IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDINGS, BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS, AND BUILDING MATERIALS, INCLUDING WEARING, WEATHER, AND WALKING SURFACES, AND IN MEANS, MODES, AND PROCESSES CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Wellesley Lake, of 66, Gloucester Gardens, Hydo
Park, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BUILDINGS, BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS, AND BUILDING MATERIALS, INCLUDING
WEARING, WEATHER, AND WALKING SURFACES, AND IN MEANS, MODES, AND
PROCESSES CONNECTED THEREWITH." A communication from abroad by
Thaddeus Hyatt, of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 18th February 1879, and dated the 20th August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Wellesley Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th August 1878.
ARTHUR WELLESLEY LAKE, of 66, Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park, in the County
of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDINGS, BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS, AND
BUILDING MATERIALS, INCLUDING WEARING, WEATHER, AND WALKING SURFACES;
AND IN MEANS, MODES, AND PROCESSES CONNECTED THEREWITH." [A communication
from abroad by Thaddeus Hyatt, of New York, United States of America.]
My improvements have reference to weather proofing, fireproofing, lighting, and
ornamenting buildings, to methods of improving the materials therefor, and to
making walking surfaces safe and durable by means of facing materials and methods
to produce a foothold or safe treading surface, and are as follows, viz. :—
Roofs. According to one part of my Invention my improvement consists in a
new method of constructing roofs by means of the holding power of hydraulic
cement combined with side adhesion in vertical or deep seams in connection with
metal blades placed edgewise to produce adhesion surfaces. The metal blades are
the webs of metals laid in the manner of skylight bars; the tiles, like the glass
panes of the skylike, rest upon the bottom flanges of the bars, but are made thick
or deep enough at the edges to rise up flush with or above the top of the blades or
webs of the metals, thus forming a deep crevice or seam at the sides of the tiles for
the hydraulic cement or grouting, this cement or grouting not only making a water-

page_text: tight joint, but being also sufficient to fasten the tiles to their places without other
fastening. To avoid weight I make the tiles hollow, each tile being formed with a
rim or collar on all sides. I make these tiles of various materials, either metal and
of either cast or wrought, or of baked clays, or of hydraulic cements or concretes;
a part of my Invention when making them of the last-mentioned materials
consisting in some cases in putting an extra weather surface upon the tiles in the
form of an asphalte facing, or a soapstone facing, or a magnesian cement facing. A
part of my Invention also consisting in making such tiles of an ornamental kind
by means either of a raised or sunken design, face made, as a part of the tile at the
time of its being made; or in the nature of a facing of ornamental character by
means of colored inlays or filigree work of coloured cements or of soft metals, such
as lead or brass, a part of the Invention consisting in some cases in giving to such
roofs the appearance of overlapping tiles, in other cases making the whole roof as a
design surface of raised or sunken work, or of inlays or filigree work. A part of
the Invention also consisting in some cases in setting the aforesaid tiles and roofs
with or making them of glass to give light; a part of my Invention in some cases
consisting in setting the aforesaid hollow tiles with the hollow sides uppermost, the
same being then filled with concrete and floated to form a weather surface, orna-
mental or otherwise, or used as a bedding surface upon which to lay ornamental
roofing tiles; a part of the Invention, when the tiles are set with glass to give
light, consisting in making the under side of the light holes flaring or splayed to
spread the light.
Illuminating Roofs. Another part of my Invention consists in forming roofs
upon the method herein-above described, and which may be termed my improved
skylight principle, the tiles being gratings set with glass to give light. The point
of the Invention distinguishing this kind of an illuminating roof from my former ones
made of illuminating gratings being in the smallness and lightness of the tiles in
addition to the deep rim form at the edges, by which means I am enabled to readily
place them in position merely abutting them and without the mechanical labor of
drilling and bolting, I am able to fasten these tile gratings to their places by the
simple means of hydraulic cement or grouting only, the one operation both securing
the tiles in place, bonding them to each other, and making water-tight joints. The
glasses of these gratings are secured in their places by means of hydraulic cement;
and the roofs made from these gratings drip no condensed moisture because, first,
the glasses are so formed on their under faces as to cause any moisture thereupon to
flow to the sides and run to the base of the glass, and because at such base there is
a band or layer of absorbing cement to drink up the moisture. Furthermore, the
metal of the gratings, instead of being spread laterally around the light holes, is all
put in blade or web form and made as thin as possible, thus exposing almost no
metallic surface to the influences of the weather to produce condensation upon its
under surface; this mode of forming metal gratings for illuminating purposes
constituting a part of my Invention, as also the making of them out of steel and
out of malleable iron. A part of my Invention also by the employment of gratings
thus constructed in combination with hollow and light glasses consisting in the
production of illuminating roofs vastly more reliable and safe than rough plate glass
ones, and more fireproof and yet of no greater weight than those made of glass so
thin as only half an inch.
