IMPROVEMENTS IN ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTIONS AND WALKING SURFACES, IN THE MATERIALS THEREFOR, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thaddeus Hyatt, of No. 66, Gloucester Gardens,
Hyde Park, London, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturer of
Patent Lights, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ARCHITECTURAL
AND ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTIONS AND WALKING SURFACES, IN THE MATERIALS
THEREFOR, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH."
Sealed the 21st August 1875, and dated the 29th June 1875.
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thaddeus Hyatt at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 29th June 1875.
I, THADDEUS HYATT, of No. 66, Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park,
London, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturer of Patent Lights,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTIONS AND WALKING SURFACES, IN
THE MATERIALS THEREFOR, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED THERE-
WITH," to be as follows:-
:-

page_text: weather-proofing, including ornamentation and ventilation, and to
methods, materials, and apparatus therefor; to improvements in floor
and roof constructions and materials therefor with reference to protection
against fire; and to walking surfaces with reference to illumination,
ornamentation, and to 'methods and processes for cheapening and
atronathoning the came and the materiale therefor
weather-proofing, including ornamentation and ventilation, and LO
methods, materials, and apparatus therefor; to improvements in floor
and roof constructions and materials therefor with reference to protection
against fire; and to walking surfaces with reference to illumination,
ornamentation, and to 'methods and processes for cheapening and
strengthening the same and the materiale therefor
WEATHERPROOFING, & ORNAMENTING, & VENTILATION.
Tiles. Under this head of my Invention, according to one part
thereof, my improvement consists in making roofing tiles with steps or
corrugations crosswise of the tiles, which give the overlaps an effectual
grip, and also present barriers to the entrance of driving winds and
storms.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists
in making tiles in imitation of laid brick, the face of the tiles being
formed with indents that break up the surface into blocks the size of
bricks and half bricks; the indents being preferably "pointed" with
cement to heighten the effect. By the use of these tiles concrete houses
may be faced to resemble brick, and hollow piers and columns may be
made under circumstances where solid ones from their weight would be
objectionable or impracticable; some of the tiles for such purposes being
made of curved or bent form.
Gratings. According to another part of my Invention, my improve-
ment consists in ornamenting buildings by means of gratings or
perforated plates, set or glazed with ornamental tiles; the gratings.
being employed as panels to inlay the walls and ceilings of buildings.
In some cases I set these grating pancls with a double layer of orna-
mental tiles which overlap one another, leaving an air space between
them for ventilation.
Alphabet Tiles. -According to another part of my Invention my
improvement consists in making tiles with indents which form letters or
figures, so that by the joiuing of several such tiles, words sentences,
names, and numbers,may be formed, and thus the fronts of buildings
may be conspicuously and durably lettered and numbered for business
or other purposes.
Bricks. According to another part of my Invention, niy improvement

page_text: character as to either form a complete design upon the face of the single
bricks or with a portion of a design formed upon each of several bricks,
the complete design appearing upon the face of the whole in com-
bination. In other cases the indents are made to form channels across
the face of the bricks to receive inlays, which may be glazed tiles,
colored glass, encaustic tiles, colored cements, or other ornamenting
material. By the use of such bricks the fronts of buildings and the
interior surfaces may be ornamented in a cheap, clean, and durable
manner. The indents of the bricks may also be shaped to form letters
and figures as already described in respect to tiles.
Asphalt. According to another part of my Invention my improve-
ment consists in forming inlaid walking and weather surfaces of asphalt,
carbonite, or equivalent bituminous material, the inlays being glazed,
encaustic, or other ornamental tiles or materials. The bituminous
substance may be either cast in block or brick form with a channeled
face like the bricks and tiles already described and the inlays set therein,
or the inlays may be first placed in position and the asphalt cast
around them in a layer where the surface is required or otherwise.
Indenting and Ornamenting Walls.-According to another part of my
Invention, my improvement consists in ornamenting and weather-
proofing the walls of existing or old buildings by cutting indents into
them by means of the sand blast process or by a rock drill of light
construction adapted to the work, and then inlaying the same after the
manner already described as to tiles and bricks.
FLOORS, ROOFS, AND MATERIALS THEREFOR.
Under this head of my Invention my improvement according to one
part thereof consists in a reversal of the ordinary method of constructing
floors and roofs, that is to say, instead of putting the strength in a plano
with the top flanges of the beams or [girders I place it in a plane with
the bottom flanges of the beams or girders; the space to be filled up
therefore by my method comes above the ceiling instead of below the
floor. By this method the bottom flanges of the girders are easily and
effectually protected against fire.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists
in making joists, beams, and girders (bridges being included as girders
of great span) of cast iron to take the crush, and wrought iron to take

page_text: the tensile strains, the peculiarity of the improvement consisting in the
arrangement of the cast metal in two upper lines or flanges, one being
in the form of an arch, and the other being straight like the top flange
of an ordinary web and flange beam; and the ties being arranged, a
straight one to act with the arch and curved or bent ones to act with
the straight upper flange. In combination with these ties and flanges
the web of the beam is corrugated or crimped to make the cast metal
clastic so that it and the wrought may act together simultaneously
under the pressure of a load.
Under this head of my Invention, according to one part thereof,
my improvement consists in the use and application of "toughened
glass" combined with metal gratings or perforated plates for making
coal hole plates, illuminating: gratings, and other illuminating surfaces,
and constructions formed by means of or out of illuminating grates or 1
perforated plates set with glass; the employment of "toughened glass"
in these combinations producing a lighter and cheaper manufactured
article.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists
in making blocks of "toughened glass" for insertion in vessel's decks 2
and other wood surfaces exposed to being constantly wet; the use of
toughened glass for this purpose, the sides of the glass being properly
formed, admitting the employment of the caulking iron and oakum and
vertical joints without danger of breaking the glass; by this means
the joints around the glasses in vessel's decks may be kept tight as 2
easily as the caulked seams between the deck planks.
According to another part of my Invention my improvement consists
in toughening pressed glass and cast iron for use as walking surfaces,
and in building constructions, the same being likewise useful for other
applications; the improvement consisting in dipping or immersing the 3
newly cast iron or pressed glass, as soon as possible after being cast or
pressed, into molten lead or other molten metal equivalent thereto for
such purpose, the immersed articles in some cases being left in the
molten metal until it has become cool...
b

page_text: surfaces. As commonly made, pattern making is a source of constant
expense from the frequent changes required in the size of the gratings,
the patterns being cut and altered or made anew to meet such
demands.
•
By my improvement, which consists in making a permanent set of
root or alphabet patterns, any sized pattern may be constructed however
large or small, a given number of root patterns being joined together to
form one of larger size, just as printer's type are employed to make
pages of any size.
Fireproofing Tiles.-According to another part of my Invention my
improvement consists in making and applying "fire-bricks" or tiles, or
equivalent fireproofing bricks or tiles to wood surfaces to protect them
against fire, the bricks or tiles being formed with a reeded face to lay
against the wood so as to admit air, and thus prevent the wood from
decay. I also in some cases perforate the same with air holes to feed
the reeded channels with air.