CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN PAVING OR COVERING ROADS, STREETS, AND OTHER SURFACES OF A SIMILAR NATURE
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ALLAN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Ironfounder,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eleventh day of January,
in the fourteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Allan, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Allan, my exors,
adñiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Thomas Allan, my exors,
admiors, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PAVING OR COVERING ROADS, STREETS, AND OTHER SURFACES OF A SIMILAR
NATURE" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, requiring that
I, the said Thomas Allan, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, shall particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and shall cause the same
to be enrolled 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Allan, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-

page_text: tained in and by this present Instrument in writing as follows, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto attached, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to the application of cast iron as a substitute for
the ordinary materials used for paving or covering roads or streets and
similar surfaces, whereby I secure greater economy and durability, together
with a superiority of appearance in such works. And in order that my said
Invention may be readily understood, I shall now proceed to describe the
various Figures on the Sheets of Drawings hereunto attached.
Figure 1, on Sheet 1 of my Drawings, represents a plan or face view of
four plates or sheets of cast iron as combined together for paving or covering
a road or street; Figure 2 is a vertical section of two of the plates corre-
sponding to the plan, and taken through the dotted line a, b, in Figure 1;
and Figure 3 is an external elevation of the plates also corresponding to the
plan, and representing the paving as laid down on a substratum of concrete.
In this modification the plates are each eighteen inches square, their faces
being cast with grooves or longitudinal recesses A, so as to leave continuous
projections B standing up to resemble the faces of paving stones, and giving
a hold for the feet of horses. In laying down paving of this class no other
preparation is necessary beyond giving a firm and even substratum of concrete
or sand; but in order to connect the series of plates together so as to render
any single one immoveable, except by commencing at the side or edge of the
paving, as well as to give the whole set a mutual bearing one upon the other,
the parallel edges of each plate are cast with corresponding flanges. These
flanges are so arranged that one pair of parallel edges shall have lower or
base flanges, whilst the other parallel pair has similar flanges above, the plates
being laid so that upper flanges on one shall coincide with the lower ones on
the one next to it; thus in the side view, Figure 3, the plate C has base
flanges E, E, whilst the adjoining plate D has elevated flanges F, F. Again,
in the section Figure 2, it will be seen that the two opposite sides of the plate
D have lower flanges G, G, by this means each individual plate is strongly con-
nected to the adjoining ones. In the plan, Figure 1, I have represented the
plates as laid together with their joints in continuous lines, but it will be
obvious to the practical man that they may be laid so as to "break bond,"
or with their lines of junction in each direction not continuous.
Figure 4 represents a plan of four plates similarly arranged, but cast or
formed with a different device upon the face. Figure 5 is a section of a
pair of the plates; and Figure 6 is a corresponding edge view or elevation.
In these plates the faces instead of straight grooves have zig-zag depressions

page_text: or grooves with alternate horizontal recesses A, A, leaving the portions B, B,
standing up to form the line of face of the paving, whilst the prominent face
portions between each line of zig-zag depressions have continuous shallow
grooves C, C, formed in them. In this way is produced a more ornamental
style of paving than that which I have described in reference to Figures 1, 2,
and 3, whilst increased security against slipping is afforded by this configu
ration of the recesses. The arrangement of the flanges for the connections or
bearings of the plates is similar to that which I have already described.
Figure 7 exhibits a plan of two plates, shewing another kind of face;
Figure 8 is a section of one of the plates; and Figure 9 is an edge view or
side elevation of both plates. This form is intended to imitate a style of
dressed paving, the elevated or face portions A, A, resembling the separate
stones in the rectangular intersecting grooves B, B, answering to the
recesses left between each stone. These plates exhibit the plan of bearing
flanges very clearly, the edges C, C, having lower flanges whilst those marked
D, D, on the next plate have elevated flanges.
Figure 10 represents a plan of a single plate of oblong form, having a face
very similar to that shewn in Figure 4; Figure 11 is a transverse section of
the same; and Figure 12 is a longitudinal elevation of the plate as laid down.
In this modification the grooves A, A, are recessed or zig-zag, as in Figure 4,
but made wider and of a different proportion. B, B, B, are strengthening
ribs, which may be cast on any of these forms of plates, for the purpose of
strengthening the under side.
Figure 1, on Sheet 2 of my Drawings, represents a transverse vertical
section of a street with two side footpaths as paved or covered according to
.my Invention. Figure 2 is a corresponding plan of a portion of a street.
In this example the plates used in paving the roadway are the same as those
delineated in Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of my Drawings, having faces with con-
tinuous grooves. The section, Figure 1, exhibits the manner in which the
plates bear on each other from side to side across the roadway. The side
channels A, A, between the roadway and the footpaths B, B, are also of cast
iron, having flanges at C, C, as bearing surfaces on each side. The footpaths
are formed of thinner plates with narrow grooves on their faces intersecting
each other at right angles, leaving prominent squares D, D, for the faces.
Figure 3 exhibits a plan of a piece of roadway without footpaths, shewing
two kinds of paving. The portion A is paved with the plates delineated in
Figure 7 on Sheet 1 of my Drawings, whilst on the other side B is a small
portion covered with the oblong plates shewn in Figure 10 on the same
Sheet. Instead of paving with large plates the same system may be carried

page_text: out by using detached blocks or hollow-box pieces of cast iron to represent
separate paving. stones. Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a single block
of this class of paving; and Figure 5 is a corresponding plan of the same.
These blocks are laid down in the ordinary mode of paving, each having a
slight sunk ledge along its upper edges, so that when a series is laid down
they present the appearance of the plates represented in Figure 7 on Sheet 1
of my Drawings; in other terms they resemble ordinary dressed paving, with
grooves or recesses between each piece formed by the sunk ledges.
Figure 6 represents a plan or face view of a single plate of the kind
shewn in Figures 1 and 2 on Sheet 2, as used for the footpaths; and Figure 7
is a corresponding section of the same. These details being on a larger
scale clearly exhibit the general arrangement of the face of this kind of plate.
Although I have herein described several peculiar forms of paving or cover-
ings for roads or streets, it will be obvious to the practical man that the
system is by no means confined to such forms, but may be carried into effect
by various other modifications of my plans, and is capable of adaptation in
various situations where flooring or paving is required.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I may observe in conclusion that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe
or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating
from the principles or main features of my Invention, but what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the system or mode of paving or covering roads, streets, or other
similar surfaces, as herein-before described.
Second, the application and use of metallic plates as a substitute for and in
imitation of stone or other paving.
Third, the application and use of detached blocks or hollow boxes in paving,
as herein-before described.
Fourth, the system or mode of combining the separate portions of paving
by bearing flanges or edges, as herein-before described.
Fifth, the system or mode of forming the side channels of roads or streets,
as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Allan, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
THOMAS
(L.S.) ALLAN.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Tenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid Thomas Allan 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
5 written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.