A NEW OR IMPROVED COMPOUND OR MATERIAL FOR . ROAD MAKING AND STREET PAVING, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Wilkinson, of Nottingham Street,
Marylebone Road, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED COMPOUND OR MATERIAL FOR .
ROAD MAKING AND STREET PAVING, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Wilkinson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th December 1875.
I, ALEXANDER WILKINSON, of Nottingham Street, Marylebone Road,
5 in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED COMPOUND OR
MATERIAL FOR ROAD MAKING AND STREET PAVING, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE
CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND SHIPS, AND TO VARIOUS OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES,"
to be as follows :-
This Invention relates to a peculiar compound suitable for road
making, street paving, floors, skating rinks, building purposes generally,

page_text: whether as coverings for roofs and walls, or as building blocks, also as
pannelling, for cabinet furniture, and as plates or slabs for use in
shipbuilding, and for many other purposes where iron plates are now
employed.
In manufacturing the said new compound or material I take of saw-
dust or finely disintegrated wood fibre (by preference mahogany) about
seven parts by weight, and of bitumen or bituminous matter about five
parts by weight. I thoroughly mix these two ingredients together, the
bituminous matter having been reduced to a soft or plastic condition by
the application of heat thereto. To the said mixture I then add about
one half part by weight of green oil or Stockholm tar, in order to render
the blocks or articles produced from the said compound slightly elastic
and flexible. The entire mass having been again heated and well stirred
together is placed in suitable moulds of any desired form and dimen-
sions, and is compressed therein by hydraulic or other powerful pressure,
and allowed to cool or set. On being removed from the said moulds
the blocks or other articles will be found to be perfectly hard and
slightly clastic, and suitable for the purposes herein-before referred to.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Wilkinson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th June 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
WILKINSON, of Nottingham Street, Marylebone Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her a
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Wilkinson, Her
special license that I, the said Alexander Wilkinson, my executors, s
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander
Wilkinson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
țime agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully

page_text: 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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED COMPOUND OR MATERIAL FOR ROAD
MAKING AND STREET PAVING, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS
AND SHIPS, AND TO VARIOUS OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Wilkinson, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Wilkinson, 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 :—
This Invention relates to a peculiar compound suitable for road
making, street paving, floors, skating rinks, and buildings generally,
whether as coverings for roofs, for walls, or for buildings blocks; it is
also applicable for pannelling, for cabinet furniture, and for backings or
linings for plates, or slabs for use in shipbuilding, and for many other
purposes where iron plates are now employed.
In manufacturing the said new compound or material I take sawdust
or finely disintegrated wood fibre (by preference mahogany) about seven
parts by weight, and of bitumen or bituminous matter about five parts
by weight. I thoroughly mix these two ingredients together, and bring
the bituminous matter to a soft or plastic condition by the application of
heat thereto. To the said mixture I add about one-half part by weight
of green oil or of Stockholm tar, in order to render the blocks or articles
produced from the said compound slightly clastic and flexible. I then
heat the mass and stir it well previous to placing it into moulds of any
desired form and dimension, in which it is compressed by hydraulic or
other pressure. The blocks so compressed are then allowed to cool
down and sett. On being removed from the said moulds the block or
other articles will be found to be perfectly hard and slightly clastic and
suitable for the purposes herein-before referred to.

