A NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS OF CONSTRUCTing Streets, Roadways, or Floors
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sigismund Schuman, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "A NEW OR
IMPROVED MEANS OF CONSTRUCTing Streets, Roadways, or Floors.”
Scaled the 29th December 1876, and dated the 7th July 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sigismund Schuman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th July 1876.
SIGISMUND SCHUMAN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Manufacturer. "A NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS OF CONSTRUCTING STREETS, ROAD-
WAYS, OR FLOORS."
1
This Invention has reference to a new or improved mode or manner and means
of constructing roads, or the paving or upper surface of streets, specially suitable
for forming permanent ways for the horse, carriage, and tramway traffic, but al so
capable of being applied with slight modification to the side or foot pavements of
streets and courts, or the floors of public works, shops, and houses, and which will
be more secure, uniform, or regular and lasting than the roadways heretofore used;
And the nature and novelty of the Invention or improvements. consist all as
follows: In making the blocks of any good durable wood, either in its natural
state or prepared or "cured," to stand the weather, and of a uniform length, width;
and thickness, or depth (as, say from 6 to 12 inches in length and from 3 to 5
inches in width or thickness), and laying them lengthways across the street, with
their ends preferably in parallel rows along the street or road, having checks in
them opposite each other to receive longitudinal strips of flat rectangular T shaped
or cruciform holding bars of iron, or it might be laths of harder wood than the
blocks, and which might or might not separate the blocks to leave narrow slots
between their ends to be filled up with mixed pitch and sand, cement, or other.
material, which would prevent water from soaking in to any injurious extent and;
afford a holding surface for the horses' feet, or they might be laid in parallel rows
or inade to "brake bond" in their width or thickness; in either case they would
have separating and holding bars of iron or wood between them, as stated, to form
the groove between the adjacent ends of the rows of blocks to be filled up, as
stated, for the horses' feet to catch in, these cross bars being made to enter holes or
notches, or have notches in them to fix and hold the longitudinal bars, and either
or both sets of bars might have holes in them to drive nails or small spikes through
Pasics Bd1
.

page_text: them into the blocks, which arrangement would secure whole squares or rectangular
pieces of this construction of roadway, as, say from one to two yards in width and
from two to three yards in length, put together at the works or at the place where
they are to be laid, but capable of being laid or raised when required in one piece
or section, so as to facilitate the making or repairing of the streets or roadways
without stopping the traffic. And these sections so put together may be laid down
and fixed together on the ordinary forms of foundations at present used for the
various ordinary forms of surface roadways, such as that made by the under layer of
large stones in the macadamised roads, or by one or more layers of small stones or
broken minerals, or the residue thereof mixed with pitch, asphalte, or lime, cement, or
concrete; or otherwise, by another improvement of this Invention, the individual
blocks might be set in deep recessed cast-iron boxes or sole pieces, and fixed to
their dividing feathers by longitudinal or transverse bars, as before stated, at their
ends or sides, and these boxes or set of blocks (so firmly secured together in either
of the ways stated, individually or collectively) might be laid or bedded and
secured close together on broad resting pieces of india-rubber or the cheap forms
of prepareít felts used for roofing and other purposes, or standing the weather, or
with these below broad supporting metal feet or sleepers laid on ordinary rough
foundation roads or blocks of stone in these, the metal boxes or supporting sleepers
being made with openings below, so that no water would collect or lie about them
to cause or hasten decay. And for the like purpose layers of such felts may, when
desired, be inserted between the joints of the blocks, or these and their fixings,
especially when iron is used, or between the bottoms of these and their resting
metal boxes when such were used.
Although only rectangular blocks of wood have been named, these being con-
sidered best, it is to be understood that where more convenient other shaped blocks
might be used, as for colonial roads, where the iron fastenings might be sent out to
suit small round timber or trees, or sections of these of a nearly uniform size cross
cut to the length to suit the sections, and instead of the recesses for the longitudinal
irons, these might also be made in the form of checks which could be made by a
circular or cross-cut saw; and although wood blocks only have been mentioned the
blocks may be made of real or artificial stone, concrete, or other mixtures of lime,
cement, or pitch, with sand, gravel, broken stones, furnace refuse, or similar
materials, either calcined, kilned, or dried, as desired, to give the necessary degree
of hardness, and fixed all otherwise in accordance with this Invention or improve-
ment.