A part of my Invention connected with the use of the aforesaid light gratings
consists in making use of them as a base for making roof constructions where no
light is wanted, the openings of the gratings in such cases being blocked by
materials other than glass moulded for the purpose and ornamental or not, and
made from hydraulic cements, baked clays, papier maché, or other suitable material,
the same being set with hydraulic grouting in the manner of setting glasses; or I
employ the grating as a core and mould, a light body upon it, the meshes giving
holding power to the cement or concrete, the face of the same being ornamented or
not in manner as herein-above described.
Roof Pavements.-Another part of my Invention consists in the application of

page_text: the afore-mentioned tiles and gratings and methods of construction to constructing
roof pavements or walking surfaces, and whether surfaces or the sides of buildings,
a part of the Invention as to walking surfaces consisting in facing the tiles with
corundum, emery, crushed pottery, or other gritty materials, the same in some cases
being mixed or incorporated with asphalte for this purpose; and in other cases I
combine these materials with magnesian cement; in other cases I make use of
smaltz or other brilliant and sparkling substances, and having first prepared the
plastic surface by indenting it so as to produce a design face I sprinkle in my
sparkling material and fill up the indents, fastening the same to its bed by means
of a transparent varnish, cement, or gum of some kind like copal varnish. In
other cases to produce a safe walking surface I employ a soft metal, as lead or brass,
and having cast this in design shape as a vine or flower, or fruit or filigree work of
other character, I place these soft metal pieces in position around the glasses when
the purpose is to make illuminating walking surfaces, or around some other fixed
and ornamental points where the surface is not illuminating, and then pour in or
put in my facing material, whether asphalte, concrete, or other plastic, and allow
the whole to set and harden.
Pavements and Wearing Surfaces. Another part of my Invention, not specially
connected with the size of the thing made or the manner of employing it, consists
generally in the producting of wearing and ornamental surfaces designed as foot-
holding and safe walking surfaces, and consists in making a safe surface by combining
corundum, smaltz, or other gritty materials with asphalte or with magnesian cement
as a facing to be put upon a concrete or other body or bed. A part of my Invention
consists in the manufacture of pavement slabs of any size, and preferably made of
concrete and tie metals, the same being formed with a safe walking surface made in
some cases by a mixture of emery and asphalte, and in others by a mixture of
magnesian cement and emery or equivalent gritty substance. Or I make a safe
walking and at the same time ornamental foot surface by means of lead filigree
work, as herein-above described, or other soft metal, tracery, running vines, fruits,
flowers, and other objects being in this way represented upon a cement or concrete
ground. This method of making ornamental surfaces I also apply to wall surfaces
and other faces wherever applicable, the same being a new inanufacture.
In the laying of foot pavements and roof pavements a part of my Invention
consists in the employment of concrete beams laid as a framework, and supported
at suitable points upon piers, the beams being formed with rebates or seats to
receive the pavement slabs, the same in some cases being illuminating, and forming
to them when in position an ornamental border, thus giving solidity and permanency
to the whole side walk in addition to beauty, a part of my Invention in the laying
of whole side walks in this manner consisting in making the same ornamental and
artistic by the means herein-above described, the whole side walk surface being
treated artistically by a design common to the whole surface.
Ornamental and Design Surfaces. Another part of my Invention with respect to
illuminating surfaces consists in making the glasses in design shape; for example,
the glasses may represent roses, and then the foot-holding lead inlays being cast to
represent leaves, and these surrounding the roses produce a pleasing effect. So
with other designs; a part of my Invention connected with the use of soft metals
as ornamental foot surfaces consists in making hydraulic cement tiles, slips, and
dots made ornamental by means of metal filigree work, and employing the same in
place of the ordinary baked clay, ornamenting materials, or in combination with
them, and in combination with glasses for illuminating surfaces.
Another part of my Invention consists in making tiles, slips, and dots of colored
hydraulic magnesian cement as a substitute for the baked clay materials of this
kind.
Another part of my Invention consists in making illuminating and other surfaces
in design form by means of the glasses or other material shaped geometrically or
otherwise, and so fixed and located with respect to each other as to produce between
1

page_text: the same a continuous channel or indented surface that when filled up with plastic
material, colored or not, produces as a whole a pleasing design.
Soluble Glass Surfaces.-Another part of my Invention consists in making
illuminating gratings with a wearing face between the glasses made of soluble
glass as the matrix, in combination with aggregates, such as Portland cement, slag,
pumice, mineral; wool, or other suitable material, the same being combined with tie
metals to make artificial stone, and with or without glass; or used only as a stone
face between the glasses of an illuminating grating, and combined or not with
ornamenting materials, as herein-above set forth.
White Asphalte or Resinous Surfaces.-Another part of my Invention consists in
forming a wearing surface between the glasses of illuminating gratings by the use
of powdered flint, soapstone, corundum, or other materials, as already, described,
combined with wax, tallow, rosin, paraffin, or a mixture of such materials as the
matrix, the compound being formed by the aid of heat, the same being or not made
ornamental by means substantially as herein-above described.
