A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS OR MODE OF CONSTRUCTING, FORMING, OR MAKING STREET WAYS; CARRIAGE ROADS AND HIGHWAYS IN GENERAL
Year: 1829

page_text: ROWLAND & MOMILLAN'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES:
ROWLAND, of Heneage Street; Brick Lane, Spitalfields, in the County of
Middlesex, and CHARLES MCMILLAN, of the "same place, Engineers and
Millwrights, send greeting.*
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eleventh day of August
now last past, did give and grant unto us, the said James Rowland and
Charles M Millan, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-.
rity, that we, the said James Rowland and Charles McMillan,'our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Rowland.
and Charles McMillan, our executors, administrators; or assigns; should at.
any
.time. agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might:
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town' of,
Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention ofA NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS OR
MODE OF CONSTRUCTING, FORMING, OR MAKING STREET WAYS; CARRIAGE ROADS, AND
HIGHWAYS IN GENERAL;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a pro->
viso obliging us, the said Thomas Rowland and James M Millan, by an instru-
ment in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one.
'

page_text: of us, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
James Rowland and Charles MoMillan, do hereby declare that the nature of
our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is
described and ascertained by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and as follows,
that is to say:-
The great object we have had in view in this Invention has been that of
making or constructing a durable foundation to lay any suitable kind of paving
stones upon, and this object we are enabled to effect by the means herein
described, and in the following manner :-
Figure 1 represents the upper side of one of our cast-iron frames formed
by the broad flat bars a, a; b shews an edge bar cast on the upper surface to
strengthen it; c, c, are two bearing pieces of wrought iron, rivetted on the
upper surface; or the same bearing piece may be cast on the frames, as will
be shewn hereafter; the use of these is to rest or bear upon an adjoining
frame; d shews the position of a small socket formed on one end of the bar b,
the other end of this bar is cast plain, but with sufficient projection to enter
a similar socket formed at the end of the upper edge bar of an adjoining frame.
The peculiar method of uniting and combining the frames in rows so as to pro-
duce a mutual and reciprocal bearing on each other will be explained hereafter.
Figure 2 represents a plan or bird's-eye view of the under side of Figure 1.
This Figure shews the edge bars e, e, e, that are cast on the under side of the
frame to strengthen it, also the ring in the centre, which assists in effecting
the same object. Figure 3 represents an edge view of Figure 1. Figure 4
shews a vertical section of Figure 1; in this Figure the exact depth of the
under edge bars are seen, and also the ring in the centre from which they all
radiate. The section of the upper edge bar 6 is also seen, shewing the depth
of the socket d, in which one end of the upper edge bar of the adjoining frame
rests and takes a bearing. Figure 5 is a vertical section through the centre
of the same frame, but taken at right angles to Figure 4; Figure 6 is an end
view of the same frame. Figure 7 is a vertical section across one of the cast-
iron gutters, shewing the internal edge bar, and also the two flanches for the
curb and frames to rest upon.
These being the principal means or agents with which our improved foun-
dations are formed, we shall now describe the method of combining and

page_text: uniting them in such a manner that they will mutually and reciprocally aid in
supporting each other, and thereby prevent any partial sinking or dilapidation.
The first object to be effected is that of preparing the ground of the street or
highway by carefully picking it up all over the surface, which should be
formed of good gravel, lime, core, or any hard and durable materials calculated
to bind, and thereby resist the pressure of great weights; where it is intended
to have gutters on each side of the street or highway, the ground must be
raised in the centre so as to give a suitable declivity to enable the rain water
to run towards each gutter from the centre. The two cast-iron gutters must
then be laid down in their places; and great care should taken to have them
well bedded and placed perfectly parallel to each other. The distance also
between the two gutters must be exactly what will contain any given quantity
of our cast-iron frames, and no more, for reasons that will be hereafter
described.
Figure 8 represents a plan or bird's-eye view of part of a street or high-
way completely paved, the stones being laid upon our cast-iron foundation.
In the lower part of. the Figure the cast-iron frames are exposed so as to shew
the manner of combining them, and also how they rest or bear and also abut
against each gutter plate on either side. It will be seen, by referring to the
Drawing 1, Figure 8, that eight plates or frames are placed in each row
across the street, the end of each row being made to rest upon the inner flanch
of the gutter, and also abut against the sides, the gutters being supported
by the curb stone, and also the whole body of the foot pavement. When the
ground is prepared and the gutters laid down in their places, the frame
marked A should be laid down, one end resting and abutting on the gutter
plate B, the lower edge bars being sunk in the gravelly foundation, care being
taken to give it a firm bearing upon the earth in every part. This being
done, the end near A must be lifted up a little way, and the end of the frame
C must be placed in contact with it, and both being let down, the projecting
edge bar b of the frame C will enter the socket formed on the edge bar of
the adjoining plate A, taking a bearing thereon, while the wrought iron
bearing pieces c, c, fixed on the end of the frame A, will take a bearing on the
frame C, and produce what we have before stated, namely, a mutual and
reciprocal bearing on each other, by which contrivance they will give a mutual.
support to each other. The same method must be adopted in laying down
each frame, and also each successive row of frames, until the whole that is
intended to be so supported is done, and then the curb stones should be laid
down as seen at D, D, one side of the bottom of each curb stone resting
upon the flanch of the gutter; the foot pavement should then be com-

