IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING DOCKS AND QUAY WALLS, FOUNDATIONS, BRIDGES SURWAYS. SEWERS. AND OTHER ANALOGOUS WORKS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Taylor Shipley Hunter, of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Contractor, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING DOCKS AND QUAY WALLS, FOUNDATIONS,
BRIDGES SURWAYS. SEWERS. AND OTHER ANALOGOUS WORKS.”
Sealed tho 4th September 1874, and dated the 17th June 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Taylor Shipley Hunter
i
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th June 1874.
I, TAYLOR SHIPLEY HUNTER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING DOCKS AND QUAY WALLS,
FOUNDATIONS, BRIDGES, SUBWAYS, Sewers, and otheR ANALOGOUS WORKS," to be
as follows, that is to say :-
The first part of this Invention relates to the construction of the
foundations for quays or dock walls, bridges, piers, subways, sewers,
graving docks, and other analogous works, and its object is to facilitate

page_text: the sinking of the foundations thereof by an improved construction of
dam in places where water permeates the soil or sand, so as to flood or
otherwise interfere with the foundation works. This object is effected,
first, by dredging, when that is necessary, the bed of the river along
the site of the proposed quay or dock wall to the depth required, and
then by depositing along the line of foundations a quantity of clay
upon the soil or sand so dredged, through which the water permeates,
and in which the foundations are sunk. The slopes may be protected
by temporary stone pitching, to avoid attrition by the action of the
water. A water-tight dam is thus produced above the portion so
dredged, and the underground portion of the works is further made
tight by inserting iron screw piles or driving wood piles at intervals
along the inner side of the clay dam, the piles being formed with
vertical grooves, into which timber is lowered and closely driven, thus
making a box dam. Under this arrangement cylinder foundations may
be placed at the full depth, or built in situ, cither of stone masonry,
brickwork, or concrete, and sunk by ordinary pumping out of the
material in which the foundations are to be situated, and as the works
from the level so dredged are always dry, the building or placing of
foundations may be more rapidly effected, as the system enables large
masses of stone masonry, brickwork, or concrete to be more rapidly
executed.
In constructing bridge piers according to this Invention, the site is
first dredged as far as it is practicable, where the material is of soil or
sand, and in the line of the piers. Clay is then deposited on the site
so dredged, above high-water line. The foundations for the pier are
then excavated through the clay with the assistance of pumping, and
should any additional depth of foundation be required the same is
effected by diggers, or by the water or pneumatic system, at the
interior of the cylinder or masses of stone masonry, brickwork, or
concrete.
In constructing a subway under a river or other site liable to be
flooded, according to this Invention, the site is dredged across the river
or other water-covered surface to as great a depth as practicable, where
the material is of soil or sand. The hollow so dredged is filled with
clay, the upper surface of which forms the navigable bed of the river
and also the roof of the subway. The clay retards the incursion of
water to a considerable extent. The excavation of the tunnel or sub-

page_text: way is then proceeded with, either entirely through the clay, if the
dredging be of sufficient depth, or otherwise, partly through the clay
and partly through the natural soil. This last part of the Invention
equally applies to large sewers along the banks of or across rivers.
Another part of this Invention consists in forming quay walls and
similar structures of masses of stone masonry, brickwork, or concrete,
whose horizontal section consists of two members at right angles to
cach other. These members are hollow at the interior to permit of
excavations being carried on for sinking them. The front members
of the several masses of masonry, brickwork, or concrete constitute the
face of the quay wall or other similar structure, and the members at
right angles thereto constitute counterforts. When the wall is raised to the
required height, archics are thrown across the counterforts and form a
portion of the roadway, along which sowers and gas pipes may be laid.
The front of the quay wall is then raised to the required height. Semi-
circular tongues and grooves are formed vertically in the ends of the
masses of brickwork, concrete, or stone masonry, by which the masses
are tied together, and slips of wood.are let in between them, so as to
leave space for the pouring in of cement for uniting the masses.
together after the whole has been sunk to the required depth; these
masses may be sunk in great lengths at one time, in situ. Segments of
similar masses may also be applied to form the foundations of graving
docks.
Another part of this Invention consists of an improved shoc or curb,
on which the masses to be sunk rest. It consists of an iron plate of the
contour of the masses or blocks employed for sinking, having vertical
members below and above the horizontal momber, and attached thereto
by inclined stays.
0
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Taylor Shipley Hunter in the Great Seal. Patent
Office on the 14th December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, TAYLOR
SHIPLEY HUNTER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Contractor, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the 37th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Taylor Shipley Hunter, Her special license
that I, the said Taylor Shipley Hunter, my exccutors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Taylor Shipley Hunter, my
executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree witli,
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 CONSTRUCTING DOCKS, QUAY WALLS, FOUNDATIONS, BRIDGES,
SUBWAYS, SEWERS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS WORKS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Taylor Shipley Hunter, by an instru-
ment in writing, under my hand and scal, 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 imme.
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Taylor Shipley Hunter, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:―
My said Invention relates to the construction of docks, quay walls,
foundations, bridges, subways, sewers, and other analogous works, and
also to the means employed to facilitate such constructions. In carrying
out works where the sinking of foundations has to be effected in
situations where water permeates the sand or soil so as to flood or
otherwise interfere with the works, I employ a clay dam or a dam
composed partly of clay, the deposition of which, in front of the line of
foundations is effected by dredging (when that is necessary) the bottom
or bed of the river to any required depth, and depositing clay in the
space thus formed, or an embankment composed of the local soil may
be constructed, and coated on the side next the water with clay, to the
surface of which a stone pitching may be applied, to prevent attrition

