IM- PROVEMENTS IN VIADUCTS ADAPTED BOTH FOR PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC AND FOR THE SUPPLY OF FRESH AIR TO BUILDINGS IN CROWDED LOCALITIES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Loughborough
Park, Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN VIADUCTS ADAPTED BOTH FOR PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC AND FOR
THE SUPPLY OF FRESH AIR TO BUILDINGS IN CROWDED LOCALITIES." -A
communication from abroad by John Perry, residing at Melbourne,
Australia.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson
Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 29th December 1870.
I, GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton,
in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VIADUCTS ADAPTED BOTH FOR PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC
AND FOR THE SUPPLY OF FRESH AIR TO BUILDINGS IN CROWDED LOCALITIES," to
be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object an improved system of supplying
fresh air to buildings in large centres of population in combination with

page_text: improved accommodation for pedestrian traffic.
With regard to the air supply I would observe that there are few if
any disadvantages to which the inhabitants of large closely-built manu-
facturing towns are subjected that are so serious and yet so common as
those arising from the confined, vitiated, and more or less unwholesome
condition of the air in their places of business and their town buildings
generally. At present wherever narrow streets, high buildings, and
crowded offices or other apartments bear witness to the value of space
for human occupation, they also testify that a vast amount of human
energy is there exerting itself under most unsatisfactory atmospheric
conditions. In addition to this at certain seasons the buildings men-
tioned frequently become uncomfortable from an excess of either heat
or cold, since with the very imperfect methods now in use it is most
frequently impossible to preserve in them an equable temperature
throughout, nor are arrangements that would render it possible to do
so either known to or within the reach of individual householders.
Hitherto all attempts at ventilating have proceeded from independent
private effort, and although town buildings are themselves so closely
associated each proprietor is so isolated as not only to be at liberty but
obliged to do everything that is requisite to provide some imperfect
substitute for thorough ventilation, or to do without any at all. Yet there
is in reality no insurmountable obstacle to the establishment of a perfect
system for ventilating and warming or cooling to any required degrees
and to their inmost recesses the whole or any portion of the interior
of each and every building in any town whatever. By reticulating any
town with tubes in sufficient numbers and of adequate sizes &c. and
by keeping those tubes filled with pure compressed air forced from the
country, everything that can be desired from ventilation might be placed
within the reach of all the inhabitants. The one difficulty has been and
is how to provide and to make generally available sufficiently large
supplies of pure compressed air. Since the quantities of air required
would be many times greater than those of both gas and water (which
are the only articles of consumption as yet supplied in this manner) and
since if anything at all were to be done towards meeting this require-
ment in any town a general distribution of the air to most of the town
buildings would certainly be demanded sooner or later, it would be
almost impossible to establish any local system for ventilating with

page_text: compressed air, so as to give public satisfaction without providing
conduits of ample size and laying them in tolerable close proximity to
each other through the whole district operated upon. But these conduits
cannot be provided underground like those used for gas and water, for
there is probably no large town in which it would not be either
absolutely impossible or ruinously expensive to construct the immense
lengths of tunnelling, and to lay down the still greater lengths of large
iron mains that would be indespensably necessary. Neither is it probable
that any attempt to supply town buildings with fresh air would for some-
time be by itself a profitable undertaking, and therefore I propose to
combine the air supply arrangements with a system providing improved
and increased accommodation for pedestrian traffic. Much inconvenience
has long been experienced in many cities and towns from the need of
increased and improved accomodation for pedestrain traffic not to mention
numerous minor evils directly resulting from the present state of things
it is well known to have caused, and to be still causing loss of time,
loss of health, and even loss of life to a serious extent. The truth is
that pedestrian traffic in towns has not hitherto received attention at all
proportionate to its immense importance. In London especially is this
the case and whatever railways and tramways may reasonably be
expected to effect on behalf of the riding public, it is certain that they
can neither largely increase existing pedestrian accommodation nor cán
they materially abate the annoyances and dangers to which pedestrians
are generally exposed. There is however a possible method of dealing
effectually with all these features of the case, and that is to construct
systems of footways perfectly independent of all streets by placing them
at some considerable elevation above the street levels. It is true that
if it were necessary for such footways to follow the course of the streets
they would in many cases exclude light and air from all beneath, but
this supposed necessity does not exist. Bearing these points in mind
and being desirous of initiating a system that shall enable foot passengers
to proceed from any one point in any town or city, adopting it to any
other point therein without being once required to pass from under
cover or to come into contact with either carriage or equestrian traffic
in the journey and being further desirous of making pure compressed
air in large quantities available for the purposes of general ventilation in
town buildings, I have devised an improved method of utilizing existing
appliances, whereby compressed country air may be made available in
quantity fully adequate to the ventilation of buildings generally in cities

