AN IMPROVED SAREAN Decan TAR MA ANDYN A DEMI DATOMANI
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Rodney Croskey, of No. 43, Portsdown
:
Road, Maida Hill, London, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
SAREAN Decan
TAR
MA
ANDYN A DEMI DATOMANI "
Sealed the 13th September 1872, and dated the 2nd April 1872.
'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Rodney Croskey
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 2nd April 1872.
•
•
I, JOSEPH RODNEY CROSKEY, of No. 43, Portsdown Road, Maida Hill,
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED SYSTEM OR PROCESS FOR MAKING ASPHALTIC OR BITUMINOUS PAVEMENTS,"
to be as follows:-
Heretofore in the construction of pavements, whether for carriage
roads or foot walks, wherein asphalt or other bituminous compositions
or preparations have been used for the surface, the same have been
employed unmixed, so far as the surface itself is specially concerned,
with stones or other foreign material (not forming a portion of such
compositions) and laid upon a bed of concrete or other hard & smooth
substratum; or these compositions have been intermixed with a bed of

page_text: macadam or broken stone with gravel or coarse grit afterwards thrown
over; in the former instance the surface has presented a very smooth
appearance, but has been objected to because of its being very slippery,
under certain circumstances; and in the latter, whilst the foothold is all
that can be desired, the roughness is little less than in ordinary roads or
pavements; or a concrete of ballast or other material has been used
combined with bituminous matter, & sometimes having been moulded;
but in this instance the ballast or other foreign material fails to appear
on the surface because of its being coated with the bituminous com-
position.
In no instance has the employment of hard brick or tile, such as
Dutch clinker, adamantine clinker, or tiles or bricks made from fire or
other clay been used for the surface in unison with asphalt or other
bituminous compositions, altho' these materials have been for a long
time used with great advantage for the paving of stables when not
combined with such compositions.
When it is attempted to insert any foreign material of greater specific
gravity into a body of asphalt or other bituminous composition after
the same has been spread, such material, if thicker or deeper than the
composition, will project above it, or if not so thick or deep will sink
below it; or if the material be first laid down it will be found very
difficult to bind it together with the composition so as to make a level
surface therewith; and in both instances it is very doubtful if the
material will be intimately bound together with the composition so as
to form one compact mass.
In all countries where wood pavement has been adopted it has not
failed to give satisfaction; the great objection, if not the only one,
however, to this material when exclusively used is its want of durability
& its inability to resist the wear & tear of heavy and violent traffic.
And it would appear that the great desideratum for a pavement would
be a wood pavement with an asphalt surface, provided such surface be
rendered free from its only objection, the want of a good foothold, a
defect to be remedied by introducing suitable material into the surface.
I propose to introduce into the surface of asphalt or other bituminous
pavement the brick or tile known as Dutch clinker, or adamantine
clinker, or tiles or bricks made of fire or other clay, either whole or
broken, and either in the manner hereafter described or as a concrete
mixed with bituminous matter.

page_text: I propose to construct a mould of such form and material as shall
conveniently mould the substances hereafter mentioned with. the
.desired result.
I propose in such mould to lay down on the bottom thereof the brick
or tile, or bricks or tiles of clay before described, or any other foreign
material having a greater specific gravity than the bituminous compo-
sition, and offering a good foothold, and thereon pour or lay whatever
asphaltic or bituminous composition I may prefer to use, and I prefer
then to submit the same to as great a pressure as possible, and in some
instances I may require to heat the mould. Upon being set & being
disengaged from the mould the substances so moulded will present
on the underneath side, which upon being reversed will become the top
side, an uniformly smooth surface with the foreign material firmly
imbedded therein. This asphaltic or bituminous compound block or
brick or tile can then be used by laying it on a concrete foundation
or other suitable smooth surface, previously prepared with a layer of
the hot bituminous composition, or for the purpose of repairs, & by
being cemented together with other blocks when laid with some of
the same asphalt or bituminous composition (well heated) as may
have been used in the formation of the block itself; but I prefer before
taking the block out of the mould to cause it to become attached to a
piece of board or wood or felt, so as to form a firmer bottom for the
same.
i
I propose in case it is desired to have a wood pavement with a
facing of the compound blook as above mentioned, before I remove
from the mould the said block, to attach thereto, whilst the componeḍd
block is still in a heated & consequently adhesive state, such sized
block or blocks of wood as may be desired for the depth of the
pavement..
;
I propose, in case it be desired to have a heavier pavement than the
foregoing, to attach in lieu of the block of wood, as above, to the
compound asphalt block or tile a box or frame of wood, which I
fill with ordinary concrete made of ballast & lime of any desired
depth.
The foregoing system or process is applicable to the facing of any
substance with asphalt or bituminous compositions, whether the
foreign material. be introduced therein or not, such as the paving, of
courtyards, lining of vats, &c.; and it can be made more useful by

