IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD AND OTHER WAYS, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF BLOCKS OF WOOD SUITABLE FOR SUCH ROADS AND WAYS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Llewellyn Light, of No. 5, Great
Winchester Street Buildings, in the City of London, Civil Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD AND OTHER WAYS, AND
IN THE PREPARATION OF BLOCKS OF WOOD SUITABLE FOR SUCH ROADS AND
WAYS "
Sealed the 21st August 1874, and dated the 26th February 1874.
-
:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Llewellyn
Light at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 26th February 1874.
I, CHARLES LLEWELLYN LIGHT, of No. 5, Great Winchester Street
Buildings, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD AND OTHER WAYS,
AND IN THE PREPARATION OF BLOCKS OF WOOD SUITABLE FOR SUCH ROADS AND
WAYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates specially to what are known as wood pavements,
and to a method of sawing or otherwise preparing the blocks or setts of
wood upon which the traffic passes,

page_text: The pavement is constructed on a plank or board foundation in the
ordinary manner, and as is commonly used as sub-structure of wood
pavements of the ordinary kind of roadways; also for bridges, jetties,
and other passages or ways. After the formation, levelling, and other-
wise preparing the surface of the ground to be paved I lay the same ŏ
with "decking" or surfacing of planks of one or more courses; in the
latter case whether laid at right angles to each other or diagonally
I lay them so as in all cases to break joint with each other, and upon
which the wood blocks or setts are arranged in such manner that the
conformation of a distance piece forming part of each block or sett 1
ensures a space between each and every row of blocks or setts as laid,
these spaces being filled in with gravel, broken stones, or other suitable
material, and rammed or packed tight with a packing rammer, after
which the spaces or interstices are filled in with liquid cement or other
suitable substance or compound, bituminous or otherwise, which on 1
becoming set binds the pavement together in a solid and compact
manner.
· The planks or boards used for the platform of the pavement, as well
as the blocks or setts are of pine or other suitable timber, and are
first prepared against the ravages of decay by being injected with or 2
steeped or boiled in any of the chemical liquids used for such purpose.
The wooden blocks or setts of which the pavement is composed are
laid with the end of the grain upwards, and in courses transverse to
the traffic. At the intersection of streets or roads however, whether
right angled or otherwise, or curved to suit contingent circumstances, 2
I propose to lay the courses either diagonally or in curved courses in
the usual and well-known manner of street paving.
In my improved system of wood pavement, as herein described, I
dispense with separate distancing pieces between the rows of blocks,
(such as strips or fillets of wood, either flexible or otherwise, my im- 3
proved form of block rendering the same not only useless but objection-
able; neither do I secure my blocks by trenails or other such devices.
My improved paving blocks may be produced in various ways, but
by preference I cut cubes or rectangular blocks of wood which I bore
crossway of the grain to form an augur hole of the requisite dimension g
to ensure the necessary packing, space being left when laid with this
hole, on the opposite side I make another saw cut which when the

page_text: block is separated produces two paving blocks. By reversing one of
these blocks and placing its back to the front of the other the effect
and purpose of my Invention is produced. The blocks thus cut are
so arranged as to form their own distancing pieces without the aid
of fillets or strips of wood, and with the additional advantage of
greater stability, each block having a larger bearing and supporting
surface on the superstructure, and consequently producing a more
solid and permanent pavement than by using narrow blocks and loose
strips.
.
When the blocks are laid I fill in the interstices above the solid
fillets. between the blocks or sets with gravel, broken stone, or other
suitable material, and pour in asphalte,. tar, liquid cement, or other
suitable material or compound; but by preference I use a grouting of
liquid cement or other cold composition, by which means furnaces,
cauldrons, and other smoky and objectionable appliances are dispensed
with, and the work of paving proceeded with with greater facility and
economy.
For many descriptions of pavement as approaches to docks, ware-
houses, and other places where it is desirable and necessary to render
a wood pavement, and also the pavements for tram and some other ways
fireproof, I lay my improved wood pavement without the aid of pitch, tar,
asphalte, or other inflammable material, and with this object and purpose
I prepare all my timber by injecting boiling in or otherwise preparing
the blocks and the foundation planks in salt or other chemical pickle
so as to render it proof against fire and decay. When the timber is so
preserved and laid in the manner so described the joints are packed with
broken stone, gravel, or other suitable material rammed in with the
packing rammer and flushed or grouted with liquid cement, the whole
being covered with fine gravel until the pavement has become set in a
compact and solid mass, the pavement being then almost noiseless, giving
a perfect footing for horses.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Llewellyn Light in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 26th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
LLEWELLYN LIGHT, of 5, Great Winchester Street Buildings, in the City
of London, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth 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 suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles Llewellyn Light, Her
special licence, that I, the said Charles Llewellyn Light, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Llewellyn Light, 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD AND OTHER WAYS, AND IN THE
PREPARATION OF BLOCKS OF WOOD SUITABLE FOR SUCH ROADS AND WAYS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Llewellyn
Light, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Charles Llewellyn Light, 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 thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say:―
This Invention relates specially to what are known as wood pavements,
and to a method of sawing or otherwise preparing the blocks or setts of
wood upon which the traffic passes.

