VARIOUS' IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TUNNELS AND SUBTERRANEOUS PASSAGES
Year: 1812

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
SHORTER, of Baron's' Buildings, Blackfriars' Road, in the County of Surrey;
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date' at West-
minster, the Nineteenth' day of May, in' the fifty-second year of His reign,' did;
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto the said Edward
Shorter, His especial' licence' that I, the said Edward' Shorter, my executors;*
administrators, and assigns, or such' others as I, the said Edward' Shorter, my
executors; administrators; 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, and' also within' all
His Majestie's Colonies and Plantations abroad; my Invention of "VARIOUS'
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TUNNELS AND SUBTERRANEOUS PASSAGES;"
in which-said Letters Patent there is' contained' a proviso obliging me, the
said Edward Shorter, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the sanie is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled
in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next

page_text: and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by
the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Edward Shorter, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is described and ascertained
in the plan drawn in the margin of these Presents, and the following explanation
thereof, that is to say:-
Figure 1 represents a sectional view of a river, lake, canal, or any other
piece of water, or of earth under or through which a tunnel or any other pas-
sage is to be made. I first begin at A, to dig away the earth to B, so as to
make room for the large pipe or tunnel C, which I make of iron or other
materials as may be found necessary, and which I make in the form of a
cylinder or any other shape that may be found most convenient, the same
being made in pieces and fixed together by means of screws, bolts, hoops, or
any other well-known method now in use. Having made this part of the
tunnel A, C, D, which, for instance, I suppose to be kept up in the straight
line A, D, it is evident that if I keep the end above water at D, and lower the
middle part, it will, by means of the moveable joints 1 and 2, become in the
shape of A, C, D; and as I add to the length of the tunnel at D, I keep lowering
the same, so that when 2 is lowered to 3, the tunnel will be put in the direction
of from 3 to 4; then, by means of scaffolds, either afloat or fixed, as at D and E,
which will then be removed to 4, I again commence adding to the length,
and lowering as before, and so on until I get to the other side of the river
or bank at F, thus forming a tunnel of any dimensions, either for the con-
veyance of foot passengers, horses and carriages of every description, or for
any other purpose. The necessary excavation is to be made to receive the
tunnel as at B, or it may be laid down upon the bed of the river without being
covered by the earth, if found more convenient.
Figure 2 represents a section of the joint upon a large scale, which I make
either cylindrical, globular, eliptical, or any other shape that circumstances may
require, and keep them together by means of hoops as at 1, in Figure 1, or I
make them to move upon center pivots as at 2, with a rabbitt all round, so
that they can be packed with hemp or any other substance that may render it
water-tight.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Shorter, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twelve.
E. SHORTER. (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-seventh day of
June, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Edward Shorter came
before our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Twenty-seventh day of June, in the year above written.