AN IMPROVED METHOD OF BUILDING HARBOURS, BREAKWATERS, FORTS, LIGHTHOUSES, AND OTHER STRUCTURES WITH SUBAQUEOUS OR SUBMERGED FOUNDATIONS." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Lake and Thomas Walmsley Taylor, both of
Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers, for an
Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF BUILDING HARBOURS, BREAKWATERS,
FORTS, LIGHTHOUSES, AND OTHER STRUCTURES WITH SUBAQUEOUS OR
SUBMERGED FOUNDATIONS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Lake and Thomas
Walmsley Taylor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
11th January 1881.
SAMUEL LAKE and THOMAS WALMSLEY TAYLOR, both of Victoria Street,
Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers. "AN IMPROVED METHOD
OF BUILDING HARBOURS, BREAKWATERS, FORTS, LIGHTHOUSES, AND
STRUCTURES WITH SUBAQUEOUS OR SUBMERGED FOUNDATIONS."
OTHER
Our Invention relates to a novel manner of carrying into practice the work of
building or erecting subaqueous structures, or structures with subaqueous foun-
dations. The said Invention is designed to economize and accelerate the labor
required in the performance of such work, and to greatly increase the stability and
permanence of such structures.
The essential novel feature of the said Invention consists in the manner in which
the work is performed, that is to say, instead of making a foundation and erecting
the pillars and walls of the structure in the position it is to occupy when finished,
we are enabled to build or partly build monolitbs or the like of any size in still
water or on land, to float them to the position they are to occupy, submerge
them and work them down into the sand or other bottom, and then complete the
structure without danger of disturbance, interruption, or displacement by storms
or otherwise.
Our Invention is applicable to submarine, or submerged, or partly submerged
structures of any kind. It will be found of great advantage in the construction
of harbours, breakwaters, forts, lighthouses, and similar works. For instance, the
entire lower part of a fort or lighthouse may be built in one piece, towed out to
its place and sunk as above set forth. We will, however, illustrate our Invention

page_text: by referring to the construction of monoliths, such as are described in the Speci-
fication of our former Letters Patent, dated 18 Aug. 1879, No. 3325. For this
purpose we construct an inner and outer casing of the desired sectional form of
boiler-plates bolted together. The space between the two casings or walls is closed
at the bottom by similar plates, bolted or otherwise secured to the said walls. The
bottom is made inclined or sloping from the inner wall downward to the outer
wall, so that the entire structure presents a comparatively sharp outer edge, which
will greatly facilitate its entrance into the sand or other bottom on which it is to
be placed. The said space between the inner and outer walls is open at the top;
it may be when ready placed in any convenient place in still water or on land.
The work is then commenced by partly filling the space between the walls or
casings with concrete or other suitable material sufficient to give the iron structure
the required stability in the water when floating. We then take the said iron
structure, which may now be termed a temporary barge or boat, and tow the same
or a train of such barges or boats to the position the monolith or monoliths will
occupy in the water in which the masonry is to be erected. We prefer that before
starting they should be so far filled with the concrete or other material that a very
slight addition to the same will ground them. Then having, as above stated,
arrived at the position the structure is to occupy, we make this addition, thus
submerging or grounding the monoliths. Then by excavating and removing the
sand or other material from the interior thereof, we cause the structure to sink and
work its way downward till we consider its stability is ensured. Or, if the bottom
is composed of rock, we only have to fill up the interior or central space of the
monolith, in some instances using dowels to increase its security. We then
complete the structure above the foundation thus formed without any inconvenience
or danger arising from stormy weather or otherwise. The iron plates are removed
as the work proceeds, and are taken back to the dock or yard to be used again for
the same purpose.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Samuel Lake and Thomas Walmsley Taylor in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th July 1881.
SAMUEL LAKE and THOMAS WALMSLEY TAYLOR, both of Victoria Street,
Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers. " AN IMPROVED METHOD
OF BUILDING HARBOURS, BREAKWATERS, FORTS, LIGHTHOUSES, AND OTHER
STRUCTURES WITH SUBAQUEOUS OR SUBMERGED FOUNDATIONS."
Our Invention relates to a novel manner of carrying into practice the work
of building or erecting subaqueous structures, or structures with subaqueous
foundations. The said Invention is designed to economize and accelerate the
labor required in the performance of such work, and to greatly increase the
stability and permanence of such structures.
The essential novel feature of the said Invention consists in the manner in which
this work is performed, that is to say, instead of making a foundation and erecting
the pillars and walls of the structure in the position it is to occupy when finished,
we are enabled to partly build monoliths or the like of any size in still water or on
land, to float them to the position they are to occupy, submerge them, and work
them down into the sand, silt, mud, gravel, or other bottom, and then complete the
structure without danger of disturbance, interruption, or displacement by storms or
otherwise.
