IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND OTHER STRUCTURES FOR THE SAFE STORAGE OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Collis Browne, of Hampton Wick, in the
County of Middlesex, Physician, and Montague Davenport, of
Finsbury Park Villas, also in the County of Middlesex, Architect,
for the Invention of "IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND
OTHER STRUCTURES
FOR THE SAFE STORAGE OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Collis Browne and
Montague Davenport at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 24th October 1872.
We, JOHN COLLIS BROWNE, of Hampton Wick, in the County of
Middlesex, Physician, and Montague DavenpORT, of Finsbury Park
Villas, also in the County of Middlesex, Architect, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS and

page_text: OTHER STRUCTURES FOR THE SAFE STORAGE OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER EXPLOSIVE
OILS, GUNPOWDER, AND EXPLOSIVES GENERALLY," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is the construction or formation of
buildings or other structures in populous and other places, and in
ships or vessels wherein explosives of any kind may be stowed with t
safety.
The Invention consists mainly in constructing two or more walls or
cases with one or more spaces between them on all sides, by which
communication can be had to the different compartments by stairs or
ladders arranged at different parts.
The buildings can be carried to any depth below the surface of the
ground, and the interior can be lighted by natural or artificial means
from the exterior aided by reflectors.
In the case of fitting this Invention to ships or vessels we prefer to
arrange the inner casing or casings or walls within strong bulkheads,
the space or spaces between serving not only for lighting the com-
partments but to form the means of communication, as in the former
instance.
The buildings, structures, or depôts, may be of square, circular, or
other form, or the inner walls only of say circular shape, and the
exterior of say square shape.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Collis Browne and Montague Davenport
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th April 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN 25
COLLIS BROWNE, of Hampton Wick, in the County of Middlesex,
Physician, and MONTAGUE DAVENPORT, of Finsbury Park Villas, also
in the County of Middlesex, Architect, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victória, by. Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of October, in 30
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in
the thirty-sixth year of Her 'reigu, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-

page_text: cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Collis Browne and
Montague Davenport, Her special licence that we, the said John Collis
Browne and Montague Davenport, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said John Collis Browne and
Montague Davenport, our 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 "IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND OTHER STRUCTURES
FOR THE SAFE STORAGE OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER EXPLOSIVE OILS, GUNPOWDER,
AND EXPLOSIVES GENERALLY,” upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said John Collis Browne and Montague Davenport, or one of us, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or
one of our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 we, the said John Collis Browne and
Montague Davenport, do hereby declare the nature of our said In-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is
to say :-
The object of this Invention is the construction or formation of
buildings or structures in populous and other places, and in ships or
vessels wherein explosives of any kind may be stored with safety.
The Invention consists mainly in constructing two or more walls or
cases with one or more spaces between them on all sides, by which
communication can be had to the different compartments by hoists,
stairs, or ladders arranged at different parts.
The buildings can be carried to any depth below the surface of the
ground, and the interior can be lighted and also heated or cooled by
natural or artificial means from the exterior, aided by reflectors, heaters,
or refrigerators.

page_text: In the case of fitting this Invention to ships or vessels, we prefer
to arrange the inner casing or casings, or walls within strong bulk-
heads, the space or spaces between serving not only for lighting the
compartments but to form the means of communication, as in the
former instance.
The buildings, structures, or depots, may be of square, circular, or
other form, or the inner walls only of, say, circular shape, and the
exterior of, say, square shape.
The Invention will be well understood by reference to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings in which it is clearly exemplified.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a structure composed of concrete
or other cementaceous body or combination of bodies, or of brick, as
found most convenient. a is the outer wall of circular form as in the
plan view, Figure 2, inside of which is the wall bat a distance there-
from to form a space c between them; d is a central pier for supporting
the arched or other roofs e, e, of the several compartments f, f, in which
the oils, powders, or other ingredients, or materials, explosives, can
be stored with safety, an entrance being provided to each compartment
by a separate entrance, such as at g, g; access being gained to them by
flights of stairs h, k, fitted into the two walls a and b in the manner
shown, or in any other manner, such as by ladders, etc.
Each compartment or floor can be divided and subdivided in any
suitable way, so that several kinds of explosives can be conveniently
kept apart; and separate staircases or other means of communication
can be adopted to prevent access to the wrong chambers from above.
The two walls a and b are carried up from the foundation j, which is
some distance below the level of the ground, to about level with it,
where the two merge into one, and continue up to a convenient height
to indicate the nature of the structure, and act as a warning to persons
approaching it. We cover the structure over with a light roofing,
preferably of conical shape, from the apex of which a lightning con-
ductor leads to the outside to earth. This roof may have glass in some
portion of it, or openings may be formed into which reflected light can
be thrown for lighting the staircase, to enable workmen to descend for
stowing or removing material, and other reflectors can be fitted in the
space c for deflecting the light into the compartments or chambers. By

