A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BUILDINGS, BRIDGES, AND OTHER SIMILAR STRUCTURES PRACTICALLY FIRE-PROOF BY THE COMBINATION OF WOOD AND IRON IN THE FRAMING THEREOF
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Walker, of James Street, Saint Luke's, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, and Adolphe Ernest Ragon,
of Upper Westbourne Terrace, Paddington, in the said County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BUILDINGS, BRIDGES, AND
OTHER SIMILAR STRUCTURES PRACTICALLY FIRE-PROOF BY THE COMBINATION OF
WOOD AND IRON IN THE FRAMING THEREOF.”
Scaled the 13th August 1872, and dated the 30th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Walker and
Adolphe Ernest Ragon at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 30th April 1872.
We, JOHN WALKER, of James Street, Saint Luke's, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, and ADOLPHE ERNEST RAGON, of Upper West-
bourne Terrace, Paddington, in the said County of Middlesex, Gentle-
man, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW
OR IMPROVED METHOD OF CONSTRUCting Public and Private Buildings, BRIDGES,

page_text: AND OTHER SIMILAR STRUCTURES PRACTICALLY FIRE-PROOF BY THE COMBINATION OF
WOOD AND IRON IN THE FRAMING THEREOF," to be as follows:-
The object of our Invention is the production of practically fire-proof
pillars, brest-summers, girders, joists, purlins, rafters, plates, and other
such parts or portions of public and private buildings, bridges, and
other similar structures, by forming them of thin strips or battens of
wood combined with or united to thin plates or slips of iron, flat or
flanged according to circumstances and requirements. For this purpose
we cut any usual building timber to the required dimensions, and either
entirely caso it or partially encase it with either thin plate or slicet
iron, in the latter case leaving only a small portion uncovered with iron.
where it is required to nail or otherwise fasten timber thereto, as in the
case of joists for floors and ceilings,
:
In making our improved pillars, girders, and the like, where great
strength is required, we take any required number of strips or battens
of wood cut to the proper dimensions, one inch thick (more or less) and
place between them thin strips of plate or sheet iron of the same length
and width as the said timbers, that is, we take a strip of wood and place
thereon a plate of iron, and on the said plate of iron another strip of wood
is placod, and on that again another plate of iran and so on, alternately
adding a strip of wood and iron until the required scantling is attained,
always beginning and ending with a strip of wood, we then encase or
encloso the whole with flanged or plain iron plates or slips, the whole
being then secured by flat or other rivets, or in any other convenient and
efficient way.
In the case of floor joists, where it is required to nail the floor boards
or ceiling laths thereto, we only partially cover the edges of the wood
by the flanges of the iron plates, or when the strip of wood is very thin
we only cover the two sides thereof with plain iron plates or slips. We
proceed in the same way with rafters and other portions of what is
usually timber scantling,
In the case of structures now composed entirely of timber the
framing of such erections may with great advantage be formed in the
same way as our combined wood and iron rafters, or may in some parts
bo entirely cased with iron plates. The strength of our combined
girders, joists, rafters, and the like is in the plate or sheet iron, the
timber portion being only introduced to secure lateral stiffness and to
pail floor boards, laths, and other similar articles thereto.

page_text: The security against destructive fires which our system of combined
framing offers, arises from the impossibility of the thin strips of timber
used by us freely burning, the requisite supply of oxygen to support
combustion being prevented by the iron, so that in the event of the
contents of a room being ignited the edges only of the timber would be
charred and the fire would generally be confined to the room where it
originated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Walker and Adolphe Ernest Ragon in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
WALKER, of James Street, Saint Luke's, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, and ADOLFHE ERNEST RAGON, of Upper Westbourne Terrace,
Paddington, in the said County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said John Walker and Adolphe Ernest Ragon,
Her special licence that we, the said John Walker and Adolphe Ernest
Ragon, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said John Walker and Adolphe Ernest Ragon, our 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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED
METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BUILDINGS, BRIDGES, AND OTHER
SIMILAR STRUCTURES PRACTICALLY FIRE-PROOF BY THE COMBINATION OF WOOD
AND IRON IN THE FRAMING THEREOP," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said John Walker and Adolphe Ernest Ragon, our_execu-
tors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the samo