page_text: and towns of all sizes, and whereby increased and improved accommoda-
tion for pedestrian traffic therein may also be provided. The proposed
method consists,―
1. In constructing in each city, town, or unbroken aggregation of
buildings a continuous rectigulating system of girder or other horizontal
supports carrying a large tubular pneumatic reservoir and a footway,
the reservoir to be either under or over or on one or both sides of the
footway, as may be found locally expedient, and vice versa, the footways
to be either over or under or on one or both sides of the reservoir.
2. In placing this erection at varying elevations above the surface
level but everywhere so as (a) to clear the street traffic; (b) to cross
all streets as nearly at right angles as may be found practicable; and
(c) to pass through, between, or over buildings on either side of the
streets intersected.
3. In forcing air into the reservoirs from compressing stations in the 1
country through such channels, and so placed (above, below, or on
the surface) as the conformation of the localities traversed, and other
considerations may in each case render expedient.
4. In conducting the air from the reservoirs to service pipes through
mains placed under the streets upon the houses or between, but in the 2
rear of the lines of buildings.
5. In providing that the footways shall be in the fullest possible
intercommunication on their own level.
6. In placing the footways in communication with the streets and
other points, such as railway stations, &c., by means of lifts, steps, &c. 2
where required.
A
In having the footware mofed orax throughout
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 29th June 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the County
of Surrey, send greeting.
3

page_text: exe-.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, Her
special license that I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield,
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VIADUCTS ADAPTED BOTH FOR PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC AND
FOR THE SUPPLY OF FRESH AIR TO BUILDINGS IN CROWDED LOCALITIES," a
communication to me from abroad by John Perry, a person resident
at Melbourne, Australia, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said.
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained.
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object an improved system of supplying
fresh air to buildings in large centres of population in combination.
with an improved method of providing the said localities with increased.
and improved accommodation for pedestrian traffic. With regard to
the air supply I would observe that there are few if any disadvantages
to which the inhabitants of large closely built manufacturing towns
are subjected that are so serious and yet so common as those arising
from the confined, vitiated, and more or less unwholesome condition
of the air in their places of business, and their town buildings generally.
At present wherever narrow streets, high buildings, and crowded offices
or other apartments bear witness to the value of space for human

page_text: occupation, they also testify that a vast amount of human energy is
there exerting itself under most unsatisfactory atmospheric conditions.
In addition to this at certain seasons the buildings mentioned frequently
become uncomfortable from an excess of either heat or cold, since with
the very imperfect methods now in use, it is most frequently impossible
to preserve in them an equable temperature throughout, nor are arrange-
ments that would render it possible to do so either known to or within
the reach of individual householders. Hitherto all attempts at ventilating
have proceeded from independent private effort, and although town
buildings are themselves so closely associated, each proprietor is so
isolated as not only to be at liberty, but obliged to do everything that
is requisite to provide some such imperfect substitute for thorough
ventilation, or to do without any at all. Yet there is in reality no in-
surmountable obstacle to the establishment of a perfect system for
ventilating and warming or cooling to any required degrees, and to their
inmost recesses the whole or any portion of the interior of each and every
building in any town whatever. By reticulating any town with tubes
in sufficient numbers, and of adequate sizes, &c., and by keeping those
tubes filled with pure compressed air, forced from the country, every-
thing that can be desired from ventilation might be placed within the
reach of all the inhabitants. The one difficulty has been, and is, how to
provide and to make generally available sufficiently large supplies of
pure compressed air. Since the quantities of air required would be
many times greater than those of both gas and water (which are the
only articles of consumption as yet supplied in this manner) and since
if anything at all were to be done towards meeting this requirement
in any town, a general distribution of the air to most of the town
buildings would certainly be demanded sooner or later, it would be
almost impossible to establish any local system for ventilating with
compressed air so as to give public satisfaction without providing
conduits of ample size and laying them in tolerably close proximity
to each other through the whole district operated upon, but these
conduits cannot be provided underground like those used for gas and
water, for there is probably no large town in which it would not be
either absolutely impossible or ruinously expensive to construct the
immense lengths of tunnelling and to lay down the still greater lengths
of large iron mains that would be indispensably necessary. Neither
is it probable that any attempt to supply town buildings with fresh
air would for some time be by itself a profitable undertaking, and

