat to take upon the upper
face of the flange on one side of the web of the beam, its upper portion
from thence running vertically upward against the web of the beam
some 3 or 4 inches, and its lower portion from its point of rest upon the
flange of the beam running from thence perpendicularly downwards
sufficiently far to furnish the required range of holes or countersinks to
receive the cross-bars or tubes for holding the fire-proofing material

page_text: :
:
underneath the beams, and partially supporting as a flooring the
concrete above it between the beams.
When required merely to protect the flange of a beam against fire and
to carry no weight, I make them of wire or of perforated metal; or light
cast iron, which may be coated with the fire-proofing material before
being applied or after being placed upon the beam.
☐ According to another part of this part of my Invention I make a
light partition or sheathing material, applicable also as a roof in light
constructions, and which for illuminating purposes may be set. with
glass, as follows:-I take strips or blades of thin metal, which I stamp
with countersinks, as already described, and I connect any number of
these strips together by means of tubes which fit between them into tlie
countersinks, cross tie rods of wire being employed to tighten and bind
the whole together into a sort of grating. This construction I then fill
and overlay with any suitable plastic fire-proof material to the depth
required.
According to another part of my Invention I make a fire-proof beam,
and by forming several of them together on the "all beam" principle
of construction, I make floors and roofs of the same as follows, viz. :—I
use a top and bottom rail of iron, the bottom containing the proper.
quantity of metal for the tie, and the top containing no more than
sufficient for a firm construction, and I connect these rails together by
vertical tie rods, which for convenience are made flat and provided at
the top with a hole so as to be slid upon the upper rail, and at the
bottom with another hole to be slid upon the bottom rail. For double
or treble beams these vertical ties are in the form of sheets or plates,
with as many holes at the top and correspondingly at the bottom as
there are rails or rods to go through them. These vertical ties are placed
at suitable distances apart upon the rails, and the intermediate spaces
are filled in with cement, concrete, baked brick, or other suitable bracing
material, so as to withstand compressive strains and act as a strut to the
ties of the beam. I also introduce into these beams and floors under
some circumstances as many additional or intermediate rails or rods
between the upper and lower ones as 'may for the special purpose be
required, all the rods or rails terminating at cither end in a heel block or
skew back, to which they are attached, and against, which they are
screwed up to tighten the mass. The vertical sheet metal ties I prefer
i

page_text: to make with sharp and deep horizontal corrugations to take a good hold
upon the cement. The bricks may be flat, as ordinary bricks are made,
but are preferably made to conform to the corrugated sheet ties. The
bricks which I employ.for this construction may be solid or shaped to
produce when put together tubular or other openings in the interior of
the floors they form. I make them however of such form as to admit
of their being as readily mortared and masoned together as in the laying
of ordinary bricks, wherefore I form half-holes or notches in them at
those points where they pass or overlap and lock upon the rails.
A feature of this construction, which is peculiar, and constitutes a
part of the Invention, is a wedge-shape or form which I give to the
bricks, and the method I adopt for combining them together. In making
a floor, roof, or walking surface of these wedge-shaped bricks I lay them
in two courses, one vertical, the other horizontal. The vertical courses
break joint with themselves, and the horizontal courses break joint with
themselves, and at the same time the vertical and horizontal courses
break joint with each other. The vertical courses have their thick ends
looking downwards, but the horizontal courses have theirs facing
upwards. By this means the vertical courses, where they have a hold
upon the rails, sustain the horizontals, and the horizontals, where they
obtain a hold upon the rails, support the verticals, the entire series of
bricks thus interlocking one another throughout the construction, which
gives unity, mutual dependence, and strength to the whole.
According to another part of my Invention I make. tubular bricks in
the nature of short pipes, so short as to bear the term of collars. These
collars or rings are circular in the interior and square or flat-sided
externally, but may vary as to this, it being immaterial whether the
internal opening be circular, elliptical, or otherwise, except that I prefer.
the circular shape for strength. The bricks in this construction are
made with shoulders to enter one another when put together end to end,
so as to make a perfect tube or tubular beam of the four sides of the
bricks; two, the upper and the lower, form respectively floor and ceiling,
while the other two clasp metal rails or ties on the right and left, each.
brick upon these sides being formed with ledges to overlap, underlap,
and thus enclose the metal.
A feature in this construction, and which also forms a part of the
Invention, consists in the formation of the sides of the bricks, so that

