IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE 'CONSTRUCTION OR MANUFACTURE OF EARTHENWARE PIPES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Christopher Crabb Creeke, of Bournemouth, in the
County of Hants, Architect and Surveyor, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE 'CONSTRUCTION OR MANUFACTURE OF EARTHENWARE PIPES."
PROVISIONAL, SPECIFICATION left by the said Christopher Crabb Creeke
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the.30th September 1857.
I, CHRISTOPHER CRABB CREEKE, of Bournemouth, in the County of Hants,
Architect and Surveyor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OR MANUFACTURE OF EARTHENWARE
PIPES," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in the construction or manufacture of
earthenware, pipes relates, first, to a novel mode of constructing these pipes,
whereby greater strength and other advantages over pipes of the ordinarykind
are obtained. Instead of making the pipes of equal thickness throughout, I
propose to flute them on the outside,so as to give themconsiderableadditional
surength without very materially adding to the weight. An annular, groove
is made at each end of the tube to receive the projecting flange of the junction

page_text: piece, and two contiguous pipes are connected together by means of clamps
or key pieces, which work in inclined grooves cut in the face or sides of
the pipes.
The next part of the Invention relates to a novel mode of constructing
earthenware pipes, so that access may be obtained to the interior of the pipes.
when required,without disturbing any of them in their seat wheu laid. To
this end I construct the pipes with a flange at one end, and a plain end at
the other, so as to fit into the flange of the succeeding or contiguous tube.
Then I cut away at each end for a few inches along the tube or pipe about
one-half of the diameter, so that when two pipes are brought together
there will be an open space of some inches in length cut out of the upper
part of the tube or pipe. This open space is subsequently to be closed
with a cap or cover provided with overlapping flanges, so that when secured
in its seat by cement or otherwise, it will form an air-tight and water-tight
joint. This cap or cover may however be removed and replaced, when
required, without derauging or interfering with the continuous line of pipe.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Christopher Crabb Creeke in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRISTOPHER
CRABB CREEKE, of Bournemouth, in the County of Hauts, Architect and,
Surveyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reigu, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Christopher Crabb Creeke, Her special license thatI, the said Christopher
Crabb Creeke, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Christopher Crabb Creeke, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OR MANUFACTURE OF EARTHENWARE PIPES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Christopher Crabb Creeke, by

page_text: 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 Christopher Crabb Creeke, 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 in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
-:
My Invention of "Improvements in the Construction or Manufacture of
Earthenware Pipes," relates, first, to a novel mode of constructing these pipes,
whereby greater strength and other advantages over the ordinary mode of
constructing earthenware pipes are obtained. Instead of making the pipes
of equal thickness throughout, I propose to flute them, or by other sectional
forms (which may be varied at pleasure), to give their outer surface such
corrugations or flanges as will increase considerably their strength without
materially adding to their weight. I make these flanges or corrugations
run in the direction of the length of the pipes, and parallel with each other,
thus enabling the manufacturer to produce them with facility and economy.
I also find that by arranging the flanges or flutes in such a form, they offer
the greatest strength to the pipe or surface. The corrugations are not only
intended to give increased strength by adding to the substance of the
earthenware, but are so disposed as to make the solid thickness of ware in
every part approaching to equality, and in no part greater than is found to
be a safe and practicable thickness for burning. By making pipes in this
manner, I shall be able to produce earthenware pipes of much larger
dimensions than it has been heretofore found practicable to construct or to
burn; and I further propose to obtain such strength and capability for
resisting internal pressure as shall render earthenware pipes serviceable for
conveyance of water under pressure.
In conjunction with this method of making earthenware pipes, I have
devised a method of securing the junction of these pipes one with another, and
which is effected in such manner as shall effectually render them water-tigh
at such junction so soon as the joint has been made, while at the same time
the joint will not be of that rigid and frangible nature as will not allow of
such subsidence as newly laid pipes are liable to, and for want of, which
allowance and power of self-adjustment, joints sometimes become broken, and

page_text: cannot be repaired except by removing the damaged parts and relaying fresh
pipes, which will of course be similarly liable to derangement and damage.
The junction of the pipes is made by forming an annular groove at each end
of the tube, for the purpose of receiving one-half of a projecting flange or
metal ring, which must be perfectly imbedded with red lead or other suitable
putty or cement worked into the annular grooves at the ends of the pipes, and
after bringing the end surfaces of the pipes into close air-tight contact, by
having their surfaces ground and prepared with the putty or other suitable
cement or composition, my improved contrivance for securing such joint (and
yet admitting of its self-adjustment) is applied. This is effected by making
inclined grooves in the outer surface of the pipes near their ends, so that when
the ends of the pipes are brought together the inclined grooves shall form a
pair of channels slightly receding from each other, into which I insert a metal
clamp or clasp, which being driven in the direction of the divergence of the
grooves, will draw the pipes into perfect contact and retain them there; and I
find that pipes properly so constructed and put together will admit of con-
siderable depressing force being applied, and even should violent means be
intentionally resorted to, they will retain their water and air-tight qualities of
joint. The number of such clips to each joint may be regulated according to
the dimensions of the pipe, but not less than two should ever be applied, aud
they should be placed at opposite points of the circumference of the pipe.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side view of one of these pipes,
with the mode of joining two other similar pipes thereto. a, a, are the inclined
grooves made near the ends of the pipes, and which, when brought together
as shewn in the Drawing, are seen as diverging one from the other. A key,
clamp, or clip (shewn also in the sectional view, Fig. 2) is made of metal,
and when it is placed in the groove and driven down, as shewn in Fig. 1, it
will draw the ends of the pipes together and tighten the joint; Fig. 3
represents an end elevation of one of the pipes with the annular groove c made
in it; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the end of a pipe and the one-half of a
metal ring d inserted in the annular groove c, and projecting therefrom for
insertion into the annular groove of another pipe; Fig. 5 is a cross or
transverse section of a pipe, showing the flutings or corrugations on the outside
of the pipe; Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9 represent other forms of corrugations
applicable to either cylindrical surfaces or to flat surfaces; Fig. 2 represents
a cross section of a complete joint, shewing the annular groove c, metal
collar or ring d, the clip or clamp b, and the inclined grooves a, a.
These pipes,after leaving the machine die by which they are manufactured

