IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVEMENTS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Rodney Croskey, F.S.A., F.R.G.S., of
No. 43, Portsdown Road, Maida Hill, London, for the Invention of
** IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVEMENTS.”
Sealed the 9th December 1873, and dated the 16th June 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Rodney Croskey
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th June 1873.
I, JOSEPH RODNEY CROSKEY, F.S.A., F.R.G.S., of No. 43, Portsdown
Road, Maida Hill, London, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVEMENTS," to be as follows:-
:-
The construction of a pavement or pavements for roads & streets or
other carriage ways, whether the chief component parts be of wood or of
asphalt, or in combination with each other or with other materials, in
such manner and by such mechanical contrivances or appliances as shall
secure the advantages possessed either by a wood or by an asphalt pave-
ment, and at the same time overcome to a great extent the objections to
either system as at present or heretofore in use.

page_text: In the construction of a wood pavement, whatever wood I may use, I
prefer that it should be well seasoned; &, if desired, I use any of the
best known methods for preserving it against decay.
The length of the planks herein described may be varied according to
circumstances; I can make them, if so required, long enough to go
across the widest streets or roads in one length, but in the streets of a
city where the same are more or less arched, & where it will be
necessary occasionally to remove some portion of the pavement for the
purposes of gas, water, sewage, or repairs, I adopt such lengths as may
meet existing requirements.
In laying down my planks, if I prefer not to split joints, I remedy the
inconvenience or objection arising from my not so doing by placing a
piece of board or an "aris".rail lengthways with the street or at right
angles with my planks under the ends of my planks when laid down,
& make a jog or rabbit in the planks to allow them to lay flat on the
substratum of the pavement, whilst their ends rest on these boards or
rails.
it
The substratum may consist only of well rammed earth, very carefully
levelled & free from any loose material, & after being well rammed
may be coated with a thin coating of good cement, so as to secure a
better level & keep the damp from rising; or a layer of good lime or
cement concrete may be laid down, varying in depth inversly as the
depth of my planks; or boards may be laid upon sand, as at present,
& for some time past used for wood pavements, but only one layer of
boards instead of two will be ample, & these boards should be laid at
right angles with the planks to be superimposed.
The so called planks or beams which I propose to use I prepare or
manufacture in following manner :-If I require the surface of the
pavement to be entirely of wood, with the grain running upwards or
vertically, I procure or make a supply of small pieces of board, the
thinner the better, say, of 1 inch thick, 9 inches deep, & 6 inches across,
and after placing these pieces side by side on the flat upon a table &
wedging & forcing them as close together as possible, with the fibre.
running vertically with the length of the proposed plank, I place thereon,
& splitting joints therewith, similar pieces of board, & similarly forced
and pressed together, & I bind these two rows of boards together by
nails or wooden trec-nails, previously smearing or covering the pieces

page_text: with coal or Stockholm tar, or other preservative compositions; or
placing between each row a thin slip of asphalt, felt, or other
material impervious to water. Upon this structure I may place &
fasten in same manner one or more rows of pieces of board, & thus
increase the width of my plank to any desired width. It can be made of
any length required, and its depth can be varied to accommodate any
required purpose.
In fastening or binding these rows of pieces of board together I may
find it advisable to use some mechanical means to bring them into the
closest possible state of contact before using the nails or tree-nails, my
object being so closely to unite the component parts of my planks that
cach piece of board shall form a backing to preserve the edges of the
others with which it may come into contact. By using the thinnest
possible pieces of wood I am enabled to distribute & intersperse the
one with the other, the softer & the harder portions of the grain, & thus
procure a more uniform wearing of the surface.
If I wish to strengthen my planks I introduce in their construction
laths of wood (hard in preference) running lengthways with the planks
& at right angles with the grain thereof, countersunk into the pieces of
wood near tho centro thercof & firmly united therewith. When the
surface of a so called plank thus strengthened shall wear out such surface
can be renewed by reversing the plank, or by sawing off the worn part a
new surface will be presented & the difference in depth produced by
such sawing off can be remedied by placing a piece of board of a thickness
corresponding to the quantity sawn off at the bottom of the plank. The
end of my planks I prefer that they be bevilled, so that when laid there
shall
appear between the butts a gap of a V shape into which I drive a
well fitting wedge previously smeared with tar or any other composition
that may be desired, so as to prevent the percolation of water from the
surface at the butts.
In the construction of a pavement where it is desired that asphalt
should appear on the surface I prepare a plank or board so that it shall
have an asphalt facing on one edge, & for this purpose I take a plank
or beam, or piece of quartering, or timber, as turned out from the saw
mill of any required dimensions (the grain running horizontally), &
on & along the whole length of two opposite sides I fasten pieces of
wood (the grain running vertically) so that they will project an inch or

