IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bernard Joachim La Mothe, of the City of New York,
in the United States of America, Doctor of Medicine, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS."
Sealed the 27th June 1854, and dated the 6th May 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bernard Joachim La Mothe
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th May 1854.
J, BERNARD JOACHIM LA MOTHE, of the City of New York, in the United
States of America, Doctor of Medicine, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS" to be
as follows:-
Beginning with the foundation, blocks of stone (or brick or some other
material may be employed) are laid in the ground in the usual manner, in
straight lines, or according to the form of the building. In the foundation
are perpendicularly inserted and firmly secured sets of bands or plates of iron
or steel, each set consisting of several such bands or plates strongly screwed
or rivited together at short distances. The screws or rivets for large struc-
tures shall be in two or more rows near the edges of the bands. These bands
or plates thus riveted are to answer the same purposes as iron or stone pillars
or wooden posts do in other buildings.
At the proper height for the first floor a few of the said perpendicular bands

page_text: are carefully bent to a horizontal position, and form a portion of the sleepers
for the same floor.
For the construction of the second story, the remaining perpendicular bands
are carried up precisely in the same manner as for the first story, that is,
screwed or riveted together at very short distances, and at the required height
for the second floor; a few of said bands are bent horizontally to form a
portion of the sleepers for the said second floor. The construction is thus
continued to whatever height the walls may be carried, and the remaining
perpendicular-bands-will then be properly bent from all sides of the structure
(either in the form of arches or otherwise), and well screwed or riveted toge-
ther to form the roof. The foregoing description comprises the most essential
points of a house for all nations, although subject to various modifications,
according to the locality and the uses for which the building would be
intended.
In addition, however, and. in order to. make the whole structure perfectly
firm and, secure, there shall be also other bands in sets, running in a trans-
verse or angular direction at proper distances, and passing between or over
and firmly fastened to the perpendicular bands above described.
Moreover, when great resistance would be required, other bands, well screwed
or riveted together, may be laid horizontally in a vertical position across every
floor and strongly fastened to the perpendicular bands; and thus complete the
sleepers in each floor already referred to.
This manner of construction, when properly and mathematically executed,
will be found to possess very great advantages over every other known mode
of constructing buildings, among which may be enumerated the following, viz.,
economy, strength, durability, security, together with beauty, and every facility.
for comfort and convenience, &c.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Bernard Joachim La Mothe in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th November 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BERNARD
JOACHIM LA MOTHE, of the City of New York, in the United States of
America, Doctor of Medicine, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of May, A.D. One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her

page_text: heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Bernard Joachim
La Mothe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Bernard Joachim La Mothe, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Bernard Joachim La Mothe, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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 Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Bernard Joachim La Mothe, 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 (that is to say):-
The nature of my Invention is such that buildings of any form and for any
use whatever can be constructed with much less material, yet possessing far
greater strength and tenacity throughout, than by any other known mode of
construction, these objects being attained by the nature of the material used,
and the peculiar manner of connecting the different parts.
In the annexed Drawing Fig. 1 is a vertical section longitudinally; Fig. 2
is a vertical cross section; Fig. 3 is a side view of a continuous beam; and
Fig. 4 is a plan of the same.
The foundation of my building is laid in the ordinary manner, either with
stone, brick, or other suitable material. In said foundation are perpendicularly
inserted and firmly secured sets of bands or plates of iron or steel, or other
metal. Each set consists of several bands or plates strongly rivetted or screwed
together with bolts and nuts, at very short distances apart, as shewn at A, A, A,
Fig. 1. In large structures the rivets or screws are to be placed in two rows
(or more) near the edges of the bands, and at a distance from each other,
not exceeding the diameter or thickness of the whole set of bands, particularly
when great strength and firmness in the structure is required. These bands,
thus rivetted or screwed together in sets and firmly inserted in the foundation,
answer the same purposes as iron or stone pillars, or wooden posts in the walls
of other buildings, and these bands may be placed either flatwise or edgewise
to the surface of the building or walls. If said bands are placed flatwise to

