IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING SUBAQUEOUS TUNNELS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Raynor, of Rutland House, Grove Street,
South Hackney, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of TRAVEMENTO TU MUD METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING SURIOSOS THENFLO "
Sealed the 11th February 1876, and dated the 1st November 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Raynor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st November 1875.
I, GEORGE RAYNOR, of Rutland House, Grovo Street, South Hackney,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING SUBAQUEOUS
TUNNELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction of tubular tunnels through
seas, rivers, &c., on the bottoms thereof, or in courses excavated or
otherwise levelled and prepared therein, by the construction of a tube
the full size of the intended tunnel in short lengths or sections, and
lowering the sections one by one into their places, thus continually
advancing the work until the opposite shoro or other destination is

page_text: reached. The water is excluded from the tunnel, and the greater part
of the works are carried on in the dry.
I construct the tube which is to form the tunnel, by preference of
plate iron, in short lengths or sections, and having closed both ends of
one such section by water-tight bulkheads I lower it into the position
it is to occupy, and then secure it to the preceding section by bolts and
rivets passing through flanges provided for the purpose at or near the
ends of each section, after which the bulkheads between the sections
just fixed and the preceding work are removed and free communication
established with the farther end of the section just fixed previous to the
next one being attached. Taps and pumps are provided to remove any
small quantity of water which may escape into the tunnel from between
the bulkheads on their removal, or otherwise, and thus the work is
performed with but little assistance from divers, and at a much less
cost than by any of the methods heretofore in use.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
.
filed by the said George Raynor in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
RAYNOR, of Rutland House, Grove Street, South Hackney, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said George Raynor, Her
special licence that I, the said George Raynor, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Raynor,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agrec
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 METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING SUBAQUEOUS TUNNELS,"

page_text: I construct the tunnel of any suitable material, but prefer to use
that description of iron known as boiler plate, rivited together in the
manner practised for making boilers, and strengthened by internal
flanges or frames, as the case may be, at suitable intervals, according to
the size and strength of the tunnel and the depth at which it is to be
laid, and shown in the Drawings and marked F. Each section is pro-
vided at each end with an internal flange G, formed of the same
substance as the body of the tube, turned inwards. It is these flanges
which, being ultimately rivited together in the manner hereafter
described, form the permanent connections between the sections. Near
that end of each section which is to be placed farthest from the shore
at which the work is commenced I construct an external flange H by
riviting on a piece or pieces of angle iron similar in substance to that
of which the tube is built, and curved if necessary to fit the shape of the
tunnel, such flange being a short distance from the end of the section
and extending all round it, except at the bottom. The end of each
section which is to be placed nearest the shore at which the work is
commenced (except that of the first section) has rivited on to it other
plates, forming a short length of slightly larger tube J, the end of which
is turned outwards, so as to form an external flange to correspond with
and ultimately to be attached to the outer flange H near the end of the
preceding section. Each section before it is lowered into the water is
fitted to those with which it is to be placed in contact, and holes drilled
in both the external and internal flanges for bolts and rivets, those in
the inner flange being temporarily plugged to exclude the water.
I construct bulkheads or diaphragms K of similar boiler plate
strengthened if nescessary by suitable framework, according to the
requirements of cach particular case, slightly larger than the openings
left by the internal flanges G to which they are to be attached always
on that side of the flange which is internal as regards that individual
section, as shown in the Drawings, and the bulkhead is secured to the
flange by screws having their heads towards the inside of the section.
In each bulkhead or diaphragm is a man-hole which is closed by a
shutter L, which is in every case attached to that side of the bulkhead
which is nearest the shore from which the work is commenced, that
is to say, the shutter of the man-hole in the bulkhead at the outer or
farther end of each section is placed inside the bulkhead, whilst that
at the adjoining end (or that nearest the shore) of the next section is

