IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVEMENT
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Berry and Peter Stuart both of Edinburgh in the
County of Mid Lothian North Britain for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PAVEMENT"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Berry and Peter
Stuart at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th April
1883.
WALTER BERRY and PETER. STUART both of Edinburgh in the County of
Mid-Lothian, North Britain "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVEMENT
"
This Invention, which relates to improvements in pavement, has for its object
to so construct the footpaths as well as the paving of the street or road that there
shall be under the wearing surface one or moro serrations grooves or channels for
the reception of telegraph and telephone wires or for the wires or cables for the
transmission of electric currents for lighting or other purposes.
The Invention is applicable to pavements constructed of stone or to composite
pavements wherein the paving material consists of blocks of concrete, asphalt or
other like material or the parts of the pavement constructed in accordance with
this Invention may be made of iron or other metal, fire-clay, earthenware or other
substances.
Under one mode of construction the paving blocks are composed of two or more
parts with a series of serrations or grooves preferably in the under part or parts
and at the line of junction of the parts so that when put together the parts
form a solid block, or the under serrated part or parts may be alone used in which
case it or they may be laid under the ordinary pavement or under the ordinary
stone kerb or under the causway of the street with the serrations or grooves
immediately below the pavement, kerb or causway. The under blocks have
preferably their joining ends checked or rabbated so as to hold them firmly in
position.
Before putting the parts of the blocks together or before covering the serrated
blocks with the paving slabs, kerbs or causway stones the wires are laid in the

page_text: serrations or grooves and they are packed in position with cement, asphalt or
bitumen, wax, gutta-percha, or other insulating material. The wires are thereby
rigidly and perfectly secured and insulated and being free from corrosion are not
liable to break, but, in the event of a break or fault in any of the wires, to make
provision for ascertaining where the break or fault has occured, the wires are
preferably numbered and in the length of the pavement a series of spaces, covered
in, are made, by uncovering which, and by the application of the usual instru-
ments to the wires the faulty wire is easily detected and after picking out the
insulating material in the groove in which it is situated may be repaired without
disturbing the other wires.
Under another mode of constructing the paving blocks they may be made
hollow with a channel or channels of any desired shape in transverse section along
the interior. In making kerbs for pavements under this mode the blocks are
preferably made or moulded in two pieces, which, in setting the kerb are placed
one on top of the other the line of junction between them being rabbated stepped,
terraced, fluted or otherwise formed to prevent the ingress of water to the interior
channel or channels. At the inner side of the kerb the edge is checked or stepped
and the outer lines of paving slabs are formed with corresponding checks or steps
which rest on the checked portions of the kerb the edges of each block inwards
towards the wall being similarly formed. This method of constructing the blocks
in two pieces may also be applied to all the slabs or as many of them as may be
desired in the breadth of the pavement or cach of the slabs inwards from the kerb
may be made in one piece with a channel or channels of any desired shape in
transverse section made or moulded in the pavement and the said channel or
channels after the wires are in position may be filled in with an insulating material
which, in this case, may be clay, cement or concrete if desired, spaces being left as
herein before described for the testing of the wires when necessary or insulators or
supports for the wires may be moulded in the channels in the act of forming the
blocks and slabs or they may be placed and fixed in position in the act of laying
the pavement or at any other suitable time.
In laying the pavement the blocks may be laid directly on the ground after it
has been levelled and beaten, or the ground may be covered with a layer of
ordinary concrete and the blocks and slabs set on the said layer.
To provide for carrying the wires across streets solid or hollow slabs or blocks
are laid preferably underneath the ordinary paving.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Walter Berry and Peter Stuart in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th October 1883.
WALTER BERRY and PETER STUART both of Edinburgh, in the County of
Mid-Lothian, North Britain "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVEMENT "
Our said Invention which relates to improvements in pavement, has for its
object to so construct foot-paths as well as the paving of streets or roads that
there shall be under the wearing surface one or more serrations, grooves or
channels for the reception of telegraph and telephone wires or for the wires or
cables for the transmission of electric currents for lighting or other purposes.
Our said Invention is applicable to pavements constructed of stone or to
composite pavements consisting of blocks or slabs of artificial stone, concrete,
asphalt or other like paving material or the parts of the pavements constructed in
accordance with our said Invention may be made in fire-clay, earthenware or other
analogous substance.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood we now
proceed more particularly to describe several systems or modes in or under which
it is or may be used or carried out in practice reference being had to the
accompanying sheet of drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say :-
On the appended drawings
Figure 1, is a view of a pavement at the junction of two streets and shewing
our said Invention applied thereto.