Carbonite Surfaces.- Another part of my Invention consists in making illumina-
ting surfaces with a carbonite surface between the glasses, or a surface composed
of clay or other material converted into a sort of asphalte by means of a hydro-
carbon and heat.
Hydraulic Scagliola.-Another part of my Invention consists in making a
scagliola of hydraulic cements, using of preference the magnesian, and proceeding as
follows, viz. Having first colored the cement I then make cakes or tablets of
different colors and let them dry and harden; these cakes I then break into frag-
ments and combine by means of grouting into surfaces, which are afterwards ground
and polished. In this way I make illuminating gratings with parti-colored surfaces
of great beauty and durability. I propose to also apply this new material to
building purposes generally and to other uses.
Hydraulic Pencils and Mosaics. Another part of my Invention consists in
making a new kind of mosaic, the same being made from colored hydraulic cements,
particularly the magnesian, and formed by means of pencils made from such
cements. These pencils may vary in size from that of the lead of an ordinary lead
pencil to a half inch or more, according to the character of the work to be made.
They may be put together and made to form pictures like tapestry work, after
cartoon drawings, and when the pencils are all set I then grout them into a solid
mass by hydraulic cement grouting; a part of my Invention, in some cases, con-
sisting in the employment of a fine mesh or grating made of thin steel like flat
watch spring metal, in order to add strength to the mosaic. These mosaics I
combine to form "illuminating" and other surfaces to any extent, and I propose to
use them for table tops and other purposes as well as for walls and pavements.
Translucent Mosaics. Another part of my Invention consists in making mosaics
of colored translucent glass pencils, combined as aforesaid by the use of grouting, or
by "diamond," or other transparent cement.
Burglar-proof Windows.-Another part of my Invention consists in making
windows of ornamental character of the aforesaid translucent mosaics, or of small
pieces or squares of thick polished glass plate, the same being combined with a light
but strong grating, made preferably of steel blades, placed edgwise to the view,
thus intercepting little or no light, and scarely interfering with vision. The
glasses are held by side adhesion in the meshes of the grating and without seats.
By this method I construct plates of glass of any size and strength fit for shop
fronts, and that will protect the premises from burglars, without the necessity for
revolving or other shutters, these translucent burglar-proof plates being, in some
cases, hinged or hung like ordinary sash windows, and adapted for use to all parts.
of a building.
Illuminating Flap Doors.-Another part of my Invention consists in making
wrought iron and steel flap doors of remarkable lightness, the same being set with
glass to give light. These doors are made of light steel gratings with small meshes,

page_text: and sett with glass, and of similar construction to the light roof gratings heretofore
described, or they are made of sheet metal perforated with holes to receive thin
metal-seated rings for holding the glasses. These rings are formed with shoulders
to take against one face of the sheet metal, while the open end above runs through
and is then bent over and closed down upon the upper surface of the sheet; the
door being then galvanized, all the seams are made water-tight; the glasses are
then cemented in place.
Composite Wood and Iron Floors.-The solid wood floors of my Invention as
made wholly of wood, in order to be fireproof, were of a thickness proportioned to
the strength of timber. My present purpose is to make thinner fireproof floors of
solid timber, by using iron for the strength, and wood as the protection to the iron
against fire, the novelty of my Invention consisting in the employment of wood as
a web for connecting top and bottom metals into a beam, my method being as
follows:-For the top metals I use blades or bars of iron, as in my gridiron con-
struction, where the concrete forms the web, and for the bottom metals or ties I
also use blades or bars of iron, as in my gridiron constructions, where the concrete
forms the web of the beam, the metals being threaded on wires that pass through
the timber, as the wires pass through the concrete in my concrete beams. Thus the
metals are enclosed and buried up within wood precisely as the metals of my
concrete beams are buried up in the concrete, the wood in the present construction
being analogous to the concrete in my concrete constructions.
Cottage Architecture.-According to another part of my Invention my improve-
ment consists in substituting a framing of concrete joists for the wood ordinarily
employed in the external walls of cottages; these concrete joists I construct of
concrete and tie metals, a part of my Invention consisting in making the same of
colored concretes, and a part of my Invention consisting in facing such joists
with magnesian cement in colors and otherwise, and also inlaying the same with
filigree work of metal or otherwise, as herein-above described with respect to the
ornamental surfaces.
Colored Glasses.-Another part of my Invention consists in a method of
obtaining the effect of colored glass in my illuminating grating constructions where
the glasses that block the openings are white. To effect this object and obtain
durable results I form my solid glass with a pocket or slide, the opening into it
being from one side of the glass; this pocket is just large enough to receive a slip
of colored glass, which when put into it may be said to be within the belly of the
glass, and thus shielded from all harm. These glasses, with colored slips in their
bellies, are then set in the manner of ordinary glasses.