Although these blocks have been described as laid down and secured in trans-
verse rows they may be laid and secured in longitudinal or angular rows, preferably
with the long holding bars at their ends, and in either case they might be bound at
their sides instead.
This construction of permanent roadway would be peculiarly suitable for roads
or streets where tramways require to be laid, the rails simply requiring to be sunk
into grooves formed in the blocks and simply secured thereto in any ordinary
manner by nails, spikes, or screws, as they are to their special foundation ways at
present without the necessity of opening up the roadway either for the laying down
or repairing of tramways.
The blocks may in some cases be formed with angled sides or of a somewhat
dovetailed shape in cross section, and when tapered towards the lower or resting
side they would form a perfect and solid joint against the separating or binding
iron bars.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Sigismund Schuman in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 6th
January 1877.
SIGISMUND SCHUMAN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Manufacturer. "A NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS OF CONSTRUCTING STREETS, ROAD-
WAYS, OR FLOORS."
"
My said Invention has reference to a new or improved mode and means of con-
structing roads, or the paving or upper surface of streets, specially suitable for
forming permanent ways for the horse, carriage, and tramway traffic, but also
capable of being applied, with slight modification, to the side or foot pavements of
streets and courts, or the floors of public works, shops, houses, or other buildings, and
which will be more secure, uniform, or regular and lasting than the roadways here-
tofore used; and the nature and novelty of the Invention or improvements consist
all as follows:-The blocks of which the roadway proper is formed are preferably
made of any good durable wood, either in its natural state or prepared or "cured
to withstand the weather, and of a uniform length, width, and thickness or depth
(as, say, generally from 6 to 12 inches in length, and from 3 to 5 inches in width
or thickness, but other sizes would suit for special circumstances), which under one
arrangement are laid preferably lengthways across the street, with their end
junctions in parallel rows along the street or road, having checks in them opposite
ench,other to receive longitudinal strips of flat, rectangular, T shaped, or cruciform
holding bars of iron, or it might be laths of harder wood than the blocks, and which
might or might not separate the blocks, to leave narrow slots between their ends to
be filled up with mixed pitch and sand, cement, or other material, which would
prevent water from soaking in to any injurious extent, and afford a holding surface
for the horses' feet; or, the blocks under another arrangement may be laid in
parallel rows to "break bond" at their end joints in their width or thickness; in
either case they would have separating and holding bars of iron or wood between
them in their width to form the groove between the adjacent ends and sides of the
rows of blocks, to be nearly filled up, as stated, with pitch, sand, cement, or other
similar material, for the horses' feet to catch in; all as a portable set of blocks
secured together either with or without an under layer or backing of boarding or
planking. These cross bars may be made to enter holes or notches, or have notches
cut in them to fix and hold the longitudinal bars, and either or both sets of bars
might have holes in them to drive nails or small spikes through them into the
blocks, which arrangement would secure whole squares or rectangular pieces of this
construction of roadway, as, say, from one to two yards in width, and from two to
three yards in length, either put together at the works or at the place where they
are to be laid, preferably the former, for speedy road making, but capable of being
laid or raised when required in one piece or section, so as to facilitate the
making or repairing of the streets or roadways without stopping the traffic; and
these sections so put together may be laid down and fixed together on any of the -
ordinary forms of foundations at present used for the various forms of surface road-
ways, such as that made by the under layer of large stones in the macadamised
roads, or by one or more layers of small stones or broken minerals, or the residue
thereof, mixed with pitch, asphalte, or lime, cement, or concrete for permanent
streets, but for ordinary roads these prepared blocks may be laid on plain levelled
soil or gravel below the roadway. Or, otherwise, by another improvement under
this Invention, the individual blocks might be set in deep recessed cast-iron boxes
or sole pieces, and fixed to their dividing feathers by longitudinal or transverse
lars, as before stated, at their ends or sides, and for giving a soft or noiseless road-
way these boxes of blocks (so firmly secured
individually or collectively) may be laid or
broad resting pieces of india-rubber, or the
roofing and other purposes or withstanding
together in either of the ways stated,
bedded and secured close together on
cheap forms of prepared felt used for
the weather; or these soft materials

page_text: may be placed below broad supporting metal feet or sleepers carrying the portable
boxes or sets of blocks, and laid on ordinary rough foundation roads, or blocks of
stone on these. When metal boxes or supporting sleepers are used they would have
openings below to prevent water from collecting in or about them and the blocks
to cause or hasten decay; and for the like purposes layers of such felts may, when
desired, be inserted between the joints of the blocks, or these and their fixings,
especially when iron is used, or between the bottoms of these and their resting
metal boxes when such were used, or melted pitch itself or other equivalent may be
run into these joints.
