Improvements in Structures or Framing for Carrying Roofing.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Structures or Framing for Carrying Roofing.
JOSEPH LOWE and GEORGE ELDRED SHAWYER, of The Nurseries, Uxbridge,
Middlesex, Nurserymen, trading as "Joseph Lowe," do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
-
An improved system of framing by means of which plots of ground of any size
can be covered with garden lights, or glazed frames, or by wooden shutters, or by
sheets of corrugated iron, or the like, in such a manner as to form continuous
roofs of any size.
Such roofs being suitable for horticultural purposes, or for work shops; or for
storing or drying goods under, or for any other purpose for which large areas
of ground may be required to be covered in.
To carry out our improvements, one plan we adopt is to drive rows of posts
into the ground desired to be covered, at convenient distances apart, and to these
posts at some distance from the top, we fix horizontal rails or bearers, which carry
the lights, or shutters, or whatever may be used as the actual covering, in such a
manner that they form a continuous series of span or leanto roofs which may be
indefinately extended in any direction, so as to form a single building of any size
required. We hold the lights or shutters firmly in their places by ties fixed to
the top of the posts, in such a manner that they bind the whole structure securely
together and obviate the use of rafters or any other supports than the ones described.
In one variation of our improvement we have a double row of posts in place
of every alternate single row, and we fix cross bearers to the tops of these posts,
and thereon fix gutters, so arranged that they support the lights instead of the
rails which are first described; and these gutters are so constructed that they
hold the lights in their right positions, besides carrying away the water.
The lights or shutters or whatever covering material is used, may be fixed at
any height from the ground that may be most suitable for the purpose any par-
ticular roof may be wanted for.
In the case of the roofing being made with garden lights, the same set of lights
may be used with ease over a succession of crops by having a seperate set of
framing for each of these crops and moving the lights from one to another as
required.
A vast amount of work is saved by the men being able to get about under the
lights to water and attend to the crops, without having to raise the lights as is
now usually the case-our structures being practically the same in use as fixed
greenhouses.
There is also a great saving of labour as well as other advantages in the method
of attachment to the framing without rafters which we have described.
The chief of these advantages being the great ease and quickness with which
the whole roof may be removed and refixed in whatever fresh position may be
desired, and that, what practically constitutes one building, may be erected, cover-

page_text: ing many acres, if wished, at a very low cost as compared with fixed greenhouses
or sheds built in the usual manner.
Further variations of our improvements are arranged to suit particular purposes
-the main idea as hereto set forth being adhered to.
Dated this Seventeenth day of December 1898.
JOSEPH LOWE,
GEORGE ELDRED SHAWYER,
Trading as "Joseph Lowe.
Improvements in Structures or Framing for carrying Rooшng.
We, JOSEPH LOWE and GEORGE ELDRED SHAWYER, trading together as Joseph
Lowe, at the Nurseries, Uxbridge, in the County of Middlesex, Nurserymen,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a structure or framing for carrying roofing of any
suitable kind which said structure or framing can be rapidly erected and can
be extended in any desired direction so as to form a framing adapted to carry a
continuous roof of any size required.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a roofed in struc-
ture or framing constructed according to this invention, and Fig. 2 is a section
taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are elevations of modifications
of our invention. The same letters of reference where they occur are used to denote
the name or corresponding parts in all the figures.
In making a structure adapted to carry a continuous span roof such as is shown
in Figs. 1 and 2 we proceed as follows:-
We drive parallel rows of posts A in to the ground at convenient distances
apart and intermediate between these posts A and preferably parallel thereto
we drive in shorter posts A¹. The posts A or A' in any given row are all secured
together by means of longitudinal rails or bearers B or B¹ one on each side as
shown which said rails or bearers B or B are secured to the posts at a convenient
distance from the top so that each of posts A or A' is adapted to receive and to
support the ends of the two adjacent glazed frames C or shutters, corrugated
iron, or other covering or roofing sections. The posts A and A' are spaced apart
so that a section of the covering or roofing C will bridge the space between two
adjacent upright posts A and A¹ so that its ends rest on the horizontal rails or
bearers B and B as shown in Fig. 1. The roofing sections C are held down on
to the horizontal rails or bearers B and B' by means of tie rods D and D¹ secured
transversely to adjacent upright posts A and A' and alternately to the front and
the rear side thereof. As every upright post A is by the tie rods D secured to
its neighbour A' in the contiguous row on each side, and as all the uprights A or A¹
in each row are secured together by means of the two horizontal rails or
bearers B or B' as the case may be the whole when erected forms a rigid structure.
Fig. 3 shows a modification of the continuous span roof structure or framing in
which the lower ends of the roofing sections are supported on gutters E, which
gutters form part of or are secured to cross bearers I supported on parallel
uprights G. These uprights G and the cross bearers 1 take the place of the
shorter upright posts A shown in Fig. 1, but if desired such short uprights A
may be used in place of the double row of parallel uprights G, and the gutters E
formed therewith or secured thereto in any suitable manner; but we have found
that the construction shown in Fig. 3 is strong and rigid and well adapted for

page_text: its purpose. In this form of our invention the taller uprights A are secured
together transversely by the horizontal tie rods D2 one of which may be used for
every two adjacent uprights A as shown, or all the uprights A in the same line
may be secured together transversely by means of a continuous tie rod which
is bolted or otherwise secured to each upright A so as to form a rigid structure.
These tie rods D2 keep the roofing sections in position at the upper end that
is to say, at the apex of the span, and the lower ends of said roofing sections C
may be held down by any convenient means to the gutters E or to the cross
bearers F.
In the form of our invention illustrated in Fig. 4 we have shown a lean-to
roofing structure. In this case all the uprights are of the same height and all
in the same row are secured together longitudinally by means of an upper and
a lower horizontal bearer B and B respectively, which are also fixed one on each
side as shown, and all the uprights are secured together transversely by tie rods
in the manner described with reference to Fig. 3. As before every two adjacent
roofing sections C rest on the bearers B and B of one of the posts and any con-
venient means may be adopted to hold their lower ends down.
The structures or framing constructed in accordance with our invention may
be covered in at the ends or sides or both as required by means of glazed frames,
canvas or other sacking, boards, corrugated iron, or other suitable material, and
if desired hot water pipes or other means for heating may be passes therethrough
or thereinto so that the structure when roofed in with glazed frames will be
practically the same in use as a fixed greenhouse.
One of the chief advantages of our invention is the great ease and quickness
with which the structure and roofing may be removed and refixed in whatever
fresh position may be desired, that the structure may be extended longitudinally
or transversely as required, and that, what practically constitutes one building
may be erected covering many acres if wished at a very low cost as compared
with fixed greenhouses or sheds built in the usual manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
A structure or framing for carrying continuous roofing comprising a plurality
of stakes driven into the ground in rows, horizontal rails connecting all the stakes
in one row together and forming bearers for the ends of two adjacent roofing
sections, and tie rods connecting the stakes together transversely at their upper
ends and holding the roofing sections down in position on the bearers substantially
as described.
Dated this 5th day of May 1899.
F. W. GOLBY
36, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Patent Agent for the Applicants.