CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVING STREETS, ROADS, YARDS, AND OTHER SURFACES OVER WHICH CARRIAGES AND BEASTS OF BURDEN HAVE TO PASS
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
Love, junior, of Coleman Street, in the City of London, Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the First day of December, in the tenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Richard Love, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Richard Love, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said Richard Love, my executors, administrators,
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, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVING STREETS,
ROADS, YARDS, AND OTHER SURFACES OVER WHICH CARRIAGES AND BEASTS OF
BURDEN HAVE TO PASS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said Richard Love, by an instrument in writing, under my
hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause
the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part

page_text: recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto ma
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Richard Love, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be perfrmed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is, to say) :-
My Invention of Improvements in Paving Streets, Roads, Yards, and other
Surfaces over which Carriages and Beasts of Burden have to pass, consists in
forming the pavement of a combination of wood and stone, which materials
are arranged in such a manner that the wood by swelling may be made to
hold the wood firmly, and form a compact, strong, and durable paving, free
from the objections that are incidental to paving constructed of either of the
above materials alone. It will be evident to any person conversant with the
subject that the object of my Invention can be effected in various ways, and
that the mode of carrying out my improvements must in some measure
depend upon the circumstances of each particular case, and may with advan-
tage be left to the discretion of the parties who intend to make use of my
Invention. In order, however, to prevent misconception, and that the nature
of my improvements may be clearly understood, I have shewn, in the accom-
panying Drawing, a plan of combining wood and stone, which will be found to
answer the purpose exceedingly well.
Figure 1 represents a sectional view, and Figure 2 a plan, view of a piece
of paving constructed, according to my improved plan. a, a, a, a, are blocks
of stone of the ordinary shape and size, and such as are usually employed for
paving; and b, b, b, b, are thin slips or narrow blocks of wood, from half an inch
to two inches in width, and placed between the rows of stone blocks. The slips
or narrow blocks of wood may be employed in the natural or unprepared
state; but I prefer to have them prepared for the purpose to which they are
intended to be applied, either by drying them by means of heat in stoves, or
by currents of heated air, as is well known, or by compressing them under
heavy pressure. The object of thus drying or compressing the slips or blocks
of wood previous to using them for paving is to reduce their bulk, so that
when they are placed besides the stone blocks in the paving, the wood, when
made to swell by the moisture it will imbibe from the earth, the atmosphere,
or otherwise, will pack closely and hold tightly against the stone; and form a
compact and solid mass of paving. Another important advantage resulting
from the employment of wood and stone in combination is, that there is a

page_text: degree of elasticity imparted to the paving by placing rows of wood and stone
alternately, and the noisy and destructive jar incidental to all paving con-
structed entirely of stone is in a great measure obviated, and the paving
consequently rendered much more durable. Various descriptions of wood are
applicable for the above purpose, but the particular kind to be used will of course
depend upon a variety of circumstances, such as the nature of the road, the
amount of traffic expected, and the costs of different kinds of wood in the
localities where the pavement is to be laid down;, but I have found well dried
soft woods, such as fir, American willow, and poplar, to answer the intended
purpose remarkably well, as these woods retain their moisture in dry, weather,
and therefore are not so liable to split or contract, and allow the paving stones
to become loose, as some others of a harder kind. I may here remark, that I
do not propose to make any alteration in the mode of forming the foundation
of the road, nor to dispense always with the use of concrete,, which may, if
required, be employed to give greater solidity to the road when constructed,
and, if thought advisable, the wooden slips or blocks may (previous to using
them for paving) be subjected to any of the known processes for preserving
wood from decay; but these points being questions of expence, and not at all
affecting the principle of the Invention, I leave them entirely discretionary.
I would also observe, that, if thought desirable, thin slips or blocks of wood
may be placed between the stones composing each row, so that no stone may
be found in contact with another stone; but when this arrangement is
adapted the wood blocks employed for this purpose must not be compressed,
or too dry, or such as will expand to too great a degree after they are laid
down, as otherwise this lateral expansion may produce the effect of dislocating
the paving, or forcing the curbstones out of their places. It will be evident
to any practical pavior that maný advantages besides those enumerated will
result from combining wood and stone so as to form a paving in the manner
herein-before set forth; and it will be seen that by making the slips or blocks
of wood thin or narrow, in comparison to the width of the stone blocks, the
former do not constitute any very considerable portion of the wearing surface
of the pavement, and consequently a pavement constructed upon my improved
plan will not be open to the objections incidental to all description of wood
paving.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not mean to coufine myself
to the precise arrangement, combination, or dimension of parts herein-before
set forth and described, as the same may be considerably varied without
departing from the nature and object of my Invention; but what I corsider

page_text: to be new, and therefore wish to secure under the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent, is, the introduction of thin or narrow slips or blocks of wood
between the blocks of stone usually employed for paving, or any others appli-
cable to a similar purpose, so that when the said slips or blocks of wood are
moistened by exposure to wet or a damp atmosphere they may be made to
expand, and, by packing closely against the stones, will firmly hold them, and
render the whole a compact and solid mass of paving.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Love, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this First day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-seven.
Inrolled the same First day of June, in the year above written..