IMPROVEMENTS IN CON- STRUCTING PIERS, BREAKWATERS, AND OTHER SUBMARINE WORKS OF STONE
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BRUCE, of 4, Essex Court, Temple, and of Flimston, near Pembroke, Barrister-
at-Law, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fifth
day of March, in the tenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Bruce, my exors,
adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Bruce, my exors, admors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Bruce, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times. 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, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CON-
STRUCTING PIERS, BREAKWATERS, AND OTHER SUBMARINE WORKS OF STONE;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William
Bruce, should cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and

page_text: by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Bruce, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-.
I claim as my improvement and Invention, whereon I found my Letters
Patent, the following novelties, viz* :-
I claim the novelty of building stone piers, breakwaters, and other sub-
marine or wave-washed structures of stone, with quarried stones cut or carved
in the form, as described in the description herein-after given marked X.
I likewise claim the novelty of working by machinery under water, by
means of a structure of machinery for building stone structures, with stones
cut, as described in the description marked X, which structure of machinery
includes the machine, together with the framework, with all their parts and
appurtenances (except such parts and appurtenances as are the subject of other
Letters Patent, if any, as a whole and combined machine, by means of which
I can lower down into their assigned places the polygons, as in the description
marked X, to be used in the pier or wall in its submarine and wave-washed
portions of masonry, and can likewise secure them when fixed in their
assigned places from being displaced by the force of the waves, and which
structure of machinery is explained by the Drawings and descriptions marked
in Plans 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
I further claim the novelty of the rack and pinion, when used in combination
with the other parts of the machine, to work under water in the vicinity of
gritty pebbles, sand, or mud, that the bolts shooting out and in, with smooth-
sided surfaces, prevent the gravel, sand, or mud entering inside to clog the
cogs and pinions, as in the Drawing and description marked Plan No. 5,
Figure 1.
I further claim the novelty of the iron claws or grab when used in combina-
tion with the other parts of the machine to work under water, that by means of
the rack and pinion and rod attached they can be made to open and shut from
above at the will of the workman, so as to close and take hold of, or open
and let go, and again close and take hold of, or open and let go, the polygon
stones before mentioned, which claws or grab are set forth in the Drawing
and description marked in Plan No. 4, Figure 4.
I also claim the novelty of being able to build upon a foundation, which

page_text: foundation would for ordinary stone structures (other than the stones structures
the subject of these Letters Patent) be totally unsafe for stone structures
exposed to the action of the waves, the same structures not allowing of the
perpendicular subsidence of their parts, to wit:-Altogether infirm foundations,
such as a sand bank, mud bank covered with shingle, a sand or a clay bottom,
or partially infirm foundations, such as rock or large boulder stones embedded
in sand, mud, covered with shingle or clay. Inasmuch as the polygon stones
in the description marked X, when built columnarly without crossing the
courses or layers, permit the wall to subside without losing its perpendicular
to the extent of the subsidence of the foundation of the separate polygon
stones themselves.
I also claim the novelty of continuing to build in such part of the stone
structure, pier, or wall, as shall have attained or formed its complete settle-
ment, and the same can be accessible to masons to build without the aid of
the machine described as aforesaid, that by means of the polygon stones
shaped as described in the description marked X, and by means of the
stony, metallic, bituminous substance, concrete, or other material enclosed
within the cavities of the stones above capping the stones below, which
shall contain in their cavities the said stony, metallic, bituminous sub-
stance, concrete, or other material, successive courses or layers of polygon
stones can be placed, so as that the plane of the axis of the regular hexagonal
columnar shafts of one layer or course of polygon stones shall form with the
plane of the axes of the regular hexagonal columnar shafts of the succeeding
superincumbent layer or course of polygon stones an angle of sixty degrees,
whereby and by means of vertical pressure the successive layers and courses
of stones can be continuously and interchangeably bound together in one
compact mass of walling without requiring the adhesive properties of mortar
or cement, and the motion, whether perpendicular or horizontal, to which the
waves would subject the stones, shall be limited to the trifling vibration of the
polygon stones in their grooves or sockets, without the waves having the
power to displace them or break through the mole itself.
DESCRIPTION MARKED X.
Stonework. The form of the stone, rough or smooth, faced as may be
deemed best to suit the quality of the stone and the expence of sawing or
chiselling it, to be as follows:-Each stone to be a polygon of one, of two,