page_text: while they break joint with each other each range of bricks also inter-
locks one with the other, thus preventing any single brick from dropping
out of its place in the series, should its hold upon the metal become
broken.
Another feature of this construction consists in the employment of
cross tie rods for binding the parts or ranges of bricks together laterally
as above described. The rails or ties mentioned are in the nature of flat
bars on edge or I rails or angle iron; one bar only upon each side of
any single brick, and between every two adjoining ones. But I con-
template making these bricks to be used with an upper and lower rail
or rod on each side, as herein-before described in connection with the
wedge-shaped bricks, vertical sheet ties being also employed as therein
set forth. When I make a construction of this sort I form the sheet
ties with openings for the shoulders of the bricks to go through, where
they join each other in forming a continuous pipe or tube, the cross ties
for laterally binding them together crossing over or under the pipo
opening, or both over and under where two tics are employed.
In this construction I also under some circumstances make use of
interior thin metal pipes like "stove piping," which I insert in the
hollow brick. These metal pipes are made to fit the hollow "collar a
brick" very snugly, and are cemented therein so as to become a part of
them, thereby giving great strength to the continuousness of the pipes,
and thus to the floor made of them.
By a modification of this plan I make a floor precisely as here
described, except that the bricks are left out and carbonite, concrete,
cement, "beton coignet," or other equivalent material used in lieu of
the baked bricks, which materials may be either moulded and used in
block form like brick, or used in plastic form, and in this state moulded
directly upon the tubes and rods in situ. By a modification of the
"collar brick" (leaving out one side) it becomes a trough brick. These a
trough bricks I make specially for roofs, setting them with glass where
light is wanted in the roof. I also propose to employ them for floors,"
but naturally in a reversed position, the bottom of the bricks being
uppermost to form a walking surface; for greater strength under such
circumstance I sometimes make the trough brick with two additional
sides, which converts it into an open box; the added sides serve as cross
braces between the iron rods or rails on which the bricks are supported.

page_text: Where I form a floor of trough bricks with the open sides upwards I
sometimes fill the troughs with concrete, and level off for the surface
flooring. In other cases I overlay them, with flat tiles, which when
closely cemented convert the troughs into hollow passages that may be
turned to account after the manner of the old Roman "hypercausts."
By another modification in the form of a trough or U brick it may be
converted into an H or double trough brick, a gutter being formed upon
both the upper and under sides. In this form floors and walls may be
made by enclosing the troughs so as to produce a double layer of hollow
pipes, one set of which may be employed to heat the building, and the
otlier to ventilate it; the warmth upon one side of the partition between
the two ranges of flues serving to accelerate the passage of the air by a
slight rarefaction of it. In all cases of enclosing tic rods in hollow
bricks I prefer to first surround the tie with plaster of Paris fiberized
with asbestos.
According to another part of my Invention I make fireproof rcof
lights of stamped or pressed sheets of metal to be used for the purposes
of this my Invention, the peculiarity of which consists in obtaining the
best distribution of light by the manner of arranging the corrugations.
By the method now devised by me I stamp or press sheet metal so as
to produce an interlaced system of welts or ribs upon one face thereof
and gutters or depressions corresponding thereto upon the other side, the
spaces enclosed by the welts or ribs being hexagonal, or in effect hex-
agonal (for they might be circular and still occupy hexagonal divisions)
in shape; these spaces I perforate and set with glass for giving light.
This form of metal when set with glass affords the maximum of strengtli
and light with the least expense of metal. A part of this improvement,
which however is of a general nature, is in the glass.
As hitherto made the glasses used for "illuminating gratings" have
been either made from plate glass or pressed for the purpose in moulds
of their own. All these glasses are comparatively thick, and thick glass
for resisting flame is inferior to thin.
. My improvement consists in closing the apertures of illuminating
gratings with blown glass, which may be much thinner than it is
possible to press or roll it, and being thin a cheaper quality.. of glass
transmits a better light than if thicker and made by pressure. :. I also
make these glasses, in the nature of hollow spheres or partial spheres

