CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAIL- ROADS, BRIDGES, PIERS, JETTIES, AND ACQUEDUCTS, PART OF WHICH MAY BE APPLIED TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
GIBBS, of East Smithfield, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, and
AUGUSTUS APPLEGATH, of Crayford, in the County of Kent, Calico Printer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twentieth day of June, in the third year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Joseph Gibbs and Augustus Applegath, His especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that we, the said Joseph Gibbs. and Augustus Apple-
gath, our exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Joseph
Gibbs and Augustus Applegath, our exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAIL-
ROADS, BRIDGES, PIERS, JETTIES, AND ACQUEDUCTS, PART OF WHICH MAY BE APPLIED
TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that we, the said Joseph Gibbs and Augustus Applegath, or one
of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in.
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance of the said proviso, we, the said
Joseph Gibbs and Augustus Applegath, do hereby declare that the nature of
our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
are particularly described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and the following description thereof, that is to say :-
Figure 1 is an end view of a railway composed of wrought-iron rods
supported upon columns. Figure 2 is a side view of the same. Figure 3 is a
plan of the foundation plate to which the supporting columns are attached.
The same letters of reference indicate the similar parts in each Figure.
A, A, are the foundation plates made of cast iron, and connected together by
bolts and nuts, and secured to the earth or soil by means of the vertical rods
ór bolts B, B, which are furnished with moveable arms or flukes C, C, which,
when opened, prevent the return of the bolts B, B, when the nuts D, D, are
screwed tight, and by which the foundation plates are firmly fixed down as by
anchors to the earth or soil; and it is obvious that by screwing the nuts D, D,
the earth or soil between the flukes C, C, and the foundation plate A, may be
compressed equal to the stress or pressure of the intended superstructure.
The construction of the rods or bolts B, B, and their moveable arms and
flukes C, C, are better shewn in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, in which B, B, is the
lower end of the bolt, which divaricates so as to form two sides or cheeks E, E,
in the lower ends of which are holes to receive the pin F, which passes through
the flukes C, C, and connects the whole together, but permitting the flukes to
open, as shewn at G, G, in Fig. 4. H, H, are thin metal tubes to keep the
earth open after boring to receive the bolts. These tubes may be withdrawn
when the bolts are inserted, or in some cases they may be allowed to remain,
and the hollow space around the bolts may be filled in with cement or any
concreting substance. At Fig. 4 the bolt is shewn by the dotted lines as
having passed the tube H, and is in the act of expanding. I, I, are the
supporting columns, made of cast iron of any convenient form, and they may
be furnished with brackets K, K, which may form ornamental arches when
connected together, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2. The upper part of the columns
I, I, are bored or cast with a cavity to receive the wedge-shaped pin L, as
shewn in Figs. 7 and 8. M, M, are the rail rods, made of wrought iron.
Their ends N, N, are formed into dove-tail hooks, which fit into the connecting
link O, O, which is also formed of wrought iron, a plan of which is shewn at
Figs. 9 and 10. The wedge pin L is furnished with a mortice hole, through
which the key P is driven, which secures the pin L, the connecting link O,
and the rods M, M, to the colums I, I. Q, Q, Q, Q, shewn in Figures 1
and 2, are smaller rods, for the purpose of supporting the planks R, R, which

page_text: may be placed close so as to form a floor, or they may be two or three inches
apart. S, S, is an ornamental railing, which may occasionally be useful:
Figure 11 is a longitudinal section of a rail rod, supported upon a chair
resting upon the earth without any supporting columns. Figure 12 is an
end view of the same. M, M, are the wrought-iron rail rods, made with
dove-tailed ends, as before described. T is the chair; which is constructed so
as to form the connecting link. L is the wedge pin, with its. key P. The
chair T may be fixed to the earth by means of the bolt B in the manner
before described. If the surface soil is loose, a pit or hole may be dug of any
convenient depth, and filled with concrete or any hard material. And it
should be observed in all cases that the length of the rods or bolts B, B, must
be proportioned to the quality of the subsoil. As these wrought-iron rail rods
are intended to be laid down in as long lengths as possible, simple bearing chairs
must be introduced at convenient distances, which may be of the form shewn
at Figs. 32 and 33, and these chairs may be connected with the earth in the
manner before described, if necessary. Fig. 13 shews a method of tightening
the rail rods M, M, by means of a staple link furnished with screwed ends,
and a connecting piece and nuts, as also shewn at Fig. 14. Fig. 15 is a side
view of a railway, in which the ordinary rail is surmounted by a wrought-iron
rail rod, for the purpose of diminishing the number of joints, and also of
connecting the rails more firmly together. Fig. 16 is an end view of the
same. A is the under or supporting rail, which may be made of cast
iron. Its upper surface is slightly concave, to receive the wrought-iron rail
rod B. The rails A, A, are connected together at C, and may be fixed in chairs
of any convenient construction, or the chairs may be formed as shewn at
Fig. 17. The junction of the rail rods B, B, is made at D in the following
manner: The ends of the rods B; B, are turned down at right angles, and
passing into the socket E, which is cast in the under rail A, the ends of B are
furnished with mortice holes, by which they are keyed tight, as shewn in
Fig. 16. In the under rail A there is also a socket which receives the pin F,
which is fixed or welded to the rail rod B, and which serves to secure it to the
under rail A; for it should be observed that the rail rods B should be as long
as possible, to combine several supporting rails by one joint. Another method
of effecting the same object is shewn at Figs. 19 and 20.
rail, made to receive the wrought-iron rod B beneath it. Fig. 17 is a section,
and Fig. 18 a side view, of a chair for supporting the compound rails, shewn
at Figs. 15 and 16. B is the wrought-iron rail rod. C, C, are the ends of
the rail A, and they are made wedge-shaped. G is the chair, also made wedge-
shaped. The ends C, C, are forced up against the sides of the chair, and firmly
A is the cast-iron

