IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIREPROOF BUILDINGS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Edward Hussey Taylor, of 39, Great
James St., Bedford Row, in the County of Middlesex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIREPROOF
BUILDINGS."
A
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said, John Edward Hussey
Taylor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 28th February 1874.
I, JOHN EDWARD HUSSEY TAYLOR, of 39, Great James St., Bedford
Row, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIREPROOF
BUILDINGS," to be as follows:-
These floors and galleries are formed of hollow metallic beams, or
tanks or troughs of any depth, width, length, or shape, and used singly
or conjointly, closed wholly or partially at their ends, having their upper

page_text: sides closed or open to greater or less extent, and they are intended to
contain water, either occasionally or constantly.
Cross girders or pieces may exist in these tanks, troughs, or beams,
to assist in strengthening them, or wooden beams or metallic girders, &c.
(also helping to support the contents of the chamber above, or to clamp
the walls together, or for other purposes) may pass withinside or between
them for protection against fire. These above being placed or otherwise
constructed in situ over or across the building or divisions of building to
which my Invention is applied, or again exteriorly to such buildings,
then where, as in usual cases, more than a single cavity is constructed I
purpose that each cavity shall usually be placed in free vapourous and fluid
communication with the rest (by means of a series of upper and lower
orifices; or again short connecting tubes of any diameter passing
through apertures in their sides, or by other ways), and all again usually
in communication with the outer air. I purpose often to use these
connecting tubes further as means for screwing these beams, tanks, or
troughs together, but I do not claim this mode of fixture as part of my
Invention.
These floors or galleries may be either sheeted over metallically or
covered by wooden planking or other material, and open spaces may bo
arranged in any portion of them for the raising of goods from lower
floors, or for any other purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Edward Hussey Taylor in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 28th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, JOHN
EDWARD HUSSEY TAYLOR, of 39, Great James Street, Bedford Row, in
the County of Middlesex, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Edward Hussey
Taylor, Her special licence that I, the said John Edward Hussey Taylor,

page_text: my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Edward Hussey Taylor, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-
PROOF BUILDINGS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Edward Hussey Taylor, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and.
scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, 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 Edward Hussey Taylor, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
The floors and galleries are formed of or with hollow metallic girders;
beams, or tanks, or trouglis, of any depth, width, length, or shape, and
used singly or conjointly, closed wholly or partially at their ends,
having their upper sides closed or open to greater or less extent, and
they are intended to contain water, cither occasionally or constantly.
r
-
Cross girders or picces may exist in these tanks, troughs, or beams, to
assist in strengthening them, or wooden beams or metallic girders,
et cetera (also helping to support the contents of the chamber, or to
clamp the walls together, or for other purposes) may pass withinside
or between them for protection against fire. The above being placed,
or otherwise constructed in situ, over or across the building or divisions
of buildings to which my Invention is applied, or again, exteriorly to
such buildings, then where, as in usual cases, more than a single cavity
is constructed I propose that such cavity shall usually be placed in
vaporous and fluid communication with the rest (by means of a series of
upper and lower orifices; or again, short connecting tubes of any suitable
diameter passing through apertures in their sides, or by other ways),
and all again usually in communication with the outer air and with
means of supply.
10

page_text: These floors or galleries may be either sheeted over metallically or
covered by wooden planking or other material, and open spaces may be
arranged in any portion of them for the raising of goods from lower
floors, or for any other purposes.
The accompanying Drawings furnish illustrations of the manner in
which the Invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 is a vertical section through the walls and two floors of an
improved fire-proof building. Both floors have hollow and water-
carrying iron girders a. Upon those of the upper floor are represented
cast-iron cross girders b, which carry curved wrought-iron plates c
rivetted to them to form the (convex) bottom of the water tank or
tanks, as shewn in the enlarged detail, Figure 2. And in this Figure
the dotted lines c*, c*, denote water communication with the girders
beneath. And upon the hollow girders a of the lower floor are
represented wrought-iron cross girders d, which carry flat wrought-iron
plates e rivetted to them to form the bottom of the tank or tanks, as
shewn in the cnlarged detail, Figure 3.
The enlarged detail, Figure 5, shews in section at a hollow or
tubular rivet, by means of which a communication between the two
sides of a partition is established.
Figure 6 is a vertical section through one wall and part of one floor
of an improved fireproof building, shewing another or varied con-
struction of floor, and also shewing the said floor continued outside of
or beyond the wall.
Figures 7 and 8 are a plan view and vertical cross section to corre-
spond with Figure 6, and Figure 9 is enlarged detail to correspond with
Figure 8.
In the several lastly-mentioned Figures are a series of (concave)
curved plates or water troughs G fixed by hollow rivets. g to the iron
cross girders, and by hollow screws to the top of the main girders.
These hollow screws place the water in the girders in communication
with the other part of the system. It is to be noted (sec Figures 6
and 7) that one of the water troughs G within the building extends
through the wall and overhangs and serves as a feeder to the other over-
hanging water troughs. In all the several Figures when they occur tho

