IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING OR FORMING STRUCTURES UNDER WATER OR BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hughes, of 34, Great George Street.
in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING OR FORMING STRUCTURES UNDER WATER
OR BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND."
Sealed the 6th October 1858, and dated.the 6th August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hughes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition on
the 6th August 1853.
I, JOHN HUGHES, of 34, Great George Street, in the City of West-
minster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING OR FORMING STRUCTURES UNDER
WATER OR BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND" to be as follows:-
In building or forming structures under water or below the surface
of the ground, I use for effecting my object a hollow vessel, which I
call a shoe, open at the bottom, and within the interior of which I
excavate the ground, or use any other competent means for removing
the sand or other materials through which the shoe is to be sunk in
order to arrive at the intended foundation.

page_text: The top of the shoe may be either open or covered, and with an
opening or openings in the cover, according to the manner in which it
is to be used.
I make the shoe of the same size and shape as the area of the
foundation, or that part of the foundation of a structure which is
intended to be laid by means of it, and as soon as the bottom of the
shoe has descended to the level or place of the intended foundation,
I lay or form the foundation or portion of foundation within the shoe
of bricks, stones, or any other material, in the ordinary manner, leaving
the shoe in the place to which it shall have been sunk to form part of
the foundation.
Upon the shoe I erect the structure or part of the structure or build-
ing which the shoe and foundation built within it shall be intended to
support, and this I do during the time that the shoe is descending to
its proper place for forming a foundation, so that the upper part of
the building may at all times be above the surface of the water or the
ground (as the case may be), and the interior of the building made
hollow for the purpose of allowing a passage for the material to be
removed from the foundation or interior of the shore, and also for the
introduction of the material for making the foundation.
In forming the building which I erect upon a shoe, I use vertical
guide plates to keep the building in its proper position during its for-
mation and descent to the intended level or foundations, the guide
plates being secured to the sides of the building, and allowed to pass
down through a frame placed and firmnly secured at or near to the
surface of the water or ground, and I make the frame of such a size,
shape, and strength as may be necessary to keep the guide plates and
building in proper vertical position during the operations.
When I intend to make use of exhaustion or compression of the air
contained in the interior of the shoc or building during the progress of
the work, and in some other cases, I attach a cylinder or other hollow
vessel to the top of the shoe, the cylinder or vessel being, in the first
instance, made sufficiently high to cause its upper end to be a con-
venient height above the surface of the water or ground, and length-
ened from time to time when necessary.
After the foundation has been laid and secured, I remove the cylin-

page_text: der or hollow vessel (if any shall have been used), and I build up the
interior of the building with any appropriate materials, or leave it
hollow, as may be intended.d
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 4th February 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN HUGHES, of Great George Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Sixth day of
August, in the sixteenth year of Her reign, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, did give and grant unto
me, the said John Hughes, my executors, administrators and assigns,
Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said John Hughes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said John Hughes, my executors, administrators,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING
OR FORMING STRUCTURES UNDER WATER OR BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE
GROUND," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Hughes, by an instrument in writing under my hand and scal, par-
ticularly 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 John Hughes, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained

page_text: in and by the following Specification, reference being had to the ac-
companying Drawings:
My said Invention of improvements in building or forming structures
under water or below the surface of the ground, consists of a mode or
modes of excavating, preparing, or laying the foundations of such
structures, and erecting the masonry of such structures without the aid
of a coffer dam, or any similar apparatus.
For this purpose I use a hollow vessel, which I call a shoe, open at
the bottom, and constructed as herein-after described, and within the
interior of which I excavate the ground, or use any other competent
means for removing the sand or other material composing the ground
through which the shoe is to be sunk in order to arrive at the intended
foundation.
I make the bottom of every such shoe of the same size and shape as
the area of the foundation or that part of the foundation of a structure
which is intended to be laid by means of it; and as soon as the bottom
of the shoe has descended to the level or place of the intended founda-
tion I lay or form the foundation, within or immediately below the shoe,
of timber, bricks, stones, or any other materials in the ordinary manner,
leaving the shoe (filled with such materials as aforesaid) in the place
to which it shall have been sunk to form part of the foundation.
Upon this shoe I place a cylinder or other hollow shaft, around which
I erect the structure, or part of the structure, or building, which the
shoe and foundation to be built within it shall be intended to support;
and this I do during the time that the shoe is descending to its proper
place for forming a foundation, taking care that the building shall
progress so that the upper part of the structure or work may at all
times be above the surface of the water or the ground (as the case may
be), and I make use of the hollow shaft for the purpose of allowing a
passage for the material to be removed from the foundation or interior
of the shoe during the progress of the sinking, and also for the intro-
duction of the material for making or laying the foundation.
In forming the pillar or other structure, or portion of a structure,
which I erect upon a shoe, I furnish it with vertical guide plates for
the purpose of protecting the exterior of the structure from injury when