page_text: to any lengths, have the band or plain part at each end of the pipe formed
by hand with the assistance of the turn-table; and in order to ensure com-
pleteness of joint, the end face of each is cleaned off and ground down by
machinery to a perfectly even surface, and one capable of being rendered
air-tight. This may be effected by the removal of the glazing where it is
considered advisable or advantageous to do so.
The next part of the Invention relates to a novel and improved method of
constructing earthenware drain or sewer pipes in such a manner as to adinit
of obtaining access to the interior with facility without disturbing the body
of the pipe. This object is effected by cutting out from each pipe a small
portion at each end (or at the opposite ends of alternate pipes), so that when
the two pipes are laid, the end of one being placed in the socket or flange
joint of the other, they will together form a convenient aperture for getting
access to the pipe for examining it, without breakage or disturbing the
pipes or interrupting the flow of the sewage. The dimensions of such
openings or apertures may vary at will, according to the size of the pipe
or special object required, from about one-fourth to nearly one-half of the
diameter; and such aperatures or openings are to be covered over with a
cap in such a way that the cap at every point is rebated, so as to lap over the
edges of the aperture or opening, and thereby a secure joint is formed, and
the cap or cover will also be protected from being displaced by accident.
This part of the Invention is more particularly applicable to the ordinary
flange or socketted pipe, a portion of which flange is to be removed in order
to form the aperture or opening, so that by making use of this pipe, its
simplicity of construction and rigidity in position is retained, and the facility
for being laid, and economy of manufacture incidental to the common form
of flanged pipe, which has not been hitherto surpassed or equalled, is retained
without becoming complicated or adding to the number of cross joints, which
are the serious defects of earlier Patents aiming to embrace these objects.
By these means easy access to theinterior of the pipes and other advantages
are obtained without having recourse to complicated and expensive devices for
that purpose, as has hitherto been the case. The apertures or openings in the
pipes are regulated as to size, and the flauge being proportionately removed,
any single drain pipe may be lifted and removed without interfering with the
other and contiguous ones. These apertures or openings may thus be made
to occur at each joint of the drain or sewer course, or at alternate or less
frequent points; and when laid with cement, mortar, or other bedding material,
the caps or covers may be removed without injury or dislocation to the pipe to

page_text: which they belong. When it is required to connect with any main sewer or
drain thus laid down any secondary or inferior branch drains, the cap or cover
of the main drain may be removed, and in place thereof a junction pipe may
be adapted to the opening or aperture in the drain, or an aperture may be
made at some other part of the pipe, and a branch or junction pipe may be.
adapted thereto. The end of the junction pipe is so constructed that it may
be adapted to the main drain in the same manner as the cap or cover, and
will therefore form an improved junction with such main drain or sewer.
Fig. 10 in the Drawing represents in elevation a portion of a drain or sewer
composed of a series of pipes having openings or apertures made therein, and
provided with rebated caps or covers as above described; Fig. 11 is a section
taken through a pipe at the aperture or opening, and shewing the cap or cover
adapted thereto to close the said aperture or opening; Fig. 12 represents a
drain or sewer pipe in perspective, and with the cap or cover raised out of its
scat; Fig. 13 represents a section of a main drain pipe, shewing the aperture
or opening covered by a junction pipe and cap, as above described.
It will be seen that in these Figures not more than one-third of the
diameter of the main pipes is cut away to form the opening or aperture
whereby access is obtained, to the interior; but it will be evident either
more or less may be cut away, as may be found desirable, according to the
diameter of the pipe.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Construction
or Manufacture of Earthenware Pipes," and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would observe that I do not mean or intend to
confine myself rigidly to the precise construction or arrangement of parts
herein shewn and described, as they may perhaps be varied in some particulars
without departing from the nature and object and manner of effecting my
Invention, nor do I mean to claim the broad principle of making openings or
apertures in drain or sewer pipes, for the purpose of obtaining easy access to
the interior thereof, as I am aware that such object has been effected by plans
differing in very important particulars from the present Invention; but that
which I consider to be new in the present improvements, and therefore wish
to claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, is,-
First, the mode herein shewn and described of strengthening earthenware
pipes; and also the mode shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, of forming the
junctions of earthenware pipes, and of securing the same.
Secondly, I claim the mode herein shewn and described, or any mere
modification thereof, of forming openings or apertures at the ends of earthen

page_text: ware pipes without the use of separate saddle pieces, chairs, supports, or
socket pipes, and of closing the same by a rebated cap or cover, which may
be removed with facility when access is required to the interior of the pipe,
as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Crabb Creeke, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
J. T. BOUNSALLA
of Bournemouth.
CHRIST C. CREEKE. (L.S.)