IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADWAYS, TRAMWAYS, STREETS, ÅND ATUND PAYED SUDRANG
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Prosser, of the Parish of St. Luke,
Chelsea, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
Of** IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADWAYS, TRAMWAYS, STREETS,
ÅND ATUND PAYED SUDRANG "
Sealed the 10th August 1875, and dated the 9th March 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Prosser at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 9th March 1875.
I, WILLIAM PROSSER, of the Parish of St. Luke, Chelsea, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADWAYS,
TRAMWAYS, STREETS, AND OTHER PAVED SURFACES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the construction of paved surfaces generally,
but more particularly to roadways, tramways, streets, and the like, and
consists in the employment of wood blocks of such form, configuration,
and mode of attachment to each other as will conduce to their imparting
to each other such neutral support as will insure the formation of a good
and permanent surface or paving.

page_text: I do not confine myself to any particular form of block, as my im.
provements in combination therewith apply to the recognized forms.
which have been heretofore employed for the purposes of paving; but I
prefer to use blocks of a rhomboidal form of such angle as may best
suit the particular application of the material, such angle varying with
and being dependent upon the proportion subsisting between the perpen-
dicular depth of the block and its length measured transversely to tho
line of roadway.
For roads or streets where heavy traffic is anticipated deeper blocks
will be found desirable to insure stability and durability, but in situations
where the strain or wear is less severe blocks of less dopth will suffice.
These rhomboidal blocks may be so cut from the log or piece of timber
from which they are formed that they will be produced without waste
of material, having the grain of the wood nearly vertical (being
parallel with the inclined surface of the block), thus presenting tho
grain at an angle with the surface of the road, thereby inducing greater
durability. The blocks are to be pinned or dowelled together, thus
forming a continuous connection with cach other, constituting one
entire floor.
With a view still further to augment the stability and strength of the
pavement I insert at convenient and suitable distances in the length of
the road or street transverse joists or binders of suitable depth and
thickness pinned or dowelled to the blocks, and thus tying or bonding tho
whole together. The surfaces arrisses of the blocks may with advantage
be chamferred off to give foothold, and be filled with a bituminous com-
- position to arrest the downward passage of the surface water. I prefer
to bed such blocks on a substratum formed of bituminous concrete,
carefully bedding the blocks thereon, and so intimately uniting them to
the concrote as to form one entire mass by which greatly increased
strength is imparted to the pavement.
In some cases I may prefer to employ a substratum composed of blue
lias lime or other cement with granulated copper, slag, or other cheap
metalliferous substances, and connect the blocks therewith by a layer or
bedding of bituminous material so as to insure their firm and complete
adhesion thereto.
Having laid the blocks in situ and run the channels with a bituminous
cement I propose to face the surface of the pavement with a layer of the

page_text: foregoing composition, that is to say, of blue lias lime and granulated
copper, slag, or other metalliferous substance with a duc admixture of
grit, which by the subsequent traffic will be impressed into the grain of
the wood forming a hard and durable surface which may be renewed
3 from time to time as it becomes worn. This coating or facing I not
only propose to employ for wood paving but as a useful and durable
facing for asphalted roads, thereby constituting an enduring and at the
same time a less slippery surface.
In using the rectangular instead of the rhomboidal blocks the same
system of dowelling, binding, or joisting may be pursued, producing a
more complete and permanent pavement than can possibly be effected
by the laying of loose unconnected blocks which depend for their
stability upon a small bearing surface (instead of partaking of the
combined support of contiguous blocks), a mode of construction which
causes the surface of the road to become uneven from the sinking of
individual blocks.
As another of my improvements in road and street paving I purposo
to construct what I term a combination pavement which consists in such
an arrangement of materials constituting the surface of the road as will
combine the advantages of a paved road with that of a Macadam con-
struction. And I further propose to form such a surface by laying
down lines of broad tramways composed of wood or other suitable and
durable materials united together in the manner herein proposed for the
formation of entire pavements, but in this case I employ surfaces of say
two feet or two feet six inches in width, the intervening spaces or those
portions of the surface which are uncovered by the paving being filled
in with Macadam or other similar and suitablo materials capable of
affording good foothold for the horses' feet, and at the same time pre-
serving all the advantages of the wood or other equally noiseless pave-
ment. This mode of paving roads and streets which I have herein-
before designated a combination pavement facilitates the periodical
renewal when necessary of those portions of the road or street which are
most subjected to wear, thereby greatly and favorably affecting the cost
of maintenance while the trams or tracks which are specially reserved
for the rolling stock will be preserved in better condition than if they
were subjected to the continual wear and tear incident to horse traffic.
And I further purpose to effect this improvement by dividing the width
of the road or street (as nearly as may be) into spaces of about two feet

