AN IMPROVED METHOD OF PREPARING AND CONSTRUCTING ROADS AND WAYS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Fairfax Williams of 166 Fleet Street in the city
of London. for an Invention of AN IMPROVED METHOD OF PREPARING AND
CONSTRUCTING ROADS AND WAYS.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Fairfax Williams at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd June 1883.
HENRY FAIRFAX WILLIAMS of 166 Fleet Street in the City of London
IMPROVED METHOD OF PREPARING AND CONSTRUCTING ROADS AND WAYS."
" AN
My invention relates to a novel combination of Asphalte and wood in the
construction of roads and ways whereby a maximum of combined advantages is
secured at a minimum of cost. By my mode of construction I produce a pavement
of asphalte and wood which is compact and waterproof without sacrificing the
semi elastic properties of either material.
As preliminary to the construction of my pavement I require conditions which
are found indispensible to any style of good pavement; viz.-a uniform and
compact foundation of broken stone or gravel in combination with a due proportion
of cement to form a concrete bed over a properly graded and compact earth bed.
For my invention I use blocks of wood of about four inches in length of vertical
fibre, instead of six (the length in common use) and by means of asphalte as I
prepare it I unite piece to piece so firmly, that I produce a compact body with a
combined strength greater than can be produced by double the amount of material,
not thus united.
My asphalte preparation is of that peculiar consistency which is neither too hard
nor too soft to perform the functions desired of it, viz, an insoluble glue of great
tenacity, which though used in limited quantities does form an effectual bond,
between the before separate pieces of wood which permits of no yielding beyond
that which is inherent to the material itself. Before a joint thus made will break
the fibre of the wood will yield.
I dip my blocks to half their length in heated asphalte thereby forming a coating
of about one sixteenth of an inch thick, over the portion immersed. I then place
them in rows running from kerb to kerb with the dipped portion downwards,
.מ

page_text: thereby leaving an open joint between the rows at the surface, of about an eighth
of an inch. This I thoroughly fill by pouring over the surface boiling asphalte, till
the openings are not only filled up but until the entire surface becomes completely
saturated, penetrated and hermetically sealed by the seething mass of liquid
asphalte which when cool forms a malleable coating over the entire surface.
I then cover the surface with finely broken stone or gravel about a half inch
thick and then give another coating of liquid asphalte which fills all the interstices
between the gravel and forms an even surface. This coating I temper somewhat
harder than the preparation used in the body of the pavement, and as soon as the
material cools the roadway is ready for use
When thus constructed, the body of the structure becomes hermetically sealed
and will remain so, if not disturbed by other means than that of travel The
surface coating can be renewed at intervals at a cost which will be found
insignificant compared with the service rendered
Such a coating will stand in the busiest thoroughfares for a long period and to
renew the coating it is simply necessary to wash the surface and remove all foreign
substances. The fresh coating of asphalte (as prepared under my process) will
immediately attach to the old as long as there is any remaining.
Its renewal as often as may be found necessary will be less costly than the
required repairs to any other form of pavement not excepting the noisy and rigid
stone blocks.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Fairfax Williams in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th November 1883.
HENRY FAIRFAX WILLIAMS of 166 Fleet Street in the city of London AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF PREPARING AND CONSTRUCTING ROADS AND WAYS
My invention relates to a novel combination of asphalte and wood in the
construction of roads and ways whereby a maximum of combined advantages is
secured at a minimum of cost.
By my mode of construction I produce a pavement of asphalte and wood which
is compact and waterproof without sacrificing the semi-elastic properties of either
material.
As preliminary to the construction of my pavement I require conditions which
are found indispensible to any style of good pavement viz an uniform and compact
foundation of broken stone or gravel in combination with a due proportion of
cement to form a concrete bed over a properly graded and compact earth bed.
For my invention I use pieces of wood of about four inches in length of vertical
fibre, instead of six (the length in common use) and preferably thinner than those
usually employed for roadways and by means of Asphalte as I prepare it and as
hereafter described I unite piece to piece so firmly that I produce a compact body
with a combined strength greater than can be produced by double the amount of
material not thus united.
