CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS GENERALLY
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FRANCIS
HIGGINSON, Esquire, of Rochester, in the County of Kent, Lieutenant in Her
Majesty's Royal Navy, and EDWARD ROBERT COLES, of Rochester aforesaid,
Gentleman, Merchant and Shipowner, 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 Twenty-first day of November (One thousand eight hundred
and forty-four), in the eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said Francis Higginson and Edward
Robert Coles, our exors, adññiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that we, the said Francis Higginson and Edward
Robert Coles, our exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Francis Higginson and Edward Robert Coles, our exors, adññiors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter, during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of Her Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Planta-
tions abroad, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF BUILDINGS GENERALLY;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
obliging us, the said Francis Higginson and Edward Robert Coles, to parti-
cularly describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention, and in what

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under our
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, and to cause the
same to be inrolled in Her 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, we, the said
Francis Higginson and Edward Robert Coles (the said Edward Robert Coles
having by deed and receipt, severally dated the Seventeenth January last,
resigned all claim and property in the said joint Letters Patent), do hereby
declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be fully described and set forth in and by the following
statement and Specification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, which we declare to belong to and to form part thereof, by the
letters and numeral figures marked thereon for the purpose of such reference,
that is to say-
The nature and intention of our said Invention consists in and has
reference to the principles of construction of apparatus, the modes of
arrangement and the application of the same to the mechanical parts and the
several combinations of mechanical parts, as such several matters are
herein-after described and set forth, and that as regards our application of
the same to the objects set forth and referred to in and by the title of the
Letters Patent granted unto us, the said Francis Higginson and Edward
Robert Coles, as herein-before recited. The particular nature and intention,
and the use of such principles of construction, and such modes of arrange-
ment, and the application of the mechanical parts, and the combinations
thereof, we declare to be to effect "Certain Improvements in the Construction
of Buildings generally ;" and we further declare the practical manner in which
the said improvement or improvements to be particularly described, set forth,
and ascertained by the following statement and the detailed description thereof,
that is to say-We make the joists of cast or rolled iron T-shaped; each of
such joists has at each of its extremities a dovetailed projecting tenon fitting
into flanched mortices on iron girders and bonding sockets. These iron
girders are made of strength properly suited to the weight they are required
to bear, and are formed like an inverted T, thus (1), and also have flanched
dovetail mortices cast on each side of them at about twelve or eighteen inches
apart, as they may be required, to receive the correspondently formed ends of
the joints..
The aforesaid iron bonding sockets are of trapezoidal form, as shewn in the

page_text: Drawing in Figures 9, 10, and 11; Figure 9 being a horizontal plan view,.
Figure 10 a front edge view of the same, and Figure 11 a front perspective.
view of the same, the corresponding parts in each of these Figures being
respectively marked with the same letters of reference. The longer side A, B,
is of about nine inches in length, and its opposite and parallel side C, D, of
about four and a half inches in length, the slope or inclined sides A, C, and.
B, D, are each of about 4 inches. The width E, F, is of about four inches,.
and the depth or thickness G, H, of about three inches, and in the middle of the
shorter side C, D, there is formed a dovetail mortise I into which the before-
mentioned correspondently formed ends of the joists are fitted. The above-
described bonding sockets are of cast iron, and are cast hollow. Short iron
trimmer joists are made to surround the chimneys in the ordinary manner,
fitting by dovetail ends into mortices cast on the principal trimmer at one end,
and into the above-described bonding sockets built into the wall of the house
by the side of the chimneys at the other. The usual arch for the support of
the hearth is provided for by iron bearing pieces fitting in mortices between
the short trimmer joists, with an iron plate to support the bed of mortar under
the hearth stone; by this means the whole framework of the floor will be
rendered perfectly independent of support from the stack of the chimnies,
and thus obviates the danger of the floor being carried down by the sinking or
settling of the stack of chimnies. The wells or openings for staircases are
formed by iron trimmers cast with dovetail mortices on them to receive the
joists. Additional means of support are also provided when such are necessary.
by iron pillars, having a male screw at the centre of their lower end fitting.
into a hollow screwed socket formed in the trimmer beneath, and at the upper
extremity of such iron pillar a tenon or projecting piece entering a recess of
corresponding form made in the trimmer of the floor above. Breast trimmers
for shop fronts, gateways, and other similar purposes, are cast with the mortices
for the joists on the inner side thereof with any description of ornamental
device, name, or entlabature on the outer side thereof, and we add trussing
spans when it is required to support superstructures of great weight. When
it is required to prevent or diminish the transmission of heat or sound between
different or adjacent apartments, instead of the method commonly denomi-
nated "pugging," we insert slight iron or tin cases fitting in depth and
breadth between the iron joists; then the atmospheric air within these cases is
displaced by passing a body of steam into them, and, upon hermetically sealing
them and allowing the steam to condense, a sufficient approximation to a per-
fect vacuum is obtained to prevent or diminish the transmission of heat or sound;
the cases being supported internally, and so prevented from collapsing by strong
iron stay wires or rods: by this means but little weight is added to the building.

