IMPROVEMENTS IN HORTICULTURAL
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Halien Cottam and Henry Richard Cottam,
both of the Saint Pancras Iron Works, Old St. Pancras Road, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORTICULTURAL
Sealed the 29th August 1862, and dated the 4th March 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Hallen Cottam
and Henry Richard Cottam at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 4th March 1862.
We, GEORGE HALLEN COTTAM and HENRY RICHARD COTTAM, both of the
Saint Pancras Iron Works, Old St. Pancras Road, in the County of Middle-
sex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HORTICULTURAL BUILDINGS AND OTHER GLAZED STRUCTURES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in horticultural buildings
and other glazed structures.
For these purposes the metal rafters or the sashes or parts to be glazed are
formed with a succession of steps according to the number of sheets of glass
to be used from the top to the bottom, and it is preferred that these steps
should be in the form of grooves so that the succeeding sheets of glass may be
slid into their places and overlap at the edges, though a single groove may be

page_text: used of sufficient depth to receive the thicknesses of glass one over the other.
When walls are used in constructing a building the rafters are connected
therewith by metal plates in the form of inverted troughs, either extending
the whole length of the building or else at such intervals apart as will suit the
distance apart at which the rafters are desired to be attached to the wall.
Where required tie or gauge rods or bars are applied to retain the rafters in
position; the rafters may in some cases in place of being straight be made
with two or more slopes. When using wrought-iron sash bars; in order to
connect them to the structure, or to each other, cast-iron sockets are used,
which are fixed to the ends or other parts of the sash bars by pins, or rivets, or
otherwise, and when required such cast sockets are made with branch sockets
at a right angle or such other angle as may suit the angular direction in which
it is desired to fix the ends of other sash bars to the primary one to which the
socket is fixed. At the surface of the ground, where necessary, a sill or bar is
fixed or applied in any convenient manner, but it is preferred to employ a row
of wood posts or stakes driven into the ground, the parts so driven being well
charred.
In making uprights for the angles of frames, castings are made with vertical
grooves at right angles to each other, the grooves being such as to admit of
the ends of boards being slid therein. When a frame is such as to require
moro than four uprights, one for each angle, then the intermediate uprights
are each cast with three grooves, two of which are parallel and back to back,
whilst the other or third is at right angles to the other two.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Hallen Cottam and Henry Richard Cottam in
the Great Seal Patent Office, on the 4th September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
HALLEN COTTAM and HENRY RICHARD COTTAM, both of the Saint Pancras
Iron Works, Old St. Pancras Road, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
3
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
George Hallen Cottam and Henry Richard Cottam, Her special licenco that a
we, the said George Hallen Cottam and Henry Richard Cottam, our

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said George
Hallen Cottam and Henry Richard Cottam, our 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 HORTICULTURAL BUILDINGS AND OTHER GLAZED STRUCTURES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said George Hallen
Cottam and Henry Richard Cottam, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals,. or under the
hand and scal of one of us or them, 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 immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
- NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Richard Cottam, on behalf of
myself and the said George Hallen Cottam, do hereby declare the nature of
the 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, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in horticultural buildings
and other glazed structures.
For these purposes the metal rafters, or the sashes or parts to be glazed, are
formed with a succession of steps according to the number of sheets of glass
to be used from the top to the bottom, and it is preferred that these steps
should be in the form of grooves so that the succeeding sheets of glass may
be slid into their places and overlap at their edges, though a single groove may
be used of sufficient depth to receive the thickness of glass one over the other.
When walls are used in constructing a building, the rafters are connected
therewith by metal plates in the form of inverted troughs either extending the
whole length of the building or at such intervals apart as will suit the distance
apart at which the rafters are desired to be attached to the wall. Where
required tie or gauge rods or bars are applied to retain the rafters in position;
the rafters may, in some cases; in place of being straight, be made with two or
more slopes. When using wrought-iron sash bars, in order to connect them
to the structure or to each other, cast-iron sockets are used, which are fixed to
the ends or other parts of the sash bars by pins, or rivets, or otherwise, and
when required such cast sockets are made with branch sockets at a right angle
or such other angle as may suit the angular direction in which it is desired to