page_text: Instead of sawdust I take a quantity of dried tan (of oak or any other
bark), and place it on a hot floor in order to render the wood fibres
perfectly impervious to water or damp. It is then taken and ground in
a mill in order to disintegrate it into fine particles, after which it is
treated with the bituminous matter and green oil, as before described.
The mass is then boiled, and is thoroughly mixed while under the
influence of heat to bring it into a perfectly plastic condition, in which
it may be placed into boxes or squares of any shape or form prior to
The
being placed under the influence of hydraulic or other pressure.
brick or paving block thus treated can then be removed in order to cool
down, and when cooled down will be found perfectly hard, slightly
elastic, and rendered fit for road making and street paving purposes in
general. The blocks or squares may be pressed with channels or grooves
on the upper surface to prevent horses slipping or falling. In laying
the blocks or squares I prefer a solid sub-surface composed of concrete
or any other suitable body that will prevent the blocks or squares from
sinking. The blocks or squares may be laid upon boards or battens in
order to keep the roadway sound. If the roadway is subject to heavy
traffic I propose to coat the blocks, either before or after they are laid,
with a solution composed of pitch, tar, and green oil, or their equivalent,
the solution being well boiled and stirred. The blocks or squares may
be laid down whilst their outer coating is in a soft plastic condition, in
order that the roadway may be rendered more noiseless than it would
otherwise by.
My Invention can be advantageously employed in the building of
ships or other vessels, so as to render them much lighter and cheaper in
their construction. I take a suitable proportion of the above compound
in any desired shape or form, and clad it on to the hull of the vessel to
any desired thickness. The cladding composition may be readily pressed
with great facility, with bolt holes readily cast or pressed in the clads.
After this coating or cladding is effected I cover it with iron of any
desired thickness. A ship thus cladded and iron plated will be found
more buoyant, also cheaper in construction, and perfectly bomb proof.
In manufacturing targets or army or navy firing butts my compound
will be found serviceable if used as a substitute for ordinary iron. For
this purpose I take a suitable proportion of tandust, or sawdust, or
finely divided woody fire of any kind, and mix it with cotton flock,
cotton waste, or other filamentous material before amalgamating it with

page_text: the compound herein-before described. These ingredients are mixed in
a hot cylinder, which is revolved at a high speed. In a short space of
time the mass is removed and placed into a mould of any desired form
or shape that may be suitable for targets and such like purposes.
My compound can be used for the manufacture of railway or other
sleepers for such like purposes. It may then be compressed by hydraulic
or any other suitable powerful pressure. These sleepers or blocks, after
having a short time to cool down when being taken from the moulds,
will be found perfectly hard and capable to stand great resistance, and
are much more suitable than wood now used for railway and tramway
'sleepers.
In the manufacture of the compound for flooring or skating rinks,
school yards, stables, and such like purposes, in place of asphalte, I
take a portion of sawdust or tan, the tan previously ground or not, and
boil it in a copper containing a mixture of pitch, tar, green oil, or any
other suitable bituminous matter. The mass after being thoroughly
stirred will be found perfectly plastic, and in a short space of time may
be laid on a solid surface, such as concrete, by means of hand floats,
which are commonly used for laying cement. The flooring is allowed to
cool, when it will be found perfectly hard, slightly elastic, and will
answer all the purposes here mentioned.
For the manufacture of fuel, especially for marine and such like
purposes, I take a suitable quantity of tan, or sawdust, or coal dust, or
ashes thoroughly ground or mixed together. I then add them to the
bituminous matter while in a hot state, as before described, to bring the
mass into a plastic condition. It may be readily compressed into blocks
or squares with great rapidity. When the blocks or squares are removed
from the moulds and cooled down they will be found very hard and
capable of throwing out great heat. The fuel blocks are applicable for
all kinds of steam or for household purposes. The blocks or squares
last mentioned may be coated with resin to make them available for
kindling or lighting fires. They can be made in any shape or form.
For cabinet or building purposes I take tan or sawdust or disinte-
grated woody fibre ground to fine particles. I then mix pitch, tar,
bitumen, green oil, resin, and wheaten flour in equal proportions
together. I then put the compound under the influence of heat to
reduce it to a liquid condition, and place the woody fibre into the hose or

page_text: cylinder containing the liquid, and stir the whole up until it becomes a
paste, which can be removed and placed into moulds of figured surfaces
to partake by compression the outline, figures, or designs that may be
useful for any kinds of building purposes in general.
The compound first herein-before described can be amalgamated with
a small proportion of ground stone dust or marble dust, sand, or its
equivalent, to which a quantity of whiting refuse may be added. This
compound when pressed and sett will be found to answer for all kinds of
paving and building and other similar purposes.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
Firstly. The compound made up of the ingredients in about the pro-
portions named in the first part of this Specification, as and for the
purposes set forth.
Secondly. I claim the several compositions herein-before described,
in which the compound referred to in the first part of this Specification
is applicable for the production of articles for the purposes mentioned in
the title of the before in part recited Letters Patent as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Wilkinson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of June One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-six.