page_text: this means, at whatever depth below the surface of the ground the
structure is carried sufficient light can be had without recourse to safety
or other lamps within the structure.
و"
In Figure 1 we have shewn the central pier as solid, but it may be
hollow, as in Figures 3 and 4, down the opening or
"well in which
the material can be lowered, as also the men by mechanical appliances
such as a cage k; the "well" in this case forming the lighting chamber
as also the communication to the several compartments in lieu of the
staircase in the space, as in Figures 1 and 2.
The space between the two walls or the central pier "well" can
have pipes arranged in them by which slightly heated or cooled air can
be forced, these leading to the several compartments for preserving the
desired temperature at which the material should be kept. It having
been proved in the case of nitro-glycerine, Kreb's explosive (litho-
fracteur), or Nobel's explosive (dynamite), at certain temperatures there
is no chance of an explosion occurring accidentally or otherwise.
Each compartment can be ventilated by the same or by independent
pipes fitted in the space or embedded in the inner, the outer, or the
central wall.
The sectional views, Figures 2, 4, 5, and 6, show different shapes or
formations of structure which we propose to build below the level of
the ground, and in all of which we preserve the main feature of our
Invention, viz., the two walls with an air space between them, so that
should an explosion occur it will expend itself vertically like powder
from a cannon set on end, the side thrust being received and resisted by
the cushion of air pocketed in the space, the effect of which would be
to concentrate the action, lessen considerably or entirely obviate lateral
vibration.
It will be understood that the space between the walls may be
divided by vertical partitions if desired, and these may be closed in at
top, as in Figures 1 and 3, or they may be left open at the top, as in
Figure 7, where our Invention is shown applied to the central part of a
vessel for the safe storage of explosives of all kinds. The walls in this
case are preferably of iron, but they may be of concrete, or one of metal
and one of concrete, as may also be the case with the land magazine,
shown in Figures 1 and 3.

page_text: The outer circular wall or bulkhead in Figures 7 and 8 is supported
by and firmly held to the framing of the ship, but the inner one is
fitted upon a flooring of sufficient strength to bear the weight of the
material to be placed in the chambers, but which would be forced
downwards by the recoil into the water on an explosion occurring, the
resistance being formed by the displacement of the water below the
vessel at that part. By this means, as the water surrounding and below
the vessel is capable of being displaced, the only part of the structure
liable to receive damage would be the floor, and this would be blown
out, whereas if it were a positive fixture, the vessel itself might by
receiving the full force of the recoil be submerged..
We have in most of the Figures shown only two walls with an air
space between, but these walls can be increased to any extent; and as
an instance, we have shewn in Figure 6 a magazine with three walls of
different shapes, the inner one b circular, the intermediate one a
hexagonal, and the other one a¹ square; but these may be of the same
shape or a combination of any other shapes, in every case the air space
being between.
Figure 9 shows a perspective view of four of the magazines or depôts
constructed according to our Invention, from which a general idea may
be gained of their appearances in a marsh, or in and upon the ground,
say on the coast or in proximity to a town, the apex of the roofs being
fitted with lightning conductors leading to earth or water wells in
the usual manner.
The fifth magazine, Figure 10, is wholly below the surface, the
coping and roof alone being above.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we
claim the construction of buildings or magazines for the safe storage
of petroleum and other explosive oils, gunpowder, and explosives
generally, in the manner described and shown in the several Figures
annexed.
Secondly. The employment of structures such as we have shown as
built partly below the surface and partly above the surface of the
ground, or wholly below the surface with spaces between the walls of

page_text: the structures for resisting the lateral strain or pressure of explosions as
described.
Thirdly. We claim the fitting of double or many walled magazines in
vessels and floating bodies, generally in the manner and for the purpose
set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Collis Browne and
Montague Davenport, have hereunto set our hands and seals,
this Twenty-first day of April, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-three.
J. COLLIS BROWNE.
(L.S.)
MONTAGUE DAVENPORT. (L.S.)