page_text: held there by means of the wedges H, H. These chairs
may be fastened to
sleepers or blocks, or they may be connected with the earth, as before shewn.
The wheels to be used with these rail rods may either be made with flat holes
and flanges, in the usual manner, or their rims may be concave, taking care
that their concavity is part of a larger circle than the rail rods.
Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 shews the application of these improvements to the
construction of bridges, piers, or jetties; Fig. 21 being the side view of a
pier or jetty for landing passengers and light goods, and Fig. 22 is the end
view of the same. A, A, are the foundation plates, supporting the columns
I, I, which carry the rail rods M, M. The columns are attached to the earth
by means of the bolts B, B; but in this case the foundation is strengthened
by means of the iron caissons Z, Z, which are filled with concrete or any
suitable material, and which, together with the subsoil, is compressed by the
action of the screw nuts, as before described. R, R, are floor planks supported
by the rail rods M, M, and connected with them by means of iron straps
furnished with nuts and screws, as shewn in Fig. 22.
Fig. 24 shews a convenient method of sinking and driving the caissons Z, Z.
A is a boat furnished with a well capable of permitting the caisson to pass
down it. The driving apparatus is nearly the same as the ordinary pile driven.
The ram or driver is shewn at Fig. 25. It is made circular, and slides up and
down the guide rod (a) by means of chains attached to the ring (b), which is
furnished with two claw levers (c, c), acting upon the pins (d, d). The upper
ends of (c, c,) have friction pullies (e, e), which, when they come in contact:
with the hollow cone (f), open the claws, and detach the ram, which falls
upon the caisson Z, shewn in section on a larger scale at Fig. 30, and, in
connection with the other parts, comprizing the tube, containing the bolt
imbedded within it, and made firm by a concreting substance, are shewn at
Fig. 31. The pier head may be strengthened by diagonal bolts or rods, as
shewn in Figs. 21 and 22, and similar diagonal bolts may be applied in any
part required.
Fig. 26 is a plan of the road planks, which may be 2 or 3 inches apart in
cases where the pier or jetty is exposed to the wash of the water. The con-
struction of a bridge is similar to that of the jetty, except that more rail rods
may be introduced for strength.
Fig. 27 is a plan of the rods, and cross couplers which rest upon the rods,
to support the stones or planks upon which the materials for the road are laid.
M, M, are the rail or supporting rods. X, X, are the cross couplers, a side
view of one of which is given in Fig. 28. Y, Y, are the stones or planks which
support the road, a section of which is shewn at Fig. 29. It is obvious these

page_text: improvements may be applied to the construction of acqueducts, which may
be supported upon the rails and columns described. This method of forming
a foundation by means of cast-iron plates connected with bolts anchored in
the earth in the manner herein-before shewn may be easily applied to various
purposes, such as steam-engine chimnies, brick or stone piers for arches,
or, in short, for almost any structure requiring cheap and solid foundations,
which the advantages of this mode of construction to railroads must be
considered, in diminishing the expence of embanking and cutting, and the
purchase of land, in the avoiding adverts for the purpose of drainage, and the
numerous small arches or bridges now required for passing small streams
and watercourses, and in lessening the number of junctions of the rails, and
their consequent wear, and also in many cases affording an opportunity of free
access from the land on each side of the railroad by passing beneath it.
And we do not mean hereby to claim any of the various parts herein shewn
which are already known or are in use; but we claim as our Invention and
patent right the method of securing the foundation plates, blocks, or planks by
means of bolts and flukes, as before described, and also the various improve-
ments in the method of coupling and combining the rail rods and chairs
herein shewn, and the combination of such foundation plates, columns, and rail
rods for the various purposes herein stated, as also the caisson, and method
of using the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Gibbs, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December, in the year of our
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