IMPROVED METHOD OR MEANS OF APPLYING EARTHENWARE TUBES AND PIPES FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF GAS, WATER, TELEGRAPH WIRES AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES AND IN FIXING TUBES AND TILES FOR WALLS, FLOORS, AND ROOFS, ALSO IN LAYING FLOORS AND FOUNDATIONS IN CONCRETE AND MAKING CONCRETE BLOCKS FOR TRAMWAY RAILS AND FIXING THE SAME.
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Smith at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 8th March 1882.
GEORGE SMITH of Bradford, in the county of York, Architect
"IMPROVED
METHOD OR MEANS OF APPLYING EARTHENWARE TUBES AND PIPES FOR THE
CONVEYANCE OF GAS, WATER, TELEGRAPH WIRES AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
AND IN FIXING TUBES AND TILES FOR WALLS, FLOORS, AND ROOFS, ALSO IN
LAYING FLOORS AND FOUNDATIONS IN CONCRETE AND MAKING CONCRETE BLOCKS
FOR TRAMWAY RAILS AND FIXING THE SAME.'
"
The said invention relates to employing earthenware tubes and pipes instead of
cast iron tubes or pipes, the said earthenware tubes or pipes being so laid and fitted
as to provide for the resistance of greater pressure than is provided by the ordinary
plan of laying tubes or pipes now in use, besides preventing the escape of Gas or
of water under pressure.
For telegraph and telephone wires, I employ earthenware tubes made solid and
perforated with a series of holes and I also build walls, floors and roofs either
wholly or in part of tubular pipes and tiles or with tubes which I encase in
concrete, and tubes with a series of pipes in them may be employed for gas or
water and also in fixing the rails of Tramways in concrete.
For the conveyance of Gas or water and other useful purposes, I employ ordinary
earthenware tubes or pipes by preference made with sockets and I make the joints
with cement, putty, white lead or other similar materials.
The trench having been made I form a bed of mortar or cement but by
preference of concrete and lay two or more lengths of tubes or pipes in the bed
then form the joint and cover over the said tubes or pipes with mortar, cement or
concrete and proceed to lay the other tubes or pipes in a similar manner and for
any required length and afterwards cover the tubes or pipes with the same
material in fact embed them in mortar, cement on concrete.
The length of tubing and piping can be finished in sections and each section
joined to the other, by which means I increase the strength of the tubing or piping
and prevent the escape of Gas or water under pressure. I may also form tube or
pipe passages of concrete by employing cores and filling round the cores with
concrete, then drawing out the core and bringing it forward to form another length
[Prins 11

page_text: and the operation to proceed until the desired length is finished and I thus
construct passages for the conveyance of gas, water, drains, cesspools or any other
outlets.
I also regulate the pressure in tubes or pipes by employing cisterns fitted at
suitable levels and distances and supply each separate level from one immediately
above it by means of self feeding cisterns having self acting ball valves.
I also prevent the sudden emptying of a body of water in the event of a leak
in one place by employing several cisterns of suitable shape and size, the whole
forming a cistern coupled together and forming reserves, for which purpose I take
several earthenware pipes and place them on end in one or more rows and a set of
two or more pipes are coupled together at or near the bottom part, the whole to
be placed on a level in a trench or otherwise; in the event of a leak or loss of water,
the fault would be localised by separating each cistern or set of cisterns from the
adjoining cistern.
The tubes for Telegraph or Telephone wires are by preference made of earthen-
ware and made solid with a series of holes for the passage of the wires through the
holes; the tubes may be attached to existing walls, floors or roofs but projecting
from the face of the wall, floor or roof and can be let into the same or they may be
carried on independent pillars or arches.
For underground wires I construct earthenware or metal tubes of large diameter
to enable a man to get in; round the tube is made or fitted another tube leaving
a space between the inner tube and outer tube in which are fitted a series of pipes
for the Telegraph or Telephone wires or the outside thickness of the earthenware
pipes can be made with a series of holes or pipes for the wires and at certain
distances are made and fitted man holes and doors to allow of getting into the
pipes and of making any repairs; the tubes are by preference glazed.
The wires may be set in concrete and the large tubes may also be set in concrete;
speaking tubes can be fitted in walls, which tubes are either made of earthenware
or formed in concrete.
In fixing tiles for walls, arches, floors or roofs, the tiles are placed face downward
on a surface either straight or curved according to requirements and in suitable
sizes for fixing, then the required thickness of concrete backing is applied and
allowed to set.
Floors may be laid in one piece and of concrete and when set and dry, all the
walls, doorways, and fire places can be set out; the walls can be afterwards built, by
which means I produce truth of levels of floors and position of walls and completely
keep down damp and vermin; iron may be used to tie walls, floors and roofs.
Tramways have the rails fixed in concrete blocks, for which purpose I make
concrete blocks to receive the lower flange and web of the rails and I allow the
blocks a sufficient time to harden and be set ready for use, I then fix the blocks in
position in concrete and on a bed of similar material, then pass the rails which are
in sections through the spaces left in the blocks and made to receive them and also
bed the rails with elastic or other packing material; I may also employ tramcar
wheels made of elastic material or partly elastic, partly of wood and metal and in
this case I do not employ any elastic packing to the rails.