Fireproofing and Fireproof Constructions.-Another part of my Invention relates
to a method and means of securing the bottom flanges of iron beams against fire,
and consists in making bottom flanged protectors in the form of long and narrow
slabs, preferably in the form of "channel iron." These flanged protectors I propose
to make of soapstone, fire-brick, or fireproof concretes and tie metals, the same
being made with long bolts to run up by the sides of the beam on each side thereof,
and take into the concrete or brick arches of the floors between the beams.
According to another method I form a ceiling by means of fireproof slabs of con-
venient widths, these slabs rest upon the bottom flanges of the beams, and the bolts
aforesaid of the flange protectors pass through these slabs and are secured by nuts
upon the upper sides thereof.
According to another part of my Invention I construct fireproof floors by means
of soapstone or concrete arched slabs, which serve the purpose of centres, and
remain as a part of the construction; upon these centres the arches, whether brick
or concrete, are formed.
Hollow Ceiling Blocks or Centres:-Another part of my Invention consists in
making a light centre of hollow blocks, that serve the three-fold purpose of flange
protectors to the bottom flanges of the beams, a counter-ceiling to the floor above
it, and a centre upon which to form the floor. These blocks are made preferably
of Portland cement, but may be made of other hydraulic cement or lime, as lime of

page_text: Theil; they are moulded hollow and in sections convenient for handling; the pieces
that go next the beams may be formed of soapstone or fire-brick, and are formed
with an underlap to go under the flange, and with an overlap to rest upon the top
of the flanges; the intermediate blocks fit between the abutment blocks like the
stones of an arch. The top of these blocks when all are together forms an
arch, and when the concrete to make the floor is put upon this arch the grouting
that runs down into the joints between the blocks serves to cement them together:
Moreover I form the blocks in such manner as to allow a portion of the concrete to
enter and become a portion of the construction, and thus give support to it.
Bricks and Tie Metals.-Another part of my Invention consists in combining
tie metals with bricks and tiles of the common kind by means of hydraulic cement
to form a cheap and easy method of making foundations for walls and piers, and
to give beam strength to parts of walls over window and other openings, and to
convert the walls themselves into beams in cases where the entire storey below is
taken away, as in the case of shop fronts. By the common method of building,
iron beams are used to support the wall on in such cases; but by my method only tie
metals are used, the wall itself forming the compressible portion of the beam.
A part of my Invention consisting in the manufacture of bricks of standard sizes,
with fractional bricks of the same for constructing floors of any thickness in com-
bination with tie metals.
A part of my Invention also consisting in making bricks with recessed sides to
receive and hold the tie metals, and also in making bricks with roughened or
serrated sides for combination with tie metals.
Another part of my Invention consists in making brick beams as the equivalents
of iron beams, to be employed in the same manner and for like purposes, especially
in constructing arched floors. I make these beams by means of tie metals of
unusual strength, the beams themselves being necessarily of considerable width;
and I construct floors by springing brick or concrete arches from them in like
manner as iron beams are employed.
Another part of my Invention in the employment of bricks in combination with
tie metals consists in arranging or placing the bricks perpendicular to the metals
to form with the cement a more perfect bond and guarantee against accidents from
falling bricks through bad materials or imperfect workmanship.
Floor and Girder Construction.-Another part of my Invention relates to floors
of considerable span, where the space between the walls is divided by a row of
columns carrying a girder, and the floor as usually constructed is carried upon the
girder. By my method the girder is formed of concrete and tie metals, same as
the floor, and the concrete of the girder is merged in that of the floor, the top of
the girder being thus a portion of the floor walking surface. By this means a
small portion only of the girder is seen below the floor.
According to another method of construction I dispense with the row of columns
and make great spans by a system of combined parallel girders and floor sections,
the girder sections appearing only as deeper portions of the floor, and the floor
sections appearing only as thinner parts of the floor; the girders being connected
crosswise below the floor sections by concrete joists that cut up the ceiling into
panels of ornamental appearance.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Arthur Wellesley Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
February 1879.
"
1
ARTHUR WELLESLEY LAKE, of 66, Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park, in the County.
of Middlesex. IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDINGS, BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS, &
BUILDING MATERIALS, INCLUDING WEARING, WEATHER, & WALKING SURFACES,
& IN MEANS, MODES, & PROCESSES CONNECTED THEREWITH." A communication
from abroad by Thaddeus Hyatt, of New York, United States of America.
