CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VIADUCTS, ARCHES, BRIDGES, AND OTHER BUILDINGS, UPON A NON-EXPANSION PRINCIPLE
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Carey, of Great' Guildford Street,
Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Builder, for the Invention
of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VIADUCTS,
ARCHES, BRIDGES, AND OTHER BUILDINGS, UPON A NON-EXPANSION
PRINCIPLE."
Sealed the 26th February 1858, and dated the 8th November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Carey at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 8th November 1852.
I, STEPHEN CAREY, of Great Guildford Street, Southwark, in the
County of Surrey, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VIADUCTS,
ARCHES, BRIDGES, AND OTHER BUILDINGS, UPON A NON-EXPANSION PRINCIPLE,"
3.
to be as follows:-
By means of blocks which are so constructed as to admit of being
placed together (herein-after described), as by means of a projection or
projections fitting into a hollow space or spaces so arranged as to admit
of bolts or pins being passed through two adjoining sides, thereby pre-

page_text: venting any slipping of one block from another, or the top and bottom
may be rivited.
The blocks may be made either hollow, solid, or with the bottoms out,
or with a partition in the centre, or those that are made hollow may
have their interstices filled with any suitable material, or with oval
picces out of sides or ends for gas and other pipes to pass through, and
other similar purposes.
The blocks may be made or formed of one or more materials, and of
one uniformity of surface, and in one or more picces, so long as one
part of one block fits into a part formed in another in a manner herein
set forth, namely, by means of double, treble, or more dovetail joints,
fitting each to the other, and at the same time admitting of being firmly
clamped or held together by the said bolts or pins.
The angles of which the dovetail joints aro formed may be varied
to suit the materials of which the blocks are formed, as well as the
particular uses to which they are to be applied, and they may be
formed with single, double, or more dovetail joints, according to
requirement.
According to the uses to which the blocks are to be applied they may
be formed or made of stone, clay, wood, iron, or any other suitable
material, or alternate layers of wood, clay, iron, or any other suitable
material or materials of which such blocks are or can be made.
The uses to which the blocks can be applied are various, and are
adapted, more especially where lightness combined with great strength
is required, namely, in bridges, viaducts, arches, foundations, floors, roofs,
girders, railway sleepers, and for general building purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Stephen Carey, in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th May 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, 80
STEPHEN CABEY, of Great Guildford Street, Southwark, in the County
of Surrey, Builder, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the year"
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Stephen Carey, Her special license
that I, the said Stephen Carey, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Stephen Carey, my executors, ad-
ministrators, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VIADUCTS, ARCHES, BRIDGES, AND OTHER BUILD-
INGS, UPON A NON-EXPANSION PRINCIPLE," upon condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Stephen Carey, 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 per-
formed, 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, tho said Stephen Carey, do hereby de-
clare 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):
My Invention consists in the peculiar formation of bridges, viaducts,
arches, foundations, floors, roofs, girders, sleepers, sea or river walls, light-
houses or forts, bottoms of docks, and all or every part or parts of any
construction or constructions to which the same can or may be applied,
by nicans of blocks, castings, plates, or other substances, moulded or
formed geometrically upon a non-expansion principle, and which will
more fully and at large appear upon reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and which I will now proceed to describe as follows:-
Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents a perspective view of a casting made of
iron or other suitable material, having its sides, ends, and shoulders
A, A, A, convex, and being drilled with one or more holes or slots, or

