AN IMPROVEMENT IN ROOFING OR COVERING HOUSES AND OTHER BUILDINGS OR PLACES
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
NORTH, of Stangate, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, 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 Twenty-ninth day of January, in the third year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William North, His especial licence, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said William North, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William North, my exors, admors, 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 mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN ROOFING OR COVERING HOUSES AND OTHER
BUILDINGS OR PLACES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that I, the said William North, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my 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 re-
cited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William North, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed,.and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to sav):-

page_text: My Invention of an Improvement in Roofing or Covering Houses and
other Buildings or Places, partly consists in laying and retaining upon the
wooden or iron rafters of roofs, slates, or slabs of slate, each of which, with
the exception of those used in the lower tier of all, is raised at its lower end
by means of a fillet of slate, lead, or other metal, or of mastic composition,
attached to the under side of the slate or slab, which fillet, excepting when laid
on slates, or slabs of slate, of uneven surface, is scolloped on its under side
more or less, as may be required, so as to admit air from without to the timbers
of the roof, and to let steam, heat, and damps escape from within.
My said improvement further consists in laying or retaining upon the
wooden or iron rafters of such roof slates; or slabs of slate, each of which,
with the exception of those used in the upper tier of all, has attached to the
top side of the upper end of each a fillet of slate, lead, or other metal, or of
mastic composition smaller than the fillet before, described, and the upper end
of the slate or slab to which the smaller fillet is attached being overlapped by
the lower end of the slate or slab to which the longer fillet is attached; the
smaller fillet excludes wet from without, while it does not prevent the air from
being admitted to the timbers of the roof from without, or steam, heat, or
damp escaping from within; which completes the horizontal joints further on
the under side of each slate or slab; a groove is sunk at each side, the outer
edges of which overlap the edges of a slate or iron bearer, which has a corre-
sponding groove sunk on each side of its upper surface, forming a channel for
the discharge of wet that may get into the vertical joint.
And in order that this my Specification may be sufficiently clear to enable
competent persons, at the expiration of my Patent, to practice my Invention
with the same advantage I myself now possess, I shall describe the whole
process of roofing or covering houses and other buildings or places in the
manner which I practice..
The slates, or slabs of slate, are in thickness from 3/8 to 1 inch, according
to the strength required, in length from two feet to six feet, the breadth about
two thirds the length. On the under side of each slate or slab is a groove at
each of its sides, about 3/4 inch wide and 1/4 inch deep, Fig. No. 1, A, A. On
the under side of the lower end of each slate, excepting those used in the
bottom tier or eave course, is a groove 3/8in. wide and 1/8" deep, into which is
fastened a fillet of slate, lead, or other metal, about 3/8 in. x 5/8in, by means
of a seam of mastic or oil cement, having its bottom edge scolloped, according
as little or much ventilation is required, or not scolloped if the face of the
slate upon which it bears is of uneven surface, Fig. No. 2, B. And upon the
upper side of the top end of each slate (excepting those used in the upper tier
:

page_text: of all) is laid a fillet of mastic or other composition, or of slate, lead, or other
metal, about half an inch wide and a quarter of an inch thick, Fig. No. 2, C;
observing, that I generally use a fillet of lead for the bottom end on account
of its exposure to the weather and its flexible quality in bending to the uneven-
ness of the slate, and a fillet of mastic for the top end on account of its adhesive
quality to the slate, and being partly protected from the weather. The bearers
upon which the sides of the slates or slabs bear, forming the vertical joints,
are of slate or iron, from one to two inches thick, of the same length as the
slates, and about three inches wide, with a groove about half an inch wide and
half an inch deep on each side of the upper face, Fig. No. 1, D, D, D.
I will now describe the method of fixing my improved roofing. The
wooden or iron rafters must be placed horizontally of sufficient distance apart
to allow of the top end of the slates having two inches bearing, and the bottom
end to overlap the slate below two inches; the principals or binders are eight
feet apart. The slate or iron bearers are sunk and nailed at the upper ends a
sufficient depth into the rafters to allow of the slates or slabs bearing equally
upon the rafters and upon the bearers, the bottom end overlapping the head of
the slate below two inches, raised to the same level as the other slates, so as to
leave the space for damps to escape over the small fillet, and the sides of the
slates or slabs overlapping the sides of the bearers fastened at the bottom ends
with metal loops E, E, countersunk into the face of the slate and nailed to
the rafters.
In witness whereof, I, the said William North, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-three.