Improved Wood Paving for Streets, and the like and an Improved Block therefor.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 14th May, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Wood Paving for Streets, and the like and an Improved
Block therefor.
I, THOMAS GRACE, of No. 1, Shepherd Street, Darlington, near Sydney, in the Colony
of New South Wales, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"Improved wood paving for streets and the like, and an improved block therefor"
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention has been specially devised in order to provide a wood block surface
to which a top dressing or facing of asphalt or asphalt composition or other paving
coating will firmly adhere and which with said top dressing or with but a top filling
will provide a surface on which draught animals will not be likely to slip or fall.
The improved wood paving for streets and the like consists of blocks so formed and
laid that the upper surface of the pavement will consist of regular series of
peculiarly tapered recesses or in other words of rows of blocks whose upper edges
or faces will be en échelon.
The improved wood block for street paving has one of its edges namely its "top"
cut on the bevel or at an angle to its adjoining edges or
"ends."
But in order that this invention may be clearly understood reference will now
be made to the drawings herewith in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a
double block which is cut angularly across as shown at a a to make two similar
bevelled blocks A as shown in Figures 1A and 1B the construction of which forms
part of this invention. Figure 2 is a plan of part of a road or pavement (without top
dressing) constructed according to this invention and Figure 3 is an elevation
thereof.
The blocks A are laid side by side and end to end as ordinarily but having the
shorter height of the bevel butting against the longer height of the next block and
they are laid as ordinarily upon a prepared bed or foundation of concrete C between
the kerbs B. The rows of blocks are laid usually longitudinally with the roadway
and they are laid with broken joint or bond as shown so that the recesses
in the surface of the blocked road or way will be regular and en échelon.
These recesses make the surface present a honey-comb appearance. Upon this
honey-comb surface the top dressing or facing or coating of asphalt or other
composition is laid as marked D and it is firmly compressed into the interstices of
the surface. This top, dressing (instead of as usual peeling off the flat surface of a
wood blocked roadway will be found to be firmly held to the surface by reason of the
inequalities therein. The top dressing affords very good foothold for horses etc. but
as it wears away the top edges of the higher part of the wood blocks will appear and
by their hardness prevent any further rapid deterioration of the roadway as well as
afford even a firmer foothold for horses and the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
First. Improved wood blocks for paving purposes made by cutting a double block

page_text: Second. An improved wood block for paving purposes having one of its edges or
"top" bevelled to the "ends" substantially as herein described.
Third. Improved wood paving for streets and the like having its upper surface
formed of a series of regular tapered recesses substantially as herein described.
Fourth. Improved wood paving for streets and the like consisting of blocks
presenting a honey-comb surface in which a top dressing is firmly compressed
substantially as herein described.
Dated this First day of March. One thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight.
THOMAS GRACE.
G. F. Redfern & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.