page_text: more beyond the timber, creating or forming as it were a trough. I
previously however cut grooves at right angles across the piece of timber
or quartering above mentioned, forming the bottom of the trough at any
required distance apart, of sufficient width & depth to admit the cross
pieces of wood or other material I may wish to place in this trough, &
I groove or corrugate such portion of the inside of the pieces of wood
placed on the sides of the piece of timber as before mentioned as projects
beyond the face of the timber for the purpose of more securely holding
the asphalt I may place within the trough, as herein-after mentioned, or
I may bore holes therein for the same purpose. The pieces of wood I
place on the sides of the timber may be of hard wood, or I may use iron
or other metal, or other materials in lieu of wood for the sides of my
trough, & I may do the same with respect to the pieces I introduce
across the trough; the ends of these planks will be bevilled in the same
manner as those before described for a pavement having a surface simply
of wood. I then introduce into the trough & into the grooves made
at the bottom thereof cross pieces of such material as I may prefer, &
well secure them to the sides with which they must be perfectly level,
having well clamped the sides & ends of this structure in order to
prevent any disarrangement by the operation of filling the spaces formed
in the trough by the cross pieces. I fill these spaces even and level
with the top of the trough by pouring in asphalt in mastic & floating
the same, or by ramming in asphalt in powder. In the term "asphalt,"
I include all bituminous or asphaltic compositions or combinations
suitable to the purpose), and I shall then have produced a so called
plank or piece of timber that shall have one edge or side faced with
asphalt, & with a material introduced into the surface offering a good
foothold for horses.

page_text: force the planks closely together, & keeping the planks in this close
position by means of a double pointed nail having a flange, or disc, or
head in the middle, one end or point of which being driven into one of the
planks before being brought into place, on pressure being used, the other
point will be forced into the other plank.
In most cases, especially with so called planks having an asphalt
facing, I prefer to introduce between the planks on being laid down and
before being pressed together a strip of asphalt, felt, or other pliable
waterproof material.
If it be preferred to adopt the system Patented by me on the 2d
April 1872 (No. 966), I propose in order to protect the edges of my
asphalt blocks, bricks, or tiles made in conformity therewith to surround
such blocks with an outer rim or box of wood (hard wood preferred),
& of moderate thickness, & this I do by lining my moulds as in my said
Patent described with such thin board (the grain running vertically)
previously to placing therein the mastic asphalt or ramming therein the
powdered asphalt; & in order to make my block closely adhere to the
asphalt placed therein I cause grooves to be made in the inside or holes
to bored thro' the wood previously to placing it in the mould. This rim
(which may be of other material than wood) will effectually prevent the
chipping of the edges of my blocks, & as it will be even & level with
the surface it will also afford a good foothold for horses, and in order
effectually to unite these blocks in one mass in such manner as they can
afterwards at any time be taken apart, I adopt the same process as
above described in laying down my planks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Rodney Croskey in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th December 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
0 RODNEY CROSKEY, F.S.A., F.R.G.S., of Number 43, Portsdown Road,
Maida Hill, London, send greeting.

page_text: our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Rodney Croskey, Her special
licence that I, the said Joseph Rodney Croskey, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Rodney Croskey,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter,
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVEMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Joseph Rodney Croskey, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Rodney Croskey, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:
-
My said Invention consists of the construction of a pavement or
pavements for roads and streets or other carriage ways, whether the
chief component parts be of wood or of asphalt, or in combination with
each other or with other materials, in such manner and by such
mechanical contrivances or appliances as shall secure the advantages
possessed either by a wood or by an asphalt pavement, and at the samo
time overcome to a great extent the objections to either system as at
present or heretofore in use.
Wood pavements are of necessity made of the cheapest material, and
must be laid with the grain or fibre running vertically. Pine or other
soft wood because of its comparative cheapness is commonly used. The
unequal character of the grain (that portion nearest to the core and the
core itself being closer and harder than that nearest to the outside)
renders it less capable of resisting the crushing effect of heavy and
violent pressure, and the surface is not worn equally in all its parts.
Elevations and depressions are thus readily produced, which assist the