Although only rectangular blocks of wood have been named, these being con-
sidered best, it is to be understood that where more convenient other shaped blocks
might be used, as for colonial roads, where the iron fastenings might be sent out to
suit small round timber or trees, or sections of these of a nearly uniform size cross
cut to the length to suit the sections, and instead of the recesses for the longitudinal
strips of wood or iron these might be made in the form of checks, which could be
made by a circular or cross-cut saw; and although wood blocks only have been
mentioned, the blocks may be made of real or artificial stone, concrete, or other
mixtures of lime, cement, or pitch, with sand, gravel, broken stones, furnace refuse,
or similar materials, either calcined, kilned, or dried, as desired, to give the necessary
degree of hardness, and fixed all otherwise by binding irons in accordance with this
Invention or improvement.
Although these blocks have been described as laid down and secured in
transverse rows they may be laid and secured in longitudinal or angular rows,
preferably with the long holding bars at their ends, and in either case they might
be bound at their sides instead.
This construction of permanent roadway would be peculiarly suitable for roads or
streets where tramways required to be laid, the rails simply requiring to be sunk
into grooves formed in the blocks, and secured thereto in any ordinary manner by
nails, spikes, or screws, as they are to their special foundation ways at present,
without the necessity of opening up the roadway, either for the laying down or
repairing of tramways.
The blocks may in some cases be formed with angled sides, or of a somewhat
dovetailed shape in cross section, and when tapered towards the lower or resting
side they would form a perfect and solid joint against the separating or binding iron
bars.
Having so far described the nature and novelty of my said Invention, I shall now
specify the best manner I am at present aware of for performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice, by describing the several Figures on the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, which I have hereunto appended for that
purpose, the same reference letters and numerals indicating the same or equivalent
parts in all the Figures where shown.
Figures 1 to 7 are large scale views, illustrated, of various shapes and sizes of the
individual or detached wood blocks A, as suitable generally for forming the upper
bearing and wearing surface or body proper of my said new or improved portable
composite pieces or sets of blocks for the making or laying of the improved
roadways, streets, and tramways, while I do not confine myself to the exact forms
and sizes of these blocks A, as shown in these Figures; and these blocks A may be
made either with their end or side wood or fibre upwards as the wearing surface.
The other Figures show the general mode of constructing and arranging the
blocks A into the composite or portable set for the laying or making of roadways
in accordance with my said Invention.
Figure 1 shows an elevation and plan of a single square block A.
Figure 2, a corresponding elevation and plan of a diamond or lozenge-shaped
block A
Figure 3, a side and end view and plan of a plain rectangular block A³.
Figure 4, a corresponding side and end view, and a plan of a rectangular block A,
with projections along its one side and end, at a, a¹, respectively, for forming the

page_text: lower narrow recesses above these, for forming the transverse recesses (across the
road 11) between the sides of the blocks when laid down, and the longitudinal
recesses 2 2 across and between the ends of the blocks for affording a foothold
to the horses on the road, as seen in the several plan views, Figures 9, 12, 14, 15,
and 19, of the new composite sets of blocks.
Figure 5 shows a side and end view, and a plan of block A with the one side
cut or bevelled to form the said transverse recesses 1 1, when these blocks are
built side to side, as seen in Figure 5 B.
---
Figures 6 and 7 show corresponding side and end views and plans of two forms
of blocks A and A7, respectively angled on their sides, and broadest at the lower
and upper faces or sides.