page_text: six inches in width, starting at about three feet or other convenient
distance from the curb stones of the respective footpaths. These pro-
portions and the number of tracks in each case will entirely depend
upon the width of the road or street in question. The aggregate surfaco
of the wood or other trams will thus be less than one half of the entire
surface of the road, thus affecting a considerable economy in the first
cost of the paving and greatly conducing to the general efficiency of the
pavement.
In constructing these combination pavements the entire surface of the
road is to be flush or of uniform level, so that vehicles may pass cach
other or cross from one side of the road to the other with the same
facility as on an ordinary road. And I further purpose to apply my
improved system by converting the present asphalted or other roads into
such a combination pavement, and this I do by removing portions of the.
existing surface and filling them in with Macadam or other suitable
materials, forming safe and noiseless pavements.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Prosser in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PROSSER, of the Parish of St. Luke, Chelsea, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
cighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Prosser, Her special license
that I, the said William Prosser, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as. I, the said William Prosser, 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 "IMPROVE.

page_text: MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADWAYS, TRAMWAYS, STREETS, AND OTHER
PAVED SURFACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Prosser, 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 Scal 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 Prosser, 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 Invention relates to the construction of paved surfaces generally,
but more particularly to roadways, tramways, streets, and the like,
where it is desirable to maintain a uniform and noiseless surface, and it
consists in the employment of wood or other blocks of such form, con-
figuration, and mode of attachment to each other, as will conduce to
their imparting to each other such mutual support as will insure the
formation of a good permanent and noiseless surface or paving.
In carrying out my improvements I do not confine myself to any
particular form of block as my improvements in combination therewith
will apply to the generally recognised forms which have been heretofore
employed for the purposes of street paving. Nevertheless I prefer to
use blocks of a rhomboidal form, and of such angle as may best suit
the particular application of the material employed, such angle being.
determined by and being dependent upon the proportion subsisting
between the perpendicular depth and the length of the block, or it may
be made constant for all proportions of blocks.
For roads or streets where heavy traffic is anticipated deeper blocks
will be found desirable to ensure that perfect stability upon which the
durability of the structure depends, while in situations where the strain
or wear and tear is likely to be less severe blocks of less depth will
suffice; blocks of rhomboidal form may be so cut from the log or piece
of timber from which they are formed that they will be produced
without appreciable waste of material (a most important consideration),
having the grain of the wood nearly vertical (it being parallel with the

page_text: inclined surface of the block), thus presenting the end grain of the
wood at an angle with the surface of the pavement, and thereby inducing
great durability.
In order to effect a continuous connection with each other the blocks
are to be pinned or dowelled together, constituting one entire floor or
trussed surface.
In cases where it may be inconvenient to obtain solid timber for the
blocks I form the blocks of several thicknesses, say, of one inch, or any
other convenient thickness of plank, dowelling them together in three
or more layers, such an arrangement giving good foothold for the cattle
and admitting of the use of alternate layers of different materials, such
as slate or hard wood, or other suitable material intervening between the
slabs of wood, forming a composite block, and affording great facility
for the application of the system. The position of the dowels or pins
should be at or near the centre of area of each of the triangles into
which the vertical surface of the block divides itself by a diagonal line
drawn from the two obtuse angles, as seen in Figure 1. When placed
in situ cach transverse series of two blocks in thickness or breadth forms
a trussed beam, which tends to relieve the substratum upon which it
rests of a considerable portion of the pressure arising from the super-
incumbent load, and when all the separate series are combined they
form a trussed surface.
With a view still further to augment the stability and strength of the
pavement I insert at convenient and suitable distances in the length of
the road or strect transverse joists or binders of suitable depth and
thickness pinned or dowelled to the blocks, as seen in sections, Figure 6³,
and thus serving to tie and bond the whole together. In some cases
I insert these binders between each course of blocks, as seen in section,
Figures 6 and Cd, and in others less frequently, and they may with
advantage be formed of slate, hard wood, or other suitable material. It
will be desirable to remove the surface arrisses of the blocks by cham-
ferring them off to the extent of half an inch or more, as seen in sections,
Figures 6, 6, 6, and 6°, to give better foothold, forming grooves, which
may be filled with a bituminous composition, by which the downward
passage of the surface water will be prevented; these grooves may
formed in various ways. To make the best possible paving I prefer to
bed such blocks on a substratum formed of bituminous concrete con-
be