Figures 2 and 3 are cross sections through the kerb of the pavement.
Figure 4 is a plan of figure 2
Figure 5 is an elevation at the junction of two kerbs in the line of the
pavement.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 are cross sections of paving slabs constructed in accordance
with our Invention.
Figure 9 is in part an elevation and in part a transverse section shewing one
method of constructing and arranging the joint or “flush" box at the junction of
two streets.
Figure 10 is a cross section of figure 9 on the line a, b.
Figure 11 is a horizontal section of another form of joint or "flush" box which
may be used at the position figure 9.
Figures 12, 13 and 14 are cross sections of pavement also constructed in
accordance with our Invention
Under one mode of constructing pavements for the carriage of wires under-
ground the kerb a, is composed of two parts with a series of serrations or grooves
in the upper surface of the underpart and in the direction of the length of the
kerb. These grooves may be of the form shown at b, figures 2 and 12 or of other
equivalent form it being understood that we do not confine ourselves to any shape
of groove, and instead of grooves one or more hollow channels of round, rectangular,
oval or other form in cross section may be made in the kerb as seen at c,
figures 1, 3, 9, 13 and 14 in which case each section or length of the kerb may be
made of an upper and under piece joined together or of one piece with the hollow
channel cast or formed through it.
When made in two pieces the upper and under parts of the kerb at their joining
faces are or may be flush but they are preferably stepped " rebatted
" or checked as
seen at d, so as to hold them firinly in position and prevent the ingress of water
or moisture to the serrated or hollow channels and if desired they may with the

page_text: like objects be also cemented together or they may have countersunk channels in
their sides vertically and be secured by tongues or otherwise as at d³ figure 1
The joining ends of the sections or lengths of the kerb are or may also be flush
or checked as seen at d¹, figure 5, and cemented or not at the joint or be connected.
as at a figure 1 and with the like objects the sides of the blocks at their joining
ends may be similarly checked or dove-tailed as indicated in dotted lines at e,
figure and cemented or not.
Before covering up the under part of the kerb the wires are laid in position and
in cases where the serrated or grooved form of construction is adopted the wires
are or may be packed with cement, asphalt, bitumen, wax, gutta percha or other
insulating material. The wires are thereby perfectly secured and insulated and
being free from corrosion are not liable to break but, in the event of a break or
fault occuring in any of the wires, to make provision for ascertaining exactly
where the break or fault has occured the wires are preferably numbered and in the
length of the korb a series of spaces covered in, as indicated at f figure 1, are mado
By removing the cover and by the application of the usual instruments to the
wires the length or stretch of wire where the fault has occured is easily detected.
The upper parts of the kerbs a, are or may then be removed in that length and
after picking out the insulating material in the groove in which the faulty wire
is situated, the wire may be repaired without disturbing the other wires.
In cases where the construction illustrated at figures 3, 9, 13 and 14 is adopted,
that is to say, when the kerb is made with one or more channels c, the wires may
be supported at intervals on insulating carriers g, figure 3, of glass, porcelain,
earthenware or like material, or on carriers having suitable insulators in con-
junction with them. These carriers may be of any convenient construction and
they may be fixed in grooves made in the sides of the channel or channels for their
reception, or when the kerb is made of a composite material the carriers g. may be
fixed in position in the act of moulding the blocks. It is however preferred to lay
the wires in the bottoms of the channels in the manner well understood and
practiced in laying telegraph and telephone lines underground. If desired these
channels may be filled with water or other liquids suitable filling pipes being
inserted at the manholes f, or at other convenient points.
To provide for the carriage of wires across the junction of streets, as at X
figure 1, or at other points where different series of wires meet, and require to bo
conducted across each other, hollow blocks constructed as hereinbefore described
are or may be laid underneath the ordinary street paving, that is to say, if the
road or street is paved with granite, stone, wood or other "sets" the wire
conducting blocks are laid underneath these sets or, in the case of an earthen or
macadamized road or street the wire conducting blocks are laid at a distance under
the surface sufficient to prevent the blocks and wires from being injured by the
traffic
Figures 1, 9 and 10 of the drawings shew how this may be conveniently effected
with hollow blocks under our said Invention. Under the said arrangement the
corner blocks m, of the kerbs are made deeper than the other kerb blocks a, in the
line of the pavement. This increased depth is to allow the serrations, grooves or
channels in the corner blocks m, to be inclined downwards sufficiently to meet the
level of the serrations, grooves or channels in the blocks n. underneath the paving
sets or surface of the road or street.
