IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING FIREPROOF BUILDINGS
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
LECONTE, of Paris, in the Kingdom of France, now resident in Leicester
Square, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Ninth day of July, in the fourth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Louis
Leconte, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege, and authority, that I,
the said Louis Leconte, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or or such others as
I, the said Louis Leconte, my exors, adiñors, 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 expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING FIREPROOF BUILDINGS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Louis
Leconte, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited 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
Louis Leconte, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the

page_text: The Invention relates to certain modes of constructing the walls and other
parts of buildings, in order to render them fireproof, and consists, amongst
other things, of a means of employing frames of iron to receive concrete
matters for forming the walls.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
In order to construct a building according to the Invention, the basement is
to be built according to any of the ordinary methods, up to one foot or more
above ground, as may be required; on the basenient so constructed is to be
erected the patent walls, and the same is to be formed of frames made either
entirely of cast iron (cast in one or in several pieces) or of a combination of
cast iron and iron plate, as hereafter more particularly described. First, the
frames, Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, will be fitted the one into the top of the other,
and connected together at the sides by means of pins a, a, going into corre-
sponding holes. Figures 5 and 6 shew a modification of the above-described
frames. By this modification, the frames, instead of being fitted as above, will
have four pins A, one at each angle, fitting into four holes B, of the frame
immediately above. In other respects these frames will be the same as above
described. The frames, Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, will have a top and bottom
flat surface, and are to be connected together by means of bolts, and fastened
either by nuts, cross pins, or wedges at the top, the bottom, and the sides, or
by the said bolts being rivetted or merely turned up. The frames, Figures 11,
12, and 13, will be formed in two parts, or front and back, both of cast-iron,
connected together at each intersection by cross pieces of iron plate D, and
fastened by either of the means before mentioned.
Note. Should it be found necessary in the application to increase the
strength of the frames, it will be effected by means of light cross pieces, either
of cast iron or wrought iron, on each or any of the four faces of the frames so
composed, or it will be effected by casting the sides of the frames, or any of
them, solid or perforated. Whichever of these systems be adopted, the frames
will at (the height of each floor or otherwise) be bound together by one. or
more iron rods E running horizontally and lengthwise through them. The said
cast-iron rods having niches at distances and of a size calculated to admit of
the contiguous cross pieces of the frames tightly fitting into the said niches,

page_text: or instead of this rod, we make use of a band of iron plate, fitting into the cross
pieces of the frames by means of notches in either or each of the two parts so
connected.
The front walls.may be crowned by cast-iron plate c, Figures 14 and 15,
fitting upon and fastened to the frames, the said plate to be supplied at the
points intended for the resting of the ends of the main beams of the roof, with
a hollow cast-iron piece of a triangular form F, to which these beams are to be
fastened as before described. The frames may have an ornamental moulding
covering the interstices between the frames; the said mouldings may be cast
with the frames or otherwise fastened to them. The flues of the chimneys will
be formed of pipes placed in the thickness of the walls, the said pipes being of
such materials as may be thought best. Note.-In the construction of the
frames, we do not confine ourselves to any particular dimensions or forms.
Figures 16 shews another form that might be adapted; Figure 17 shews a
frame to be placed horizontally over a doorway, and to be fastened to the upright
frames as before described, or it may also have brackets to support it, the said
brackets being fastened unto the upright frames. The carcase of the walls so
formed is to be filled up with a concrete formed of such materials as may be
best adapted to the purpose, according to situation and circumstances; and I
am thus enabled to carry up a concrete wall to any desired height without
casting the said concrete into separate pieces; I prefer the use of a concrete of
gravel and lime.
Figure 18 shews part of the elevation of a partition wall, being a section
at the line A, B, of the plan, Figure 18ª.
Figure 19 shews the front clevation of a house, the architectural ornaments
of which are or may be cast with and form part of the frames, or affixed
thereto, thereby admitting of every possible combination and device, or
some of the ornaments may also be cast separately and fastened on the
walls. In order to give general steadiness to the whole fabric, thin pieces of
lead, or any suitable material, may be used between the different parts of
the iron work, as is well understood by persons working in iron. The thin
partitions G are to be erected either in cast-iron frames and concrete, aided or
not by iron plates as above described, or of bricks, or any other fireproof
materials, as may be thought best; the door and window frames to be
fastened to the iron work by any of the above-described modes of fastening, or
any other already known.
Figure 20 is a perspective view of a floor, the main beams formed of
three iron plates H, H, H, rivetted together and fastened at each ex-
tremity between two frames. The edges of the said plates to be turned

page_text: over to give them additional strength, and furthermore an iron rod I fixed
at each extremity conjointly with the iron plates. The beams J running
at right angles to the aforesaid ones, are to be of cast-iron turned up at the
extremity R, and bolted together with the main beams. In the intervals
between the beams there will be iron rods L running in various directions, and
supporting a metallic wirework to form the foundation of the ceiling. There
may be a similar wirework placed under the flooring or other parts requiring
plaster work. M, M, indicates joists intended to bear the flooring; the said
joists are formed of wood partly or entirely covered with iron plate, and
notched across at the point N, N, where the ends meet to let in the cast-iron
beams.
The whole of the ironwork will be painted or coated with any suitable
preparation, which may be preferred for the purpose of preventing oxida-
tion. The main beams of floors may be of cast iron, or formed of wood
and iron plates, or formed of one or more iron plates, either straight
or bent, into an oval form, and strengthened by placing inside of them
wood or iron, as shewn in Figures 21 and 22. The cross beams of floors
and roofs may also be formed of wood and iron plates, or formed of one or
more iron plates, either straight or bent into an oval form and strengthened
by placing inside of them wood or iron. The joists of floors may also be
formed of one or more iron plates, cither straight or bent into an oval form,
and strengthened by placing inside of them wood or iron. The main beams
of roofs may also be formed of one or more iron plates, either straight or bent
into an oval form, and strenghtened by placing inside of them wood or iron.
Another mode of fixing the main beams or principals of roof may be as follows:
The main beams of a top floor to be laid right across the building on the top
of the walls; the said main beams to be formed of two parts constructed
according to either of the methods above described; the said two parts having
a distance between them intended to receive the corresponding main beams of
a roof, which would be fastened to them by either of the methods before
described.
Having thus described the Invention, I would have it understood that what
I claim is,
First, the modes of constructing walls of buildings by applying frames of
iron filled with concrete, as described.
Secondly, I claim the modes of constructing beams of bent plates of iron, as
described.
And, thirdly, I claim the mode of forming ceilings and plastered surfaces by
the application of wirework in place of laths.

page_text: And in conclusion, I would remark that such improvement, though better
combined in the same building, the improvements may be used separately,
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Leconte, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Ninth day of January,
in the year of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid Louis Leconte came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-one.

page_text: LONDON: Printed by GEORGE EDWARD EYRE and WILLIAM SPOTTIS WOODE.
Printers to the Queen's most Excellent Majesty. 1856.