IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUBMARINE OR SUBAQUEOUS PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Anguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, of 16,
Castle Street, Holborn, London, Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUBMARINE OR SUBAQUEOUS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Anguste Edouard
Loradoux Bellford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
with his Petition, on the 30th June 1853.
AUGUSTE EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 16, Castle Street,
Holborn, London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUBMARINE
OR SUBAQUEOUS TUNNELS OR WAYS" to be as follows, viz. :-
This Invention relates to the construction of tunnels or ways, having
one or more avenues, of cast iron, in sections, to be lowered into a bed
prepared for them by excavating the bottom of the river, harbor, or
other water under which the tunnel or way is to pass; the sections to
be fastened together when in their bed, and suitably weighted, and
when all united, so as to make the tunnel or way complete, to be
Price 8.11

page_text: pumped out or otherwise relieved of the water within. The improve-
ments consist in the manner of constructing the sections, and in the
manner of lowering and uniting them. Fig. 1, in the accompanying
Drawing is a transverse elevation and section of a tunnel with two
main avenues for railways, or roads for ordinary vehicles, and an in-
termediate passage for foot passengers, the elevation being on the right
and the section on the left of the vertical line A, A. Fig. 2, Fig. 2,
is a longitudinal elevation and section of part of the same tunnel, the
elevation being on the right and the section on the left of the line B, B,
the section being taken in the centre of one of the main avenues look-
ing towards the central passage. Fig. 3, is a section of the bottom
joint between two sections of the tunnel. Fig. 1, is a section of the
bed plate showing the guide butis on the bottom. Similar letters
of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several Figures.
The sections C, C, of the tunnel, one of which is included between
a, a, in Fig. 2, are made of such length as is considered advisable, and
are furnished with an internal flange b, all round to receive the bolts
by which they are secured together. A tongue C is formed all round
the outer face of the flange at one end of each section to enter a
recess e, in the flange of the next section, the said tongue and recess
being packed with a strip, of india-rubber. On the top of each
section two projecting ribs d, d, are cast to form a continuous railway
when the sections are put together, and it is provided with two grip
pieces 1, 1, for lowering it.
The bottom of the river or other water is excavated previous to the
sinking of the sections in such a manner as to form a suitable level bed
for the sections to rest upon, and to such a depth as to bring the top of
the sections to a desirable distance below the low-water line. The line
of excavation is marked in Fig. 1, where the natural bottom of the
river is shown by the red line.
The first section or more than one section may be lowered by any
suitable means, either on shore or afloat, and the ribs d, d, form a
railway for a travelling derrick by which the other sections may be
lowered. The sections are lowered one by one and bolted together
by a diver with submarine armour, the india-rubber packing t

page_text: being inserted in the recess e. previous to lowering. The several
sections are caused to come into their proper places in relation to
those previously lowered by two guide pieces . of which one is
shown in Fig. 4, of the form of the letter V. cast on one end of the
bottom of each section, and by two butts h, which project from the
bottom of the next section, the butts h, being on the outermost end of
the section already lowered, and the pieces g. on the innermost end of
the section being lowered. When the section is lowered close to the
end of that already on its bed it may be dropped at once into its place.
The bed plate D, is extended beyond the sides of the tunnel to a con-
siderable width. and strengthened by wings i. i, to receive a quantity of
rubble for the purpose of keeping the structure smuk when the water is
extracted.
The inside of the central passage is also filled in a considerable
height and its top covered with rubble for a similar purpose. The
top of the rubble being finished off with rubble and concrete.
When the sections are bolted together, and connected with suitable
shafts or inclined planes at the ends, and properly weighted down, the
water is extracted, and the flanges are all packed from the inside with
lead or other metal packing, as shown at k, in Fig. 3.
The bed upon
which the structure rests may be made with gravel, or prepared in any
way that may be considered most suitable; and in order to prevent the
gravel or earth being scraped up between the joints of the flanges it is
better to bevel off the lower edge of one face, as shown at j, in Fig. 3.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford in the
Great Seal Patent Office, on the 30th December 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1,
AUGUSTE EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 16, Castle Street, Holborn,
London, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in