page_text: was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Walker and Adolphe Ernest.
Ragon, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of our Invention is the production of practically fire-proof
pillars, brest-summers, girders, joists, purlins, principal and common
rafters, tic beams, king and queen posts, struts, plates, and other such
parts or portions of public and private buildings, bridges, pontoons,
and other similar structures, also the masts and other spars of ships,
by forming them of thin strips or battens of wood, combined with or
secured to thin plates or slips of iron, flat or flanged or both, according
to circumstances and requirements.
The means by which we propose to carry out in practice the said
object of our Invention, we now proceed to explain with the aid of
the accompanying Drawing, which forms part of this Specification. The
same or similar parts are indicated in cach Figure where the same index
letters and figures appear.
68
The thickness of the timber strips or battens, herein-after called
timbers," and also the thickness of the intermediate iron plates
and the external iron casing, will vary according to the requirements
of each particular case, the timbers generally, say from half an inch to
three inches in thickness, and the iron generally, say from one-sixteenth
of an inch to three-eighths of an inch in thickness, generally the inside
iron plates or flitches"
may be thinner than the external casing,
especially when the latter is flanged.
46
In constructing our improved pillars, girders, and the like, we take
any usual and suitable building timber, and cut it to the required
dimensions, say one-inch thick, and place between them thin strips,
plates, or flitches of iron of the same length and width as the said
timbers, that is to say, we take a strip of timber and place thercon a
plate or flitch of iron, and on the said plate of iron another timber is
placed, and on the latter another plate of iron is laid, and so on, alter-
nately adding a timber, and an iron plate, until the required thickness
is obtained, always beginning and ending with a timber, we then encase

page_text: or enclose, or partially encase the whole with thin plate or sheet iron,
either flanged or not as required for each case. The casing is generally
secured to the adjoining timber by ordinary screws, and the whole
fastened together with rivets or screw bolts and nuts. By this method
of construction we obtain the requisite strength and lateral stiffness witli
the minimum quantity of material; and girders, beams, pillars, piles;
and the like can be made of any practical length and strength, and be
either hollow or solid; the several parts can be prepared in the workshops
and be put together on the spot where they are intended to be used;
and in large articles thus effect a considerable additional saving of
time, labour, and cost in transit and in lifting or raising them into
position.
Figure 1 shews a strong and useful girder in side elevation, and
Figure 2 a cross section of the same, it is formed of four timbers i,
each one inch thick and eighteen inches deep, with three intermediate
plates of ironi (shewn by blue lines), and the exterior iron casing c,
one-eighth of an inch thick, it is further strengthened by longitudinal
iron bands d, two and a half inches wide, and one-eighth of an inch
thick, through which the "through bolts" pass which bind the whole
together. Figure Three is an elevation, and Figure Five a horizontal plan
view of joists, suitable for first-class houses, and resting upon girders g;
and Figure Four is a cross section of the said joists; and the floor boards b,
in this case the girders are formed of three timbers t; each one inch
thick and twelve inches deep, the iron plates and casing being each
one-sixteenth of an inch thick, and the joists are made of two
timbers, cach half an inch thick and five and a half inches deep,
and the inside and outside iron each one-sixteenth of an inch thick.
In the case of joists, rafters, and other scantlings to which it is
intended to fasten or secure boards, scantlings, or ceiling laths by nails,
screws, bolts, and the like, we leave the whole or a portion of the edges
of such joists, rafters, or other scantlings uncovered with the iron casing.
Figure Six shews a similar joist resting upon the flanges f, at the middle
of the girder casing. c, to save height in a building when desired: The
said iron casing for these girders being formed of two flanged plates
on each side of the girder, the upper flange is turned outwards for the
joists to rest upon, and the lower flange is turned under the girder to
cover the timber edges where no ceiling is required. When these
flanges are not sufficiently strong to carry the weight required, a plain