page_text: by the action of the water. A water-tight dam is thus formed, and the
underground works may be further protected by insertion of piles,
either driven or screwed into the inner slope of the dam, the said piles
having vertical grooves, into which a timber boarding is slipped; a dry
box dam is thus formed into which foundations may at once be lowered
in situ, or if no such box dam be formed the foundations may be sunk
in the ordinary manner.
To construct bridge piers or other foundations in open water, the site
is dredged to the required depth, and clay deposited so as to form an
embankment rising above the water level down through which an
excavation is made, and the foundations deposited, or through which
they may be sunk.
.
In constructing subways beneath water according to my Invention,
the river bed is dredged and clay deposited so as to form a water-tight
roof to the works, or the subway may be constructed by tunnelling
through the body of the clay thus deposited.
Another part of this Invention consists in forming quay wall
foundations and similar structures, of masses of stone masonary, brick-
work, or concrete, whose horizontal section consists of two members at
right angles to one another, these members being hollow, to permit
of excavation being carried on in their interior while being sunk..
Tongues and grooves of a semicircular or other shape are formed on
the ends of one of the aforesaid members, the other member constituting
a counterfort.
To facilitate the sinking of foundations I prefer to surround the
bottom of such foundations by a shoe or curb.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried
into effect, reference being had to the annexed Sheet of Drawings and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
Figure 1 on the annexed Sheet of Drawings is a section of works
protected from the incursion of water by a dam A constructed in
accordance with the first part of my Invention. As shewn on the
Drawings the dam A is composed partly of the native, that is to say,
local soil B, and partly of clay C with which the outer face of the

page_text: embankment A is coated to a considerable thickness, but otherwise
the embankment A may be constructed entirely of clay. When con-
structed as shewn on the Drawings, the clay coating C should be
prolonged on the bed of the river D in an outward direction from the
embankment and tapering towards its termination, so as to form a
wedge-shaped mass, and by thus prolonging the clay coating C the
inner underground works, where the foundation .cylinder E is situated,
are better protected from the incursion of the water, the level of which
is represented by the line marked F. The clay C may be protected.
from the action of the water by a stone pitching G. The foundation
cylinder E, represented in situ at Figure 1, may be placed in that
position either by being lowered into an excavation made to receive it,
or by being sunk in the ordinary manner by mechanical diggers or
pumps through the soil from the level marked c, d, Figure 1.
When the former method is employed the necessary excavations may
be carried on, and a dry box dam formed by driving or screwing in
piles A, Figure 2, along cach side of the site of the proposed excavations.
These piles A, as shewn more particularly at Figures 3 and 4, are
formed with vertical. grooves a, into which when the piles have been
fixed in position, timber is slipped and driven firmly down, as shown
at Figure 2. Excavation is carried on between the lines of timber
lining B and C, which lines of timber lining may be kept apart and
supported against the inward pressure of the soil composing the
embankments by temporary struts D, E, and a dry box dam is thus
formed, into which the foundation is at once lowered, or which may
be filled up. with stone masonary, brickwork, concrete, or other material
suitable for a foundation.
Figure 5 is a section of an embankment used to facilitate the sinking
of bridge piers or other foundations in open water. The site of the
foundation is first dredged to a proper depth and clay is deposited in
the space thus dredged until an embankment A is formed rising above.
water level. Excavating operations may then be conducted downwards
to a suitable depth; and the cylinder B or other foundation lowered into
position, or otherwise the cylinder Bor other foundation may be sunk
into position through the clay embankment A in the ordinary manner, by
excavation, carried on (by means of pumps or diggers) in the interior.
of the foundations to be sunk. The chief advantage however of the clay.
embankments A is that the site for the foundation B may be conveniently.