page_text: taining about 10 to 15 per cent. of good bitumen, carefully bedding the
blocks thereon in a layer of bituminous cement, and so intimately
uniting them to the concrete as to form one entire mass, by which
arrangement greatly increased strength is imparted to the pavement.
In some cases I may prefer to employ a substratum composed of blue
lias lime or other cement equally effective, and incorporate with it
granulated copper, slag, or other cheap metalliferous substance which
will combine therewith in the proportion of one of lime to eight of slag,
and the blocks may be connected therewith by a layer or bedding of
bituminous cement spread over the surface of the substratum one
quarter to half of an inch in thickness so as to insure their firm and
complete adhesion thereto.
Having laid the blocks in situ and run the channels or surface
grooves with bituminous cement, I propose to cover the surface of the
pavement with a layer or facing of the foregoing composition, that is
to say, of blue lias lime and granulated copper, slag, or other metalli-
ferous substance with a due admixture of grit in the proportion of about
one-third the slag (the slag being pulverized somewhat finer than that
used for the concrete), which by the subsequent traffic will be impressed
into the grain of the wood and will form a hard and durable surface.
This surface facing may be renewed from time to time as it becomes
worn, thus preserving the wood from wear and decay. This coating
or facing I not only propose to employ for wood paving, but I propose
to employ it as a useful and durable facing for asphalted and other
roads, thereby constituting an enduring, and at the same time, a less
slippery surface.
In using rectangular instead of rhomboidal blocks the same system
of dowelling with binding or joisting may be pursued, producing a more
complete and permanent pavement than can possibly be effected by the
laying of loose unconnected blocks which depend for their stability
upon a small bearing surface (instead of partaking of the combined.
support of contiguous blocks) a mode of construction which causes
the surface of the road to become uneven from the sinking of individual
blocks.
As it is desirable to interfere as little as possible with the traffic of a
strect, and to effect the laying down of the pavement in the shortest
possible time, the proposed new system admits of the blocks being put

page_text: together at the works wherein they are prepared, and of being brought
to the spot in slabs of convenient dimensions, thus occupying but little
time in placing them in situ.
Another of my improvements in road and street paving is what I
designate a combination or composite pavement, which consists in such
an arrangement of the materials constituting the surface of the road
as to combine successfully the advantages of a paved road with that of a
Macadam construction, and in forming such a pavement I subdivide
the width of the street or road into spaces of about two feet and a half
each (more or less), as the case may be; and I propose to pave cach
alternate space with wood, composite blocks, asphalte, or other noiseless
materials for the rolling stock, and to fill in the intervening spaces,
or those portions of the surface which are intended for the cattle ways,
with Macadam or other suitable, similar, and durable material, such for
instance as that which has been previously described herein, capable of
affording good foothold for the horses' feet; such a road will combine
all the advantages of the wood or other equally noiseless pavements
with safety to the cattle: This mode of paving roads and streets (which
I have herein-before designated a combination or composite pavement)
facilitates the periodical renewal (when necessary) of those portions of
the road or street which are most subjected to wear, thereby greatly
and favorably affecting the cost of maintenance, while the trams or
tracks which are specially reserved for the rolling stock will be preserved
in much better condition. The proportions and the number of tracks in
cach case will entirely depend upon the width of the road or street in
question. The aggregate surface of the wood or other rolling surfaces
will obviously be less than one half of the entire surface of the road,
thus effecting a considerable economy in the first cost of the paving,
and greatly conducing to the durability and general efficiency of the
pavement.
In constructing these combinations or composite pavements the entire
surface of the road is to be flush or of uniform level, so that vehicles will
not be confined to a particular and defined track, but will be enabled to
pass each other with the same facility as on an ordinary road; and I
further propose to apply my improved system by converting (where
desirable) the present asphalted or other roads into such a combination
or composite pavement as herein described by removing portions of the

page_text: existing surface and filling in the spaces with Macadam or other suitable
material, forming safe and noiseless pavements.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention in its various
combinations, the accompanying Drawings will more fully explain the
construction of the several methods of putting the same in practice.