page_text: or ornamental moulding or brackets can be added, as shewn at m, to
assist the said flanges or to support the joists alone in the absence of
such flanges. Figure 7 is a section of a floor suitable for warehouses
and the like, where strength is needed and no ceiling required, the
joists are formed of three one-inch timbers eleven inches deep, two
iron flitches, and external iron casing each one-eighth of an inch thick
with tiles c, concrete h, and one and a half inch floor boards b.
Figure S is a section of a floor and ceiling suitable for a first-class
house, the joists are formed of two one-inch timbers five and a half
inches deep, and three plates of iron, without flanges, one-sixteenth of 1
au inch thick, with tiles formed with an car or vertical flange on cach
side to allow space for the plaster p of the ceiling to key over the laths 7,
the floor boards are one inch thick. Figures 9 and 10 shew alternative
methods of forming the struts & of the large girder shown in Figures 16
and 17. Figures 11 & 12 arc cross sections of the ends and centre 1
of the cambered tic beam, shewn in side elevation in Figure 17.
Figures 13 and 14 are sections of beams or girders formed of one thick
timber or of two or more timbers, without the iron flitches, with our
iron casing in parts so arranged as to leave a space between the edges
thereof, equal to the diameters of the screw bolts ", used to secure the
said casing in place, as shown, thus saving the labour of drilling holes
through the iron without materially diminishing the strength of the
beam. Figure 15 is a horizontal section of a circular pillar or column
formed of strips or segments of timber & one inch thick, and iron curved
plates i, one-eighth of an inch thick, the centre or core of the pillar t
may be either hollow with an iron lining or be filled with timber or
iron. In a similar way the masts and other spars of ships and other
vessels may be formed, and will be much lighter and of less diameter
than those of equal strength now in general use. These pillars and
spars may be hooped where necessary, and may have the outside timber;
left uncased with iron, or be partially cased or secured with iron strips
or bands.
Ornamental pillars or columns can be made by corrugating
the outer round of timber and the iron casing thereof, or by forming
them to any desired pattern, and the iron casing may be superceded by
a casing of bronze or other metal or alloy of metals, or the said iron;
casing can be covered by a thin coat of bronze or other metal or alloy
of metals either by electrical or other efficient agency. Figure 16 is
an elevation of a portion of a hollow or box girder; Figure 17 is a

page_text: cross section thereof, and Figure 18 is an enlarged section of the cross
beam or bearer ;.securely fixed upon these bearers are the longitudinal
joists j, and upon the said joists is a covering or floor of three-inch
planking, the wholo secured together by angle iron, iron straps and
bands, screw bolts, rivets, and the like, or by any usual and efficient,
means. The top may be covered with planking, galvanised iron, or
other suitable covering, or it may be left open. Girders thus formed
may be used for foot or other bridges according to the dimensions.
thereof. Figure 19 is a side clevation of half a solid girder (50 feet long);
and Figure 20 a cross section at the centre or dcopest part, thereof. This
girder is formed circular or with a camber of three fect in its upper
part, but otherwise is similar in construction to the beans already
described.
1
In the few examples herein given, it will be seen that our composite
method of construction may be applied to almost every case where
timber and iron beams and scantlings have been heretofore used. In
constructing large beams, girders, hollow bridges and tho like, the
several parts, both of timber and iron, should be so formed and arranged
that their respective meeting. edges shall butt fairly or truly against
cach other, so that they may act together as one whole or entire picce,
when subject to the pressure or strain which the scantling pillar beam
or bridge is intended to bear or support.
.
Where our improved beams, joists, rafters, or other scantlings are
exposed to view, they may be ornamented by attaching thereto
mouldings or other devices formed of or upon thin metal or other light
and incombustible material.
The framework of buildings constructed as herein described with
tiles, concrete, or other incombustible material, between ceiling and
floor boards, would be practically fire-proof, at the same time retaining
all the benefits and comforts of the usual wood floors and plaster
ceilings, and avoid the objections to all timber or all iron scantlings
and framework. The principal objection to the use of timber alone,
in the framing of buildings, is the very large quantity of wood used
therein, which, becoming very dry with time, furnishes the requisite
conditions for a complete and rapid destruction by fire, whilst iron
alone presents many objectionable characteristics, some of which are, its
unsuitability to "work to," the risk from "flaws" in castings, its
weight and cost, and its quality of contraction and expansion from cold.

page_text: and heat, by which other work or materials connected to it become
dislocated or damaged. The small quantity of wood used in our
improved framing oannot possibly be fanned into flame, inasmuch as
the iron casing prevents the roquisite supply of oxygen thereto to
support combustion, and should a fire occur in a building thus con-
structed it would in most cases bo confined to the room or part where
it originated, and were our system of construction generally adopted
.such terrible calamities as the rapid and total destruction of buildings,
and streets, the "great fire of London," and that which recently devas-
tated Chicago, would be rendered impossible, and would thereby not
only prevent great losses of property and effect a saving in insurance,
but would relieve, the inmates of such buildings of the great anxiety
arising from the present risk of fires and the terrors of their reality.
'
Having thus fully described the nature and objects of our Invention,
and the mode of carrying the same into effect in practice, wo desire it
to be understood that we do not claim the use of tiles and concrete,
as shown, as our Invention, but what wo do claim as our Invention,
and desire to secure by the aforesaid in part recited Letters Patent is,
the mode of constructing pillars, girders, beams, and other scantlings,
substantially as herein described and shewn in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Walker and Adolpho Ernest
Ragon, have hercunto set our hands and scals, this Eleventh
day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand cight
hundred and seventy-two.