My improvements have reference to weather-proofing, fireproofing, lighting, &
ornamenting buildings, to methods of improving the materials therefor, and to
making walking surfaces safe & durable by means of facing materials, & methods
to produce a foothold or safe treading surface & are as follows, viz.:--|
Roofs. According to one part of my Invention my improvement consists in a
new method of constructing roofs by means of the holding power of hydraulic
cement combined with side adhesion in vertical or deep seams in connection with
metal blades placed edgewise to produce adhesion surfaces. The metal blades are
the webs of metals laid in the manner of skylight bars, the tiles like the glass
of the skylight rest upon the bottom flanges of the bars but are made thick or deep
enough at the edges to rise up flush with or above the top of the blades or webs
of the metals, thus forming a deep crevice or seam at the sides of the tiles for the
hydraulic cement or grouting; this cement or grouting not only making a water-
tight joint but being also sufficient to fasten the tiles to their places without other
fastening. To avoid weight I make the tiles hollow, each tile being formed with a
rim or collar on all sides. I make these tiles of various materials, either metal & .
of either cast or wrought or of baked clays, or of hydraulic cements or concretes,
a part of my Invention when making them of the last-mentioned materials con-
sisting in some cases in putting an extra weather surface upon the tiles in the form
of an asphalt facing, or a soapstone facing, or a magnesian cement facing. A part
of my Invention also consisting in making such tiles of an ornamental kind by
means either of a raised or sunken design face formed upon it at the time of its
being made, or in the nature of a facing of ornamental character by means of
coloured inlays or filagree work of coloured cements or of soft metals, such as lead
or brass; a part of the Invention consisting in some cases in giving to such roofs
the appearance of overlapping tiles, in other cases making the whole roof as a
design surface of raised or sunken work or of inlays or filagree work, as aforesaid;
a part of the Invention also consisting, in some cases, in setting the tiles & roofs
with or making them of glass to give light; a part of my Invention, in some cases,
consisting in placing the hollow sides of the tiles uppermost, filling them with
concrete, & then floating the surface & finishing in plain or ornamental style.
In other cases I form the surface by bedding ornamental roofing tiles upon the
concrete face. When the tiles are set with glass to give light, a part of my
Invention consisting in making the under side of the light holes flaring or
splayed to spread the light. Fig. 1 represents a portion of a roof; A being the
rafters, & B the hollow tiles grouted at their deep edges to the webs of the rafters,
& then overlaid with a floating or surface a, b, of Portland cement in colours, or
plain and figured, ornamental, or otherwise, as described.
Illuminating Roofs.-Another part of my Invention consists in forming roofs upon
the method herein-above described, & which may be termed my improved skylight
principle, the tiles being gratings set with glass to give light, the point of the
Invention distinguishing this kind of an illuminating roof from my former ones
made of illuminating gratings being in the smallness & lightness of the tiles in
addition to the deep rim form at the edges, by which means I am enabled to
readily place them in position, merely abutting them, & without the mechanical
labour of drilling & bolting. I am able to fasten these tile gratings to their places
by the simple means of hydraulic cement, or grouting only the one operation, both

page_text: securing the tiles in place, binding them to each other, & making water-tight joints.
The glasses of these gratings are secured in their places by means of hydraulic
cements, & the roofs made from these gratings drip no condensed moisture, because,
first, the glasses are so formed on their under faces as to cause any moisture thereon
to flow to the sides & run to the base of the glass, and because at such base there is a
band or layer of absorbing cement to drink up the moisture. Furthermore, the
metal of the gratings, instead of being spread laterally around the light holes, is all
put in blade or web form & made as thin as possible, thus exposing almost no
metallic surfaces to the influences of the weather to produce condensation upon its
under surface, this mode of forming metal gratings for illuminating purposes
constituting a part of my Invention, as also the making of them out of steel and out
of malleable iron. A part of my Invention, also by the employment of gratings,
thus constructed in combination with hollow & light glasses, consisting in the pro-
duction of illuminating roofs, vastly more reliable and safe than rough plate glass
ones, and more fireproof & yet of no greater weight than those made of glass so thin
as only half an inch.
A part of my Invention connected with the use of the aforesaid light gratings
consists in making use of them as a base for making roof constructions where no
light is wanted, the openings of the gratings in such cases being blocked by materials
other than glass moulded for the purpose, & ornamental or not, & made from
hydraulic cements, blaked clays, papier maché, or other suitable material, the same
being set with hydraulic grouting in the manner of setting glasses; or I employ
the grating as a core, & mould a light body upon it, the meshes giving holding
power to the cement or concrete, the face of the same being ornamented or not, in
imanner as herein-above described. The metal portion of ordinary illuminating
gratings is spread laterally, as shown by Fig. 2, where c, c, is the metal & d, d, the
glasses. Fig. 3 shows the nature of the improvement, the metal c, c, being dis-
tributed vertically in thin lines on the beam or blade principle of strength &
lightness, this forin also intercepting the least amount of light; e, e, cement at base
of glass to absorb moisture & prevent dripping.