page_text: the centre of the block; Figure 8 is a plan of such blocks combined.
In using this form it will be advisable to channel the surface should the
width exceed four inches in order to obtain good foothold, as per dotted
lines.
Having now fully described the manner of carrying out my Invention
in its various forms, I would have it understood that I do not claim any
particular form of block or the use of concrete foundations or substrata ;
but what I claim as my Invention is, the soveral combinations herein
described, by which a good and useful roadway for vehicles to travel
thereon combined with a safe and effective track for horses is obtained, 1
and in connection therewith I claim specially as new the use and
application of binders or joists for giving additional strength and support
to the blocks forming the surface of the road or street.
Also the use and application of the composition herein described of
blue lias lime mixed with granulated copper, slag, or other metalliferous 1
substances as a concrete substratum and facing for wood or other paved
streets.
And also the arrangement of a flush combination or composite pave-
ment, as herein described, by which the advantages of a noiseless and a
safe pavement are combined.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Prosser, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
streets.
And also the arrangement of a flush combination or composite pave-
ment, as herein described, by which the advantages of a noiseless and a
safe pavement are combined.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Prosser, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Signed in the presence of
ER. LANDES..
W. PROSSER. (L.S.)

page_text: En the matter of Letters Patent granted to WILLIAM PROSSER, of the Parish
of St. Luke, Chelsea, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADWAYS,
TRAMWAYS, STREETS, AND OTHER PAVED SURFACES," dated the 9th
March 1875, No. 861.
DISCLAIMER AND MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION proposed to be entered
by the said William Prosser pursuant to the Statutes in that case made and
provided.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, the said
WILLIAM PROSSER, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent
dated the Ninth March One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, and
numbered 861, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, the sole privilege of making, using,
exercising, and vending, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, the said Invention for the
term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent:'
And whereas, I, in pursuance of a proviso in the said Letters Patent, by an
instrument under my hand and seal, and called the Final Specification, did par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and did cause the said Final Speci
fication to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th day of September
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five:
And whereas, I, since the filing of the said Final Specification, have ascertained
that certain parts of the said Invention were known before the date of my said
Patent:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, for the reason aforesaid, am desirous, by and with
the leave of Her Majesty's Attorney-General, to make the following alterations in
the Specification, vizt.,
On page 7 of the printed Specification to strike out the words from line 22 to
line 26, commencing with "This coating" and terminating with "slippery surface;"