At the points Y, figure 1 where the two lines of wires cross each other, in order
to prevent the wires from touching (when wires not insulated by a covering of
gutta percha or like insulating material are used) a bridge y, may be formed on or
placed in the under part of the hollow chamber c, constituting the joint box. This
bridge has holes c¹ in it for conducting the wires passing in one direction through,
the wires passing in the other or cross directions being conducted over the bridge.
When the wires have been placed in position the chamber c, of the joint box may
be filled with an insulating material such as paraffin, bitumen, asphalt or the like
or it may be filled with water.

page_text: When wires covered with an insulating substance are used the form of joint box
illustrated in horizontal section at figure 11 may be adopted in which case the
crossing wires are conducted past each other and the lines have their directions
changed in the ordinary manner.
The blocks n, crossing the street are or may be joined to the kerb and to each
other substantially as hereinbefore described and they as well as the other kerb
blocks in laying the pavement may be placed directly on the ground after it has
been levelled or beaten, or a foundation of concrete or other material may be laid
on the ground for them to rest upon.
Blocks serrated, grooved or channeled for the carriage of wires and connected
together in any of the modes hereinbefore described may also be laid under the
surface of the street or road in the direction of its length as indicated at 8. figure 1.
in which case the lower or serrated parts of the blocks only may be used and laid
immediately underneath the paving sets t. or the serrated parts of the blocks may
be covered with an upper part as at figure 2, and the paving sets rest on the said
upper part, or blocks with one or more round or other shaped channels through
them as at c, figure 1 may be so laid under the surface of the street.
When such a conduit for the wires is laid in the roadway covered in spaces f
are provided preferably at frequent intervals as and for the purposes hereinbefore
set forth and at the point where such a conduit meets a cross street, joint boxes aro
inserted and the crossing lines of wires conducted past each other substantially as
herein before described.
The method of providing underground conduits for telegraph, telephone, electric
light and other wires or cables constituting our said Invention may also be adapted
to the body of the foot pavement or side walk as indicated at figures 3, 6, 7. 8. 12.
13 and 14 of the drawings in which case as at figure 3, blocks u, serrated, grooved
or fluted in the direction of the length of the pavement may be laid underneath
the ordinary paving slabs x; or underneath the ordinary stone kerb these blocks u,
being connected at their joining ends under any of the modes herein before described
or as at figures 6, 7 and 8 the paving slabs may be made in two portions w. w¹
with their joining surfaces formed flush or as at d, figure 2 and with grooves,
serrations or flutes for the carriage of the wires in the under portions or in both
the upper and under portions as at figures 6 and 7 or a tier of such grooves,
serrations or flutes may be used as at a figure 3 or as at figure 13 the paving slabs
may be made or moulded hollow or with a channel or channels x, at their interior
such slabs being either moulded or made in one piece or in upper and under
pieces or the channels for the wires may be made as at figure 14 in which case the
paving slabs rest either on the ground or on a foundation of concrete or other
material.
Whilst the underground conduits for telegraph, telephone, electric light and
other wires or cables may, in accordance with our invention, be made in stone or
of blocks or slabs of ordinary artificial stone, concrete, asphalt, fire-clay earthenware
or other like paving material yet it is preferred to make such blocks or slabs of the .
concrete composition of granite and cement commercially known to pavement
manufacturers and others as Granolithic " or "Stuarts Granolithic as from
experiments made it is found that the said composition possesses good insulating
or non-conducting properties.
16
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and several systems or modes in or under which it is, or may be used or
carried out in practice, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider to
be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is :-
First. The underground conduits in foot pavements and in the paving of streets
or roadways for the carriage of telegraph, telephone, electric light or other wires or
cables and consisting of serrations, grooves, flutes or a channel or channels made in
stone or composite blocks or slabs joined together substantially as herein before

page_text: described with reference to the several figures on the sheet of drawings hereunto
annexed.
Second. The use or employment of the concrete' composition of granite and
cement commercially known as "Granolithic " or "Stuarts Granolithic" and
described in the Specification filed under the Letters Patent granted to Peter
Stuart No 610 AD. 1881 for the purposes of our said Invention substantially as
herein before described with reference to the appended drawings.
In Witness Whereof I the said Peter Stuart on behalf of the said Walter Berry
and myself have hereunto set my hand and seal this Ninth day of October in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
PETER STUART (L.S.)