page_text: the surface of the building, as seen in Fig. 2, then, at the proper height for
the first floor, a number of the said perpendicular bands are carefully bent to
a horizontal position, as seen at B, B, Fig. 2, and rivetted or screwed together
at very short distances, forming either the beam or the sleepers, or a part of
the beams or sleepers, for the said first floor, as seen at C, C, C, Fig. 2. For the
construction of the second story the remaining perpendicular bands are carried
up in precisely the same manner as for the first story, as seen at D, D, Fig. 2,
rivetted or screwed together at very short distances, and at the required height
for the second floor; a further number of the said bands are bent to a hori-
zontal position and riveted or, screwed together, to form a part or the whole
of the beams or sleepers for said sccond floor, as seen at E, E, E, Fig. 2.
The construction is thus continued to whatever height the building may be
carried, and the remaining perpendicular bands are then properly bent from
all sides of the structure, as seen at F, F, Fig. 2, either in the form of arches
or otherwise, and riveted or screwed together to form the rafters for the roof,
as seen at G, G, Fig. 2. The perpendicular sets are crossed between the doors
and windows with horizontal bands H, H, H, Fig. 1, which are riveted to said
perpendiculars.
In order to construct a strong and light joist, I rivet or screw together several
bands or narrow plates of metal, and so attach them to the other parts of the
building that they receive the floors on the edges of said bands, as seen at I, I,
Fig. 2; and these beams that lie edgewise may be united to the horizontal
bands C, C, by rivets 1, 1, the ends being attached, as at K, K, to the perpen-
dicular sets of posts.
In order to extend beams of this construction to a great length, so as to
connect several buildings, or the distant parts of one building, I construct the
same of several pieces, as seen in Fig. 4, so that no two joints in the con-
tinuous bands come opposite each other, so as to constitute one- continuous
beam, and the ends may be secured to the perpendiculars by a loop, as at
K, K, Figs. 3 & 4, or in any similar manner; and when said beam or joist
has to pass a perpendicular it may be opened to form an eye, as at L, L, and
riveted to said perpendicular. And when bands or plates cannot be obtained
of the length required for vertical sets, shorter bands or plates can be laid
together by breaking joints, in the manner shewn for the beam, Fig. 4, without
imparing the strength of the same.
The frame or skeleton of the building thus constructed may be covered and
finished off in any desired manner; for instance, in a dwelling-house said frame
may be covered with sheets or plates of metal, and the intervening space
between the inner and outer plates may be filled with charcoal, sawdust,

page_text: ashes, or other non-conducting substance, and the inside plates either painted,
or papered, or plastered, as desired.
By this construction I obtain great strength and security, for the vertical
bands or posts being firmly imbedded in the foundation, and the beams 'and
horizontal ties being interlaced and riveted together, every part is kept im-
movable, and at the same time the building is light and comparatively
cheap.
What I desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
First, I claim the construction of the frame or skeleton of buildings with
bands or plates of iron, steel, or other metal, rivetted or screwed together in
sets of parallel bands, the same extending from the foundation to the top of
the structure, in lieu of collumns, pillars, or walls.
Second, I claim making the beams for the floors and the rafters for the roof
by bending a certain number of the parallel bands, which have been used in
the walls below, to the required position, to serve either as beams, sleepers, or
rafters, the same being strongly rivetted together, as specified.
Third, I claim the continuous beam I, constructed as specified, and also the
combination of the beam C of horizontal plates, with the beam I of parallel
plates, set up edgewise, as described and shewn.
In witness whercof, I, the said Bernard Joachim La Mothe, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of October, A.D. One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
BERNARD J. LA MOTHE, M.D. (L.S.)
Witnesses,
GEO. P. WRIGHT,
289, Broadway, New York.
LEMUEL W. SERRELL,
289, Broadway, New York.