Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WALL CAPS, SLEEPER BLOCKS FOR THE BASEMENTS OF BUILDINGS, AND BRICKS TO BE USED AS SUBSTITUTES FOR WOOD BRICKS IN BUILDING
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Josiah George Jennings, of Holland Street, Black-
friars, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WALL CAPS, SLEEPER BLOCKS FOR THE
BASEMENTS OF BUILDINGS, AND BRICKS TO BE USED AS SUBSTITUTES FOR WOOD
BRICKS IN BUILDING."
Sealed the 14th April 1857, and dated the 20th October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Josiah George Jennings
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 20th October 1856.
I, JOSIAH GEORGE JENNINGS, of Holland Street, Blackfriars, in the County.
of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WALL CAPS, SLEEPER BLOCKS FOR THE
BASEMENTS OF BUILDINGS, AND BRICKS TO BE USED AS SUBSTITUTES FOR WOOD
BRICKS IN BUILDING," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of wall
caps, sleeper blocks for the basements of buildings, and bricks to be used as
substitutes for wood bricks in building. For these purposes caps for walls
are formed by forcing the clay through dies by expressing machinery, the dies
being formed with cores to produce longitudinal passages through the caps.
The upper surfaces are made to incline from the centre line outwards on both
sides. The under surface of the cap is formed with ribs or projections of an
ornamental or plain form near the outer edges, which clip the top of the
brickwork of the wall and form mouldings under the cap. These caps are by,
preference glazed, as when manufacturing other articles of pottery ware. In
manufacturing sleeper blocks for the basements of buildings to receive the
wood sleepers or the joists of the flooring, such blocks are made of clay forced

page_text: through dies with cores to produce longitudinal openings or passages through
the blocks, and in the upper surface of each of the blocks a groove is
produced, into which the wood sleeper is introduced, and in some sleeper blocks
there are cross grooves or recesses formed in place of the longitudinal groove.
These blocks it is preferred should be glazed as other articles of pottery ware.
In making bricks to be used as substitutes for wood bricks, such bricks. are
moulded or formed each with a dovetail groove at its end or side to receive
a piece or filling of wood. It is preferred that theso bricks should be made
by expressing clay or brick earth through dies with suitable cores to make
passages through them.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Josiah George Jennings in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSIAH
GEORGE JENNINGS, of Holland Street, Blackfriars, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
diel, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Josiah George Jennings, Her special licence, that I, the said Josiah George
Jennings, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as Ị, the
said Josiah George Jennings, 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 WALL CAPS, SLEEPER BLOCKS FOR THE
BASEMENTS OP BUILDINGS, AND BRICKS TO BE USED AS SUBSTITUTES FOR WOOD BRICKS
IN BUILDING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Josiah
George Jennings, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Iuvention, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Josiah George Jennings, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in, and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of wall
caps, sleeper blocks for the basement of buildings, and bricks to be used as
substitutes for wood bricks in building. For these purposes caps for walls
aré formed by forcing the clay through dies by expressing machinery, the dies
being formed with cores to produce longitudinal passages through the caps.
The upper surfaces are made to incline from the centre line outwards on both
sides. The under surface of the cap is formed with. ribs or projections of an
ornamental or plane form near the outer edges, which clip the top of the
brick work of the wall and form mouldings under the cap. These caps are by
preference glazed, as when manufacturing other articles of pottery ware:
In manufacturing sleeper blocks for the basements of buildings to receive
the wood sleepers or the joists of the flooring, such blocks are made of clay
forced through dies with cores to produce longitudinal openings or passages
through the blocks, and in the upper surface of each of the blocks a groove
is produced into which the wood sleeper is introduced, and in some sleeper
blocks there are cross grooves or recesses formed in place of the longitudinal
groove. These blocks, it is preferred, should be glazed as other articles of
pottery ware.
In making bricks to be used as substitutes for wood bricks, such bricks are
moulded or formed each with a dovetail groove at its end or side to receive
a piece or filling of wood. It is preferred that these bricks should be made
by expressing clay or brick earth through dies, with suitable cores to make
passages through them..
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a transverse section of a wall cap according to my In-
vention. a, a, a, is the wall cap, which is formed by expressing clay, brick
earth, or suitable cement through a moulding die having suitable cores to
produce longitudinal passages through the same. The form or shape of these
passages may be varied; two of them are made to receive dowels b, b;
the others are made to produce lightness, and to facilitate the drying and
burning, and at the same time. to insure the caps keeping their figure; c, c,
are ribs or projections on the underside to clip the brickwork. The upper

page_text: surface is made to incline in two directions to throw off the rain, and the
under sides are made with ornamental mouldings.; the nature may be varied
or they may be plain.
Figure 3, Figure 4, and Figure 5 show a sleeper block for the basements
of buildings. These sleeper blocks d, d, are the same in each case, and the
three Figures of the Drawings only differ inasmuch as they point out three
modes of using such sleeper blocks. Each sleeper block is made by expres-
sing clay or brick earth or cement through moulding orifices with suitable
cores to produce longitudinal passages to facilitate the drying and burning,
and also to obtain the great strength with lightness. The base of each of
these blocks is made to spread and take an extensive bearing, and the upper
surface is formed with a longitudinal groove, as shown.
Figure 6 shows a plan of two bricks suitably formed to receive pieces of
wood, in order to their being used in place of wood bricks in building. These
bricks are made by expressing clay or brick earth through dies or moulding
orifices, such dies being used with cores to produce perforated bricks, but this
is not essential, or solid bricks may be similarly made, or when making bricks
perforated the perforations may be differently formed and arranged to what
are shown in the Drawing. e, e, are the dovetail grooves formed in the ends
of the bricks to receive the pieces of wood. The Drawing shows two bricks,
each with a groove at only one end, but the dotted lines show a similar brick
with dovetail grooves at both ends to receive the wood.
Figure 7 shows a transverse section of a piece of brickwork; Figure S, a
plan of a brick with a longitudinal groove therein to receive wood; and
Figure 9, a plan of a brick such as is used in Figure 6. The use of the two
forms of bricks is shown in Figure 7. By the use of these bricks, in case of
the decay of the wood or of its being burned by fire, the building will retain
its strength.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah George Jennings, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
JOSIAH GEORGE JENNINGS. (L.s.) ..