page_text: :
for greater strength in connection with their lightness; in some cases
I make these hollows glasses with closed bottoms to confine a body of air
within to prevent "sweating;" and to make them as fireproof as possible
I also in some cases incorporate a wire netting or mesh made in hollow
spherical form to fit the shape of the glass, this globular wire netting
or mesh is placed in the mould and the glass blown in upon it, thus
incorporating the one within the body of the other.
According to another part of my Invention for making fireproof glass
I make plate or rolled glass with a netting of wire incorporated in tho
body of the plate, one mode of doing this being as follows:-I use two
drums or rollers, as is done sometimes in making ornamental face glass,
one behind the other. The former carries a wrap or web of wire netting,
which as it rolls down the "metal" is spread out upon the face of the
flattened mass; but this "metal" is only half of what is needed to
make the sheet. Another dumping of another mass is made imme-
diately upon the first flattened sheet with its overlaying of wire netting,
the second mass falling upon the wire netting, where it is met by the
2nd or following roller and flattened out, thus incorporating the wire
sheet between two plates of glass welded together.
A part of my improvement in connection with the use of this fireproof
plate glass is a method of cheaply applying it to use, this method how-
ever being also applicable to other plate or sheet glass. According to
the method in common use a frame to contain a number of panes of
glass is made in every instance, which involves an expense for special
measurements, and is hence fatal to any plan for keeping the article
"in stock" or ready to be applied anywhere and by anybody. By my
method no such frame is required, each pane of glass whatever its length
is set in its own frame or "chase." The chase upon one of its long'
slides has a tongue like a matched floor plank, and upon the other a
groove to correspond, so that when two or more are placed side by side
and pressed together with any suitable cement or mastic between them
a water-tight joint is made, and any stretch of work over any sized
opening may be readily laid by even an unskilled workman.
For some purposes instead of a complete tongue and groove I form
the chase upon what may be called the half tongue and groove system,
a lip or under rest being formed along one long edge or side of the
chase and another or over rest is formed upon the opposite side of the
chase, so that when two are brought together one takes a bearing upon

page_text: the other; in this construction I prefer to use light wire cross-tie rods
to bind the panels laterally together.
According to another part of my Invention having reference to beam's
I make. an open bottomed or half tubular beam of sheet metal, which I
bend into an arch with straight sides, and to each side near the bottom
edge I rivet.a flat tie, leaving sufficient metal below the tie for a range
of holes or of countersinks for the reception of cross tubes, as herein-
above described.
1
According to another part of my Invention having reference to
ventilation and protection against fire in connection with illumination,
and which specially applies to ships, I make an illuminating grating
(preferably of lignum vitæ, or other hard and tough wood, because it
does not rust) in two parts or layers, an upper or outer and an under or
inner one, the latter containing the glasses. In applying these ventilating
lights to ships one grating, that in which the glasses are not set, is fixed
permanently in the deck, the other, which contains the glasses, is
moveable and attached to the under side of the former. In moving it
slides back and forth, bodily carrying the glasses with it into and out of
the openings in the permanent grating, so as to either open or close
them, cach glass being fitted with an clastic collar, and the holes in the
permanent grating being tapering, the largest end being on the under
side. By this arrangement the glasses are always under the open holes
of the fixed grating when they are not in them; which thus not only
affords protection against any objects, such as lighted matches and
burning cinders falling through the openings into the cabin below, but
also prevents any one there from looking upward under the petticoats
.
of the ladies.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thaddeus Hyatt in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th November 1874.
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Thaddeus
HYATT, of Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park, in the County of Middlesex,
Manufacturer of Patent Lights, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year o

