IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STREETS AND ROADWAYS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Gowans, of Edinburgh. in the County of
Midlothian, North Britain, Contractor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STREETS AND ROADWAYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Gowans at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th December 1879.
JAMES GOWANS, of Edinburgh, in the County of Midlothian, North Britain,
Contractor. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STREETS AND ROADWAYS."
The object of this Invention is to prevent that disturbance of the level or rutting
of streets or roadways caused by the wearing down below the general level of any
portions thereof more subjected to the destructive action of traffic than other
portions; and to accomplish this without injuriously affecting, but on the contrary
improving such streets or roadways for the purposes of general traffic.
This object is effected by bedding horizontally in the material of the roadway or
street, and transversely to the line of road, and at short distances apart, thin plates of
steel, cast steel, iron, cast iron, cast iron chilled on top, elamite, or such other material,
and of such length, depth, thickness, and form, as may be best adapted for the
material with or in which it is placed. These plates are so bedded that the top
surface thereof is level with the surface of the road or street. When the street or
roadway is paved with blocks of stone, wood, slag, concrete, or other material these
plates are placed in or between the vertical joints.
When used at the sides of lines of tramway these plates abut on the tramway
rails, and they may be cast or otherwise fastened upon them; or they may be made
part of the rails by being in one piece with the rails; or they may be made part
of a chair for these rails by being cast in one piece with or fastened upon the chairs.
These plates may be made with a serrated edge on the top, and may have such
flanges or soles, or be perforated to enable them to maintain their level and hold in
streets or roadways, or against tramway rails.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Gowans in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th June
1880.
JAMES GOWANS, of Edinburgh, in the County of Midlothian, North Britain,
Contractor. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STREETS AND ROADWAYS."
The object of my Invention is to prevent that disturbance of the level or rutting
of streets or roadways caused by the wearing down below the general level of any
portions thereof more subjected to the destructive action of traffic than other
portions; and to accomplish this without injuriously affecting, but on the contrary
improving such streets or roadways for the purposes of general traffic.
This object is effected by bedding in or between the material of the roadway or
street, and transversely to the line of road, and at short distances apart, thin plates
of steel, cast steel, iron, cast iron, cast iron chilled on top, elamite, or other hard
and suitable material, and of such length, depth, thickness, and form, as may be
best adapted for the material with or in which it is placed. These plates are so
bedded that the top surface thereof is level with the surface of the road or street.
Where the street or roadway is paved with blocks of stone, wood, slag, concrete, or
other material these plates are placed in or between the vertical joints.
When used at the sides of lines of tramway these plates abut on the tramway
rails.
The said plates may be made with a serrated edge on the top, and may have
flanges or soles, and be perforated, which will enable them to maintain their level
and hold in streets or roadways formed in combination with the said plates, of such
roadway material as will pass into and through the perforations. In Figure 1 of
the accompanying Drawing I have shewn a portion of a street or roadway provided
with plates a, as before described, set in between the blocks b, of which in con-
junction with the said plates the said roadway is formed. The said plates are
shewn in the said Figure as being provided with feet or bottom flanches a³, upon
which the blocks b or other road material rest, the said feet resting upon a bed of
concrete, or other suitable bed of a level surface and compact character.
When the said plates are used in the construction of roadways or streets which
are traversed by tramway lines the said plates may be in short lengths, which abut
against the rails, as shewn with respect to the plates a in Figures 2 and 3; these
plates may be of any convenient or suitable length, for example, they may be of
short lengths, as shewn in the said Figures 2 and 3, to preserve the street or
roadway immediately adjacent to the lines, the other parts of the said street
or roadway being protected by other plates in the manner described with regard
to Figure 1, or the said other part of the street or roadway being of the ordinary
construction. The top edge of the said plates (or that level with the roadway)
may be serrated or otherwise roughened in any suitable manner, as for example,
in the manner shewn with regard to three of the said plates in Figure 1; or they
may be plain, as shewn with regard to the other three of the said plates in the
said Figure 1; they may have perforations in them, for example, as shewn in a
side view of part of a plate in Figure 4, or they may be unperforated as shewn in
Figure 1. In cases where a road material is used which will run into and through
these perforations the plates will be held thereby firmly in position. The said
plates may be formed without feet or bottom flanches if desired; or the feet may
be of less extent than such as is sufficient to cause them to abut against each other,
as shown in Figure 1. The said plates may be formed in any suitable lengths, and
may be any distance apart, and may extend to all or part of the roadway or street,
those parts only of the street or roadway most subjected to wear being provided
with the said plates, or the said plates being applied to the whole of the said street
or roadway. The said plates may be set diagonally to the line of the road or

page_text: street instead of transversely if desired. Where the streets or roadways, con-
structed according to my Invention, are traversed by tramway rails with perforated
webs or passages therethrough these rails and perforated plates, such as that
shewn in Figure 4, will together with a road material which will pass into and
through the said perforations or openings form a compact mass uniting the whole
together.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may
be used, or practically carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,―
The bereinbefore described improvements in the construction of streets and
roadways, consisting in the employment in combination with the ordinary or other
road material of plates of iron, steel, or other metal or suitable hard substance,
essentially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Gowans, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty second day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.