page_text: concussive force of the traffic to hasten the speedy destruction of the
pavement, a fact the more perceptible when the blocks of wood are
larger. A similar effect is produced by allowing a space to exist
between each block or row of blocks; the edges of the blocks not having
any backing or support give way to the force of superincumbent pressure,
aggravated by the concussion of the feet of horses; if a pavior's ram
or maul were used without an iron collar it would not last long. The
system at present in use of laying down short wooden blocks is also
attended with the objection that because of the number of openings at
the butt ends the water passes in large quantities into the main body of
the structure and produces decay and other inconveniences.
Were it not that in a wood pavement it is essential that the fibre
should be vertical, a wood pavement made by laying planks (say two
inches thick) as they come from the saw mill of more or less length on
thin edges with the fibre running horizontally, and fastening or forcing
them firmly together when laid side by side, would obviate some of the
objections above referred to, especially if the percolation of water at the
butts were at the same time prevented; but if planks were so prepared,
as herein-after described, that the fibre of the wood should run vertically,
and the butts rendered impervious to water, it is assumed that a wood
pavement made of such planks would meet every requirement.
The chief objections to asphalte pavements, as at present or heretofore
laid down, whether in powder or in mastic, are that in certain conditions
of the weather and other circumstances they are very slippery; that in
the laying of them down a great obstruction to the traffic takes place,
especially in wet weather; that when required to be removed for the
purposes of gas or water or sewers, the process of taking up and relaying
is costly, tedious, and obstructve to traffic; and that if laid down in
blocks, in pursuance of my Patent, No. 966, April 2nd 1872, a difficulty
may be found in firmly uniting the blocks in one mass in such manner
as shall permit them easily to be separated when required to be taken
up, and in protecting the edges of each block from chipping. Now if
wood planks (say two inches thick and of any desired width or length)
as they come from the saw mill where faced in the manner herein
described with a coating or layer of asphalt, such layer being broken in
the continuity of its length by intervening pieces of wood or other
material, a good foothold would be given to horses, and a pavement
formed of these planks so faced could not only be quickly and easily

page_text: laid down, but it could be taken up and replaced with extraordinary
expedition, and in any state of the weather and at small cost, and if
blocks as Patented by me on the Second April, One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-two (No. 966), be used by the means hereafter
described, the difficulties above referred to in their regard will be over-
come.
In the construction of wood pavements, whatever kind of wood I may
use, I prefer that it should be well seasoned, and if desired I use any of
the best known methods for preserving it against decay.
The length of the planks herein described may be varied according to
circumstances. I can make them if so required long enough to go
across the widest streets or roads in one length; but in the streets of a
city where the same are more or less arched, and where it will be
necessary occasionally to remove some portion of the pavement for the
purposes of gas, water, sewage, or repairs, I adopt such lengths as may
meet existing requirements.
In laying down my planks, if I prefer not to split joints, I remedy the
inconvenience or objection arising from my not so doing by placing a
piece of board or "aris" rail lengthways with the street or at right
angles with my planks, under the ends of my planks when laid down,
and make a jog or rabbit in the planks to allow them to lay flat on the
substratum of the pavement whilst their ends rest on these boards or
rails.
The substratum may consist only of well rammed earth, very carefully
levelled and free from any loose material; and after being well rammed
it may be coated with a thin coating of good cement so as to secure a
better level and keep the damp from rising, or a layer of good lime or
cement concrete may be laid down, varying in depth inversely to the
depth of my planks; or boards may be laid upon sand as at present and
for some time past used for wood pavements, but only one layer of
boards instead of two will be ample, and these boards should be laid at
right angles with the planks to be superimposed.
If I require the surface of the pavement to be entirely of wood with
the grain running upwards or vertically I construct my planks by placing
pieces of wood (say one inch thick, six inches across, and nine inches a
deep) side by side on the flat upon a table, and wedging and forcing
them as close together as possible, with the fibre running vertically with

page_text: the length of the proposed plank, I place thereon, and splitting joints
therewith, other similar pieces of board, and force and press them
together, and I bind these two rows of board together by nails or wooden
tree-nails, previously smearing or covering the pieces with coal or Stock-
holm tar, or other preservative or adhesive compositions, or placing
between each row a thin slip of asphalt, felt, or other material impervious
to water. Upon this structure I may place and fasten in same manner
one or more rows of pieces of boards, and thus increase the width or
thickness of my plank as may be desired. The plank can be made of
any length, and its depth can be varied to accommodate any required
purpose.
In fastening or binding these rows of pieces of board together I may
find it advisable to use some mechanical means to bring them into the
closest possible state of contact before using the nails or tree-nails, my
object being so closely to unite the component parts of my plank that
each piece of board shall form a backing to preserve the edges of the
others with which it may come into contact. By using thin boards I
am better able to distribute and intersperse the one with the other the
softer and the harder portions of the grain, and thus procure a more
uniform wearing of the surface. And if I wish to strengthen my planks
I introduce in their construction laths of wood (hard in preference)
running lengthways with the planks and at right angles with the grain
thereof, and firmly unite them therewith.
When the surface of a road made of these planks so strengthened
shall wear out such worn out portion can be renewed by reversing the
plank, or by sawing off the worn part a new surface will be presented,
and the difference in depth produced by such sawing off can be remedied
by placing a piece of board of a thickness corresponding to the quantity
sawn off at the bottom of the plank. The ends of my planks I prefer
that they be bevilled so that when laid there shall appear between the
butts a gap of a V shape, into which I drive a well fitting wedge,
previously smeared with tar or any other composition that may be
desired so as to prevent the percolation of water from the surface at the
butts.
In the construction of a pavement where it is desired that asphalt
should appear on the surface, I prepare a plank or board, so that it shall
have an asphalt facing on one edge, and for this purpose I take a plank
or beam, or piece of quartering or timber as turned out from the saw