page_text: our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thaddeus Hyatt, Her special license
that I, the said Thaddeus Hyatt, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thaddeus Hyatt, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
'to time, and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING,
LIGHTING, VENTILATING, AND FIREPROOFING BUILDINGS, PARTLY APPLICABLE TO
BUILDING MATERIALS AND APPLIANCES, AND TO SHIPS," upon the condition
:(amongst others) that I, the said Thaddeus Hyatt, 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 be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the dato
of the said Letters Patent.
:
:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thaddeus Hyatt, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to improvements in constructing, lighting,
ventilating, and fireproofing buildings, partly applicable to building
materials and appliances, and to ships; and consists according to one
part thereof in making beams of interlaced metal as a convenient means
for not only holding concrete or other equivalent material in form when
under the strain of a load, but also as a convenient means of securely
uniting a wrought-iron tic or resister to tensile strain to a beam of
earthy, stony, or other equivalent material under resistance to a
crushing strain; the crushing material and the metal tic forming the
actual beam, although any amount of additional strength may be put
into the interlaced parts if desired. In carrying into effect this part of
my Invention I braid or unite metal strips, ribbons, or wire, so as to
form hollow tubes, illustrated on Sheet 1 of the annexed Drawings, by
Figures 1 and 2, which tubes may be employed in cylindrical form, as
shown by Figures 1 and 2, or the cylinders may be drawn through

page_text: suitable shaping dies or otherwise manipulated until made to represent
the forms of ordinary solid beams, such as the web and flange, the U
shape, or other forms, as shewn by Figure 3.
.
a, a, Figures 1, 2, and 3, represent the interlaced metal and b, b, thic
concrete or other equivalent material. Figure 2 represents a beam made.
of two shells or skeletons of interlaced material, an outer one a, a, and,
an inner one a¹, a¹, both imbedded in the concrete b, b. This beam as
represented in Figure 2, is hollow but may be solid if preferred. The
tic c may be rivetted or otherwise attached to the metal skeleton, as
shewn, and is preferably placed well up in the concrete to be out of"
the way of flame in case of being attacked by fire.
:
Figures 4 and 5 represent the metal skelton a, a, in the form of a spiral.
made of flat metal ribbon, the tic-rod C-being attached to the bottom.
thereof on the inside as shown, b, b, being the concrete plastic or cement..
This spiral coil may, if desired, have wire netting added to it, or longitu- .
dinal strips of metal somewhat similar in shape to the tie placed along
its sides and top, and fastened thereto as an additional hold to tlie
concrete.
According to another part of my Invention I make the metal skeleton
of sheet metal by first cutting it with slits d, d, Figure 6, Sheet 2; c, c,
being the uncut parts of the sheet. I then pull out e, e, in opposite
directions from each side of the sheet and thereby obtain tubular forms,
as shewn by Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10; c, e, being the metal ; f, f, Figure 8,
being the concrete; and c, c, being the tie-rod.
According to another part of my Invention I make tubular beams.
of solid sheet metal and tie rods, employing in some cases metal suffi-.
ciently heavy to form a material portion of the strength of the beam,
and in others to merely serve the purpose of the skeleton beams above
described, viz., to unite the tie to the earthy or stony portion of the.
beam. Figures 11 and 12 represent this form, each being made, as"
here shewn, of two cylindrical metal shells or tubes, an outer one a, a,
and an inner one a¹, a¹; c, c, being the tic rod, and f, f, the concrete.
The cylinders are concentric in Figure 11, but excentric to one another
in Figure 12.
According to another part of my Invention I make floors, roofs,
and other constructions of metal beams arranged to be readily con-
nected together laterally with tubes placed between them which,
:

page_text: serve the purpose of distance pieces, and which are likewise bound
together by rods which run through the whole and are tightened up by
nuts at their ends. Figure 13 illustrates this part of my Invention in
plan. A, A, A, being three beams placed parallel to each other, g, g,g,
representing the web of the beams. These webs are provided with pro-
jections h, h, to receive the ends of the tubes or distance pieces i, i,
through which pass the rods k, k, furnished with nuts 1, 1, to tighten
the whole. By using two ranges or layers of these tubes, one at the
top and another at the bottom, and imbedding them in plaster of Paris,
concrete, or other fireproofing material, a hollow fireproof floor or other
construction may be made both light and strong. Figure 14 represents
a method of attaching a layer of such tubes to the under side of any
number of ordinary web and flange beams, A, A, being the beams,
and A', A¹, the attachment. These attachments may be made of light
sheet metal, h, h, being the projections on the web ġ, 9, of the attach-
ments to receive the distance pieces, i, i, and the tightening rods k, k.
When an attachment of this description is applied to the lower flanges
of beams which make a floor, as shewn by Figure 14, a part of my
Invention consists in forming it of metal sufficiently strong to hold a
solid body of plaster of Paris or other fire-proof plastic, which encasing
the whole and forming a ceiling to the room below, and at the same
time completely protecting the lower flanges (the vulnerable parts of
the iron beams) against fire, also enables me to protect the web portions
of the beams A, A, by a coating of plaster of Paris, concrete, or equi-
valent material, which may rest upon the solid fire-proof ceiling below,
and be formed up oven-fashion against the beams on either hand and at
top so as to make longitudinal hollow spaces or flues between them. In
this way I make light fire-proof floors, which may be described as hollow
concrete floors carrying a series of parallel beams within the solid
portions of the concrete between the spaces.
:
Figure 15 represents a construction like that shewn by Figure 13, but
set with the glasses m, m, in apertures formed in the plaster or plastic
material ff, between the metal parts of the construction which may be
employed to give light through and form illuminating fireproof roofs,
floors, partitions, and other parts of buildings and footways.
:
According to another part of my Invention for constructing fireproof
floors, roofs, and walking surfaces of earthy or stony material to receive