page_text: the seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her Heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Augusic Edouard Lora-
doux Bellford, Her special licence that I, the said Anguste Edouard
Loradoux Bellford, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, ihe said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, 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 Juvention, commu-
nicated to me by a foreigner residing abroad, for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUBMARINE OR SUBAQUEOUS TUNNELS OR WAYS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Auguste Edouard
Loradoux Bellford, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 Auguste Edouard Loradoux
Bellford, 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 (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to the construction of funnels or ways, having
one or more avenues, of cast iron, in sections, to be lowered into a bed
prepared for them by excavating the bottom of the river, harbor,
other water under which the tunnel or way is to pass; the sections to
he fastened together when in their bed, and suitably weighted, and
when all united, so as to make the tunnel or way complete, to be
pumped out or otherwise relieved of the water within. The improve-
ments consist in the manner of constructing the sections, and in the
manner of lowering and uniting them. Fig. 1, in the accompanying
Drawing is a transverse elevation and section of a tunnel, with two
main avenues for railways, or roads for ordinary vehicles, and an inter-
mediate passage for foot passengers, the elevation being on the right

page_text: and the section on the left of the vertical line A. A. Fig. 2, is a
longitudinal elevation and section of part of the same innnel. the cleva-
tion being on the right and the section on the left of the line B, B, the
section being taken in the centre of one of the main avenues looking
towards the central passage. Fig. 3, is a section of the bottom joint
between two sections of the tunnel. Fig. 4, is a section of the bed
plate showing the guide butts on the bottom. Similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts in the several Fig.
The sections C. C, of the tunnel, one of which is included between
,, in Fig. 2, are made of such length as is considered advisable, and
are furnished with an internal flange b. all round to receive the bolts
by which they are secured together. A tongue C, is formed all round
the outer face of the flange at one end of each section to enter a
recess e, in the flange of the next section, the said tongue and recess
being packed with a strip, of india-rubber. On the top of each
section iwo projecting ribs d, d, are cast to form a continuous railway
when the sections are put together, and it is provided with two grip
pieces for lowering it.
The bottom of the river or other water is excavated previous to the
sinking of the sections in such a manner as to form a suitable level bed
for the sections to rest upon, and to such a depth as to bring the top
of the sections to a desirable distance below the low-water line. The
line of excavation is marked in Fig. 1, where the natural bottom of the
river is shown by the red line.
The first section, or more than one section. may be lowered by any
suitable means, either on shore or afloat, and the ribs d, d, form a rail-
way for a travelling derrick by which the other sections may be lowered.
The sections are lowered one by one, and bolted together by a diver
with submarine armor, the india-rubber packing, being inserted in
the recess e. previous to lowering. The several sections are caused to
come into their proper places in relation 10 those previously lowered
by two guide pieces g, of which one is shown in Fig. 4, of the form of
the letter V, cast on one end of the bottom of each section, and by two
butts h, which project from the bottom of the next section, the butts h,
being on the outermost end of the section already lowered, and the

page_text: pieces g, on the innermost end of the section being lowered. When
the section is lowered close to the end of that already on its bed it
may be dropped at once into its place. The bed plate D, is ex-
tended beyond the sides of the tunnel to a considerable width, and
strengthened by wings i, i, to receive a quantity of rubble for the
purpose of keeping the structure sunk when the water is extracted.
The inside of the central passage is also filled to a considerable
height and its top covered with rubble for a similar purpose. The
top of the rubble being finished off with rubble and concrete.
When the sections are bolted together, and connected with suitable
shafts or inclined planes at the ends, and properly weighted down, the
water is extracted, and the flanges are all packed from the inside with
lead or other metal packing, as shown at k, in Fig. 3.
The bed upon
which the structure rests may be made with gravel. or prepared in any
way that may be considered most suitable and in order to prevent
the gravel or earth being scraped up between the joints of the flanges
it is better to bevel off the lower edge of one face, as shown at i,
in Fig. 3.
I claim the manner herein described of forming submarine or
subaqueous tunnels and passages in sections of cast iron lowered one
by one into a suitable bed excavated in the bottom of the riber, harbor,
or other water, and so constructed that those which are lowered form
a railway for a travelling derrick to lower the others, and that those
being lowered will always drop into proper positions in relation to those
which are already in place, and that the whole structure can be properly
weighted down.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bell-
ford, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth
day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-three.
A. E. L. BELLFORD. (L.S.)