IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SLABS AND PANELS ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO STRONG ROOMS AND SAFES."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Whichcord, of Walbrook, in the City of
London, Architect, and William Anderson, of Southwark Strect, in
the Borough of Southwark, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SLABS AND PANELS ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO
STRONG ROOMS AND SAFES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Whichcord and
William Anderson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 9th June 1873.
We, JOHN WHICHCORD, of Walbrook, in the City of London, Architect,
and WILLIAM ANDERSON, of Southwark Street, in the Borough of
Southwark, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SLABS AND PANELS ESPECIALLY
APPLICABLE TO STRONG ROOMS AND SAFES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the formation and putting together of slabs
and panels which shall be capable of resisting violent or mechanical

page_text: action which is often resorted to by burglars in their attempts to force
open strong rooms or safes. The panels are composed of blocks of hard
cast metal, chilled or not, and of any convenient size and form so as to
abut simply or to interlock into each other. Into the interior of these
blocks we introduce during the process of casting tough wrought-iron
bars which may cross each other in various ways. The surfaces of these
bars we prepare by well known means so as to ensure their adherence
closely to the mass of the hard metal, or of their lying loosely in it as
may be found most convenient. The hard cast metal is intended to
resist drilling or cutting, while the network of wrought-iron bars is to
prevent the panels when broken by violence from being got out in
pieces.
To secure the panels in place a framework of H section iron is con-
structed, to which is rivetted a skin of wrought-iron plates, forming the
inner lining of the place to be protected. The panels above described
are slipped between the flanges of the H frames, and secured by cast
iron or other cement caulked in between the ends of the panels and the
frames.
The several panels are connected to each other either by tongues or
joggles cast on or formed in wrought iron or hard steel, and the edges
of the panels may be bevilled or not as may seem most convenient.
Various other means of fastening may be adopted by means of bolts or
spikes to timber or masonry backing, or a combination of H frames and
bolts may be used.
Panels or slabs formed by our combination of cast and wrought metal 2
may be used with advantage, as targets for artillery practice and kindred
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Whichcord and William Anderson in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th December 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
WHICHCORD, of Walbrook, in the City of London, Architect, and
WILLIAM ANDERSON, of Southwark Street, in the Borough of Southwark,
Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said John Whichcord and William Anderson,
Her special licence that we, the said John Whichcord and William
Anderson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said John Whichcord and William Anderson, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF SLABS AND PANELS SPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO STRONG ROOMS AND
SAFES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John
Whichcord and William Anderson, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, 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 William Anderson, on behalf of
myself and of the said John Whichcord, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates mainly to the manufacture and mode of
applying in the construction of strong rooms and safes of slabs and
panels which shall be capable of resisting violence or mechanical action
such as is often resorted to by burglars in their attempts to force open
strong rooms or safes. The panels are composed of cast iron, chilled or
not, in the interior of which we introduce tough wrought-iron bars which
may cross each other in various ways. When introducing the bars
during the process of casting we prepare their surfaces by well known
means so as to ensure the close adherence thereto of the mass of hard
metal in which they are embedded,

page_text: portion of a burglar proof wall composed of slabs constructed and applied
according to our Invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan taken in the
line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken in the
line 3, 4, of the same Figure.
A, A, A, are the slabs of cast iron in which is embedded a network of
interlaced bars a, a, a, of tough wrought iron. The hard cast metal is
intended to resist drilling or cutting, while the network of wrought-iron
bars is to prevent the panels when broken by violence from being got
out in pieces.
The slabs or panels are constructed of any desired size, and we form
them with square abutting edges, or with rebated edges which will
allow of their overlapping. The latter arrangement is illustrated in the
Drawing, and it is preferred as it effectually prevents the insertion of a
chisel into the joints.
To secure the panels in place a framework of rolled bar iron B of any
suitable section with rebated sides is constructed to receive the panels,
and to this structure is rivetted a skin of wrought-iron plates C forming
the inner lining of the wall of the chamber to be protected.
The panels
above described are slipped between the flanges of the rolled iron bars B,
and are secured thereto and to each other by cast iron or other cement
caulked in between the ends of the panels and the framing.
The several panels may if thought desirable be connected to each
other by tongues or joggles cast on or formed in wrought iron or hard
steel. The framing for the slabs or panels, after the same have been put
in place may be built into masonry or brickwork to form a burglar proof
wall of a strong room, or it may be secured by means of bolts or spikes
to timber or masonry backing forming part of the main structure or
building to which the Invention is applied.
As panels and slabs formed by our combination of cast and wrought
metal combine the properties of hardness and toughness, we propose to
employ them as targets for artillery practice, and for kindred uses where
violent impact is required to be resisted.
Instead of embedding the network of bars in the cast metal while in
a fluid state by placing the same in the mould in which the slab is to be
cast, we propose in some cases to cast the slabs with wavy channels

page_text: running through them, both lengthwise and breadthwise of the slabs,
and to thread the bars through these channels.
An illustration of this
is given at Fig. 4, which represents a slab in section. By making the
openings for the reception of the bars wavy, the act of inserting straight
bars therein will suffice to ensure their retention in place.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements
in the Manufacture of Slabs and Panels specially Applicable to Strong
Rooms and Safes," and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent we claim,―
First. The manufacture of slabs or panels, as and for the purposes
above set forth.
Secondly. The mode of applying our improved slabs and panels in the
manufacture of strong rooms and safes as above described.
1