page_text: it descends through or between the guides or opening in a stage or
platform, such as herein-after described, by means of which it is kept
in its proper position. If the structure be angular I place the guide
plates at its angles, and if it be circular I place them at intervals around.
it; and when a structure is of an angular shape, if it be large, it may
be desirable to furnish it with guide plates in other parts, as well as at
its angles, for its better protection during its descent.
The construction of the vessels or shoes which I employ for the
purposes which I have mentioned is shewn, and the mode of using
I such shoes is illustrated, in the Drawings which accompany this
Specification.
Figure 1, is a plan of one of such shoes. Figure 2, is a vertical
section of the sainc. The shoe shewn in these Figures is made
of cast or wrought iron plates, bolted, or riveted, or otherwise firmly
united together. a, u, are the exterior plates; and b, b, are the
interior plates, placed in an inclined position, and connected to the
exterior plates by the triangular plates or gussett pieces c, c. The
interior plates are provided with a flange at e, to which the segmental
plates d, d, are bolted or riveted so as to form a partial covering to
the shoe, but leaving a circular opening f, therein. The gussett plates
c, c, pass between the flanges of the plates b, b, and form brackets g, g,
for the support of the segmental plates d, d. The lower or cutting
edge of the shoe is so formed as to project slightly beyond the surface
of the exterior plates, as shewn in Figure 3, on an enlarged scale.
The object of furnishing a shoe with interior plates is to strengthen
it, and any other mode of effecting that object may be adopted if
preferred.
Figure 4, is a side view or elevation of a pillar or structure built
upon a shoc, constructed as above described. Figure 5, is a vertical
section, and Figure 6, is a plan of the same. a, a, arc the exterior plates,
and b, b, are the interior plates of the shoe as before. z, z, (Figure 5.)
is a cylinder, the interior of which is to which is to form the shaft for
the passage of the workmen and materials; and it should be made
sufficiently high to cause its upper end to be a convenient height
above the surface of the water or ground. This cylinder may be made

page_text: of iron or any other fit material, and its points should be secured so as to
be air and water tight. j,j, is the brickwork or masonry of the pillar
or structure which is built round the cylinder and made square on the
exterior, and furnished with guide plates r, r, for protecting the exterior
of the structure as herein-before mentioned. In constructing such a
pillar or structure in ground which is not covered with water, I pro-
ceed as follows:-The shoe is placed upon the ground, and the earth is
dug out from the interior until the shoe has sunk into the ground.
The spaces between the plates a, and b, of the shoe, are then filled with
concrete, or bricks, or stone, or other suitable material, and a portion of
the pillar or structure is built upon it around the cylinder sufficiently
clear of its exterior to allow of the cylinder being easily withdrawn.
The excavation and removal of the earth from the interior is continued
until the weight of the pillar or structure causes it to sink down.
A fresh portion of the pillar or structure is then built up, and I proceed
in this way to carry on the excavation and the building of the structure
until the bottom of the shoe has arrived at the place of the intended
foundation. The cylinder or other hollow shaft must, when neces
sary, be lengthened from time to time, by having additional lengths
attached to it, or in any other convenient manner, taking care that the
joints are made air and water tight. The foundation is then to be
formed or laid, and timber or any other material may be used for this
purpose, in the ordinary manner, after which the cylinder may be
withdrawn.
In Figures 5, and 6, p, p, is brickwork carried up in mortar or in
hydraulic cement, and firmly abutted against the sides of the shoe.
The space within this brickwork is filled with concrete mixed with
cernent q,
which is carried up within the column to such a height as
may be desired.
Instead of forming the foundation, or of laying it upon timber, the
brickwork or concrete, or other suitable filling materials, may be placed
at once upon the earth at the bottom of or within the shoe; or an
inverted arch of brickwork or masonry may be constructed, and the
filling materials may be placed upon it, as shewn in some portions of
Figure 8. I have mentioned cement as being employed, and I con-