page_text: "
one page 10, line 12, to insert the word "the" between "of" and "binders"; same
page, lines 16 and 17, to strike out the words "or other paved streets and to
substitute in lieu thereof the words " pavement constructed substantially as set
forth same page, line 18, after the word "flush" to insert the word "wood."
And the said Specification when altered and disclaimed reads as follows:-
My Invention relates to the construction of paved surfaces generally, but more
particularly to roadway, tramway, streets, and the like where it is desirable to
inaintain a uniform and noiseless surface, and it consists in the employment of wood
or other blocks of such form, configuration, and mode of attachment to each other
as will conduce to their imparting to each other such mutual support as will ensure
the formation of a good permanent and noiseless surface or paving.
In carrying out my improvements I do not confine myself to any particular form
of block, as my improvements in combination therewith will apply to the generally
recognised forins which have been heretofore employed for the purposes of strect
paving. Nevertheless, I prefer to use blocks of a rhomboidal form and of such
angle as may best suit the particular application of the material employed, such
angle being determined by and being dependent upon the proportion subsisting
between the perpendicular depth and the length of the block, or it may be made
constant for all proportions of blocks.
blocks
For roads or streets where heavy traffic is anticipated deeper, will be found
desirable to ensure that perfect stability upon which the durability of the structure
depends, while in situations where the strain or wear and tear is likely to be less
severe blocks of less depth will suflice. Blocks of rhomboidal form may be so cut
from the log or piece of timber from which they are formed that they will be pro-
duced without appreciable waste of material (a most important consideration),
having the grain of the wood nearly vertical (it will being parallel with the inclined
surface of the block), thus presenting the end grain of the wood at an angle with
the surface of the pavement, and thereby inducing great durability.
In order to effect a continuous connection with each other the blocks are to be
pinned or dowelled together, constituting one entire floor or trussed surface.
In cases where it may be convenient to obtain solid timber for the blocks I form
the blocks of several thicknesses, say, of one inch, or any other convenient
thickness of plank, dowelling them together in three or more layers, such an
arrangement giving good foothold for the cattle and admitting of the use of alter-
nate layers of different materials, such as slate or hard wood or other suitable
material intervening between the slabs of wood, forming a composite block, and
affording great facility for the application of the system. The position of the dowels
or pins should be at or near the centre of area of each of the triangles into which
the vertical surface of the block divides itself by a diagonal line drawn from the
two obtuse angles, as seen in Figure 1. When placed in situ each transverse
series of two blocks in thickness or breadth forms a trussed beam, which tends to
relieve the substratum upon which it rests of a considerable portion of of the pressure
arising from the superincumbent load, and when all the separate series are com-
bined they form a trussed surface.
With a view still further to augment the stability and strength of the pavement
I insert at convenient and suitable distances in the length of the road or street,
transverse joists or. binders of suitable depth and thickness pinned or dowelled to
the blocks, as seen in sections, Figure 6b, and thus serving to tie and bond the
whole together. In some cases I insert these binders between each course of blocks,
as seen in section, Figures 6 and 6d, and in others less frequently, and they may
with advantage be formed of slate, hard wood, or other suitable material. It will
be desirable to remove the surface arrisses of the blocks by chamferring them off
to the extent of half an inch or more, as seen in sections, Figures 6, 64, 6b, and Ge,
to give better foothold, forming grooves, which may be filled with a bituminous
composition, by which the downward passage of the surface water will be pre-
vented; these grooves may be formed in various ways. To make the best possible

page_text: paving I prefer to bed such blocks on a substratum formned of a bituminous concreto
containing about 10 to 15 per cent. of good bitumen, carefully bedding the blocks
thereon in a layer of bituminous cement, and so intimately uniting them to the
concrete as to form one entire mass, by which arrangement greatly increased
strength is imparted to the pavement.
In some cases I may prefer to employ a substratum composed of blue lias limo or
other cement equally effective, and incorporate with it granulated copper, slag, or
other cheap metalliferous substance, which will combine therewith in the proportion
of one of line to eight of slag, and the blocks may be connected therewith by a
layer or bedding of bituminous cement, spread over the surface of the substratum
one-quarter to half of an inch in thickness so as to insure their firm and completo
adhesion thereto.
Having laid the blocks in situ and run the channels or surface grooves with
bituminous cement, I propose to cover the surface of the pavement with a layer or
facing of the foregoing composition, that is to say, of blue lias lime and granulated
copper, slag, or other metalliferous substance with a duc admixture of grit in tho
proportion of about one-third the slag (the slag being pulverized somewhat finer
than that used for the concrete), which by the subsequent traffic will be impressed
into the grain of the wood and will form a hard and durable surface. This surface
facing may be renewed from time to time as it becomes worn, thus preserving the
wood from wear and decay.
than
In using rectangular instead of rhomboidal blocks the same system of dowelling
with binding or joisting may be pursued, producing a more complete and permanent
pavement that can possibly be effected by the laying of loose unconnected blocks
which depend for their stability upon a small bearing surface (instead of partaking
of the combined support of contiguous blocks), a mode of construction which causes
the surface of the road to become uneven from the sinking of individual blocks.
alnita
As it is desirable to interfere as little as possible with the traflic of a street, and
to effect the laying down of the pavement in the shortest possible time, the
proposed new system of the blocks being put together at the works wherein
they are prepared, and of being brought to the spot in slabs of convenient
dimensions; thus occupying but little time in placing them in situ.
1
Another of my improvements in road and street paving is what I designate a
combination or composite pavement, which consists in such an arrangement of the
materials constituting the surface of the road as to combine successfully the
advantages of a paved road with that of a Macadam construction, and in forming
such a pavement I subdivide the width of the street or road into spaces of about
two feet and a half each (more or less) as the case may be, and I propose to pave
cach alternate space with wood, composite blocks, asphalte, or other noiseless
materials for the rolling stock, and to fill in the intervening spaces or those portions
of the surface which are intended for the cattle ways with Macadain or other
suitable, similar, and durable material, such for instance as that which has been
previously described herein, capable of affording good foothold for the horses' feet;
such a road will combine all the advantages of the wood or other equally noiseless
pavements with safety to the cattle. This mode of paving roads and streets (which
I have herein-before designated a combination or composite pavement) facilitates
the periodical renewal (when necessary) of those portions of the road or street which
are most subjected to wear, thereby greatly and favorably affecting the cost of
maintainance, while the trams or tracks which are specially reserved for the rolling
stock will be preserved in much better condition. The proportions and the number
of tracks in each case will entirely depend upon the width of the road or street in
question. The aggregate surface of the wood or other rolling surfaces will obviously
be less than one half of the entire surface of the road, thus effecting a considerable
economy in the first cost of the paving, and greatly conducing to the durability and
general efficiency of the pavement.