My asphalte preparation is of that peculiar consistency which is neither too
hard nor too soft to perform the functions desired of it viz an insoluble glue of
great tenacity which though used in limited quantities does form an effectual bond
between the before separate pieces of wood which permits of no yielding beyond
that which is inherent to the material itself. Before a joint thus made will break
the fibre of the wood will yield.
I dip my blocks to half their length in heated asphalte thereby forming a coating
of about one sixteenth of an inch thick over the portion immersed I then place
them in rows running from kerb to kerb with the dipped portions downward
thereby leaving an open joint between the rows at the surface of about an eighth
of an inch. This I thoroughly fill by pouring over the surface boiling asphalte till
the openings are not only filled up but until the entire surface becomes completely
saturated, penetrated and hermetically sealed by the seething mass of liquid
asphalte which when cool forms a malible coating over the entire surface.
I then cover the surface with finely broken stone or gravel about a half inch
thick and then give another coating of liquid asphalte which fills all the interstices
between the gravel and forms an even surface. This coating I temper somewhat
harder than the preparation used in the body of the pavement and as soon as the
material cools the roadway is ready for use.
The
When thus constructed the body of the structure becomes hermetically sealed
and will remain so if not disturbed by other means than that of travel.
surface coating can be renewed at intervals at a cost which will be found insignificant
compared with the service rendered. Such a coating will stand in the busiest
thoroughfares for a long period.
To renew this coating it is simply necessary to wash the surface and remove all
foreign substances. The fresh coating of asphalte (as prepared under my process)
will immediately attach to the old as long as there is any remaining.
Its renewal as often as may be found necessary will be less costly than the
required repairs to any other form of pavement not excepting the noisy and rigid
stone blocks,

page_text: My asphalte or liquid glue compound is made up by blending under the action
of prolonged heat and agitation certain proportions of Val-de-Travers asphalte and
Trinidad pitch the proportionate quantities of each being governed by the quality
of the ingredients.
In practice I find 78 parts Val-de-Travers asphalte and 22 parts Trinidad pitch
particularly suited for my purpose but these may vary, the consistency of my liquid
glue being determined by the skill of the workman.
I have mentioned Val-de-Travers asphalte as one of the ingredients of my
compound but other asphaltes having similar properties can be substituted for it or
used in conjunction as found desirable and in some cases Lime Rock in powder free
from natural asphalte can be mixed with Trinidad pitch asphalte and made plastic
or into liquid glue for the purpose before mentioned.
$
Other heavy mineral oils having blending qualities with Val-de-Travers or an
equivalent asphalte can also be substituted for the Trinidad pitch asphalte.
The liquid glue may be of the same consistency or of a different consistency for
the top dressing or coatings to that used for dipping the wood blocks in or for
encasing them the object and purpose of the invention being as before explained.
By this peculiar and novel construction of wooden pavement I am enabled to
use blocks of about half the depth of those now employed thereby securing an
important economy to begin with and by the employment of the glue and a thinner
piece of wood the whole mass is not only hermetically sealed but bonded together
as if it were a solid piece of wood from kerb to kerb and the whole of its length
Furthermore I wish it to be clearly understood that in my method the wood is
designed to serve the purpose of a cushion only to the elastic carpet with which it
is covered and is not designed to sustain any of the surface wear consequently it
never needs replacing or repairing the carpet which constitutes exclusively the
wearing surface and is therefore the only part of the whole construction which will
require to be renewed from time to time. My method is in fact not a wood
pavement in the accepted sense of the term the wood in the existing pavements
being the wearing surface, it being daily and inevitably destroyed while my semi-
clastic carpet not only protects the wood but also prevents the formation of that
wood dust now so much complained of as being very deleterious to the health of
people and animals.
Having now described the nature of my said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that I claim
First The construction of roads from a combination of wood and asphalte the wood
being enclosed, encased and hermetically scaled in and by an adhesive body, of
water, air, and wear resisting capacity.
Secondly The preparation and use of strong adhesive asphalte liquid glue produced
in the manner described for encasing and glueing pieces of wood together for
roadways
Thirdly I claim As part of my invention in connection with the maintenance of
roadways surfacing, coating, or carpeting, of wood paving by an adhesive
asphalte glue for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Henry Fairfax Williams have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Sixteenth day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
HENRY F. WILLIAMS (L.S.)