Figures 8 and 9 are a vertical edge view, and a plan of one construction of my
new or improved composite or self-contained portable set of blocks for laying down
or constructing roadways in large sectional pieces, built of or with the square
bricks A, Figure 1, preferably, on a building block or plate divided off with bars or
feathers to suit the size of the block A and the width of the recesses 1 - - - 1 and
22 between then, and set in rows with their top sides turned down to the
said building plate, inserting and nailing a transverse or longitudinal wood lath a
or a to each row, within or to form the recesses 1 - 1 or 22 until the
whole of the rows forming the square are built, and then above and across the said
set of parallel laths, the other set (a¹ or a, as the case may be) is inserted and
nailed, these latter filling their recesses to near the flush of the present top ends of
the blocks A, and which when finished form their under side or base, and are then
conted with hot liquid tar or pitch, and all the interstices filled up with this and
sand, over which a longitudinal and transverse thickness or sheathing of boards B, B',
is nailed to the under side of the set of blocks A to form a firm binding and
supporting basement frame to the whole, which can either be lifted off its building
plate, and turned with its proper top side up, as seen in Figures 8 and 9, where the
narrow recesses 1
2 are all filled or rammed with hot liquid pitch
or tar, and sand over the laths a, a¹, to near the top of the blocks to prevent water
from getting into the sides or ends of the blocks, and allowing sufficient depth of
groove between them at the tops to give a good foothold for the horses' feet or shoes
to catch in. The sole part B, B', is preferably left projecting slightly to the right
and in front at B1, B2, of each block, so that the left and back of its adjacent blocks
as they are laid down may overlap these edges B1, B2, and rest on or be secured
there to cottered bolts or equivalent fastenings, easily loosened when these blocks
and a part of this roadway have to be lifted.
1 and 2
Figure 10 is a plan of another modification of my said new or improved portable
composite blocks, or sectional sets of blocks, for forming roadways according to the
improved mode and means of doing so under my said Invention. In this case the
upper surface or body of the block is built with the diamond or lozenge-shaped
block shown detached at Figure 2, all as described in reference to Figures 8 and 9,
except that the laths a, a¹, are laid or fixed angularly across each other, and the
whole shown as bound by an outer rectangular strap or bar C (either with or with-
out the boarding or basement B), or it might be angled iron, with angular recesses
33 for being laid down at the turnings or crossings of roads and streets to
give this angled or more suitable foothold for the horses.
Figures 11 and 12 are a front elevation and plan respectively of another modi-
fication of my said improved composite blocks for laying roadways in large sectional
pieces, built with blocks As of the plain rectangular form shown in Figure 3, all
substantially as described in reference to Figures 8 and 9, the end joints of the
blocks all running in longitudinal lines 2 2 (that is, not "breaking bond"),
as shown in Figures 13 and 14, which are similar views of like improved portable
sectional piece built of blocks of the form shown in Figure 4, which has no binding
laths a or a (shown in the former Figures 8 to 12), but bound together below by
longitudinal flat bars of iron B11 across every alternate row of end joints a" and
boards B filled in between them, all to be made up to the same level to give a good

page_text: flat base to the whole, as B, B¹, in Figures 8, 9, and 11, 12, but these bars Bl
might be sunk in flush below when boarding B is not desired, and they are pre-
ferably left projecting at the sides B1, B2, for supporting or attaching its adjacent
blocks or sections as they are laid down, and their ends may either be left plain or
straight, as shown in sharp lines, by building in half blocks at A**, or leaving these
out and allowing the end of the whole blocks to project, as dotted in on the left-
hand side to fill the spaces A'x on the right side when laid down to "break bond."
along the whole transverse lines across the road or street.
---
at
When the end joints a¹ of the blocks are all set in longitudinal rows, as in
Figures 8, 9, and 11, 12, (or as might be when recesses are formed right across,
cutting a check in the middle of the top of the long block "breaking bond
these joints), tie bolts or bars may be inserted into these recesses 2 2 instead
of or above the wood laths a, a, to bind the whole by nuts or cottors at the ends,
and when this is done one picce or block A might be stretched across the whole as
binding sides; or a bar of iron might be so placed there in the recess between the
portable sections for the like purpose of binding the whole set of small blocks
together; or otherwise, as shown in sectional elevation and partial plan in Figures
16 and 17, recesses D might be formed in the ends of the blocks A³ above the
separating pieces or laths a¹, and have bars of iron D¹ inserted in these goooves to
keep the blocks at the proper distance apart to form recesses 1 1 to give foot-
hold to the horses, and at the same time bind the whole together by screw or
cotter bolts D¹¹, or other equivalent, and which might be made to attach the
adjacent portable sections or composite blocks so formed when laid down on or to
form the roadway. The recesses D for the bars D' are shown dotted in in
Figure 2.
Figures 17, 18, and 19 are a sectional side and end elevation, and partial plan
of an arrangement for binding these compact portable blocks by longitudinal bars E
of inverted iron within the end recesses 2 2 (instead of the wood laths or
tie rods described in reference to Figures 11 and 12, or the bars D¹ in Figures 15
and 16), either with or without an outer band or bars of angle iron C at the sides
with either rods or cotters e or el inserted through these bars E, C¹, within the
transverse recesses 1 - 1 above the separating laths or sleepers a to bind the
whole together without the necessity of a sole B, B¹, as shown in Figures 8, 9, and
11 and 12, although boarding may be inserted between the flat bottom parts of the
angle iron at B111, when desired.