Roof Pavements.-Another part of my Invention consists in the application of
the afore-mentioned tiles & gratings & methods of construction to constructing
roof pavements or walking surfaces & weather surfaces on the sides of buildings,
a part of the Invention as to walking surfaces consisting in facing the tiles with
corundum, emery, crushed pottery, or other gritty materials, the same in some cases
being mixed or incorporated with asphalt for this purpose, and in other cases I com-
bine these materials with magnesian cement. In other cases I make use of smaltz
or other brilliant and sparkling substances, & having first prepared the plastic sur-
face by indenting it so as to produce a design face I sprinkle in my sparkling
material and fill up the indents, fastening the same to its bed by means of a trans-
parent varnish, cement, or gum of some kind like copal varnish. In some cases to
produce a safe walking surface I employ a soft metal as lead or brass, & having
cast or otherwise formed this in design, pattern, & shape, such for example as a
vine, or flower, or fruit, or filagree work of other character, I place these soft
metal pieces in position around the glasses when the purpose is to make illumi-
nating walking surfaces, or around some other fixed & ornamental points where
the surface is not illuminating, & then pour in or put in my facing material,
whether asphalt, concrete, or other plastic, & allow the whole to set & harden, one
method of employing the metal being to use it in thin or rolled sheets cut up into
strips of proper width, these strips being crimped, fluted, or plain; by bending
these into ornamental shapes & standing them edgewise & surrounding them
with cement, ornamental surfaces of great beauty may be obtained. Fig. 4 repre-
sents a slab or block of cement or concrete into the body of which metallic
ornaments made of crimped strips of metal have been placed as shown.
Pavements and Wearing Surfaces.-Another part of my Invention not specially
connected with the size of the thing made or the manner of employing it, con-
sists generally in the production of wearing & ornamental surfaces designed. as

page_text: foot-holding & safe walking surfaces, & consists in making a safe surface by
combining corundum, smaltz, or other gritty materials with asphalt or with
magnesiam cement as a facing to be put upon a concrete or other body or bed. A
part of my Invention consists in the manufacture of pavement slabs of any size, &
preferably made of concrete & tie metals, the same being formed with a safe
walking surface made in some cases by a mixture of emery & asphalt, & in others
by a mixture of magnesium cement & emery, or equivalent gritty substance, or I
make a safe walking & at the same time ornamental foot surface by means of lead
filagree work or other metal as herein-above described, tracery, running vines,
fruits, flowers, and other objects being in this way represented upon a cement or
concrete ground. This method of making ornamental surfaces I also apply to wall
surfaces & other faces whenever applicable, the same being a new manufacture.
In the laying of foot pavements & roof pavements a part of my Invention con-
sists in the employment of concrete beams laid as a framework and supported at
suitable points upon piers, the beams being formed with rebates or seats to receive
the pavement slabs, the same in some cases being illuminating & forming to
them when in position an ornamental border, thus giving solidity & permanency
to the whole side walk in addition to beauty; a part of my Invention in the
laying of whole sidewalks in this manner consisting in making the same orna-
mental & artistic by the means hercin-above described, the whole sidewalk surface
being treated artistically by a design common to the whole surface.
Ornamental and Design Surfaces. Another part of my Invention with respect
to illuminating surfaces consists in making the glasses in design shape; for example,
the glasses may represent roses, & then the foot-holding lead inlays being cast to
represent leaves, & these surrounding the roses produce a pleasing effect. So
with other designs. A part of my Invention connected with the use of soft metals
as ornamental foot surfaces consists in making hydraulic cement, tiles, slips, &
dots made ornamental by means of metal filagree work, & employing the same in
place of the ordinary baked clay ornamenting materials, or in combination with
them, & in combination with glasses for illuminating surfaces.
Another part of my Invention consists in making tiles, slips, & dots of colored.
hydraulic magnesium cement as a substitute for the baked clay materials of this kind.
Another part of my Invention consists in making illuminating & other surfaces in
design form by means of the glasses or other materials shaped geometrically or other-
wise, & so fixed & located with respect to each other as to produce between the same
a continuous channel or indented surface, that when filled up with plastic material,
coloured or not, produces as a whole a pleasing design.
Soluble Glass Surfaces. Another part of my Invention consists in making
illuminating gratings with a wearing face between the glasses made of soluble
glass as the matrix in combination with aggregates such as Portland cement, slagg,
pumice, mineral, wool, or other suitable material, the same being combined with tie
metals to make artificial stone & with or without glass, or used only as a stone face
between the classes of an illuminating grating & combined or not with ornamenting
materials, as herein-above set forth.
White Asphalt or Resinous Surfaces.-Another part of my Invention consists in
forming a wearing surface between the glasses of illuminating gratings by the use
of powdered flint, soapstone, corundum, or other materials, as already described,
combined with wax, tallow, rosin, parafin, or a mixture of such materials as the
matrix, the compound being formed by the aid of heat, the same being or not made
ornamental by means substantially as herein-above described.