page_text: base of each shaft would be in parallel planes at right angles to the axis of
its shaft, each top and each base of the shafts to be chiselled with central:
cavities or concave basins of a few inches depth, and circumference corre-
sponding with the central cavities or concave basins in the stone whereon it
is to be placed, so that such cavity may be filled with grit, concrete, or pebble,
or some other stony, metallic, or bituminous substance or concrete substance,
such as may prevent the stone from having horizontal motion by the action
of the waves when lowered into its final position. The height of each solid
stone of a polygon form to be determined at the convenience of the builder,
according to the nature of the quarry from whence the stones, stratified or
otherwise, are gotten and won. In the case of the polygon of solid stone.
containing two regular hexagonal columnar shafts, that the same be of
one entire stone, containing two regular hexagonal columnar shafts, with their
tops and bases in two parallel planes (having cavities, as before described,
four in number), whereof the first regular hexagonal columnar shaft hath its
axis in the same plane with the axis of the second regular hexagonal columnar
shaft, and the diameter of the first equal to the diameter of the second, and
the side of the first applied to the side of the second, so that all the lateral
external angles of the polygon shall be angles of one hundred and twenty
degrees, and the angles which the base and the top form with the sides of
the shafts shall be right angles. In the case of the polygon of solid stone
containing three regular hexagonal columnar shafts, that the same be of one
entire stone consisting of three regular hexagonal columnar shafts with their
respective tops and bases in two parallel planes (having cavities, as before
described, six in number), whereof the first regular hexagonal columnar shaft
hath its axis in the same plane with the axis of the second and of the third
regular hexagonal columnar shafts, and the diameter of the first equal to the
diameter of the second, and the diameter of the second equal to the diameter
of the third, and the side of the first regular hexagonal columnar shaft
applied to the side of the second regular hexagonal columnar, shaft, and
the side of the second applied to the side of the third, so that all the
lateral external angles of the polygon shall be angles of one hundred and
twenty degrees, and the angles which the base and the top form with the sides
of the shaft shall be at right angles. In the case of the polygon of solid
stone containing four regular hexagonal columnar shafts, that the same be
of one entire stone containing four regular hexagonal columnar shafts, with
their respective tops and bases in two parallel planes (having cavities, as
before described, eight in number), whereof the first regular hexagonal
columnar shaft hath its axis in the same plane with the axis of the second,