page_text: I
The pavement is constructed on a plank or board foundation in the
ordinary manner, and as is commonly used as a sub-structure for wood
pavements of the ordinary kind of roadways; also for bridges, jetties,
and other passages or ways. After the formation, levelling, and other-
wise preparing the surface of the ground to be paved, I lay the same
with decking or surfacing of planks of one or more courses; in the
latter case, whether laid at right angles to each other or diagonally
I lay them so as in all cases to break joint with each other, and upon
which the wood blocks or setts are arranged in such manner that the
conformation of a distance piece forming part of each block or sett
ensures a space between each and every row of blocks or setts as laid,
these spaces being filled in with gravel, broken stones, or other suitable
material, and rammed or packed tight with a packing rammer, after
which the spaces or interstices are filled in with liquid cement or other
suitable substance or compound, bituminous or otherwise, which on
becoming set binds the pavement together in a solid and compact
manner, and thoroughly impervious to wet. .
The planks or boards used for the platform or substructure of the
pavement, as well as the blocks or setts are of pine or other suitable
timber, and are first prepared against the ravages of decay by being
injected with or steeped or boiled in any of the chemical liquids used
for such purpose.
The wooden blocks or setts of which the pavement is composed are
laid with the end of the grain upwards, and in courses transverse to
the traffic. At the intersection of streets or roads however, whether
right angled or otherwise, or curved to suit contingent circumstances,
I propose to lay the courses either diagonally or in curved courses in
the usual and well-known manner of street paving.
In my improved system of wood pavement, as herein described, I
dispense with separate distancing pieces between the rows of blocks,
such as strips or fillets of wood, cither flexible or otherwise, my im-
proved form of block rendering the same not only useless but objection-
able; neither do I secure my blocks by trenails or other such devices.
My improved paving blocks may be produced in various ways, but
by preference I first cut the timber into cubes or rectangular blocks
which I bore through crossway. of the grain to form an augur hole
of the requisite dimensions to ensure the necessary packing space being

page_text: left when laid as shown at a, Figure 1; with this hole, and from the
opposite side I make another saw cut b, b, which when the block is
separated produces two paving blocks, as shown in Figure 2. By
-reversing one of these blocks and placing its back to the front of the
´other the effect and purpose of my Invention is produced as shown in
Figure 3.
Figure 4 represents another mode of dividing the block, this being
effected by sawing the cube or rectangular block down from c to d on
both sides by a circular or other saw, and then. to make a diagonal cut
by a band or narrow saw. The blocks thus cut are so arranged as to
.form their own distancing pieces without the aid of fillets or strips of
wood, and with the additional advantage of greater stability, each block
having a larger bearing and supporting surface on the substructure, and
consequently producing a more solid and permanent pavement than by
using narrow blocks and loose strips.
When the blocks are laid I fill in the interstices e, e, above the solid
fillets between the blocks or setts with gravel; broken stone, or other
suitable material, and pour in asphalte, tar, liquid cement, or other
suitable material or compound; but by preference I use a grouting of
liquid cement or other cold composition, by which means furnaces,
cauldrons, and other smoky and objectionable appliances are dispensed
with, and the work of paving proceeded with greater facility and
economy.
For many descriptions of pavement as approaches to docks, ware-
houses, and other places where it is desirable and necessary to render
a wood pavement, and also the pavements for tram and some other ways
fireproof, I lay my improved wood pavement without the aid of pitch, tar,
asphalte, or other inflammable material, and with this object and purpose
I prepare all my timber by injecting, boiling in, or otherwise preparing
the foundation planks in salt or other chemical pickle so as to render
it proof against fire and decay. When the timber is so preserved and
laid in the manner so described the joints are packed with broken stone,
gravel, or other suitable material rammed in with the packing rammer,
and flushed or grouted with liquid cement, the whole being covered
with fine gravel until the pavement has become set in a compact
and solid mass, being then almost noiseless, giving a perfect footing
for horses.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner to same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
The preparation of blocks of wood by boring and cutting in the
manner set forth, and the employment of such pieces or blocks for the
formation of road surfaces, as described and shown.
Secondly. I claim, dividing blocks of timber which have been bored
through the centre, as set forth, so that projections or partition strips
are left to abut against the adjoining blocks, spaces being left above the
trips, as and for the purposes described and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Llewellyn Light, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.