page_text: while combustion is prevented or delayed as regards its extension from and
between such adjacent apartments. The walls of the house are built up in the
usual manner to the required height from floor to floor, the iron joists being
laid in the same way as if they were of wood on an iron bond; and at every.
fourth joist an iron bonding socket of the form and construction herein-before
described is built into the wall to receive the correspondently formed dovetail
end of the joist when no girders are used bonding sockets of the same form
and construction are also inserted in the party walls, the innermost ends of the
joists fitting into flanched dovetail mortices which are cast on the girders and
trimmers, as before described, when both or either of them are employed.
The whole fabric is by this arrangement and these constructions thus held
together and supported with great firmness, the bonding sockets in the front
walls uniting the joists by their dovetail holdings either to the girder or to the
party walls in the interior, such central holding being again connected by the
iron joists with the bonding sockets built into the back walls. In cases where
the floors are intended to be of wood, a longitudinal groove is formed beneath
the upper arms of the iron T-shaped joist to receive an iron bracket, and the
floor planks being laid and temporarily clamped or shored down upon the iron
joists, a projecting square headed and shouldered screw is inserted by a spanner
through the upper arm of the bracket into the lower surface of the floor
plank, which is thus effectually fastened to the joist.
shrink they may be forced or driven up together, and the interstices filled up
by one piece, in any convenient position, in consequence of the brackets moving
along the grooves in the joists, and each plank being secured independently of
the others. The inconveniences of a shrunken floor are thus obviated, and no
nail holes being visible in the work, one unbroken upper surface is obtained,
the screws not penetrating the entire thickness of the planks. Floors intended
to receive goods liable to spontaneous combustion are, therefore, laid either in
metal, slate, or stone; and in such cases rivets of metal are substituted for
screws in attaching such materials to the iron joists beneath, and which joists
when applied to different uses may be made under various modifications of
form without departing from the principle of the form herein shewn. These
joists, as herein-before described, admit of the common lath being used for
internal ceilings and plastering, in which case a small fillet of wood is driven
into a recess formed to receive it in the lower edge of such joists. But in
order to provide against decay to which laths of wood are subject, as well as
fire, perforated tin or thin galvanised or other iron plates are substituted for
laths of wood, the said plates being punched or perforated with numerous.
holes, having the rough side or burr of such holes placed towards the plaster,
which being applied by the usual process is forced through the aforesaid
Should the boards

page_text: perforations of the plates to which by this means it becomes in effect sub-
stantially and mechanically attached as securely as with laths. These plastering
plates are attached by passing the small double-ended iron key (shewn in the.
Drawing) through the said plates edgeways into mortices formed in the iron.
joists and battens fixed in the walls, the said key being afterwards fixed by.
turning it by a spanner across the entering orifice, or the plastering plates.
may be affixed by screw-threaded projecting pins inserted into the iron joists
or battens; when cast, such projecting pins are made to pass through the
plates, and thus admit of their being fastened by nut heads to the joists or
battens. The key here described is shewn in the Drawing at Figure 12,'
and the batten or joist is shewn in two views of plan and section, at the
Figures 13 and 14 respectively.
The Drawing represents by its Figure 1 the plan or horizontal view of a
floor framing of joists, bonding sockets, &c., as herein-before described. The
Figure 2 represents the Figure 1 in vertical section, such vertical section
being taken through the Figure 1 by the dotted line A, B, drawn thereon.
Figure 3 and Figure 4 respectively represent vertical sections taken through
the dotted lines A, B, and C, D, of the Figure 1, and drawn to an enlarged
scale; as, for greater distinctness and facility of reference, it is particularly
described in the Drawing on each of its several Figures respectively. Figure 5
represents a separate and side or profile view of a portion of the transverse iron
beam E, F. Figure 6 represents a transverse vertical section of a portion of
the framing and floor taken through the dotted line A of Figure 1, drawn to
the same scale as in that Figure 1. Figure 7 represents a side or profile view
of an iron beam G, H. Figure 8 represents a horizontal plan view of the
ceiling plate, as herein-before described, perforated with holes.
We now declare, that having thus described and set forth the nature and
intention of our said Invention, and also the manner in which the same is to be
carried into practical effect, we state the distinct claim we desire to make as
regards the same: (that is to say), we claim as of our Invention the principle of
construction, the arrangement of mechanical parts, and the several combinations
thereof, as regards the application and the modes of making such application
of such constructions, such arrangements, and such combinations to the several
purposes herein-before described and set forth; and these in the manner and
according to the constructions, arrangements, and combinations as we have
herein-before specified, described, and set them forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Higginson, party hereto, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five..
(L.S.) FRANCIS THIGGINSON,

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twentieth day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1845, the aforesaid Francis Higginson came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
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.