page_text: sider it preferable to construct. the brickwork or masonry with roman
or other hydraulic cement, but in some cases (as for instance in dry
ground) the cement may be. dispensed', with, and ordinary mortar
employed.
In constructing a pillar or other structure under water, I proceed in
a somewhat similar manner to that above described. If the water is
not deeper than the height of the shoe, the spaces. between the exterior
and interior plates of the shoe may be filled with concrete or other
suitable filling material; and the ground at the bottom of the water
being made sufficiently level, the shoe may then be placed in the
required position, and a portion of the pillar or structure built upon it.
The weight of the pillar or structure will force the lower edge of the
shoe into the ground. The water being then pumped out of the
shoe, the excavation of the ground beneath it is then to be effected
in like manner as before described, and additional portions of the
intended pillar or structure built from time to time in such a manner
as to keep the top of the brickwork or masonry at all times above the
level of the water; and the operations of excavating or sinking and
building are to be continued until the bottom of the shoe shall arrive
at the place of the intended foundation as herein-before described. .
In many cases the water will flow. in so fast at the bottom of the
shoe as to make it requisite either to have recourse to pumping for the
purpose of freeing the interior of the shoe from the water, or to com-
press the air in the interior so as to exclude the water. In some cases
also it may be found expedient to exhaust the air from the interior of
the shoe, either for the purpose of facilitating the sinking of the shoe,
or the removal of the sand or other material through which the shoe is
to be sunk to the place of the intended foundation.
When I intend to make use of exhaustion or compression of the air
contained in the interior of the shoe or structure during the progress of
the work, I take great care to make the cylinder or other hollow
vessel which I attach to the top of the shoe as effectually air and
water tight as practically may be. When such a cylinder has been
placed in its proper position, with its lower end immediately over the
opening in the top of the shoe, I cause.it to be securely fastened to the

page_text: segment plates, forming the partial covering of the shoe; the joint o
connection being made effectually air and water tight by packing
cement, clay, or other convenient means. I also cause the top of the
cylinder to be closed by a cover with a joint made air and water tight
in like manner, and a pipe to be fitted to the cover of the cylinder, so
as to connect the hollow space within the cylinder and shoe with an air
pump, by means of which the air is to be exhausted or compressed, as
the case may be. The cylinder or hollow shaft is to be from time to
time elongated by additional lengths of it as the work proceeds, and
the shoe and pillar or structure sink down; and such additional lengths
may be introduced between the upper length, and the lengths below it,
in those cases in which an apparatus may be attached to the upper
length.
When the compression of the air is used, an upper length or
portion of the cylinder should be furnished with air-tight chambers
or other convenient apparatus for allowing the entrance and exit of the
workmen and materials into and from the interior of the cylinder
during the progress of the work without permitting the escape of the
whole of the compressed air. Apparatus of this description has already
been used for this purpose; and as it is well known, and forms no
part of my Invention, it need not be here described. I will only observe
that when the intended foundation is to be laid at a very considerable
depth, and the cylinder or shaft will therefore be also deep, it may be
expedient, for the better ensuring the safety of the workmen and work,
to divide the shaft into two or more compartments by disks or partitions,
so that the compartments may be filled with air in different states of
compression; the lower or lowest compartment being of course charged
with air in the most compressed state.
If a shaft be divided in this manner the partitions should be fur-
nished with such air-tight chambers or other convenient apparatus as
aforesaid, for allowing the passage of the workmen and materials
during the progress of the work without entirely equalizing the com-
pression between two adjoining compartments.
The excavation or removal of the sand or other material through
which the shoe is to be sunk may be effected by any of.. the means