Carbonite Surfaces.- Another part of my Invention consists in making illumi-
nating surfaces with a carbonite surface between the glasses, or a surface composed
of clay or other material converted into a sort of asphalt by means of a hydrocarbon
& heat.
Hydraulic Scagliola.-Another part of my Invention consists in making a scagliola
of hydraulic cements, using of preference the magnesiam, & proceeding as follows,
viz: Having first colored the cement I then make cakes or tablets of different

page_text: colours, & let them dry & harden; these cakes I then break into fragments, &
combine by means of grouting into surfaces, which are afterwards ground &
polished. In this way I make illuminating gratings with parti-coloured surfaces of
great beauty & durability. I propose to also apply this new material to building
purposes generally & to other uses.
Hydraulic Pencils and Mosaics.-Another part of my Invention consists in making
a new kind of mosaic, the same being made from coloured hydraulic cements, par-
ticularly the magnesian, & formed by means of pencils made from such cements.
These pencils may vary in size from that of the lead of an ordinary lead pencil to
a half inch or more, according to the character of the work to be made. They may
be put together and made to form pictures like tapestry work, after cartoon drawings,
& when the pencils are all set I then grout them into a solid mass by hydraulic
cement grouting, a part of my Invention in some cases consisting in the employ-
ment of a fine mesh or grating made of thin steel, like flat watch spring metal, in
order to add strength to the mosaic; these mosaics I combine to form illuminating
& other surfaces to any extent, and I propose to use them for table tops and other
purposes, as well as for walls & pavements.
Translucent Mosaics.-Another part of my Invention consists in making mosaics
of coloured translucent glass pencils, combined as aforesaid by the use of grouting,
or by "diamond" or other transparent cement.
Burglar-proof Windows. Another part of my Invention consists in making
windows of ornamental character of the aforesaid translucent mosaics, or of small
pieces or squares of thick polished glass plate, the same being made with a light but
strong grating, made preferably of steel blades placed edgewise to the view, thus
intercepting little or no light, & scarcely interfering with vision. The glasses are
held by side adhesion in the meshes of the gratings, & without seats. By this
method I construct plates of glass of any size & strength, fit for shop fronts, & that
will protect the premises from burglars, without the necessity for revolving or other
shutters, these translucent burglar-proof plates being in some cases hinged or hung
like ordinary sash windows, & adapted for use to all parts of a building.
Illuminating Flap Doors.-Another part of my Invention consists in making
wrought-iron and steel flap doors of remarkable lightness, the same being set with
glass to give light. These doors are made of light steel gratings with small meshes,
& set with glass, & of similar construction to the light roof gratings heretofore
described; or they are made of sheet metal perforated with holes to receive thin
metal seated rings for holding the glasses; these rings are formed with shoulders
to take against one face of the sheet metal, while the open end above runs through,
& is then bent over & closed down upon the upper surface of the sheet, the door
being then galvanized, all the seams are made water-tight, the glasses are then
cemented in place.
Composite Wood & Iron Floors.-The solid wood floors of my Invention, as made
wholly of wood in order to be fireproof, were of a thickness proportioned to the
strength of timber. My present purpose is to make thinner fireproof floors of solid
timber by using iron for the strength, & wood as the protection to the iron against
fire, the novelty of my Invention consisting in the employment of wood as a web
for connecting top & bottom metals into a beam, my method being as follows:-
For the top metals I use blades or bars of iron, as in my gridiron construction,
where the concrete forms the web, & for the bottom metals or ties I also use blades
or bars of iron, as in my gridiron construction, where the concrete forms the web
of the beam, the metals being threaded on wires that pass through the timber as
the wires pass through the concrete in my concrete beams. Thus the metals are
enclosed & buried up within wood precisely as the metals of my concrete beams
are buried up in the concrete, the wood in the present construction being analogous
to the concrete in my concrete construction. C, C, represent the timber web; f, ƒ,
the bottom ties of metal; g, g, the top metals.
Cottage Architecture. According to another part of my Innention, my improve-
ment consists in substituting a framing of concrete joists for the wood ordinarily

page_text: employed in the external walls of cottages; these concrete joists I construct of
concrete & tie metals, a part of my Invention consisting in making the same of
coloured concretes, & a part of my Invention consisting in facing such joists with
magnesian cement in colours or otherwise, & also inlaying the same with filagree
work of metal or otherwise, as herein-above described with respect to other orna-
mental surfaces.
Coloured Glasses.-Another part of my Invention consists in a method of obtain-
ing the effect of coloured glass in my illuminating grating constructions, when the
glasses that block the openings are white. To effect this object and obtain durable
results, I form my solid glass with a pocket or slide, the opening into it being from
one side of the glass, this pocket is just large enough to receive a slip of coloured
glass, which, when put into it, may be said to be within the belly of the glass, &
thus shielded from all harm. These glasses with coloured slips in their bellies are
then set in the manner of ordinary glasses.