page_text: following reference letters denote thus, namely, m, the walls; n, metal
plate covering over the tanks or troughs; and o, wooden planking.
I would here remark that the metallic tanks, troughs, hollow beams, or
girders may be of steel, or of cast, wrought, or galvanized iron or other
metal, arranged in series, and may communicate one with another by
means of short lengths of pipe rivetted over on each end, or by hollow nuts
and bolts or rivets to allow of free communication from one tank, trough,
or girder to another, instead of by means of the hollow rivets and screws.
abovo mentioned, and represented in the Drawings.
It is to be noted that in some instances I propose to employ single
tanks instead of the divisions or combinations of series of tanks above
described and represented in the Drawings, such single tanks being
stayed or supported in the usual way to prevent bulging by pillars or
tension stays inside, and they are intended to contain water either
occasionally or constantly. When pillars are used for support, as at p,
in Figure 1, or otherwise, I use them as a means of draining the tanks
when required for repairs, painting, et cetera, and with the further
advantage that being constantly filled with water they will not warp,
break, or twist, in case of a conflagration.
Each system or floor of hollow girders, tanks, troughs, et cetera, is
in communication with cisterns containing water necessary to com-
pensate for evaporation. Through the bottom of the tanks or troughs
may be inserted short lengths of pipe, usually above the water line, as
at to, at Figure 1, either flush with or projecting from the bottom, which
when open will serve as ventilators; or they may be closed with loose,
short, heavy plugs, cemented into the tube by any easily melted
substance, such as paraffin, wax, et cetera. Under this latter arrange-
ment in case of a fire in the chamber beneath such plugs will drop out,
and by raising the height of the water in the tanks, and keeping up the
the supply, the tubes will act as hydrants, pouring water down every
where into the chamber beneath. Or again, where means have been
prearranged for closing all openings into the open air the tubes can be
used to send down into the chamber all steam evolved by conflagration
beneath.

page_text: "
and in such case the sides of two such tanks form a double girder, bolted
together by hollow nuts, as before. When the tanks or troughs are
continued through the walls to form galleries exterior to the outer walls
of the building they form an additional safeguard, as the flame from
each floor would be prevented from impinging on the walls of the
chamber above. All doors and windows in buildings can be rendered
impervious to fire by being formed of metal, hollow throughout, and
in connection with a tank or reservoir, such water passing into them
where they work on hinges, or through a stuffing box and sliding on
telescopic pipe; where trap doors are unavoidable they can by simple
arrangement be brought into the general water series of the floor
they pass through.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be and may be performed, I claim, as of
my said Invention, the constructing or making buildings fireproof by
the use of water tanks or troughs employed structurally in (or introduced
into or within the total thickness of) ono or more of its floors or hori-
zontal partitions.
This Invention can be applied to form fireproof floors without an
employment of any box or other girders or beams projecting beneath the
general system. In such case tanks or troughs, or hollow beams of any
varying shape, length, or size, are placed side by side, their sides thus
forming double plate beams, giving general support. The whole are
rivetted or screwed together by two series of hollow nuts or tubes, the
upper series (serving also for a freo diffusion of vapor) are placed as
close beneath their top edge as convenience permits; the lower series
(serving also for as free passage of water) are placed as close along their
bottoms as may be. Such sides or plate beams can be stiffened by
angle iron placed withinside the tanks along their top and bottom, and
secured by the two series of nuts or tubes passing through the whole.
Plate beams may also be inserted between the tanks when greater
strength is requisite, and the nuts or tubes may pass through them.
It is suggested that by preference such floors should be supported by
continuous corbles of due strength in lieu of (as shewn in the Figures)
their being inserted into the walls.
Whatever be the mode of arrangements chosen under this Invention,

page_text: drying goods placed therein, in addition to their use of preventing a
spread of fire.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Edward Hussey Taylor, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
J. E. HUSSEY TAYLER. (L.S.)