page_text: therefore it is proposed to combine the air supply arrangements with
a system providing improved and increased accommodation for pedestrian
traffic. Much inconvenience has long been experienced in many cities
and towns from the need of increased and improved accommodation.
for pedestrian traffic. Not to mention numerous minor evils directly
resulting from the present state of things it is well known to have
caused and to be still causing loss of time, loss of health, and even loss
of life to a serious extent. The truth is that pedestrian traffic in towns
has not hitherto received attention at all proportionate to its immense
importance. In London especially is this the case, and whatever
railways and tramways may reasonably be expected to effect on behalf
of the riding public it is certain that they can neither largely increase
existing pedestrian accommodation, nor can they materially abate the
annoyances and dangers to which pedestrians are generally exposed.
There is however a possible method of dealing effectually with all these
features of the case, and that is to construct systems of footways perfectly
independent of all streets by placing them at some considerable elevation
above the street levels. It is true that if it were necessary for such
footways to follow the course of the streets they would in many cases
exclude light and air from all beneath, but this supposed necessity
does not exist. Bearing these points in mind and being desirous of
initiating a system that shall enable foot passengers to proceed from
any one point in any town or city adopting it to any other point therein,
without being once required to pass from under cover or to come into
contact with either carriage or equestrian traffic in the journey, and
being further desirous of making pure air compressed in large quantities
available for the purposes of general ventilation in town buildings, there
has been devised an improved method of utilizing existing appliances
whereby compressed country air may be made available in quantities
fully adequate to the ventilation of buildings generally in cities and
towns of all sizes, and whereby increased and improved accommodation
for pedestrian traffic therein may also be provided. The proposed

page_text: footway as may be found locally expedient, and vice versa, the footways
to be either over or under or on one or both sides of the reservoir.
2. In placing this erection at varying elevations above the surface
level, but everywhere so as (a) to clear the street traffic; (b) to cross
all streets as nearly at right angles as may be found practicable; and
(c) to pass through, between, or over buildings on either side of the
streets intersected.
3. In forcing air into the reservoirs from compressing stations in the
country through such channels and so placed (above, below, or on the
surface,) as the conformation of the localities traversed and other
considerations may in each case render expedient.
4. In conducting the air from the reservoirs to service pipes through
mains placed under the streets, upon the houses, or between, but in the
rear of the lines of buildings.
5. In providing that the footways shall be in the fullest possible
intercommunication on their own level.
6. In placing the footways in communication with the streets and
other points such as railway stations, &c., by means of lifts, steps, &c.,
where required.
And 7, in having the footways roofed over throughout.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed Figure 1 is a perspective view of
the combined viaduct and air conduit; Figure 2 is a sectional plan, and
Figure 3 is a transverse section of the same.
2
a is the air conduit; b, b, b, the footways, and c the roof of the
structure. The air conduit commences in the open country at some 2
place where the air is pure, and here air forcing apparatus is situate.
This apparatus drives the air into the conduit and maintains a pressure
therein. The conduit conveys the pure air without loss into the town,
where it is distributed by pipes or channels to the interior of the houses
and buildings in a manner similar in principle to that in which coal 3
gas is now laid on, but the arrangements are made for the supply of
larger volumes. The conduits with the footways which are combined
with them are as already mentioned carried as far as circumstances will
admit at right angles to the streets, they are taken through the houses
by passages formed either in the original construction of the houses or 3

page_text: by subsequent alterations, and when a street or open place is reached
they are carried by bridge-like viaducts such as the Drawing represents.
Having thus described the nature of this Invention and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to any particular method of constructing either the raised
footways or the pneumatic conduit or reservoir, but what I claim is, the
combination of a raised footway or pedestrian viaduct, and a pneumatic
conduit or reservoir in the manner and for the purposes substantially as
herein described and explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of June
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.