page_text: placed outside the bulkhead to which it is attached, and is made (as is
also the man-hole rather smaller than the other, so that when they are
fixed, the first shutter being removed, the second may also be unscrewed
and removed through the same aperture.
I construct the subterranean or other approach to the subaqueous
portion of the tunnel in the usual manner, making use of cofferdams
or any other suitable device for excluding the water until the first
section of the iron portion of the tunnel is laid, and connected with
or built into the brick or stone portion. I prefer that this joint should
be made sufficiently far in shore to admit of its being completely covered
by the earth that the water may be the more perfectly excluded, and the
chance of a subsequent leakage lessened. A water-tight bulkhead or
diaphragm is then fitted to the inner side of the internal flange at the
end of the section farthest from the shore, and secured by screws passing
through it into the flange, slips of vulcanized india-rubber or other
yielding material being placed between the flange and the bulkhead to
render the joint perfectly water-tight. The cofferdams may now be
removed, and the whole course of the intended tunnel levelled if the
unequalities of the bottom are such as to render it necessary. Tho
commencment of the work being thus prepared, the next section
having both ends closed in the same manner as that just described,
is brought over the spot in a barge or other vessel which is to be
moored there. I propose for this purpose to make use of a twin vessel
composed of two hulls placed side by side, but at a sufficient distance
from each other to admit of a section of the tunnel being lowered
between them, and united by a platform on which the section may be
placed previous to being lowered. A diver now descends carrying with
bim the end of a stout iron rod M which he is to screw into a hole
prepared for its reception in the base of the section laid below. This
rod is to be made stouter for a length about equal to the height of the
tunnel than above, the two guages tapering one into the other.
The rod may be either made in one length, or in several lengths
screwed together. The upper part of the rod is made fast to the
framework overhead N, to which is also attached the pulley apparatus
or crane for lowering the section. Previously to being fixed above
the rod is passed through two or more eyes O, O, projecting from
near the extremity of the section about to be lowered in such a manner
that when the section has been fixed in its place they may be exactly

page_text: over the spot to which the lower end of the guide rod M is attached.
A similar rod is to be similarly attached to the other side of the section
and the section slowly lowered, guided by the rods M, M, and if
necessary assisted by divers until it slides over the projecting end of
the previously fixed section, where it is brought accurately into place
by the guide rods, which being larger at the bottom than above fill up.
very nearly the eyes, and bring the flanges of the two sections into
close contact. Divers then proceed to insert screw bolts through the
external flanges, inserting between them if it is found necessary some
yielding substance, such as vulcanized india-rubber; the screw bolts
are then to be tightened up, and the joints thus made nearly water-
tight.
If in practice there should be found any difficulty in making the
said joint sufficiently water-tight, more especially at bottom, where there
is no external flange, but where it will be partially protected by the bed
on which it rests, I propose to have a groove sunk into the face of one
of each pair of the internal flanges, near to its outer edge, of sufficient
capacity to contain an empty flexible hose, which is to be inserted
previously to the section being lowered, and into which, after the bolts
through the external flanges have been tightened up, water is pumped,
and the hose being thereby expanded beyond the capacity of the groovo
presses against the face of the contiguous flange, and filling up all
interstices and irregularities will make the joint water-tight.
To the shore side of the bulkhead is fixed a water guage P, to show
the height at which the water stands between the bulkheads after being s
partially drawn off, and whether and at what rate the water leaks into
the said space.
A tap Q is fitted to near the bottom of the bulkhead
for the purpose of drawing off the said water. The joint having been
found sufficiently water-tight, the shutter of the man-hole in the first
bulkhead is to be unscrewed and removed, and a water guage may then
be attached to the next bulkhead to ascertain that the next section is
free from water, and this being satisfactory the man-hole through the
next bulkhead is to be opened, and some of the workmen entering the
section now being fixed, withdraw the plugs from the holes intended for
the reception of rivets or bolts in the inner flange, and first tightening
up the flanges with some screw bolts; if thought desirable, they insert
therein red hot rivets, which are to be rivetted in the ordinary manner.
The contraction of the rivet as it cools brings the surfaces of the flanges

page_text: Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same may be carried into
practical effect, I would remark that what I claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
construction of a tunnel in lengths or sections, each section having
flanges by means of which the sections are riveted or bolted together
principally from the inside, from which the water is excluded, section
after section being added until the opposite shore or other destination is
reached, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Raynor, have hereunto set:
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.