IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTING PLATES, SHEETS, OR SLABS OF METAL OR OTHER MATERIALS, AND FASTENING THE SAME ON TO FRAMING, APPLICABLE TO ARMOUR PLATING FOR SHIPS, OR VESSELS, OR BATTERIES, AND TO ROOFING AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTING PLATES, SHEETS, OR SLABS OF
METAL OR OTHER MATERIALS, AND FASTENING THE SAME ON TO FRAMING,
APPLICABLE TO ARMOUR PLATING FOR SHIPS, OR VESSELS, OR BATTERIES, AND
TO ROOFING AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES." -A communication from abroad
by Valentin Lasserre, of Dax, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 30th December 1862, and dated the 18th August 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 18th August 1862.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTING PLATES, SHEETS, OR
SLABS OF METAL OR OTHER MATERIALS, AND FASTENING THE SAME ON TO FRAMING,
APPLICABLE TO ARMOUR PLATING FOR SHIPS, VESSELS, OR BATTERIES, AND TO
ROOFING AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel method of fixing sheets of metal for
armour plating for ships or vessels, or for roofing or constructing railway
carriages, and other purposes to which such metallic covering may be applicable.

page_text: The improved system of fastening consists of screws or bolts fixed in the
wood or iron that forms the framing to be covered. These screws or bolts
pass through a hemispherical cap which is thereby screwed down tight on to
the plates and forms a water-tight joint. The plates to be joined are provided
at their point of junction with cup formed projections fitting into each
other, and of the same shape as and fitting into the cap above mentioned.
The plates having been laid over one another at the joint, and the caps
applied, the screw is passed through a hole made in the cap and the pro-
jecting parts of the plates. The head of the screw may be bevilled, in
which case the head of the cap is tapped for the reception of a screw cap
which hermetically closes the opening. In the case of temporary coverings,
it is sufficient to apply over the head of the cap a sheet of thin metal which
may be held in place by means of wire. Or the head of the screw or bolt
might be made square with an annular recess for the reception of the head of
the cap. Instead of having cups or projections on both metal plates, the
upper one only might be so provided; a small metal plate somewhat larger
than the base of the cap is therefore welded on at the opening for the screw
so that the cap may press equally upon its whole surface. By this arrango-
ment of parts water cannot enter the joints either of the screws or the
cups, and consequently the roofing or covering will by this system of joining
be perfect.
The intermediate supporting pieces which require much labor for their
adjustment, and possess several disadvantages may be dispensed with; for this
purpose the sheets of zinc or other metal may be divided into sheets of equal
sizes and joined together vertically. Very thin plates of cast iron or other
metal may be applied as coverings, the plates may be of any convenient size
and are cast with a right-angled flange at opposite sides and fastened by means
of screw caps. The plates are cast with recesses or hollow ridges at equal
distance from the flanges and from the edge of the plate, this plate being laid
over the flanged one. In order to decrease the expense the caps might be
cast on to the plates. These covering plates for roofing may be made of glass,
porcelain, pottery, earthenware, stone, or marble; coverings made with these
materials possess great disadvantage where repairs are required, and are
adapted in the following manner:-A row of plates of glass or other material
is placed on one of the edges of the roof, the second row is composed of sheets
of cast iron, copper, zinc, or other metal, the third and fourth row of plates of
glass or other material, the fifth row like the second, and so on, so that by
passing along the ridge of the roof which is covered with zinc, copper, or