page_text: fix the ends of other sash bars to the primary ones to which the socket is
fixed. At the surface of the ground, where necessary, a sill or bar is fixed or
applied in any convenient manner, but it is preferred to employ a row of
wood posts or stakes driven into the ground, the parts so driven being well
charred.
Figure 1 shows a transverse section of a green-house or forcing house,
having metal rafters with grooves formed on the sides to receive the sheets of
glass, such grooves being in steps, and the grooves are each shown of the
width to receive one thickness of glass, which is the construction preferred.
Figure 2 shows a transverse section of another green-house or forcing house,
where the rafters, in place of being straight, as in Figure 1, are bent at their
upper ends, and such bent parts at the upper ends may be made with grooves
to receive glass, or the upper parts may be made to be otherwise covered.
In the arrangements shown each groove is produced by slightly projecting
ribs on the sides of the rafters, and it is preferred that some of these ribs
should extend in length somewhat beyond the lengths of the sheets of glass
which are used, and this is done with a view to equalize the metal in the
rafters, and for giving strength thereto; but this mode of construction is not
essential, as the requisite grooves may be otherwise formed, so as to support
the succeeding sheets of glass on steps.
In Figure 1, a is the groove formed for receiving one edge of the lowest
sheet of glass, which is introduced at the upper end of the groove, and is slid
down to the lower end of the groove, where there is a stop formed to prevent
the glass descending too far. The under rib of this groove a extends under
the next rib, which forms the lower rib of the groove b. The groove b
receives the next sheet of glass, and such sheet of glass is introduced at the
upper end of the groove b, and is slid down to the stop formed at the lower
part or end of this groove. c is another groove to receive the next sheet of
glass, which is introduced at the upper end of the groove, and slid down to
the lower end thereof, where there is a stop formed to prevent the glass
descending too far; d is another groove formed to receive one edge of the
next sheet of glass, the upper rib or side of which groove descends below the
point where the lower edge of the sheet of glass comes, for the purpose above
mentioned, and a stop is introduced at the point d', where a pin is passed
through after the glass has been slid up into its position, the glass in this
groove being slid upwards; e is a projection to receive gauge rods where
desired.
In Figure 2, a, b, c, d, are similarly formed grooves or steps to those in
Figure 1. The upper or bent parts of the rafters used, as shewn in

page_text: Figure 2, may be also formed with grooves to receive glass or other material,
or the covering material of that part may be constructed to open on hinges
or axes so as to form ventilators; but in the Drawing the ventilation is
obtained by à board or plate f hinged at its upper edge, and a similar
arrangement is made for ventilation at the lower part of the house, where a
like board or plate f is employed, as is also the case in Figure 1 at the
lower part of the house, whilst at the upper part of the house, in Figure 1,
the ventilation is obtained by not allowing the top sheets of glass to go to the
top, and an overhanging plate g is used to extend over the part left open.
The ventilation of a house may, however, be otherwise obtained both at the
upper and lower parts of the building. In order to connect the upper ends of
metal rafters to the upper part of a wall, inverted trough-like caps i, i, mado
in one or more parts are used, as is shewn in Figures 1 and 2. The lower
ends of the rafters are fixed to standards j, j, of wood or metal, on the top of
which a gutter k is fixed, and the space between the rafters and the ground is
closed by ventilators f, or otherwise.
When using metal sash bars, part of our Invention consists in using metal
sockets for connecting the ends of the metal sash bars to other parts of a
sash or building. Figure 3 shews a transverse section, and Figure 4 a sido
view of a sash bar and a cast socket. These sockets are cast in moulds, and
are made in such manner as to admit of their being fastened by screws or
otherwise to wood or other material. The sockets may be cast separately, and
receive the ends of the sash bars, such ends being then fixed by pins to the
sockets; or the sockets may be cast on the ends of the sash bars by placing
the ends of those bars in suitable moulds, and then running in the metal to
form the sockets. In making uprights for the angles of frames; castings are
made with vertical grooves at right angles to each other, the grooves being
such as to admit of the ends of boards being slid therein when a frame is such
as to require more than four uprights, one for each angle; then the inter-
mediate uprights are each cast with three grooves, two of which are parallel
and back to back, whilst the other or third is at right angles to the
other two.
Figure 5 shews a plan of four cast metal uprights k, k, each with three
grooves to receive the ends of boards 1, 1, as shown. These uprights are such
whilst each of the end
5 as are used intermediate of the ends of a frame,
uprights used in constructing a frame is only to be made with two similar
grooves, which two grooves are to be at right angles to each other.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, we would have it
understood, that what we claim, is,-

page_text: First, the manufacture of metal rafters to receive sheets of glass in grooves
or steps, as herein described; we also claim the fixing of metal sash bars in
cast sockets, as herein described.
Secondly, we claim the manufacture of uprights with vertical grooves to
admit of the ends of boards being slid therein, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Richard Cottam, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
HENRY RD. COTTAM. (L.s.)