A NEW ARCH, OR METHOD OF MAKING AND CONSTRUCTING BRIDGES, WAREHOUSES, AND OTHER BUILDINGS, WITHOUT THE USE OF WOOD AS A NECESSARY CONSTITUENT PART THEREOF, AND WITH OTHER ADVANTAGES AND IMPROVEMENTS - APPERTAINING THERETO
Year: 1800

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
WYATT, of Chelsea College, in the County of Middlesex, Architect, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, on or about the Tenth day of June, in the fortieth year of His
reign, did give and grant unto me, the said Samuel Wyatt, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege, and
authority that I, the said Samuel Wyatt, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, during the term of fourteen years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend the Invention therein mentioned; to wit,
"A NEW ARCH, OR METHOD OF MAKING AND CONSTRUCTING BRIDGES, WAREHOUSES,
AND OTHER BUILDINGS, WITHOUT THE USE OF WOOD AS A NECESSARY CONSTITUENT
PART THEREOF, AND WITH OTHER ADVANTAGES AND IMPROVEMENTS - APPERTAINING
THERETO," within that part of Great Britain called England, the Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the
said Samuel Wyatt, my executors, administrators, or assigns should seem meet;
to have hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges, and advan-
tages therein granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the said Samuel
Wyatt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the
full end and term of fourteen years therein expressed; in which said Letters
Patent there is (among other things) contained a proviso that if I, the said
Samuel Wyatt, should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in

page_text: the High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters
Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should
utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the said recited
Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had, will more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel Wyatt, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, as follows
(that is to say) -
First, the principle or nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same in regard to bridges, consists in using or applying. pipes, tubes, or
other hollow pieces of cast iron in a longitudinal direction, and plates or pieces
of the same material having sockets on them to receive the ends or shoulders
of the said pipes, tubes, or other hollow pieces, placed transversely, and
extending from one side of the bridge to the other, so that when the required
number of pipes, tubes, or other hollow pieces of cast iron and of transverse
plates or pieces are put together, they form the arch, and so firmly fix, connect,
and unite all the parts as not to require the aid of screws, bolts, cramps, or
any wrought iron fastening whatever; but for the sake of giving the joints a
more equal bearing, it will be proper to run lead or cement into them. The
manner of covering the ribs, and of fixing the battlements or ballustrades, as
well as the form and design of each, may be varied at the discretion of the
builder; but I prefer the following:-After having fixed the ribs of the arch
agreeably to the above principle, and run the arch joints with lead or cement,
as above mentioned, I then fix the plinths on the outside ribs of the arch,
which plinths are afterwards secured in their places by the standards of the
battlements or ballustrade. I then cover the ribs with cast-iron plates to
receive the gravel and pavement, as well as the battlements, balustrade or
parapet of the bridge. These plates I make of an arched shape, for the sake
of additional strength, and place them so that their sides are supported by the
ribs of the bridge as abutments. I next fix the standards, and the pannels of
the ballustrades or battlements, the standards being made or cast with grooves
on each side to receive the said pannels, and a branch or plate at right angles,
to be secured under the foot pavement. The top of the said standards are
formed with dovetailed plugs to be inserted in the rail.
firmly united by the top rail, which is also made with a groove in it to receive
the top of the pannel of the battlement. It will then be proper to run with
lead or cement those parts which require it. For the greater security of the
standards, I recommend the foot pavement to be joggled, which will have also
The whole is then

page_text: the effect of keeping it even on the top. In order to exemplify and illustrate
the principle of this Invention, I annex Drawings and descriptions of the
several parts which compose the bridge, with an elevation, section, and plan of
the same when put together.
Fig. 1 is a side view of a double tube or hollow piece of cast iron,
formed at the ends with shoulders to fit the sockets in the transverse plate
or piece, the length, strength, and diameter. of which must be determined
by the size of the arch. a, end view of Fig. 1. Fig. 2, front view of part
of a transverse plate, to be cast exactly alike on both sides. b, b, b, sockets
to receive the ends of Figure 1. C. section through one of the sockets on
each side. d, d, holes left in the transverse plate, for the sake of lightening and
saving the metal. The number of sockets in the transverse plates must of course
always correspond with the number of ribs of which the arch is proposed to
be made. Fig. 3, covering plate, which may be made in any number of lengths
to fill the spaces between the transverse plates. E, section of the same. Fig. 4,
profile of a standard, with a groove to receive the ends of pannels; f, the
branch to lie under the foot pavement; g, plan of the said branch. Fig. 5,
section of the plinth. Fig. 6, front view of a pannel. Fig. 7, a single tube, to
be applied in the same manner as Figure 1, where less strength is required, or
when the builder prefers the appearance of to it Figure 1. Fig. 8, two tubes
to be used in the manner as No. 1, as being more convenient to cast than that
figure entire. Fig. 9, elevation of a bridge constructed with the double tubes
of Figure 1. Fig. 10, plan of do, shewing the ribs before the covering plates
are laid on. Fig. 11, transverse section of the bridge.
It is, perhaps, needless to observe that the number of ribs necessary for any
arch, as well as the relative strength of all the parts, must be left to the
judgment and discretion of the artist who directs the building of a bridge upon
this principle, as they will vary in almost every instance.
Secondly, the principle or nature of my said Invention, in regard to ware-
houses and other buildings, consists in forming arched ciclings of cast iron, and
supporting them and the floors by hollow pillars, cylinders, tubes, or pipes of
the same material. The annexed Plan of one compartment of. the cieling and
section of the same will illustrate the principle, and shew the manner of con-
structing a building according to it.
Fig. 12 & 13, plan and section of a groin or arched cieling. a, a, a, a,
cast-iron pillars; b, b, b, b, circular (or may be made octangular) plates or
pieces of cast iron forming part of the arched cieling, resting on the tops of*
the pillars of the lower story, and receiving, when more than one story is
required, the bottom of the pillars above them. C, cast-iron plates forming

page_text: part of a regular arch or groin between the pillars. d, a circular (or may be
octangular plate of cast iron, forming the center of the groin. The whole of
these plates, for the sake of fastening and supporting them by each other, are
made with flanches grooved and tongued, as shewn at E, Fig. 15, (which is a
section of the joint upon a large scale), and should be run with lead or cement
when put together; but any other mode of fastening and supporting them
may be adopted that the builder prefers. Fig. 14, section of the top of a
lower pillar, and the bottom of an upper one, with one of the plates b. Fig. 15,
section of the joints by which the plates are connected. Fig. 16, section of
part of a roof formed upon cast-iron vaulted cieling, upon which is built half
brick walls to carry slate or other covering. N.B. The same letters refer to
the same parts as in Fig. 13, 14, & 15.
The spandrels of the arches of the ciclings may be filled and raised to a
level with the crown of the arches by brickwork, chalk, or any solid matter
upon 'which may be laid either stone or brick pavement, or boards if required,
for the floors.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Wyatt, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred.