IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION : AND IN LIGHTING AND FIREPROOFING THE SAME: AND IN MEANS: MODES: AND APPLIANCES THEREFOR
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thaddeus Hyatt, Inventor, of No, 21 Addison Gardens. N
Kensington; London; in the County of Middlesex for an invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION : AND IN LIGHTING AND
FIREPROOFING THE SAME: AND IN MEANS: MODES: AND APPLIANCES
THEREFOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thaddeus Hyatt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th May 1882.
THADDEUS HYATT, Inventor; of No. 21 Addison Gardens. N.-Kensington,
London;
in the County of Middlesex :-IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING CON-
STRUCTION AND IN LIGHTING AND FIREPROOFING THE SAME: AND IN MEANS-
MODES AND APPLIANCES THEREFOR
In Constructing buildings, the Object of my invention is to reduce the whole of
the work, as nearly as may be, to shop and machine work: to consume less time
in putting them up: to have them dry as soon as erected: and to make them
thoroughly fire proof-To accomplish these objects; dispensing with side or party-
walls of solid masonry, I construct the walls upon the principle of making "Iron
Fronts "the walls in the first place being skeleton in form and composed of a
number of metal posts or columns braced and tied together by beams of metal at
their extremities, story by story, from foundation to roof; the whole securely
jointed and bolted together: these walls, I then brace and tie crosswise, story by
story by metal floor and roof beams, securely jointed and bolted to the metal wall
posts and wall beams: the entire building is then a metal skeleton, possessing as a
whole the rigidity and strength of a strong box capable of being lifted bodily
without danger of falling to pieces, like ordinary buildings, that in the comparison
may be said to be pitched together. This metal skeleton I then protect against
fire by a covering of fire-proof concrete put about every part by means of moulds
as in the making of concrete houses. The bays left in the walls, and in the floors,
and roof may then be closed in any way desired to make them fireproof: my
preference being for dry panels composed of metal wattling and concrete in two

page_text: layers with a dry space left between the two: or such spaces in the walls may be
utilized as dry closets and fire proof safes. The hollow pillars of the walls may be
fashioned for use as chimnies and ventilating flues: and the hollow cross-floor
beams may be made to serve the purposes of the old Roman "hypercausts" for
heating purposes.
In Lighting buildings, the Object of my invention is to Distribute Reflected
light more perfectly and in greater volume than is now had by ordinary Day-light
Reflectors and to increase the volume of Transmitted light through Illuminating
gratings when employed as Roofs and Roof-pavements.-Also to make the windows
of warehouses secure against fire without the use of iron shutters.
:
My invention with reference to Reflected light consists in the employment of
Duplicate reflectors; one of which I call the Receiving and the other the Distributing
reflector. The receiving reflector is a plain Mirror, placed at an angle to receive
the Daylight and the distributing reflector is a corrugated Mirror fixed in a frame
furnished with rollers to travel upon rails fastened to the ceiling of the apartment
to be lighted. The mirrors are hung on centers and answer to each other.
My invention to protect buildings against the entrance of fire through windows
unprovided with iron shutters, consists in making the windows of fire-proof
concreted Illuminating gratings fashioned either after the style of "French
Windows" or in the English & American style of weight and pulley sashes that
slide and down in ways.
up
:
Or I make the windows to illuminate mainly by reflected light the window
opening being shielded by a fireproof box covered at top by an illuminating grating
made to be lifted for ventilation: against or within the box, which is as high as
the window opening, a Receiving mirror" is placed to catch the light through
the grating above it; and the light so caught is thrown into the apartment upon a
'Distributing mirror" in manner as already described.
"
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My invention in Appliances for lighting Buildings by Transmitted Light, consists,
according to one part of the invention in combining a safe foot surface of concrete
with metal gratings set with prism glasses; the concrete being put in between the
glasses over the metal upon the weather face of the grating; a part of the invention
consisting in roughening the concrete by an admixture of emery or analogous sharp
and hard particles: such foot surface being an improvement over the colored baked
clay tiles sometimes used, which furnish less security to the feet than concrete;
especially when the concrete is roughened.
According to another part of my invention I construct illuminating gratings by
a combination of glass and metal that produces a practically continuous glass
surface over the metal of the grating the same being safe to be walked upon.
This part of my invention consists 1st: in a new form of metal grating; to wit:
a grating in which the bars are sunk below the under face of the glass sufficiently
to permit the light-rays to pass over them: 2nd: in a new construction of glasses
composed of two sets of glass, one of which I term Glass Battens; and the other
of which I term Glass Roofing Tiles: and 3d: in a New Method of combining
the glass with the grating by means of saddles for seating the battens on the tops
of the grate bars:-the construction, as a whole, being analogous to the ordinary
roof construction where slates, shingles, and brick roofing tiles are fastened to
wood battens that are nailed to the tops of the rafters.-In carrying this part of
my invention into practice, I make bars of glass that serve as battens for fastening
the glass. tiles to; the length of the battens being of preference twelve inches: the
thickness two inches; and the depth four inches; the lower balf being formed as a
prism. The saddles upon the bars of the grating are V shaped, to correspond to
the shape of the prism bottom of the battens. The distances between the saddles
along the tops of the grating bars, are fixed to suit the width of the glass tiles,
which are preferably six inches wide, one inch thick, and twelve inches long:
the sides of the battens at top are rebated to form seats for the glass tiles to
rest in.
The method of making this new construction is as follows:-viz-the metal

page_text: gratings having been placed in position over the space to be roofed, the glass
battens, laid in courses, are cemented to the saddles in which they are seated: the
metal bars being four inches apart, each batten is supported upon three saddles;
the abutting ends of two battens meeting and resting upon one saddle: the width
of the saddle that sustains the centre of a batten may be half an inch; but the
saddles that sustain the ends of two battens are of double width. When all the
battens have been fixed and cemented in place, the glass tiles are let in between
them upon the rebated seats prepared for them in the battens and are then
cemented fast; hydraulic cement of preference being made use of for this purpose.
The weather face of the battens and the weather face of the tiles are channeled
with indentations cast upon them in the making of the glass; and the edges of the
battens and tiles where the two meet are made to correspond to the face channels
of the glasses; the united channels over the face of the whole work forming a
design surface. The hydraulic cement is now put into the channeled face of the
work over the entire surface and the grouting finding its way downward into every
crevice however small, makes the work completely water-tight: the cement or
concrete lines that run through the glass affording thus a safe foot-surface for
being walked upon. To prevent an appearance of disfigurement upon the under
face of the glass from the shewing of the concrete through the glass, a part of my
invention consists in silvering, varnishing, painting or otherwise coating the
channels in the face of the glasses, and the joints between the glasses where they
meet; the coating being put on and suffered to dry and harden before the cement
or concrete is filled in.
In forming the glass roofing tiles for combination with the battens, a part of my
invention consists in moulding upon the under face of such tiles a prism in
Arch form.
The final part of my invention with reference to appliances for lighting buildings
by means of transmitted light consists in a New Manufacture of rolled glass made
with a prism face upon the under side of the sheet or plate in the form of courses
of prismed battens at convenient distances apart. These plates of glass I make
use of in combination with metal gratings formed with depressed bars and saddles
as hereinabove described, with respect to a combination of smaller glasses made in
moulds. A part of my invention consisting in forming plate glass with a
channeled design face of the character herein described with reference to pressed
glass and filling the channels with concrete.
The prism battens I form upon the under face of the glass plate by means of a
removable moulding-top to the table which may be removed with the glass plate
to the annealing oven: the channeled surface may be put upon the face of the
glass by means of a roller, shaped and formed for the purpose, which indents the
glass while rolling out the metal; or the channels may be made upon a removable
table-top, as already described with reference to the prism-surface.
The Mode and Appliances which I have herein described for constructing
illuminating gratings with an All-glass surface I consider the best that can be
devised: but substantially the same results, though in less perfect manner, may be
produced by modifications of the means and methods herein set forth; as for
example; the glass tiles and battens may form one piece in place of two: or the
tiles may be formed with four legs or posts upon the under face of the glass to
take a bearing on the grating bars: or the grating bars may be formed with the
posts upon their tops for flat glass tiles to rest upon, with the result of permitting
the light through the glasses to pass over the tops of the grating bars, and which,
by what means soever done, constitutes the invention herein set forth, and intended
to be secured by patent:

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thaddeus Hyatt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th November
1882.
