AN IMPROVED MODE OF CONSTRUCTING FLOORS AND ROOFS
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
JOHN LOAT, of Clapham, in the County of Surrey, Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twelfth day of January, in the sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William John Loat, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said William John Loat," my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William John Loat, 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 "AN IMPROVED
MODE OF CONSTRUCTING FLOORS AND ROOFS;" in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso that I, the said William John Loat, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, 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 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 John Loat, do hereby declare that the nature of my said In-

page_text: vention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, refe-
rence being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to a mode of constructing roofs and floors of hollow,
cylindrical, or polygonal shaped tubes or vessels of suitable clay or earthen-
ware, cemented together by means of Roman or other cement, such floors or
roofs not being formed into arches, but the hollow tubes or vessels are so
arranged and combined as simply to be supported on walls or pillows without
requiring the use of tye rods to prevent the walls or other supports being
thrust outwards. And in order that my Invention may be fully understood,
I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me..
Figure 1 represents the section of one of the clay or earthenware pots or
hollow vessels used by me, the diameter and length of which may be varied.
I use them of four inches diameter and six inches long, and they may be
cylindrical or polygonal. These pots or vessels are to be combined together
by means of the best Roman or other cement.
Figure 2 shows the section of two walls having a roof thereon at a, a, and
a floor at 6, composed of hollow vessels of clay or earthenware, properly
burned, and the same is so constructed as simply to require support by resting
on the walls, the roof and floor not offering any thrust; consequently the
walls will not require any tie rods of iron. In constructing roofs or floors
with such pots or hollow tubular vessels of clay or earthenware I use a plat-
form of boards; and when the roof or floor has been completed and the
cement dry, the boards are to be removed. And I cover the upper surfaces
with flat tiles or slates, fixed by cement to each other and to the hollow
vessels of which the roofs or floors are composed. The under surface can
be lathed with iron laths or hoops, the ends being turned up and worked
into the cement with the pots, and plastered after with lime and hair, &c.
And I mention
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would remark, that
I am aware that it has before been proposed to construct roofs of hollow
vessels of earthenware by forming them into arches, and preventing the effect
of thrust to the walls by using tie rods of iron; and it was proposed to use
mortar composed of lime and sand as the cementing means.
this circumstance in order to state that I do not claim the use of hollow
earthenware vessels in the construction of roofs where lime with sand is the
only cementing means resorted to, and where tie rods are rendered necessary
by forming the roofs into arches. But what I claim is, the mode of con-
structing roofs and floors of hollow vessels of earthenware or clay when

page_text: ombined by Roman or other cement, and in such manner as not to require
he rods of iron, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William John Loat, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
ILLIAM
HN (L.B.) LOAT.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twelfth day of July, in the
year of our Lord 1843, the aforesaid William John Loat came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, 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 Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-three.