page_text: excavated below the water level C without the progress of the works
being stopped or retarded by the ingress of water from without, the
non-porous nature of the clay preventing leakage.
Figure 6 is a section of a subway constructed in accordance with my
Invention. The section marked A represents a mass of clay deposited
on the river bed in a space dredged out to receive it. The Drawings
represent a subway B tunnelled through the centre of the said mass of .
clay, but otherwise the clay may be deposited to a less depth, the sub-
way being constructed beneath it and through the natural bed of the
river. In the former case the work of excavation is protected on all
sides from the ingress of water by the clay; in the latter the clay forms
a waterproof roof bencath which dry excavation may be conducted.
Referring to Figures 1 and 5, it will be seen that the foundation
cylinders E and B are provided at their lower extremities with shoes
or curbs x, shewn more particularly at Figures 9 and 10. These shoes
or curbs are primarily intended to facilitate and assist the sinking of
the said cylinder or other foundations through the soil, by acting
as a cutting or knife edge presented to the material through which the
foundations are sunk, and in these cases where the foundations are
lowered into excavations previously made for their reception, the shoc
or curb may with advantage be employed as a holdfast to assist the
foundation in setting.
Figure 9. represents the shoe or curb x, its contour, as shewn, being
that of a triple foundation cylinder, but it may be constructed of any
shape to suit the foundation which it is required to surround. The
feature of novelty in the shoe is the constructing it of malleable iron
members united together. Figure 10 is a section of the curb or shoc x
at the line a, b, Figure 9. The portion c of the curb or shoe upon
which the foundation rests is supported from below by struts or stays d
and by the angle iron e.
My said Invention also relates to the construction of quay-wall and
other foundations. A horizontal section of a portion of a quay-wall
foundation is shewn at Figure 7, and an elevation looking at the inner
face of the counterforts at Figure 8, while Figure 11 is a vertical
section to a smaller scale of a similar quay-wall foundation with a
quay wall E and backing superposed. The foundation is formed as
shewn of a series of blocks or masses A of stone masonary, brickwork,

page_text: or concrete, each consisting of hollow box-like members upon one end
of and at right angles to which is formed a similar hollow counterfort B.
Semicircular tongues and grooves are formed in and on the ends of the
members A, as shewn at Figure 7, which fit one another, so that when
the foundations are placed together all lateral movement is prevented.
The counterforts B are provided, as is usual in heavy walls, to
strengthen and increase the stability of the structure. Timber slips C
are also employed in the construction of this foundation. They may
be let into a groove formed on the end of the foundation, and caused to
project slightly beyond the surface thercof, so that when the blocks A
composing the foundation are laid together a space is left between cach,
into which cement is run whereby the masses are firmly secured
together. When the foundations, shewn at Figure 7, have been sunk
to a sufficient depth the counterforts B are connected at the top by
means of arches D, as shewn at Figure 8, these arches serving to
support the backing to the quay wall E, Figure 11, and along these
arches or through the said backing gas or water pipes, subways or
sewers may be laid as shewn at F, G, and H, Figure 11.
The bottom of the foundations last described may be shod or sur-
rounded by a curb or shoe similar in construction to that described with
reference to Figures 9 and 10, but having a contour similar to that of
the foundation it surrounds.
The foundations herein-before described may be sunk through soil by
means of excavation carried on at the interior thercof, and they may
either be sunk singly and separately, or any number of them may be
placed together and sunk simultaneously; otherwise they may be at
once lowered into a position previously excavated to receive them.
.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which
the same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would
observe in conclusion that what I consider 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 construction of an embankment or dam, either entirely or
partly of clay, whereby water is prevented from gaining admission to
works conducted below water level, as described with reference to
Figure 1; also the box dams-consisting of timber lining, as shown at

page_text: Figure 2, held in position by driven or screwed piles, substantially
as herein-before described and shewn.
Second. The employment of a clay dam or embankment to facilitate
the sinking or construction of bridge piers or other foundations as
described with reference to Figure 5 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings.
Third. The construction of subways or sewers, through or beneath an
artificial bed of clay, substantially as herein-before described with
reference to Figure 6 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth. The arrangement and construction of quay-wall and other
foundations as hercin-before described with reference to Figures 7, 8,
and 11 of the Drawings.
Fifth. The curb or shoc constructed of malleable iron, substantially
as hercin-before described and shown with reference to Figures 9 and
10 on the annexed Sheet of Drawings..
In witness whercof, I, the said Taylor Shipley Hunter, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Twelfth day of December Onc
thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
TAYLOR SHIPLEY HUNTER. (L.S.)