page_text: the crushing strain in combination with tie rods to resist the tensile
strain, I arrange the tie rod in such combinations with the cȧrthy or
stony material as to compel it to act simultaneously with it under the
influence of a load. To do this the tic must get a hold upon the
upper part of the earthy material, whether this material be in the form
of concrete, moulded beton, artificial stone, baked or other bricks, or
otherwise, in order to avoid breaking out from the bottom of the floor
when the strain comes.
According to one method. of effecting this purpose where the floor is
made of concrete or other plastic material I use an upper and under
rail of metal, the lower one being the tie, and connect the two together.
by vertical metal connections in the shape of hooked wires or rods, or in.
the shape of sheets of metal; which may be termed vertical sheet ties..
These sheet ties may be of sufficient width to connect any number of
parallel rails and ties. In making floors the metal parts are placed first
in position over a suitable platform, the concrete is then thrown in,
levelled off, and left to set and harden, and the floor is made.
❖
Figures 16, 17, and 18, on Sheet Three, represent such a floor as
made of bricks, a peculiarity of which, and which constitutes a part of
my Invention, consists in forming the bricks with open slots "", "",
Figure 17, at the bottom of the brick in order to connect them readily
with the tic rods p, p, as shewn in Figure 18, where also the crooked or
hooked rod of iron v, heretofore mentioned, shews the manner of holding.
the rod to the upper part of the brick when sheet vertical tics are not
employed. The vertical sheet ties are shown in Figure 16, at n, n, in a
corrugated form, but in Figure 18 they are represented as flat. The
upper rail is indicated by the letter o. This rail may be dispensed with
when hooked rods are employed. q, q, are holes formed through.
the brick 8, 8, Figure 17, and constitutes in combination with the thin
formation of my brick a part of my Invention.
Figure 17 represents one of my bricks of full size and proportions.
With such bricks I construct floors upon the theory that the cement
used to bind the bricks together is the main element of the floor, as if
a plastic mass were laid, poured, or spread out in quantity sufficient to:
form a whole floor, and then while still soft the bricks were forced down
into it all over the surface and placed at about a half inch apart. In
such a procedure and with such bricks as mine the cement would form

page_text: the continuous part of the structure connecting itself as it would do
around the sides of all the bricks, and through them by means of the:
holes, and the bricks made spreading like flat roofing tiles, instead of
being thick and compact like ordinary building brick would present
a proportionately larger area of surface for combining with the cement
than do ordinary brick. Floors and roofs of limited span, or made for
no great load, may be even constructed thus without tics or any metal
whatever, providing good cement be used and sufficient time be given
the parts to harden and perfectly unite, for the entire floor, if properly
made, will then have become and be precisely like one large slab or
stone for strength. The open slots at the bottom of the brick, as seen
at 1, Figure 17, are half slots, as are the holes q', q', half holes, and
are made so in order that where two bricks come together edge to edge
there may be complete openings, as in the bricks themselves.
>
In some cases I make the bricks wedge shaped for special constructions,
one course of bricks being wedge shaped lengthwise of the bricks, and
the following course wedge shaped crosswise of the bricks, tie rods and
vertical ties or looked rods being used with them, as described.
In still other cases and for the purpose of constructing a floor or roof
of less weight I make the bricks with a large central opening, or where
I desire to unite them on the break-joint plan I make each brick with
two half holes back to back. These bricks when laid together form floors
with horizontal parallel flues running through the body of the floor,
which may be utilized as hot-air flues or otherwise for convenience of
heating and ventilation or for other purposes. By surrounding these
holes with rings made like collars they may be joined in a similar
manner to connecting joints of stove pipe, or according to a variation of
the method thin metal pipes like stove pipe may be employed to give
strength to the floors, and with or without tie rods, the metal pipes being
inserted into the holes or flues of the bricks described. Still other
modifications, but all based on the essential principles of the construc-
tions herein set forth, may be made, but are not necessary to further
describe.
According to another part of my Invention, and which relates to firc-
proofing the light transmitting parts of buildings, I make sheet and
plate glass with a wire netting in the glass by providing a suitable sheet
of wire netting and placing it upon the casting table when the "metal"
is about to be poured out upon it to form the sheet or plate of glass.:

page_text: Figure 19 on Sheet 4 represents such a plate of glass one inch thick, two
feet wide, and ten feet long. The wire netting wo is composed of meshes
one and a half inches in size, the diameter of the wire being about onc-
eighth of an inch. On the under side rods x, x, of wire, three-sixteenths.
or one quarter of an inch thick, are fastened at about a foot apart for the
purpose of keeping the sheet of wire up from the face of the casting
table, and thus enabling the "metal" to get to the under side of and
cnclose the netting within the body of the glass.
According to another part of my Invention relating to the construction
of the illuminating parts of buildings I cheapen the method of construc-
tion where glass in plates or sheets are employed by setting each plate,
pane, or sheet in its own chase, as shown by Figures 20, 21, 22, and 23.
Figure 20 represents a metal chase formed with a seat a, a, to receive
the glass. Upon one side this chase is formed with a tongue, indicated
by Figure 1, small, and upon the other it is formed with a groove, indi-
cated by Figure 2, small. Figure 21 shows the manner of uniting such
chases after the method of matched floor plank. Figures 22, 23, shew.
the same, except that in place of a complete tongue and groove half
tongues and grooves or a lip and a lap are employed. These chases I
also in some cases provide with a wire netting diaphragm in accordance
with my former Patents for making safe walking surfaces.
According to another part of my Invention I make ventilating illumi-
nators specially adapted for the decks of vessels, as shown by Figure 24,
where A, A, is a movable plate set with tapering glasses C, C, and B, B,
is a fixed plate attached to the vessel's deck H, H; the fixed plate has
tapering light holes D. D, lined with india-rubber gaskets indicated by
4,4. It has also a stem E cut with a screw thread, upon which in
connection with the short rods G, G, attached to the fixed plate the
movable plate A, A, slides back and forth when it is desired to open or
close the light holes D, D. The movement of the adjustable plate A, A,
is controlled by the screw nut F, which on drawing the plates together
forces the tapering glasses C, C, into the tapering light holes D, D,"
against the india-rubber gaskets 4, 4, and thus makes a water-tight
joint. These ventilating illuminators may also be applied to roofs and to
floors and walking surfaces, also as port lights in ships, and in other
situations whero a ready means of obtaining ventilation is required with
protection against the intrusion of water.
"

page_text: Eighth. Making sheet and plate glass by combining wire netting with
the "metal" upon the casting table, substantially as and for the
purposes hercin described and illustrated by Figure 19 on Sheet 4 of my
Drawings.
Ninth. Combining sheets, panes, or plates of glass with tongue and
groove chases, substantially as and for the purposes herein described
and illustrated by Figures 20, 21, 22, and 23 on Sheet 4 of my
Drawings.
Tenth. Making ventilating illuminators composed of two plates, the
light holes of the upper plate being tapering and lined with india-rubber
or its equivalent, and the glasses taking their bearings in the lower plate,
substantially as herein described and illustrated by Figure 24 on Sheet 4
of my Drawings.
Eleventh. Combining with ventilating illuminators, as set forth in
Claim Ten, the screw shank E steadying pins G, and adjusting nut F, or
their equivalents, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth
and illustrated by Figure 24 on Sheet 4 of my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thaddeus Hyatt, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
THADDEUS HYATT. (L.S.).