page_text: third, and fourth regular hexagonal columnar shaft, and the diameter of the
first equal to the diameter of the second and of the third and of the fourth,
and the side of the first regular hexagonal shaft applied to the side of
the second, and the side of the second applied to the side of the third,
and the side of the third applied to the side of the fourth, so that all the
lateral external angles shall be angles of one hundred and twenty degrees, and
the angles which the base and the top form with the sides of the shafts shall be:
right angles. In the case of the polygon of one columnar shaft, that the
same be a regular hexagonal columnar shaft, whereof the top and the base
are in parallel planes at right angles to the axis of the shaft, the top and the
base to be chiselled with central cavities or concave basins of a few inches
diameter and circumference, so as by means of grit, concrete, pebble, or some
other stony or metallic or bituminous substance, or other hard substance, the
same hexagonal columnar shaft may be kept in place, top and bottom, by
perpendicular pressure by parts of other polygons containing regular hexagonal
columnar shafts.
I likewise claim the novelty of the various polygons containing regular
hexagonal columnar shafts before mentioned, in cases where the tops and
bases shall not be in parallel planes, but be in corresponding planes to the
planes of the tops and bases of other polygons consisting of regular hexagonal
columnar shafts, whereon the successive layers or courses of stone are to be
built. I propose to build, by the machine described as aforesaid, a break-
water, by first raising a platform of timber on piles in standard legs of timber,
with a frame thereon, in form a right-angled parallelopiped externally, to stand
upon a bottom of clay, sand, or an artificial bottom of rubble stone or ballast:
ing cast out from boats, and when and so soon as the natural bottom of clay
or sand, or the artificial bottom of rubble stone or ballasting, shall be within
reach of the machine and the acting power of the rods marked in Plan No. 1,
A, A, A, at low water neap tides, these piles or standard legs, when loaded
at their butts so as to cause them (when lowered from a ship's davits) to sink
in a perpendicular position, shall on their tops support a platform whereon
the machine described in Plans No. 1 and No. 2 is to be first placed, the
piles or the upright standard legs or timbers on one side of the parallelopiped
frame being such and so many as shall correspond with the first perpendicular
series of columnar stones, so as that the piles or standard legs or timbers having
external or convex lateral angles of one hundred and twenty degrees shall coin-
cide and correspond with the internal or concave lateral angles of one hundred
and twenty degrees of the first perpendicular series of columnar stones. I further
propose to build by the instrumentality of the before-described machine, from any
other platform, commencing its construction from a previously built pier-head, a

page_text: A,
jutting face of rock, or any other structure that may be convenient.
sixteen metal bars or bladed guiding rods to match the internal angles of the
polygon stones. B, eight inner side guiding rods to match the internal angles
of the polygon stone. C, twelve outer rods whereon the jack screws travel
perpendicularly; D³, connecting and supporting shoulder bar on the right side
of the first machine. Db, connecting and supporting shoulder bar on the left
side of the first machine. Db, connecting and supporting shoulder bar on the
right side of the second machine. E*, connecting and supporting shoulder
bar on the left side of the second machine. E*, connecting and supporting
shoulder bar on the right side of the third machine. Db, connecting and
supporting shoulder bar on the left side of the third machine. Db, connecting
and supporting shoulder bar on the right side of the fourth machine. D* connect-
ing and supporting shoulder bar on the left side of the fourth machine. F, F, F,
metal frame to conduct the inner side guiding rods B, B, B. G, G, G, sixteen
jack screws traversing perpendicularly on the rods A, A, A, and C, C, C.
H, H, H, sixteen rack and pinion rods to move the jack screws G, G, G.
K, K, K, four upper and four lower metal frames to connect the respective
perpendicular rods A, A, A, and C, C, C, whereon the jack screws traverse.
L, L, L, standard framework standing on piles or timber legs, which are
outside the intended structure of stone, having iron rails upon the beams.
L', L', L, L, L³, the framework which has for its support the top of the
pier or walling; this is divisible into parts, which parts dovetail in by rabbets,
to be screwed together when the upper frame works P, P, P, is to stand or
traverse upon the under framework L, L, L, L, L³, and afterwards to be
unscrewed when the pier or walling increases in length, and the machine
traverses forward to set in place fresh courses of stone; this also has iron rails
upon the beams L, L. M, M, ten iron perpendicular pillars to keep the shoulder
bars D, D, E, E, in place. N, N, N, travelling frame of timber on wheels
grooved to travel from right to left and from left to right on the travelling
frame of timber P, P, P, on iron rails P1, P2, P. P, P, P, travelling frame
of timber on wheels grooved to travel backwards and forwards on the standard
framework L, L, L, on iron rails. P2, P3, P³, iron rails for the framework
P, P, P, affixed to the moveable framework P, P, P. R, R, upper part of
frame of timberwork N, N, N, whereon jennies, cranes, or other well-known
machines for raising, lowering, or moving horizontally the polygon stones, and
the machines can be worked.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bruce, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 5th day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
WILLIAM (L.B.) BRUCE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifth day of June, in the
year of our Lord 1847, the aforesaid William Bruce came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.