page_text: usually adopted for that purpose, and any convenient means may also
be adopted for raising or drawing those materials up through the
hollow shaft of the pillar or other structure.
When the pillar or structure is to be sunk through water of a
greater depth than the shoe I proceed as follows:-I fix a wooden
deck, floor, or partition within and near to the bottom of the shoe, and
I construct a portion of the hollow pillar or structure upon the shoe,
and I so proportion the parts that the shoe and hollow pillar or struc-
ture thus made may be capable of floating in the water, either alone or
by attaching it to a raft or vessel, so as at all times to have its upper
surface above the level of the water. I continue the building of the
pillar until the lower edge of the shoe rests upon the ground at the
bottom of the water, and then adimit the water through a cock fixed
in the deck so as to equalize the pressure on both sides of it, when I
remove the deck from the shoe, after which I proceed in like manner
as herein-before described.
In order to insure the pillar or other structure descending in a
proper position into its proper place, I construct a stage or platform
supported on piles or otherwise, and having a square or other opening
or space, to receive and guide the structure during its descent. The
sides of the structure will be protected by the guide plates before men-
tioned. The brickwork or masonry of the column is set back a little
from the face of the shoe, in order to facilitate its descent. Several
pillars or portions of a structure may be erected according to my
Invention, in manner herein-before described, and placed side by side,
so as to form a pier, or a sea wall, or other structure, or the founda-
tions for any such structure, and the narrow spaces which may be left
between the pillars or portions of the building may be filled with con-
crete or cement, or other suitable material.
FL
Thus, in Figure 7, is a plan, and Figure 8, is a vertical section,
showing an assemblage of a number of pillars A, B, C, constructed
as just mentioned, and together forming pier or foundation for a pier
of a bridge. In these Figures the pillars or portions of the structure
are supposed to have been erected in a tidal river, and to terminate at
low-water mark or somewhat above it; and upon them is erécted the

page_text: masonry shewn at D, in Figure 8, and by the dotted line in Figure 7.
The hollow shafts or spaces in each pillar or portion of structure may
be wholly or partially filled with concrete or other suitable filling mate-
rial, or some of them may be left empty, and covered over with a dome
of brickwork or masonry, stone landings, or iron plates.
By prolonging the guide plates r, r, above the tops of the pillars or
portions of structure, and fitting iron plates a, a, to them, a species of
coffer dam may be constructed so as to exclude the water from the top
of the masonry D, in some cases, until it is carried up above high water
mark, after which the iron plates a, a, and the prolongations of the
guide plates, may be removed. Several pillars or portions of a struc-
ture thus erected may all be strongly united together, by means of
iron ties or strings carried along their faces, and attached to the guide
plates. The masonry of each pillar may also be bound together in a
similar manner at the top, and also at intervals between the top and
bottom if required.
I have in the Drawings shewn shoes as being employed in sinking
separate pillars or portions of structure of a square form, but pillars of
circular, hexagonal, or other forms, may be erected in a similar manner
by means of shoes of corresponding forms. I also construct com-
pound shoes or vessels consisting of a large shoe, divided into separate
compartments. Thus each of the three rows of pillars shewn in
Figure 7, might be constructed on one long shoe or vessel divided into
compartments. Each compartment would in such a case be used in
all respects as if it were a separate shoe or vessel, only taking care to
proceed with the work in such a manner as to insure a uniform sink-
ing of the whole. A structure such as shewn in Figure 7, would, if
built in this manner, consist of three continuous walls standing side by
side; or in lieu of employing three long compound shoes for building
such a structure as shewn in Figure 7, a compound shoc, divided into
compartments both longitudinally and transversely, may be employed
for the whole foundation, which would thus consist of one continuous
mass of masonry or brickwork.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I

page_text: do not claim as of my Invention any of the apparatus herein-before
mentioned, separate or apart from the combination and application
thereof in manner herein-before described. But what I-claim as my
said Invention, is the mode or modes of excavating, preparing, and
laying the foundations of structures, and erecting the masonry masonry
of such structures under water or below the surface of the ground by
means of a shoe or hollow vessel, and a cylinder or shaft above it, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hughes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fourth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Signed, sealed, and delivered
in the presence of
GEO. BRACE,
Surrey Street, Strand,
Sol'.
J. HUGHES. (L.S.)