Our Invention is applicable to submarine or submerged or partly submerged
structures of any kind. It will be found of great advantage in the construction_of
harbours, break-waters, dock-walls, forts, lighthouses, and similar works. For
instance, the entire lower part of a fort or lighthouse may be built in one piece,
towed out to its place and sunk, as above set forth. We will however illustrate
our Invention by referring to the construction of monoliths, such as are described
in the Specification of our former Letters Patent dated 18th August 1879,
No. 3325.
In the accompanying Drawings,
Figure 1 is an elevation partly in vertical section of our improved double casing,
adapted to be submerged or grounded in the position the foundation or monolith is
to occupy, and
Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same.
Figure 3 is a central vertical section of the monolith which is built up within
the said double casing, the plates forming the said casing being removed; and
Figure 4 is a plan partly in horizontal section of the same on the line x, x,
Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a vertical section drawn to an enlarged scale of the details of
construction of the lower end or shoe of the said casing; and
Figure 6 is a horizontal section also drawn to an enlarged scale, representing the
details of construction of a portion of the body of the said casing.
Figure 7 is an elevation drawn to a reduced scale of a pier base mounted on a
monolith constructed and submerged according to this Invention.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
A represents the aforesaid double casing, which consists of an inner casing a
and an outer casing 6 of the desired sectional form; these casings are formed of
plates of steel, iron, or other suitable material, bolted or otherwise secured together.
We prefer however to connect the said casings by suitable cross-struts, as shown
at c, in Figures 5 and 6. The space d between these two casings or walls a, b, is
closed at the bottom by plates or frames e, bolted or otherwise secured to the said
walls so as to form a shoe, which is made inclined or sloping from the inner wall

page_text: downward to the outer wall, as shown, or vice versa, so that the entire casing
presents a comparatively sharp edge, which will greatly facilitate its entrance into
the sand or other bottom on which it is to be placed. The aforesaid space d
between the inner and outer walls is open at the top, as shewn. The double
casing A may, when ready, be placed in any convenient position in still water or
on land. The work is then commenced by partly filling the space d between the
walls a, b, with concrete or other suitable material, sufficient to give the said casing
the required stability in the water when floating. We then take the said double
casing, which may now be termed a temporary pontoon, barge, or boat, and tow
the same or a train of such pontoons, barges, or boats to the position which the
monolith or monoliths should occupy in the water and at which the masonry is to
be erected. We prefer that before starting the said double casings should be so
far filled with the concrete or other material that a very slight addition to the
same will ground them. Then having, as above stated, arrived at the position the
monolith is to occupy, we make this addition, thus submerging or grounding the
same. Then by excavating and removing the sand or other material from
the interior or space g surrounded by the said double casing we cause the latter, by
the addition of concrete or other material to the space d, to sink and work its way
downward into the sand or other bottom until we consider its stability is ensured.
Or, if the bottom is composed of rock, we only have to fill up the interior or central
space g of the monolith, in some instances using dowels to increase its security.
In Figures 3 and 4 we have shewn a convenient method of building the monolith
within the double casing A, that is to say, we line the walls a, b, with concrete, as
shewn at h, and so as to form cells i, into which gravel, shingle, sand, or other
material may be placed, either as the work proceeds or when the entire lining of
concrete is completed. The iron plates or frames constituting the casings a, b, and
also the struts c are removed as the work proceeds, and are taken back to the dock
or yard to be used again for a similar purpose. We prefer however to leave the
shoef of the said structure in the bottom, as shewn in Figure 3, and as much of
the casings a, b, adjacent thereto as may be deemed necessary. We in some cases
employ hydraulic water-pipes j, extending from the top of the structure A to its
base to conduct water under pressure to the underside of the shoe f, so as to loosen
the sand or material beneath the same and facilitate the sinking of the double
casing. After the monolith is thus formed we complete the structure without any
inconvenience or danger arising from stormy weather or otherwise.
Having thus fully described our said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, we wish it understood that we claim,—
The improved method of building harbours, breakwaters, forts, lighthouses, and
other structures with subaqueous or submerged foundations, consisting in partially
forming monoliths or the like in still water or on land by the aid of a double
casing, constructed substantially as shewn in the Drawings, floating them to the
position the structure is to occupy, submerging them, and then completing the
structure in the manner above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Walmsley Taylor, for myself and on
behalf of the said Samuel Lake, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and eighty one
THOS. W. TAYLOR. (L.S.)