THADDEUS HYATT, Inventor of 21 Addison Gardens North, Kensington, London
in the County of Middlesex IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND
IN LIGHTING AND FIREPROOFING THE SAME AND IN MEANS MODES AND APPLIANCES
THEREFORE
My invention of my improvements in Lighting buildings by means of Reflected
Light, consists in combining with Receiving or Day-light reflectors another set
which I call Distributing mirrors: the former taking the daylight from the
heavens and reflecting it to the latter which in turn distribute it through the
apartment to be Lighted
As ordinarily employed but one set of daylight reflectors are used. These are
placed outside the building with the window between the reflecting surface and
the room to be lighted: inconvenient of access to be cleaned, and constantly
covered with dust and dirt. The mirror surface besides being obscured from such
causes is also small in quantity being made dependent upon the size of the
ordinary window openings. But by the methods adopted by me buildings may be
lighted by Reflected Day-light in a way to illuminate the most interior parts of the
structure and however far below the surface of the ground.
In carrying my invention into practice I find it necessary to materially change
or modify the ordinary mode of construction and to make the mirror surfaces a
portion of the structure itself. One of the features of the invention as a building
construction consisting in making the reflecting surfaces of the day-light or primary
set of mirrors, covered surfaces as against the weather, and a portion of the interior
face of the walls of the apartments lighted by them.
The
Another part of my invention consists in the employment of plain in place of
corrugated mirrors as daylight reflectors: the plain surfaces being cheaper and
more easily kept clean while quite equal to corrugated as light reflectors.
corrugated I employ only as distributing mirrors, and only because of their
handsomer and more ornamental appearance.
Figure 1 on sheet one: and Figure 2 on sheet two illustrate this part of my
Invention:
Figure 1 shews the improved building. A Sub-basement.
C the Ground Floor on principal story.
D Illuminating roof at the rear of Sub-basement.
E Illuminating roof at rear of Basement.
B the Basement
F Illuminating roof at rear extension of. Ground floor or principal story.
G Illuminating sidewalk and area roof lights in front of principal story.
HIlluminating Floor in basement under sidewalk and area Lights.
J Daylight reflector in front of principal story.
K Illuminating roof or cover to daylight reflector J
L Daylight reflectors under rear extension illuminating roof F of Ground floor
M Daylight reflectors under illuminating roof E at rear of Basement.
N Daylight reflectors under illuminating roof D at rear of Sub-basement
O Daylight reflectors under illuminating floor H
P Daylight reflectors under illuminating sidewalk and area Lights G
QV form made in the ceilings of the principal story, basement and sub-basement,
with reference to the distributing light surfaces. The V runs across the ceilings
from side-wall to side-wall.
a. a Reflecting inclines or mirrors on the sides of the V.

page_text: b. b Dotted lines representing base of inclines a. a against side walls of building
c. c Light rays.
By this method of construction the reflecting surfaces of the day-light reflectors,
as the drawing shews, become a portion of the interior surfaces of the rooms,
easily got at to be cleaned and none of them exposed to the dust and winds of the
out-of-doors. The Light also that falls upon these daylight reflectors is refracted
Light, having first passed through the external glass or roof, and is therefore of
more uniform character than where the surface of the daylight reflector from
exposure to the variations and dust of the external atmosphere become obscured.
When I do not face the inclines a. a of the V with mirrors I hard finish and
varnish the inclines
To increase the reflecting surfaces of the ✓ where the ceilings are comparatively
low as in the sub-basement and basement I run them down to the floor like a
partition leaving an opening at the centre for a passage or doorway and to better
reflect the Light I make the surfaces flaring in the Vertical plane as indicated by
the dotted lines b. b. The side portions of the V or flank sections being made on
a flare have a base against the side walls as the top portion of the construction
forms a V with the ceilings for a base. But this plan admits of modification to
any desired extent or may be dispensed with when found inconvenient. To
increase the Light of the sub-basement I employ white glazed bricks to form the
floor and side walls.
In the construction of buildings to be lighted by means of light reflecting
surfaces according to my invention I employ as the day light reflectors illustrated
by J K L M N mirror surfaces as long as the apartment to be lighted is wide,
and of a width proportioned to the amount of light-fall through the illuminating
roofs above the mirrors.. And with respect to the distributing inclined reflecting
surfaces upon the V constructions of the rooms. I proportion them as to width
with respect to the receiving reflecting surfaces from which they obtain their light:
making the distributing surfaces rather in excess than less than the surfaces of the
reflectors from which their light rays come.
Figure 1 sheet 2 represents a shop illuminated by a day-light reflector placed in
front of the window in the ordinary manner of using such reflectors, and is designed
to represent my invention partially applied where the building is an old one and
not constructed for specially receiving the invention. Under such circumstances I
employ a movable mirror that can be changed along the face of the ceiling to any
desired point to throw light upon a table or any object in the shop requiring to be
lighted.
J the daylight reflector, R the distributing mirror. S the ceiling of the room,
T front wall, U side wall, W a table on which the light falls.
Figures 2. 3. 4. 5 sheet 2 represent my invention of combining a safe walking
concrete foot surface with prism glasses.
g. the glasses in all the figures.
h. the concrete
i. i. the metal grating
'
m. the pendant or prism portion of the glasses
Figure 4 a longitudinal section of Figures 2 and 3 on the line x-x and
Figure 5 a cross-section of same on the line y-y. These gratings are made in
the ordinary manner of manufacturing illuminating gratings, the glasses rising
above the face of the metal grating as shewn in the cross-sections, thus forming
channels between the glasses for receiving the concrete.
Another part of my invention with respect to the lighting of buildings consists
in making fireproof windows of concreted illuminating gratings made in the shape
of ordinary sashes and hung with weights and cords or by some equivalent means
such as coiled springs, cogwheels and racks so that when closed the premises are
guarded without iron shutters
Figure 1 sheet 3 represents two concreted illuminating gratings A. B in the form
of weighted sashes: W the weight. C the cord. These sashes are placed in a frame

page_text: in the ordinary way, the frame being iron instead of wood. The sashes are made
precisely as my patented concreted illuminating gratings are made: the grating,
whether a perforated sheet iron plate or a cast grating is concreted upon both sides
and made thus entirely fireproof: the glasses being from 2" to 3" in diameter. The
iron frame holding the sashes I prefer to concrete in same manner.
Figure 2, sheet 3 represents another mode of constructing fireproof windows.
The light here is by reflection. D, is a fireproof box or frame made of iron and
concreted, open at top to admit light and covered by the Illuminating Grating E.
This box may be as wide as the width of the wall to which it is attached: and of
any depth from a to b required: the height being from floor to ceiling or less as
may be desired. Within this fireproof box I place the daylight reflector F preferably
made of reflectors in the form of slats c. c. c arranged like venetian blinds to swivel
and be set at any required angle.
Figures 3, 4 & 5 represent my further improvements in fireproofing buildings.
Figure 3 represents a row of three buildings made of iron pillars P. P connecting
beams d. d'and cross or floor beams e.e the whole being concreted; h. h the concrete.
Figure 4 is a plan shewing the iron framing before being concreted: the dotted
lines indicating the dimensions when concreted. Figure 5 represents same when
concreted the dotted lines indicating the iron within the concrete.
In this mode of house construction, no brick or stone walls are employed. The
sides as well as front walls consist of framing: the spaces or hollows in the framing
being closed by fireproof panels made of iron lathing or wattling covered with
concrete. The walls are consequently hollow. For chimnies I make use of some
of the pillars: the pillar used as a chimney being made of such shape and size as
may be necessary.
What I claim as my invention of Improvements in Buildings is 1st Buildings
lighted by means of combined receiving and distributing mirrors or reflecting
surfaces in manner substantially as and for the purposes herein described and
illustrated. 2nd The employment of two sets of mirrors or reflecting surfaces in
manner substantially as and for the purposes herein described and illustrated
3rd Plain surface daylight reflectors employed for the purposes and in manner
substantially as herein setforth. 4th Constructing the ceilings walls and fronts
and rears of buildings in connection with mirrors or reflecting surfaces substantially
as and for the purposes herein set forth. 5th Fireproof windows made of concreted
illuminating gratings in the form of balanced sashes substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth and illustrated. 6th Fireproof windows to illuminate by
reflected light substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth and illustrated.
7th concreted prismatic illuminating gratings substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth and illustrated. 8th Fireproof skeleton buildings
constructed of metal pillars, connecting beams, and floor beams, bolted or tied
together and overlaid with concrete substantially as and for the purposes herein
set forth and illustrated.
In witness whereof I the said Thaddeus Hyatt have hereunto set my hand
Nabam in the of 1000