AN IMPROVED PAVING STONE
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frédéric Chomé-Steinbach, of Brussels, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED PAVING STONE."
Sealed the 15th December 1874, and dated the 13th October 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frédéric Chomé-
Steinbach at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 13th October 1874.
.
I, FRÉDÉRIC CHOMÉ-STEINBACH, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of
Belgium, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for “AN IMPROVED PAVING Stone," to be as follows :-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of a factitious stone
suitable for paving. The stone I propose to form in blocks of any
suitable shape and size, which may be employed in the same way as
granite blocks in the paving of roads and ways. In manufacturing
these blocks I use small stones of any kind (hard or soft), and having
well dried them I place them in moulds of sand or iron, and run therein
molten iron or lead or a combination of these metals. Grooves are

page_text: formed in the mould in order to give to the wearing surface of the blocks
a good foothold for horses. By this means I obtain a factitious stone
which will form a very durable roadway, and will not possess the draw-
backs of the ordinary Macadam road, inasmuch as it will be ready for
use so soon as laid, and will neither work up into mud in wet weather
nor give off in dry weather great quantities of dust.
The new paving stone must be placed on an even surface which may
be flat or arched and it may be laid down with lime in the ordinary way
or by any other approved method. The wearing down of the small
stones will necessarily take a long time, seeing that they are protected
by the insterstitial metal surrounding them, and the metal itself if the
lead be on the surface will offer that yielding property to traffic which
all well made roads should possess.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frédéric Chomé-Steinbach in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRÉDÉRIC
CHOMÉ-STEINBACH, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Frederic Chomé-Steinbach,
Her special licence that I, the said Frederic Chomé-Steinbach, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Frederic Chomé-Steinbach, 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 "AN IMPROVED PAVING STONE," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederic Chomé-Steinbach,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,

page_text: 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 date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederic Chomé-Steinbach, 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 following statement (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of a factitious stone suitable
for paving. The stone I propose to form in blocks of any suitable shape
and size, which may be employed in the same way as granite or wood
blocks in the paving of roads and ways. In manufacturing these blocks
I use small stones or pebbles of any kind (hard or soft), giving pre-
ference to silicious stones and the scoria of blast furnaces, and having
well dried the same I place them in moulds of sand or iron and run
therein molton iron, which on cooling will serve to bind the loose stones
firmly together. Or instead of iron I may use molten lead as the
binding material. Grooves should be formed in the mould in order to
give to the wearing surface of the blocks a good foothold for horses. By
this means I obtain blocks of a factitious stone, which when put together
will form a very durable roadway possessing no such drawbacks as those
of the ordinary macadam road, inasmuch as it will be ready for use so
soon as laid, and will neither work up into mud in wet weather nor give
off in dry weather great quantities of dust.
The new paving stones must be placed on an even bed or surface
(preferably of concrete or gravel) which may be flat or arched, and they
may be laid down with lime in the ordinary way or in any other
approved method. The wearing down of the small stones or pebbles of
the composite blocks will necessarily take a long time, seeing that they
are protected by the interstitial metal surrounding them, and the metal
itself if the lead be on the surface will offer that yielding property to
traffic, which all well made roads should more or less possess.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improved
Paving Stone," and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited

page_text: Letters Patent I claim, the manufacture of blocks of factitious stone in
the manner and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frédéric Chomé-Steinbach, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
FRÉDÉRIC CHOMÉ-STEINBACH. (L.S.)