page_text: pleted. If the bare cast-iron. foundation, be. examined, it will. be seen that
the upper edge bars b, b, b, divide the street or. highway into a number of
parallel rows or spaces just capable of containing .three or four rows of stones
(according to the size) between them.. In the specimen here, shown in the
Drawing, three rows have been preferred, but, of course, any number may be
adopted, provided they are not too small to take a fair bearing without passing
between the interstices of the framing. These upper.edge bars support and
confine the stones sideways, while they add great to the frames, and by
means of their projecting. ends and sockets affect in a great degree. the object
of mutual support, when combined with..the effect, obtained by the bearing
pieces c, c, before described. In many streets, it will...be, found desirable. to
use the old stones with our improved foundation, and as the width of many of
these would not correspond with the space between our rows of edge bars, a
difficulty would be thereby experienced; but this may be completely overcome
by using frames whose edge bars are all cast on the, under surface, as seen by
the plan of one of these frames at Figure 10. A vertical section, of. the same
Figure is also shewn in Figure 11, where, all, the. edge, bars, are.represented as
being cast on the, under side of the frame, the plan, of. mutual. support. being
still effected by the same means as before described. When the, cast-iron
frames have been combined and arranged in the, manner shewn,in the
Drawing, a layer of fine gravel,. about, three, or four inches. deep, must.be.laid
between the upper edge bars, or, where there are no upper edge bars, over the
whole surface, covering the frames, and on this.. the. paving stones. must be
arranged in rows, care being taken to break the joints.in the manner shewn in
the upper part of the Figure 8, after, which. they must be slightly rammed
down with a light rammer, and the spaces between the joints may either be filled
with fine gravel or grouted with lime and fine gravel in the usual manner.
.
Figure 9 represents a vertical section by a plane passing through the centre of
a row of upper edge bars in the direction, of the dotted line seen at E, F, in
Figure 8. In this Figure the combination and arrangement of the various parts
may be more plainly seen. In all cases where the.repairs of water, or gas pipes
may be necessary, it will only require the removal of as many stones as cover
two frames in the direction of the breadth of the street, and then, the frames may
be lifted and the earth removed as usual; and when the repairs are.completed.
the earth and gravel may be replaced, and, the foundation frames laid in their
places, which being done,, and the gravel well drawn in between the interstices
of the frames, the paving stones may be relaid in- the usual manner. It will
therefore be easily seen that although we, have invented a method of inter-
locking our cast-iron frames, and thereby obtaining mutual support, yet they

page_text: can readily be disengaged in the manner we have described whenever repairs
may be found necessary. In some streets and highways only a single gutter
can: be used, which must be placed in the centre, as seen in Drawing 2,
Figure 1. In such cases the flanches of the cast-iron gutter plates should be
made at least two inches broader, and the cast-iron frames must be made to
rest and abut against them on each side, the drip or inclination being directed
on each side towards the centre of the gutter, and by making 'the flanches of
the gutters broader, they will be better enabled to bear the weight of heavy-
loaded carriages when they are passing each other, and thereby greatly increase
the pressure on the gutter plates, when compared with those that are placed on
each side of a street or highway where two gutters are used. In some narrow
streets it may be impracticable to place the gutters at such a precise distance
as to suit or correspond with the exact length of a given number of our cast-
iron frames. To meet such cases we have some frames made half the usual
length, and some about one third, by the use of which we are enabled to fill
up or fit them to streets or highways of any breadth with perfect ease and.
facility. The strength of the plates here given are such as we use for general
purposes; but they may be made slighter or stronger, according to the nature
of the place where they are to be laid, some pavements having to support very
heavy weights, while others are in situations where the weights that pass over
them are comparatively light.
Figure 2, Drawing 2, represents a plan of part of a street or highway where
there are two gutters used, but in this case they are not placed close to the
curb stone, there being a space equal to the length of one frame between the
curb and the gutter on each side. It will be easily seen that the gutters
receive and support the weight of the frames on each side, and thereby assist
in preventing any partial sinking. The bearing pieces shewn in this Figure,
and also in Figure 1, are cast on the frames, the pattern being constructed
accordingly.
And we hereby further declare, that our Invention consists intirely in con-
structing, combining, and applying cast-iron frames in the manner and way
we have described, by the use of which a more permanent and durable founda-
tion for the pavement of street ways, carriage roads, and highways will be
produced than was before known or made use of.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles McMillan, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty.
CHARLES (L.S.) MCMILLAN.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Eighth day of. February,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Charles McMillan came before
our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor
of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Eighth day of February, in the year above written.