page_text: mill, of any required dimensions (the grain running horizontally), and on
and along the whole length of two opposite sides I fasten pieces of wood
(the grain running vertically), so that they will project an inch or more
beyond the long piece of timber, creating or forming as it were a trough.
I previously however cut grooves at right angles across the piece of
timber or quatering above mentioned, forming the bottom of the trough,
at any required distance apart, of sufficient width and depth to admit
the cross pieces of wood or other material I may wish to place in the
trough. And I groove or corrugate such portion of the inside of the
pieces of wood placed on the sides of the piece of timber, as before
mentioned, as projects beyond the face of the timber for the purpose of
more securely holding the asphalt I may place within the trough, as
herein-after mentioned, or I may bore holes therein for the same purpose.
The pieces of wood I place on the sides of the timber may be of hard
wood, or I may use iron or other metal or other materials in lieu of
wood for the sides of my trough, and I may do the same with respect to
the pieces I introduce across the trough; the ends of these planks will
be bevilled in the same manner as those before described for a pavement
having a surface entirely of wood. I then introduce into the trough
and into the grooves made at the bottom thereof cross pieces of such
material as I may prefer, and well secure them to the sides, with which
they must be perfectly level; having well clamped the sides and ends.
of this structure in order to prevent any disarrangement by the operation
of filling the spaces formed in the trough by the cross pieces, I fill these
spaces even and level with the top of the trough by pouring in asphalt
in mastic and floating the same, or by ramming in asphalt in powder
(in the term "asphalt" I include all bituminous or asphaltic com-
positions or combinations suitable to the purpose). And I shall then
have produced a so-called plank or piece of timber that shall have one
edge or side faced with asphalt and with a material introduced into the
surface offering a good foot-hold for horses.
In laying down my improved pavement, where planks are used as
above described, I prefer to lay the same transversely across the road or
street, and it is of the greatest importance that each plank shall be
forced into the closest possible and permanent contact with the one
precedingly laid down. This may be done effectually by spiking each
plank to its predecessor at intervals of two or three feet between each
spike, or it may be done by the use of wooden tree-nails, cither of which
is objectionable because of preventing the planks being easily separated

page_text: when the pavement is required to be partially and temporarily taken up.
But the most efficacious method would be the application of screw jacks
or other mechanical power to force the planks closely together, and
keeping the planks, if required, in this close position by means of a
double-pointed nail having a flange or disc or head in the middle, one
end or point of which being driven into one of the planks before being
brought into place on pressure being used, the other point will be forced
into the other plank.
In most cases, especially with so-called planks having an asphalt
facing, I prefer to introduce between the planks on being laid down, and
before being pressed together, a strip of asphalt, felt, or other pliable
waterproof material.
If it be preferred to adopt the system patented by me on the Second day
of April, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, (No. 966,) above
referred to, I propose in order to protect the edges of my asphalt blocks,
bricks, or tiles, or slabs, made in conformity therewith, to surround such
blocks with an outer rim or box of wood (hard wood preferred), and of
moderate thickness, and this I do by lining my moulds, as in my said
Patent described, with such thin boards (the grain running vertically)
previously to placing therein the mastic or ramming therein the
powdered asphalt, and in order to make this lining, which will
become the outside of my block, closely adhere to the asphalt placed
therein, I cause grooves to be made in the inside, or holes to be bored
through the wood previously to placing it into the mould. This rim
(which may be of other material than wood) will effectually prevent the
chipping of the edges of my blocks, and as it will be even and level with
the surface, it will also afford a good foot-hold for horses. And in order
effectually to unite these blocks in one mass in such manner as that
they can afterwards at any time be taken apart, I adopt the same
process as above described in laying down my planks.
Witness my hand and seal this Eleventh day of December, One
thousand eight hundred & seventy-three.