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Rodney Croskey in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
RODNEY CROSKEY, of No. 43, Portsdown Road, Maida Hill, London,
send greeting.
-
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Rodney Croskey, Her special
licence that I, the said Joseph Rodney Croskey, my excentors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Rodney
Croskey, 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
"AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OR PROCESS FOR MAKING ASPHALTIC OR BITUMINOUS
PAVEMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others).that I, the said Joseph
Rodney Croskey, 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 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 Joseph Rodney Croskey, 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 :—:

page_text: Heretofore in the construction of pavements, whether for carriage
roads or foot walks, wherein asphalte or other bituminous compositions
or preparations have been used for the surface, the same have been
employed unmixed or uncombined (so far as the surface itself is specially
concerned) with stones or other foreign material (not forming a portion
of such compositions), and laid upon a bed of concrete or other hard and.
smooth substratum; or these compositions have been intermixed with a
bed of macadam or broken stone with gravel or coarse grit afterwards
thrown over; in the former instance the surface has presented a very
smooth appearance, but has been objected to because of its being very
slippery under certain circumstances; and in the latter, whilst the foot-
hold is all that can be desired, the roughness is little less than in ordinary
roads or pavements; or a concrete of ballast or other material has been
used combined with bituminous matter, and sometimes having been
moulded; but in this instance the ballast or other foreign material fails
to appear on the surface because of its being coated with the bituminous
composition.
In no instance has the employment of hard brick or tile, such as
Dutch clinker, adamantine clinker, or tile or bricks made from fire or
other clay, been used for the surface in combination with asphalte or
other bituminous compositions, although these materials have been for a
long time used with great advantage for the paving of stables when.not
combined with such compositions.
When it is attempted to insert any foreign material, especially of
greater specific gravity, into a body of asphalte or other bituminous
composition after the same has been spread, such materials if thicker or
deeper than the composition will project above it, or if not so thick or
deep will sink below it; or if the material be first laid down it will be.
found very difficult to bind it together with the composition so as to
make a level surface therewith; and in both instances it is very doubtful
if the material will be intimately bound together with the composition
so as to form one compact mass..
In all countries where wood pavement has been adopted it has not
failed to give satisfaction; the great objection, if not the only one, how-
ever, to this material when exclusively used is its want of durability
and its inability to resist wear and tear of heavy and violent traffic; and
it would appear that the great desideratum for a pavement would be a
wood: pavement with an asphaltic surface, provided such surface, be

page_text: rendered free from its only objection, the want of a good foothold,
a defect to be remedied by introducing suitable material into the
surface.
'
r
I propose to introduce into the surface of asphalte or other bituminous
pavements the brick or tile known as Dutch clinker, or adamantinę
clinker, or tiles or bricks made of fire or other clay, either whole or
broken, and either in, the manner hereafter described, or as a concrete
mixed with bituminous matter.
I propose to construct a mould of such form and material as shall
conveniently mould the substances hercafter mentioned with the desired
result.
"
$
"
I propose in such moulds to lay down on the bottom thereof. the
brick or tile, or bricks or tiles of clay before described, or any other
foreign material offering a good foothold for horses, and thereon pour
or lay whatever asphaltic or bituminous composition I may prefer to
use, and I prefer then to submit the same to as great a pressure as
possible, and in some instances I may require to heat the mould. Upon
being set and being disengaged from the mould the substances so
moulded will present on the underneath side (which upon being reversed
will become the top side) an uniformly smooth surface with the foreign
material firmly imbedded therein. This asphaltic or bituminous com-
pound block or brick or tile can then be used by laying it on a concrete
foundation or other suitable hard substance, previously prepared with a
layer of the hot bituminous composition, or for the purpose of repairs,
and by being cemented together with other blocks when laid with some
of the same asphalte or bituminous composition (well heated) as may
have been used in the formation of the block itself; but I prefer before
taking the block out, of the mould to cause it to, become attached to a
piece of board or wood or felt, so as to form a firmer bottom for the
same.
I propose in case it is desired to have a wood pavement with a facing
of the compound block as above mentioned, before I remove from the
.mould the said block, to attach thereto, whilst the compound block is
still in a heated and consequently adhesive state, such sized block or
. blocks of wood as may be desired for the depth of the pavement:
I propose in case it be desired to have a heavier pavement than the
- foregoing, to attach in lieu of the block of wood, as above, to the