page_text: having lugs and appertures to receive the same C, C, as required for
bolting or more perfectly securing the blocks or castings to each other,
the recess of such casting being a section of the exterior of Figure 4;
the projecting parts or shoulders of the same represent a section of the
exterior of the whole. Figure 2 is a view of a casting formed with its
sides and shoulders concave, but with its ends E, E, convex; the recess
thereof is a figure and section of the whole exterior, the shoulders or
projections forming a parallelogram. Figure 8, is a view of a another
casting with its sides and shoulders D, D, convex, but with its ends E, E,
concave, the recess thereof forming a section of the exterior of Figure 4;
its shoulders or projections likewise form a parallelogram. Figure 4,
is another view of a casting constructed with its sides, shoulders, and
ends F, F, F, concave, the recess thereof being a section of the exterior
of Figure 1; the shoulders or projections represent a section of the
exterior of the whole. Figure 1, Sheet 2, is a plan view of the four
blocks or castings as represented in Sheet 1, joined or keyed together
in the form as shewn. G, G, are what I term key or foundation blocks
or castings, and which are of the configuration of those seen at
Figures 2, and 4, Sheet 1. H, H, are blocks or castings, as described
at Figures 1, and 8, Sheet 1, which dovetail, fasten, and secure the two
foundation or internal blocks or castings G, G, upon which I can
proceed with the formation of any structure, as the sides, shoulders, and
ends being alternately concave and convex, cach casting is thereby
dovetailed to the other, and each therefore acts as a truss, support, or
binder to the other, and thus I am enabled to proceed in the con-
struction of any work to which the same is applicable without the aid
of any supplementary erections. Figure 2, Sheet 2, represents a section
of the castings G, G, as they would appear with their ends I, I, dove-
tailed together. Figure 3, is a side elevation of an internal block or
casting as recessed to receive the external blocks H, H. Figure 4, is
likewise a side elevation of a casting containing more angles upon its
sides and end than those before described. Figure 5, is an end view
of a casting formed with an oval or other shaped figure, as may be best
adapted for the purpose, to allow the passage of gas, water, and other
pipes to pass through the structure longitudinally, and which may like-

page_text: wise, if required, be carried transversely through the blocks or castings
in the same manner as through the ends thereof.
. I will now proceed to observe, that I do not confine myself to any
description of material or materials of which my blocks, castings, or
plates may be made, as it will depend upon the work to be performed,
and I therefore use either iron, wood, stone, clay, or alternate layers of
iron, wood, stone, or clay, or all or any of them, or such other material
or materials as may be found best adapted for the purpose. I likewise
do not confine myself to forming blocks or castings as represented in the
accompanying Drawings (namely, hollow), as it may be found necessary
to have the blocks or castings formed solid, with the bottoms out, of one
plate of iron or other material or materials, or with the centres of such
blocks or castings intersected with partitions, as is shewn by the dotted
lines 1, 1, Figure 4, Sheet 1, or the tops covered with iron, stone, or
other material, or I fill the interstices or hollow space or spaces with
concrete or other suitable substance or substances. I would further
remark, that it may sometimes be found requisite or advantageous to
form the blocks or castings with more than one angle, and which I do
not therefore confine myself to, but form them with one or more
angles, as seen at Figure 4, Sheet 2, and as many as may be found
desirable; and I use, for the better securing the said blocks, castings, or
plates together, pins, bolts, metal plates, cements, or other suitable
material through and against the ends or sides thereof; and for the
purpose of giving greater strength bars or chains of iron may be passed
horizontally or diagonally through the said blocks or castings, and
which will prevent expansion. And I would lastly remark, that I do not
confine myself to any particular form of angle or angles of which the
shoulder or recess may be formed, as they may be shaped curvilinearly,
but I vary them, as seen at 2, 2, and 3, 3, Figure 1, Sheet 2, or in any
other way best suited for the purpose to which I may apply the blocks
or castings as aforesaid, and, if necessary, I key or wedge them vertically
or obliquely.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I would remark that
what I claim is,-

page_text: Firstly, the configuration of blocks, castings, or plates, formed in the
manner above described.
Secondly, the securing together of such blocks, castings, or
plates; and,
Thirdly, their application for the above-mentioned and other like
purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Carey, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
CHA R. PILCHER,
210, Strand.
STEPHEN CAREY. (L.S.)