page_text: other metal, the necessary repairs may be effected. The rows of plates are to
be separated by filling pieces nailed or screwed to the framing and covered as
now practised. In covering steeples, domes, and other erections, where the
plates are set at a great inclination the projections are modified, their upper
part being hollowed out into the form of the upper part of the caps as it is
probable that the rain might pass between the metal covering and the caps.
This Invention may also be applied to corrugated sheets of metal without
modification in the arrangement of the parts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th February 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the
said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTING PLATES, SHEETS,
OR SLABS OF METAL OR OTHER MATERIALS, AND FASTENING THE SAME ON TO FRAMING
APPLICABLE TO ARMOUR PLATING FOR SHIPS, OR VESSELS, OR BATTERIES, AND TO
ROOFING AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES," being a communication from abroad
by Valentin Lasserre, of Dax, in the Empire of France, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instru-
ment 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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) :-
:-
This Invention relates to a novel method of fixing sheets of metal either
for the purpose of armour-plating ships or vessels, or for roofing, or for con-
structing railway carriages and other purposes to which such metallic covering
may be applicable.
This improved method of fixing the sheets of metal will be found to possess
great advantages over the methods now employed, and the evils caused by
such accidents as shrinking, rupture of the weldings, and other casualties will
be avoided without any alteration being required in the framing to which the
metallic covering is to be applied.
It will be seen from the following description that the Invention is appli-
cable to all descriptions of coverings, although the Drawing represents it as
merely applied to metal coverings.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents the improved method,
partly in perspective and partly in section; the left-hand side of this Figure
shews a zinc covering applied to a wooden framing, and the right-hand side
represents a wrought-iron covering applied to an iron framing.
Figures 2 and 3 are detached views of the fastenings employed in the
first instance, and Figures 4 and 5 those made use of for the second case.
Fig. 6 is a detached view of a third arrangement, which is principally
applicable to temporary coverings. It will be seen that the improved system
of fastening consists in the employment of screws or bolts fixed in the wood
or iron bars or rafters which constitutes the framing to be covered. These
screws or bolts pass through a hemispherical cap B, which is thereby screwed
down tight on to the plates, and forms a water-tight joint. The plates to be
joined are provided at their point of junction with cup-formed projections A
fitting into each other, and of the same shape as, and fitting into the cap B,
above mentioned. The plates having been laid over one another at the
joint and the caps applied, the screw C is passed through a hole made for that
purpose in the cap, and also in the projecting parts of the plates. The head
of the screw may be bevilled, as shewn at c, Fig. 2, in which case the head
of the cap B is tapped for the reception of a screw cap D, which hermetically
closes the opening. In the case of temporary coverings, it is sufficient to
apply over the head of the cap B a sheet of thin metal (see Fig. 6,) and
which may be held in place by means of wire; or the head of the screw or

page_text: bolt might be made square, as shewn at C, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, with an
annular recess for the reception of the head of the cap B; the head of the
screw will by this means be made to perform the same office as the screw
cap D. Instead of having caps or projections on both metal plates, the
upper one only might be so provided as shewn at Fig. 6; a small metal plate
somewhat larger than the base of the cap is therefore welded on at the
opening for the screw, so that the cap may press equally upon its whole
surface. By these arrangements of parts water will be prevented from
entering the joints either of the screws or the caps, and consequently the
roofing or covering will by this system of joining be perfect.
The intermediate supporting pieces, which require much labor for their
adjustment and possess several disadvantages, may be dispensed with. For
this purpose the sheets of zinc or other metal may be divided into sheets of
equal sizes, and joined together vertically, as shown in section in Fig. 7, and
also shewn horizontally in perspective at Fig. 1.
Very thin plates of cast iron or other metal may be applied as coverings ;
the plates may be of any convenient size, say, eighteen inches square; they
are to be cast with a right-angled flange of about half an inch in width at
opposite sides, and fastened by means of screw caps. The plates are cast with
recesses or hollow ridges at equal distance from the flanges, and an inch and
a half from the edge of the plate, this plate being laid over the flanged one.
In order to decrease the expense, the caps may be cast on to the plates.
These covering plates for roofing may, if desired, be made of glass, porcelain,
pottery, earthenware, or even slabs of marble or stone may be employed, but
if these latter substances be used, they must be of such quality as to admit of
their being cut into such thin slabs as not to bear too heavily upon the
framing, and yet not to admit of the passage of water through them; more-
over, in cutting them, the ridges or bosses must be formed.
Coverings made with these materials possess great disadvantage where
repairs are required, to obviate which these substances are adapted in the
following manner :-I first place upon one of the edges of the roof a row of
plates of glass or other material; the second row is composed of sheets of cast
iron, copper, zinc, or other metal; the third and fourth row of plates of glass
or other material; the fifth row like the second, and so on, so that by passing
along the ridge of the roof, which is covered with zinc, copper, or other metal
the necessary repairs may be effected. The rows of plates are to be sepa-
rated by filling pieces nailed or screwed to the framing, and covered, as now
practised.
In covering steeples, domes, and other erections where the plates are set at

page_text: a great inclination the projections are modified, their upper part being bollowed
out into the form of the upper part of the caps, as it is probable that the rain
might otherwise pass between the metal covering and the caps. This con-
struction of parts would prevent the water.from entering the metal boss, but
it might, without inconvenience, be allowed to escape through a sinall opening
at the lower part of the cap. This Invention may also be applied to cor-
rugated sheets of metal without modification in the arrangement of the
parts.
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in Connecting
Plates, Sheets or Slabs of Metal or other Materials, and Fastening the same
on to Framing, which Invention is applicable to Armour Plating for Ships, or
Vessels, or Batteries, and to Roofing and other similar Purposes," and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the
Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid, the mode or modes
herein set forth of connecting and securing plates, sheets, or slabs of metal
or other materials for the purposes above mentioned, or any other analogous
purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Seventeenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)