IMPROVE- .MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS AND STREETS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
.MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS AND STREETS."-A communication
D
D
Sealed the 13th July 1866, and dated the 26th February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th February 1866.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS AND STREETS,"
munication to me from abroad by Lucien Boilley, of Paris, in the Empire of
France, to be as follows:-
This luvention relates to an improved construction of roads and streets,
whereby greater economy, cleanliness, and durability are obtained than by
the existing modes of construction.
In carrying out this Invention it is proposed to form the foundation of the
road or street by employing a double layer of broken limestone and concrete,
the concrete being placed above the limestone. Upon the surface of the
concrete is placed a layer of asphalte or bitumen, and upon the surface thus
obtained are laid a series of wrought-iron ribs extending transversely or other-
wise across the roadway or strect, and disposed a few inches from each other;

page_text: the several ribs being secured in their places by being fitted into the curb-
stones, or otherwise, and united together by cross bars and keys. The
intervals or spaces between the ribs and cross bars are filled with broken road
metal of a silicious nature, or obtained from primitive rocks; as, for example,
hard granite, porphyry, and quartz. To this metal is added sufficient bitumen
or asphalte to cause it to form a solid mass when well rammed down into the
interstices between the ribs above mentioned. This completes the road or
street surface, which will be found to last much longer than usual, as the ribs
of wrought iron being laid so near together, the main weight of the vehicles is
borne by them, which prevents the destruction of the road metal. Of course
the nature of the foundation will vary according to the soil and the amount of
traffic to be accommodated, but in all cases the wrought-iron ribs and cross
bars are employed in combination with the silicious road metal.
D
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th August 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty. Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the Twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS AND STREETS," a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Lucien Boilley, of Paris, in the Empire of
France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors or administrators, 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 performed,
.

page_text: 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, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to an improved construction of roads and streets,
whereby greater economy, cleanleness, and durability are obtained than by
the existing modes of construction.
In carrying out this Invention it is proposed to form the foundation of the
road or street by employing a double layer of broken limestone and concrete,
the concrete being placed above the limestone. Upon the surface of the
concrete there is placed a layer of asphalt or bitumen, and upon the surface
thus obtained are laid a series of wrought-iron ribs extending transversely.or
otherwise across the roadway or street, and disposed few inches from each
other; the several ribs being secured in their places by being fitted into the
curbstones, or otherwise, and united together by cross. ties and keys. The
intervals or spaces between the ribs and cross ties are filled with broken road
metal of a silicious nature, or obtained from primitive rocks; as, for example,
hard granite, porpbyry, and quartz. To this metal is added sufficient bitumen
or asphalt to cause it to form a solid mass when well rammed down into the
interstices between the ribs above mentioned. This completes the road or
street surface, which will be found to last much longer than usual, as the ribs
of wrought iron being laid so near together the main weight of the vehicles
is borne by them, which prevents the distruction of the road metal and the
production of dust and mud. Of course the nature of the foundation will
vary according to the soil and the amount of traffic to be accommodated, but
in all cases the wrought-iron ribs and cross ties are employed in combination
with the silicious road metal.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I. shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings represents a plan of a portion
of a roadway constructed according to this Iuvention, and drawn to a scale of
half the full size; Figures 2 and 3 represent respectively a transverse and
longitudinal section of the same on a smaller scale; Figure 4 is a transverse
detail section (half the full size) of two of the series of transverse wrought-

page_text: '
iron. ribs with the road metal.filled in between them, and showing also the
mode of tying or connecting the ribs to each other; and Figure, 5 represents
two detail views of one of the keys or fastenings for the tie bars.
D represents the layer of limestone, and E the concrete laid thereon. The
-thickness of these layers will of course, vary with the nature of the soil and
the nature and amount of traffic to be accomodated. Over the concrete a
thin coating of asphalt e is laid, and upon this are placed the transverse
wrought-iron ribs A, which may be secured at their extremities in the curb-
stones in any convenient manner, or otherwise maintained in position;
B, B, are cross ties for connecting the several ribs together, and keeping
them at the desired distance asunder, such ties being fastened by keys or
.cottars b.. The intervals between the ribs A are filled in with road metal, as
herein-before described, which should be well rammed or beaten down, and
then united, so as to form a solid mass, by the addition of asphalt, bitumin,
or other similar material. The proportions of bitumin or asphalt which have
.been found to give a good result are about one entire foot of asphalt or
betumin to a cubic yard of broken road metal, the fragments being reduced so
as to pass through a ring of about two inches in diameter.
1. Having now. described; and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and, the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I conside to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters, Patent is,-.
First, the general construction of roads and streets, substantially in the
manner berein-before described.
Second, the application and use of wrought-iron ribs and tie bars in com-
.bination with a, suitable foundation and with road metal and betumen or
asphalt, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-six.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)