Fireproofing & Fireproof Constructions.-Another part of my Invention relates to
a method & means of securing the bottom flanges of iron beams against fire, and con-
sists in making bottom flange protectors in the form of long & narrow slabs
preferably in the form of " channel iron." These flange protectors I propose to
make of soapstone, fire-bricks or fireproof concretes & tie metals; the same being
made with long bolts to run up by the sides of the beam on each side thereof, &
take into the concrete or brick archies of the floors between the beams.
According to another method, I form a ceiling by means of fireproof slabs of
convenient widths; these slabs rest upon the bottom flanges of the beams, & the
bolts aforesaid of the flange protectors pass through the slabs, & are secured by nuts
upon the upper sides thereof.
According to another part of my Invention, I construct fireproof floors by means
of soapstone, or concrete arched slabs which serve the purpose of centres, & remain
as a part of the construction; upon these centres, the arches, whether brick or
concrete, are formed.
Hollow Ceiling Blocks or Centres. Another part of my Invention consists in
making a light centre of hollow blocks that serve the threefold purpose of flange
protectors, to the bottom flanges of the beams, a counter ceiling to the floor above
it, & a centre upon which to form the floor. These blocks may be made of plaster
of Paris, Portland cement, or other hydraulic cement or lime of Theil, they are
moulded in hollow sections, convenient for handling the pieces that go next the
beams, may be made of soapstone or fire-bricks, if preferred, and are formed with an
underlap to go under the flange, & with an overlap to rest upon the top of the
flanges; the intermediate blocks fit between the abutment blocks, like the stones
of an arch. The top of these blocks, when all are together, forms an arch, and when
the concrete to make the floor is put upon this arch, the grouting that runs down
into the joints between the blocks serves to cement them together; moreover, I
form the blocks in such manner as to allow a portion of the concrete to enter and
become a portion of the construction, & thus give support to it. Fig. 6 represents
this part of my Invention; h, h, the hollow blocks; i, i, the concrete above them.
Bricks and Tie Metals. Another part of my Invention consists in combining tie
metals with bricks and tiles of the common kind by means of hydraulic cement, to
form a cheap and easy method of making foundations for walls and piers, and to give
beam strength to parts of walls over window and other openings, and to convert the
walls themselves into beams in cases where the entire story below is taken away, as
in the case of shop fronts. By the common method of building, iron beams are
used to support the wall upon in such cases, but by my method, only tie metals are
used, the wall itself becoming a beam.
A part of my Invention consists in the manufacture of bricks of standard sizes,
with fractional bricks of the same for constructing floors of any thickness, in com-
bination with tie metals.
A part of my Invention also consists in making bricks with recessed sides to

page_text: receive and hold the tie metals, & also in making bricks with roughened or serrated
sides for combination with tie metals.
Another part of my Invention consists in making brick beams as the equivalents
of iron beams to be employed in the same manner & for like purposes, especially in
constructing arched floors. I make the tie metals of these beams of proportionate
strength; the beams themselves being necessarily of considerable width, & I con-
struct floors by springing brick or concrete arches from them in like manner, as
when iron beams are employed.
Another part of my Invention in the employment of bricks in combination with
tie metals, consists in arranging or placing the bricks perpendicular to the metals,
to form with the cement a more perfect bond & guarantee against accidents from
falling bricks through bad materials or imperfect workmanship.
Fig. 7 represents the front wall of a building made of bricks, & k, k, show the
position of the tie metals near the bottom of the wall.
Fig. 8 represents a brick floor formed between the beams m, m, l, l, indicating
the position of the ties. The bricks come down below the bottom flanges to
protect them, a body of cement being used to cover the bottom flanges at n, n, the
same adhering to the bricks on either side. I have represented the construction as
made at the bottom of the beams, but when preferred, I make it at the top, and to
form the floor surface, the beams at the bottom being made secure by a brick or
concrete encasement.
Floor and Girder Construction.-Another part of my Invention relates to floors
of considerable span, where the space between the walls is divided by a row of
columns carrying a girder, & the floor as usually constructed is carried upon the
girder. By my method, the girder is formed of concrete and tie metals, same as the
Hoor, and the concrete of the girder is merged in that of the floor, the top of the
girder being thus a portion of the floor or walking surface; by this means a small
portion only of the girder is seen below the floor.
According to another method of construction, I dispense with the row of columns,
and make great spans by a system of combined parallel girders & floor sections, the
girder sections appearing only as deeper portions of the floor, & the floor sections
appearing only as thinner parts of the floor, the girders being connected crosswise
below the floor sections by concrete joists that cut up the ceiling into panels of
ornamental appearance:
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Wellesley Lake, have hereunto set
my hand & seal, this Seventeenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred & seventy-nine.
ARTHUR WELLESLEY LAKE. (L.S.)
Witness,
F. J. RAPSON,
Clerk to E. P. Alexander,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
14, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane,
W. C.