Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 30th July, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 28th Sept., 1888
I, JOHN LEWTHWAITE, of 51. Lambs Conduit Street, Holborn, Middlesex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention, is to arrange breakwaters, groins, moles, sea walls,
foundations for lighthouses, coast defences and other like works from a combination
of rods and bars and with or without wood baulks or timber in board or other shape,
said rods and bars being affixable as the work progresses and pushed outwards
gradually, either in a straight or a curved direction and on a level or an incline as
desired.
For the purpose of my invention, I prepare a number of flat bars of iron with three
equi-distant holes in them, these I pass over rods which stand vertically, their distance
apart being regulated by the holes in the bars. The bars fall and rest upon feet or
bulges at the lower ends of the rods.
Above the bars on the rods I place tubes to determine the height at which the next
row of bars shall rest and so on according to the length of the rods. When a series
of built up rods and bars are required at a given distance apart, I arrange tie rods
between them, by passing their holed or turned ends on to the vertical rods.
In practice I first pass a flat bar over three rods and let the bar fall to the bottom
to rest upon feet or bulges with which the rods are provided, I then place another
similar rod in position and drop a fresh bar over the second, third and fourth rods,
said bar, resting upon the previous bar. A fifth rod is now put into position and
a bar is dropped over it and also over the third and fourth rod, this method of
building up a skeleton frame being continued as far as is required.
As the work progresses I slip short tubes over the rods as distancing pieces for
the reception of other flat bars which are arranged on the rods in a similar manner

page_text: to that above described, and if desired other short tubes may be slipped over the
rods above the second series of flat bars, this being determined by the length of
the rods.
Several sections of framework may be simultaneously prepared and be connected
by other rods, thus forming a skeleton frame for any given width of foreshore, the
spaces if desired being afterwards filled in with rubbish, rubble, or other material."
The flat bars may be spaced by tubes, keys or bolts and the ends of the framing
may be lined or enclosed in concrete or stone blocks to give solidity.
The upper bar or bars of the framework, above high water line may be formed
of plates, which if pushed seawards with the sections linked together would serve
as guides for the direction as well as to form the shape the breakwater has to
assume.
Dated this 20th day of October 1007
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said J. Lewthwaite.

page_text: Method of Constructing Breakwaters, Groins, Moles, Sea Walls,
Foundations for Lighthouses, Coast Defences, and other like
Works.
I, JOHN LEWTHWAITE, of 51 Lambs Conduit Street, Holborn, Middlesex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this 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 this invention is to arrange breakwaters, groins, moles, sea-walls,
foundation for lighthouses, coast defences and other like works from a combination of
rods and bars and with or without wood baulks, or timber in board or other shape,
said rods and bars being affixable as the work progresses and pushed outwards
gradually in a straight or a curved direction and on a level or an incline as desired.
My invention will be understood by the annexed drawings. I prepare a number of
flat bars A of iron with three equi-distant holes in them, said plates being straight as
at Figure 1 or bent as at Figure 2, these plates are passed over rods B Figure 3 which
stand vertically, their distance apart being regulated by the holes in the bars. The
bars fall and rest upon feet or bulges C at the lower ends of the rods.
Above the bars on the rods, place tubes D Figure 4 to determine the height at
which the next row of bars A, A, shall rest and so on according to the length of the
rods. When a series of built up rods B and bars A are required at a given distance
apart, I arrange tie rods E, see Figure 5, between them, by passing their holed or
turned ends on to the vertical rods.
In practice I first pass a tie bar E, Figure 5, over two rods B, B, at a distance
apart and let the tie bar fall to the bottom to rest upon short tubes D, D, with which
the rods B, B, are provided, I then place another similar rod B in position and drop a
fresh bar A over the two rods B, B, of each side. A third rod B is now put into
position and another bar A is dropped over it and also over the first and second rods,
this method of building up a skeleton frame being continued as far as is required.
As the work progresses, I slip tubes D over the rods as vertical distancing pieces
for the reception of other flat bars A, A, which are arranged on the rods in a similar
manner to that above described and if desired other tubes may be slipped over the rods
above the second series of flat bars, this being determined by the length of the
rods B, B.
Several sections of framework may be simultaneously prepared and be connected by
other rods thus forming a skeleton frame for any given width of foreshore the spaces,
if desired, being afterwards filled in with rubbish, rubble or other material. The flat
bars may be spaced by tubes, keys or bolts and the ends of the framing may be lined
or enclosed in concrete or stone blocks to give solidity.
The upper bar or bars of the frame-work, above high water line, may be formed of
plates, which if pushed seawards with the sections linked together, would serve as

page_text: guides for the directions as well as to form the shape the breakwater has to assume.
When the foreshore is uneven, I use a guage tool, such as I show at Figure 7
consisting of a couple of plates A, A, secured by bolts F, F. These plates A, A,
carry a guage tool G and when lowered over, two of the rods B, B, permit of the bottom of
the tool G touching the ground and as the weight of the two plates A, A, and tackle H
descend, the tool rises within the holes of the plates A, A, and become fixed by a
spring I or other contrivance, so that when the tool is raised out of the water, the
difference of level of the ground is indicated upon it so that when the next rod B is
placed in position, the length of the tube D to be dropped over it, in order to arrange
for the horizontal arrangement of bars A is indicated. This will be understood on
referring to Figure 6, where several lengths of bottom tubes are shown, so that the
bars A assume a horizontal character.
If the foreshore be level or gently sloping, the lengths of the bottom tubes will
only slightly vary as indicated by Figure 8." As the skeleton structure progresses
from the land or wall, I arrange an angle iron bar at each side but outside of the
rods B, B, at the top and I fit removable plates J, see Figure 9, (a plan) which as
each successive rod B is inserted, is locked by these plates J and a staple or cottar
which also temporarilly fixes the over hanging parts of the angle-iron so soon as these
plates can be dispensed with and used with the advancing rods B, B, I fit grips, M
see Figure 10, to the angle-irons N and to the rods B B as a support to a staging K K
which enable the workmen to have free action in moving the bars and rods while
increasing the length or outthrow of the structure.
As the plates A, the tubes D and the bars E are built up to the required height or
according to the length of the rods B I arrange other tie Lars L L diagonally to give
solidity if deemed necessary (see Figure 5).
If the filling in material is of a loose small character I make concrete or like
blocks P with holes through them corresponding to the distance the rods are to be
from one another and I thread these block upon the rods B between the horizontal
plates A A to constitute outside walls of the structure, see Figure 11, and I fill in
between these walls with any material available.
Figure 12 shows a concrete block P moulded to suit three rods B B and with
recesses for the plates A A to lodge in said recesses and the rib a serving to lock the
blocks one to the other.
These blocks by keying on to the rods B, B, enable the tubes D to be dispensed
with.
I have shown my structure as in a line, but it can be built in a curve, a circle,
or in any other form to meet circumstances.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
The method of constructing a breakwater, a pier, a groin, a mole, a sea wall, a
foundation for a lighthouse, a defence wall for coasts, a road way through and over
a river, or other necessary work by combining rods, plates, tie bars and tubes, or
their equivalent as described and as substantially shown in the annexed drawings.
The 30th day of July 1888..
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said John Lewthwaite.