---
Figure 3A shows a way of cross cutting the blocks A³ angularly at their one end
and square at the other (as shown dotted in in Figure 3) out of parallel scantling
without waste, as when inverted to form the recesses 2 2 between the ends of
the blocks A; and Figure 5 A shows a similar way of cutting the blocks at an
angle longitudinally to form the recesses a, 1 - - - 1 between their sides, as shown
ranged to a small scale in end elevation, Figure 5 B, these recesses
2
---
1 and
- 2 in all cases being filled up with hot pitch and sand or other equivalent, as
before explained; and in some cases the blocks A as A' might have recesses F
formed in their adjacent sides and ends, as shown in the side and end view of a
couple of blocks in Figure 4A, so that the material inserted into these joints would
fill them and so bind them together, either without or in addition to the laths a, a',
or other binders inserted within the recesses.
Figures 20, 21, and 22 show a transverse section, partial plan, and longitudinal
section respectively of a part of one tract of a tramway constructed in accordance
with and illustrative of one modification of my said Invention or improvements as
applied thereto, built of large blocks A and A7, alternately of the form shown in
Figures 6 and 7, "breaking bond" and bound at their end joints 2 by cotter bolts g
'to longitudinal scantling G below these joints and whole line of tramways, but any
of the other forms of blocks A herein-before described might be used, and bound in
other ways by tie bars and wood screws, or split spikes or large nails, as also the
other forms of composite portable blocks herein-before described, the ordinary
rails Z of the tramways being simply sunk into the upper surface of the blocks Aº, A²,

page_text: of this new or improved construction of roadway to the level thereof, and at the
proper gauge, and secured by the ordinary screws made to fasten the same to their
present beam foundation frames.
For the forming of horse tracks or roads in the colonies and countries where
blocks formed and fixed as herein-before shown and described in the Drawings, I
prefer to use either small round trees, cross cut into short transverse lengths or
blocks A³, secured to longitudinal sleeper blocks B³, cut out of larger trees by wood
screws, or screw or cotter bolts, split or other spikes, as shown in side and end
elevation in Figures 23 and 24, the former As being either all cut one length or
made to "break bond " alternately over the sleepers Bs, according to the breadth of
the track or road desired, and the longitudinal sleepers may be dowelled and slotted
at their opposite ends B× for the laying down and fixing of each composite block
so formed along the roadway.
By another arrangement for forming the like horse tracks or roads when the trees
are larger these may be cut into four equal pieces Aº, as shown in Figure 25 in
vertical and horizontal planes (by circular or other saws), and these pieces cut into
the desired lengths to form the transverse blocks Aº desired to form the upper
transverse roadway, and ranged on and secured to longitudinal scantling B³, as
seen in the transverse and side elevations of a portable set of these blocks, Figures
26 and 27 respectively, with their segmental side up to give a good foothold to the
horses, and checked out at their sharp lower angles b*, where they rest and are
secured to the sleepers B° by spikes or screw, or cotter bolts preferably from the
under side, and to give greater durability the spaces between the angles or curves
at might be filled up with pitch and sand where possible.
Although most of these new or improved portable sets of blocks or section pieces
for the forming of roads according to my said Invention have been shown in the
Drawings in sizes of about a yard square, it is to be understood that they might be
constructed in much larger or smaller sizes, especially in length, up to twenty yards
wide and three or four yards long.
For the binding of these portable blocks at the edges and corners, when laid down,
to keep then level or even and secure, screw or cotter bolts may be used at the
junction of the edges or corners, with the flat washers i and T shaped or cruciform
binding washers or plates j, j, as shown in Figure 28, inserted in the grooves 1 - - - 1
and 2 2, with the securing cotters inserted through the bolts over them.
---
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of por-
forming or putting it into effect or practice, I have to state that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but what I consider
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the constructing of roadways, street
surfaces, tramways, and floors of portable blocks or sets of composite blocks of wood,
stone, concrete, cement, or similar material formed, jointed, and secured together and
laid or placed in position, all substantially as herein described in reference to and
shown in the accompanying Drawings or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Sigismund Schuman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
W. R. M. THOMSON,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
SIGISMUND SCHUMAN. (L.S.)