CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTION OF RAILROADS, BRIDGES, AND VIADUCTS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WHITE, of the New Road, in the Parish of Saint Mary-le-Bone, and County
of Middlesex, Architect, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eighteenth day of June, in the first year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
White, Her especial license, that I, the said John White, my exors, admors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the, said John White, my exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONSTRUCTION OF RAILROADS, BRIDGES, AND VIADUCTS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John White, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, refer-
ence being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John White, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to consist

page_text: in adding strength to such metal rails and bars as may be used for ranways,
and also to such timber beams, supporters, and bearers as may be used in the
construction of bridges and viaducts, by giving tenseness to the same by means
of keys or lateral wedges as herein-after 'described. And in further compliance
with the said proviso, I, the said John White, do hereby describe the manner
in which the same is to be performed by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawing annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure I. represents my Invention as applied to railways, A being what I
call a resistance pile, with one of my blocks or chairs with its wedges, for
giving tenseness to the bars which form the rails, fixed upon it. B is a block
of iron sunk into the top of the pile A, and there spiked down by spikes as at
the parts marked C. Through this block; are cut 'horizontal mortices to receive
the lateral wedges or keys D, E, F, G, while corresponding mortices are cut
in the rails-I, K, to allow the wedges: to pass through. These. resistance piles
may be at any convenient distance from each other, say about.one-sixteenth
of a mile, and between them at intervals of about fifteen feet.common piles
should be driven to-receive similar blocks, as shewn at. Figure II., of a smaller
size, and "fastened-down by spikes passing through holes.sufficiently.larger
than the spike to admit of the play consequent on expansion and con-
traction. I, K, represent portions of railway rails, their ends being slid into
the groove cast, to receive them in the block B,, till the mortices in the, block
and those in the rails sufficiently correspond to admit of the introduction of
the small ends of the wedges, but leaving a sufficient space between. the two
ends of the rails to admit of their being, extended by tension or of their
expanding with increase of temperature. The rails being so placed, the wedges
or keys D, E, F, G, are inserted and driven up; and if the resistance piles are
sufficiently braced and strutted not to yield by the driving of the wedges,. any
required tension "may be given to the rails. Figure II. is a perspective
elevation of one of my support piles. Figure III is a longitudinal section of
Figure I., and Figure IV. is a longitudinal section of Figure. II. Eigure V.
is a plan of Figure I., and Figure VI.is a plan of Figure.II. Figure VII.is
a transverse section of Figure I, and equally represents the transverse section
of Figure II. It is evident from the foregoing that if two fixed, points be
obtained at each end of any metal bar used as a beam or support, .or, as..a
stretcher or a bearer in the construction of any bridge or viaduct, tension may
be given to it by means of blocks and lateral wedges, similar to those, herein

page_text: before described, and by means of that tension additional strength imparted to
the said bar, and likewise to any timber beam, support, or bearer so used.
Wherefore I claim as my Invention the application of tension in manner
aforesaid to all such metal, rails, and bars, and also to all such timber beams,
supports, or bearers used in the construction of railways, bridges, and viaducts
as are capable from their nature and situation of having such tension as afore-
said applied thereto, whereby I impart great additional strength or power of
resistance to the said metal rails and bars, and to the said timber beams,
supports, or bearers. And such my Invention being, to the best of my
knowledge and belief, entirely new, and never before used within that part of
Her said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called
England, Her said Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I
do hereby declare this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily
believe this my said Specification doth comply in all respects, fully and without
reserve or disguise, with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent contained. Wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive
right and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John White, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.
the year of our Lord 1838, the aforesaid John White came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.