IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVING ROADS AND WAYS OR OTHER SURFACES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Pinnington, of St. James's Terracë,
Caledonian Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVING ROADS AND WAYS OR OTHER SURFACES."
Sealed the 15th May 1874, and dated the 27th February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Pinnington at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 27th February 1874.
I, CHARLES PINNINGTON, of St. James's Terrace, Caledonian Road,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVING ROADS AND WAYS OR OTHER
SUBPACES," to be as follows:-
-
This Invention relates to improvements in the method of paving roads,
ways, or other surfaces with wood, granite, and other materials, arranged
and combined in such manner as to produce a road or upper surface of
granite impervious to moisture from above or below, the granite being
embedded in or upon elastic materials placed on a wood flooring, so as to
deaden the sound caused by horses or vehicles travelling thereon. For

page_text: this purpose all the boards used in this improved method of road making
I prefer to dress with tar or other preserving matter.
I excavate and level the subsoil to a depth of about 8 inches, and
upon this I place a layer of from 3 to 4 inches of strong concrete.
Embedded in this flush with its surface, and extending across the road
from side to side at intervals of about 3 feet from the centre of cach I
place boards or bearers 1½ inch thick, and 9 inches wide, and of con-
venient lengths to support the flooring or foundation of the road.. Over
and upon these bearers with their ends resting on the cross pieces and
joining each other midway on the bearers, 3 feet lengths or thereabouts
of deal ends are placed side by side and close together to form a com-
plete flooring to support the stone blocks or cubes, the ends of the
planks being nailed to the bearers to prevent them from shifting or
tilting. Upon this floor a layer of soft matter composed of tan and tar,
or jute, or matting, or any other cheap fibrous materials, sacking or the
like is placed, and in or upon this (closely paved) small cubes of granite
about 3 inches x 3 inches are placed, after which the joints are grouted
in with hot tar and pitch in the proportion of about 1 fourth pitch to 3
fourths of tar. This or any other bituminous matter will answer the
purpose. The whole is covered with a thin layer of clean dry sand, and
a roller is passed over the whole in order to charge the joints, and
hermetically scal up the work. A stone or granite surface will wear
longer than any other material, the size of the blocks being small will
render it safe, as the numberless interstices will prevent horses from
slipping. The stone being muffled by being set in soft elastic matter will
not give out sound, the cubes or blocks of granite being kept in position
by the flooring underneath so that the wear will be uniform. The method
of grouting the joints will render the road impervious to wet, and as the
-support to the stone or granite forming the surface of the road is perfect
the blocks cannot be forced down nor can any matter be pressed up, à
road being thus produced which will be silent, safe, clean, and durable,
at a reasonable cost.
Roads that have been previously paved will require but little concrete

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Pinnington in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 27th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
PINNINGTON, of Saint James's Terrace, Caledonian Road, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing dato the Twenty-seventh day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles Pinnington, Her special
license that I, the said Charles Pinnington, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Pinnington, my
executors, administrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PAVING ROADS AND WAYS OR OTHER SURFACES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Pinnington, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
bo performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of tho said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Pinnington, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof (that is to say :—
This Invention relates to improvements in the method of paving roads,
ways, or other surfaces with wood, granite, and other materials, arranged
and combined in such manner as to produce a road or upper surface of
granite, impervious to moisture from above or below, tho granite being

page_text: embedded in or upon clastic materials on a wood flooring, so as to
deaden the sound caused by horses or vehicles travelling thereon. For
this purpose all the boards used in this improved method of road making
I prefer to dress with tar or other preserving matter.
In carrying my Invention into practice I first excavate and level the
subsoil to a depth of about eight inches, and upon this I place a layer of
from three to four inches of strong concrete. Embedded in this concrete
flush with its surface and extending across the road from side to side at
intervals of about three feet from the centre of each I place boards or
bearers by preference about one and a quarter inch thick, and nine
inches wide, and of convenient lengths to support the flooring or
foundation of the road. Over and upon these bearers (with their ends
resting on the cross pieces and joining each other midway on the
bearers), three feet lengths or thereabouts of deal ends or planks are
placed side by side and close together to form a completo flooring to
support the stone blocks or cubes forming the upper surface of the road,
the ends of the planks being nailed to the bearers to prevent them from
shifting or tilting. Upon this floor or planking a layer of soft matter
composed of tan and tar, or jute, or matting, or any other cheap fibrous
materials, sacking, or tho like, is placed, and in or upon it (closely paved)
cubes of granite which may be about three inches by three inches are
placed, after which the joints are grouted in with hot tar and pitch in
the proportion of about one-fourth pitch to three-fourths of tar. This or
any other bituminous matter will answer the purpose. The whole is
covered with a thin layer of clean dry sand, and a roller is passed over
the whole in order to charge or fill the joints and thus hermetically seal
up the work. A stone or granite surface of this character will wear
longer than any other material, and the size of the blocks being com-
paratively small will render the road surface very safe to travel upon, as
the numberless interstices will prevent horses from slipping. The stone
or granite will be muffled by being set in soft clastic matter, and in
consequence will not give out much sound, and owing to the cubes or
blocks of granito being kept in position by the flooring underneath the
wear will be uniform. The method of grouting the joints will render
the road impervious to wet, and as the support to the stone or granite
forming the surface of the road is perfect, the blocks cannot be forced
down nor can any matter be pressed up, a road being thus produced
which will be silent, safe, clean, and durable, at a reasonable cost.

page_text: Roads that have been previously paved will require but little concrete,
as the old bottom need not be moved, and the old stone or granite blocks
may be redressed and made to serve again.
The accompanying Drawing shews a plan and section of a road con-
structed in accordance with my improvements, letters of reference to the
several parts combined being marked and explained thereon.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing or carrying the same into practice, what I claim is, the
improved method of paving roads, ways, or other surfaces by placing tan
or other soft elastic matter between the blocks of stone or granite, and a
flooring of timber supported on a bed of concrete or other solid
foundation, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described and shewn in the Drawing hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Pinnington, havo hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.