IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING BRIDGES, AQUEDUCTS, AND SIMILAR STRUCTURES
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HARVEY SADLER, of Holbeck, Leeds, Iron Merchant, 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 Seventh day of
July, One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in the eleventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Harvey Sadler, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I; the said John Harvey
Sadler, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Harvey Sadler, 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 CONSTRUCTING BRIDGES, AQUEDUCTS, AND SIMILAR STRUCTURES;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a "proviso that I, the said John
Harvey Sadler, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and 'seàl, 'to be inrolled in Her
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
John Harvey Sadler, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: 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 :-
Figure 1 is a side view of a continuous bridge, viaduct, or aqueduct, made
according to my Invention of cast-iron girders strongly jointed and bolted
together at A, A, A, standing upon piers of stone or brick B, B, B, each
girder C, C, C, C, C, C, being cast from one and the same pattern; or where
no very great length is required, two parts C, C, may be cast in one piece;
in either case from the points, D to D will constitute one girder, which is
from centre to centre of two arches, and the two parts on either side of a bar B
will balance each other; consequently there is no weight or swag, compara-
tively speaking, in the centre of each arch.
Figure 2 shows that each girder is loose, and at liberty at the centre of each
arch D, D; and though strongly jointed together by means of plates on each
side (as shewn by Figures 3, 4, and 5), they will allow for any contraction or
expansion required by change of the atmosphere or weather, in this or any
other climate. Figure 5 is a transverse section or end view of this joint
at D upon an enlarged scale, shewing more clearly how the toothed plates are
fitted into similar teeth at the ends of each girder, where they meet at the
centre of every arch of bridges, viaducts, aqueducts, &c. built according to my
Invention.
Figure 6 is a plan or bird's-eye view of the cast-iron covering or flooring
for bridges, &c., on my plan, consisting of plates of cast iron. See alter-
nately E and F, Figure 6. Figure 7 shews these plates upon an enlarged
scale, the under side uppermost, and not closed together, the better to explain
how strength may be given to these plates to bear the rails and any weight
required to pass over them. Figure 8 is a transverse section or end view,
shewing how these plates are fastened together, and bolted to the girders by
the brackets K, K. The covering or flooring plates E and F are shown to
be a foot in width, and of the length from girder to girder corresponding to
the width required for the railway.
Figure 7 shews the plate upon which the chairs are securely bolted to
have three ribs or flanches cast upon the under side, in order to give the
requisite strength, and also holes cast through it for bolting and securely
fixing the chairs for holding the rails. By referring to F, Figure 7, it will
be seen, that I do not think it necessary to make these plates of equal strength
with those that bear the rails. In Figure 7 it will be observed, that the
plates E and F are open, that is, not shut or closed together as they would be

page_text: if in their proper places. There are studs (see H, H, upon E and F, Figure 7),
about an inch square, cast upon the sides of each plate, and each plate has
holes cast of a size exactly to fit and receive these studs, see F, Figure 8,
which is a side view of these plates; it will, therefore, easily be understood,
that if these plates were shut or closed together, these studs would enter into the
holes cast in each for that purpose, clearly showing that the whole covering
or flooring will be so united and securely fastened together, so as to form one
general mass of support to the rails and the weight passing over them.
Figure 8 further shews how each flooring plate is securely fastened to the
girders by the brackets K, which are cast upon the girders at proper distances
along each side for that purpose, and they have holes, which are either cast
at the same time, or to be afterwards drilled to correspond with the holes
through the flanches on the top side of each end of the flooring plates E and F,
so that each side at each end of the plates, right and left, shall be securely
bolted and fastened to the girders.
Figure 9 is an end view of another arrangement according to my Invention,
shewing the manner of fixing girders for trains to run upon instead of the
ordinary rails. L, L, are the outside girders, shewn to stand higher than the
rail girders, thus acting as walls to bridges, viaducts, or elevated railways, &c.
M, M, M, M, are the rail girders, cast different to the other girders, they
having deeper thick edges at the top, which not only give a broader surface
for the wheels of locomotives to bite upon, but allow for the wear and tear of
many years. N, N, N, N, N, are stays made of either cast or wrought iron, to
be placed at such distances as may be necessary for keeping the rail girders
firmly secured in their proper place, and O, 0, 0, 0, 0, shew a flooring of
boards resting upon flanches cast upon the girders for that purpose.
Figure 10 shews a side view of part of a railway made of cast-iron girders,
being connected by stays, as at N, N, N, N, N, at Fig. 9, and having the
same letters of reference as Figure 1. The parts at D being connected with
plain or toothed plates, as in Figure 1, such arrangement may be used to very
great advantage over a tolerable level country, inasmuch as a railway to any
desirable distance may be erected at once for traffic, and, if thought necessary,
embankments, &c. could be made at any time afterwards. Thus a railway in
different portions of the line could be opened and earning money during the
time that the deeper cuttings, tunnels, &c. are effected.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Harvey Sadler, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
JOHN H. (L.S.) SADLER.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of January, in the
year of our Lord 1848, the aforesaid John Harvey Sadler 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 Seventh day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.