page_text: In constructing these combinations or composite pavements the entire surface of
e road is to be flush or of uniform level, so that vehicles will not be confined to a
articular and defined track, but will be enabled to pass each other with the same
cility as on an ordinary road, and I further propose to apply my improved system
y converting (where desirable) the present asphalted or other roads into such a
mbination or composite pavement as herein described by removing portions of the
xisting surface, and filling in the spaces with Macadam or other suitable material,
rming safe and noiseless pavements.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention in its various combina-
ons, the accompanying Drawings will more fully explain the construction of the
everal methods of putting the same in practice.
several methods of putting the same in practice.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a side view of a rhomboidal block, the dotted lines thereon shewing
the mode of determining the position of the dowels, Figures 1a, 1, 1e, being other
explanatory views of the same.
Figure 1d shews a composite block made up of several thicknesses of the same or
various materials; Figures 2 and 2 show several of such blocks in combination.
Figures 3 and 3ª shew blocks of rectangular form.
Figure 4 shews a mode of forming a slab of blocks, so that they may be securely
slicws
jointed together, as seen by the continuation in dotted lines; Figure 5 a plan
of similar blocks with binders introduced at every point.
Figure 6 is a section of blocks shewing the channels or surface grooves for the
insertion of bituminous pointing, and based upon bituminous or other concrete with
bituminous cement intervening; Figure 6a, similar blocks with chamferred edges;
Figure Gb, similar blocks with binders at convenient distances; Figure 6c, similar
blocks with binders at each course of blocks; Figure 6d, composite blocks with
binders at intervals.
Figure 7 shews a half plan of a street with a combination or composite road
formed by alternate Macadam or concrete horse tracks, and asphalte rolling stock
tracks; Figure 7 shews plan of a similar composite road formed by alternate spaces
of wood rolling stock, tracks and slate horse tracks, the slate placed edgewise,
being in slabs of from two to three inches in thickness, and of a depth com-
mensurate with the traffic, and dowelled together or not, as may be desired (the
former I prefer).
Figures 7b and 7c show sections respectively of the roads 7 and 7a.
Figure S shews a rhomboidal block with its grain parallel with the inclined side a
of the block, where the breadth of the block is of the same dimensions as the
depth, in which case the heart of the tree is in the centre of the block; Figure S
is a plan of such blocks combined. In using this form it will be advisable to
channel the surface, should the width exceed four inches, in order to obtain good
foothold, as per dotted lines.
Having now fully described the manner of carrying out my Invention in its
various forms, I would have it understood that I do not claim any particular form
of block, or the use of concrete foundations or substrata; but what I claim as my
Invention is,-
The several combinations herein described by which a good and useful roadway
for vehicles to travel thereon, combined with a safe and effective track for horses, is
obtained, and in connection therewith I claim specially as new the use and appli-
cation of the binders or joists for giving additional strength and support to the
blocks forming the surface of the road or street.
Also the use and application of the composition herein described of blue lias
lime mixed with granulated copper, slag, or other metalliferous substances as a
concrete substratum and facing for wood pavement, constructed substantially as
set forth,

page_text: And also the arrangement of a flush wood combination or composite pave-
ment as herein described, by which the advantages of a noiseless and a safe pavement
are combined.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Prosser, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
117M DRACSWD
Trol
I hereby grant my fiat, giving leave to the above-named William Prosser to
10 file in the Great Seal Patent Office, with the Specification to which the same
relates, the above-written Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alteration.
Dated this Eleventh day of September, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-six.