IMPROVE- MENTS IN CARRIAGE AND FOOT WAYS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thaddeus Hyatt, of Gloucester Gardens, Hyde
Park, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CARRIAGE AND FOOT WAYS."
Sealed the 24th March 1874, and dated the 3rd February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thaddeus Hyatt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd February 1874.
I, THADDEUS HYATT, of Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park, in the County
5 of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGE AND FOOT WAYS," to be as follows:-
:-
My improvements in the roadways of cities and other places have
reference principally to the carriage ways, but may in whole or part be
also adapted and used for the foot ways.

page_text: Second. A road surface.
Third. A renewable wearing surface.
The permanent substructure consists of heavy timber (preferably
Burnetized) framed together in a way to admit of its being readily taken
apart by sections for the purpose of access to sewers, gas pipes, and water
pipes. This permanent substructure is in the form of a lattice whose
openings are to be of any size experience may determine, but I assume
them at 3 feet in the clear, and I assume the size of the timbers to be
one foot in depth and nine inches thickness. They will be about 5 feet
6 inches long with overlaps of 10 inches, half the thickness of the
timber, the two ends of meeting timbers being joined at the overlaps or
halved" together, and bolted or put together with treenails.
66
The road surface may be composed of timber in sections or squares about
3 feet 9 inches across the upper or surface side at greatest width, and
about 3 feet diameter on the under side, which sinks into or blocks the
lattice openings of the permanent substructure to obtain a retaining hold.
These squares are thus made to rest upon the foundation timbers upon
bearings of about 4 to 4 inches lap, and the reliable strength of the
squares is computed or based upon the tensile ability of timber of that
length to support a load, the supports being 3 feet distant from cach
other. The support which these surface squares may get from the earth
underneath them within the interstitial spaces of the lattice foundation
I make no account of. The material of which I form these squares I
prefer to be of Burnetized wood and to be in the shape of plank of about
2 to 2 inches thickness, and from 4 to 6 inches deep; the parts that
enter the lattice openings may be in the nature of a frame or hollow
neck, and not solid over the entire under face of the square. These
surface squares which make up the general road surface will keep their
places and remain firm in position because of the hold upon the
foundation, which is obtained by the neck portions that enter into and
block the interstices of the lattice foundation. But as an additional
security, and likewise to secure the junctions of the squares where they
abut against each other, I propose to have all those seams well caulked
with oakum after the manner of caulking vessels' decks. It is also

page_text: proposed to caulk the scams between the planks which compose the
squares.
The third element of this pavement or roadway is the renewable
wearing surface, by the use of which I am able to "repair" the roadway
without "taking up" the actual pavement. This renewable wearing
surface is composed of any suitable materials capable of being readily
attached to, and that will keep their hold upon the road surface. By
analogy they hold to the road surface the same relation that "hob nails
do to the sole of a shoc protected by them.
"
In practice I propose to use as one plan of "roughening" the road to
prevent animals from slipping upon it, steel or iron nails with heads of
about 2 or 3 inches diameter, convex, and preferably bedded each head
upon a washer or cushion of india-rubber. This head is in reality a nut
for it screws on to the shank, the actual head being below on the under
face of the square, and at that point performing the function of a nut. I
prefer to make these protecting nails in this form so that the shank
portion may be again used when the worn head has been removed and a
new one takes its place.
If found desirable the wearing heads, in place of being smoothed, may
be indented, serrated, or otherwise roughened, or they may be made cup-
form to hold asphalt or any other foot retaining substance.
Another form of roughening which I propose consists of india-rubber
discs of from 2 to 3 inches diameter, and glued by some suitable water-
proof substance, such as "marine glue" to the face of the surface
squares.
The next form which I propose is asphalt itself used for this purpose
as a substitute for the metal nails. I propose to mould it in blocks or
plugs of suitable diameter and depth; capable of being retained within
countersinks made in the face of the surface squares.
Another form of roughening material for this purpose may be wood
plugs. In this way if there be any advantage in a wearing surface of
wood whose fibre or grain stands vertical, it will be had without entailing
destruction upon the way itself whilst being worn down. But my pre-
ference is for some fibrous and clastic material of a character so cheap
that the surface of the road may be very frequently renewed, the surface
squares could be kept "in stock" in sufficient quantities to admit of any

page_text: number of sections of them being taken up during the hours of the
night, so as not to interfere with the ordinary traffic during the day, the
only thing necessary to be done being to take up the worn ones, and put
down fresh ones in their places. The worn ones would be then taken
away and then the worn surface would be renewed, the squares being
then ready for relaying, and as sound and good as when first made.
I propose using the roughening material in the manner described
rather than in sheet form, and as an entire overlaying surface on the
ground of economy mainly where the nature of the material might
otherwise admit of using it in sheet form, while as to metal I prefer the 1
button or nail-head form, and these nails and propose to so place as to
"break joints," the heads intersecting one another as the cells of a
honeycomb do.