page_text: compound asphalte block or tile a box or frame of wood which I
fill with ordinary concrete made of ballast and lime of any desired
depth.
The foregoing system or process is applicable to the facing of any
substance with asphalte or bituminous compositions, whether the foreign
material be introduced therein or not, such as the paving of courtyards,
lining of vats, &c.; and it can be made more useful by introducing any
figures, designs, or letters, into the surface as may be desired.
I propose to use the compound asphalte blocks or tiles for the covering
with them of any old roads or pavements.
In perfecting my Invention I have ascertained and now describe the
manner in which the same is to be performed.
I construct a mould or set of moulds in conformity to the kind of
work to be done. These moulds can be of any size and of any form. I
prefer them to be made of metal, and if of wood I prefer their interior
to be lined with metal; and in all cases before using them the inner
surface must be well covered or smeared with some composition that
will prevent the adhesion thereto of hot or liquid asphalte or bitumen,
and for this purpose I prefer a saponaceous compound or paste made of
common yellow soap, water, and French chalk, in the proportions of
three quarters of a pound of soap, half a pint of water, and three ounces
of French chalk finely pulverized.
If I desire the sides of the block to be perpendicular or on an incline
I make the sides of my moulds perpendicular on an incline with the
bottom. If I want the face of my block indented with grooves or other;
wise, and the edges bevilled, I prepare the bottom of my moulds so
that there shall be projections or ridges thereon corresponding reversely
with such grooves; bevils, or other indentations. If I desire the sides
of my blocks to be concave or convex, or to have projections and
corresponding indentations so as to bind them together when laid, I
make corresponding arrangements in the construction of my moulds to
produce these results; or if I want one block to overlap another, or to
place a lath of wood to run through the sides of a whole row of blocks
when laid down, I form the sides of my mould accordingly.
1.
Having decided on the form and size of the blocks or tiles I wish to
produce, I find it convenient to make a set of moulds by making in
the first place a bench about two feet from the ground of sufficient
J......

page_text: size to contain all the moulds I wish to make thereon, I then lay upon
this bench a plate of metal (I may use a slab of stone or slate) which
forms the bottom of the moulds, this plate may be perfectly level and
smooth or it may be roughened or corrugated or otherwise arranged,
so that it will produce any desired design on the block to be moulded,
I then place upon this plate the whole length thereof two other plates
upon their edge at any desired distance apart, and I groove these sides
to admit of partitions either at right angles with the bottom or on an
incline as may be desired, and these two long sides when the partitions
are placed between them form the number of moulds I may desire to
have on any one bench. The depth of the sides of the mould will be
in accordance with the depth of the block, brick, or tile I may desire
to mould. After having set up the sides of my moulds, and placed
therein the partitions, I bind the whole of the moulds together by iron
screw bolts running from one side into the other at the extreme ends
thereof in such manner that the same may easily be detached after the
operation of moulding is completed.
Having set up my moulds as above described, the next process is to
place and fix by means of some sufficiently adhesive substance on the
bottom of each mould such foreign material as I may desire to appear
upon the surface of my blocks or tiles, whether the same be adamantine
clinker or broken stones, or granite macadam, or solid granite, paving
stones, or blocks or pieces of wood, or any other material; the moulds
must however be large enough to admit the same and leave a sufficient
margin of one or two inches at least between the sides of the mould
and the material placed therein. The sides of the moulds and all that
portion of the bottom of the moulds not occupied or covered by the
foreign material placed thercon are then carefully to be smeared over
and well covered with the saponaceous preparation above mentioned,
and a layer of hot and fluent asphalte of the best known quality in
preference is to be poured into the moulds, to the depth of half an inch
to an inch and a half or more according to the purpose for which
the block or tile to be moulded is required and allowed partially to set..
If the blocks or tiles be intended for foot walks the moulds will of
course be shallow, and it is recommended that their width should not
be more than nine inches, and the length to be the same as the width
of the foot walk to be covered. In this case so soon as the asphalte
that had been poured into the mould shall be partially set, another

page_text: bituminous composition more fluid and of comparatively inferior
quality, shall be poured into the mould, and immediately afterwards a
board of such dimensions as shall closely fit the mould and having
numerous holes bored therein shall be placed upon and pressed down
upon this last mentioned composition to the desired depth; the surplus
composition will ooze through the holes in the board and serve to bind
the same firmly thereto; when cool and set whatever of the composition
may appear on the top of the board can easily be chipped off, and upon
disengaging the substance moulded from the moulds a bituminous or
asphaltic paving tile of the required dimensions and having any desired
or ornamental design on the surface will then have been produced.
If intended for carriage roads or streets the moulds will be of greater
depth, say, from six to nine inches, and of from six inches by twelve
on the surface; but whatever the desired size of the block may be it is
recommended to have the mould one inch or more in depth than the
required depth of the block, so that by sawing off by a circular saw
regulated by a guage this surplus inch or more after the block is
taken from the mould a more uniform depth may be obtained than by
any other means known to the Inventor. In this case after the layer
of superior asphalte shall have partially set I fill up the mould with a
bituminous concrete composed of common coal, tar, pitch, lime, chalk,
and burnt ballast in any desired proportion, or any other bituminous
concrete which may answer the purpose. This composition is to be
poured into the mould in a hot and liquid state, and will adjust itself
to the projections or indentations I may have made on the sides of the
moulds; or I may fill up
the moulds with lime or cement concrete, but
in this case I do not make the moulds any deeper than the depth of
the blocks, or I may fill the moulds with wooden blocks. If I use the
lime concrete it will be necessary to score or make deep indentations in
the layer of asphalte before it is set in order to make a key for the
same to bind the two together, and if I use wooden blocks to fill up
the moulds I previously pour therein some fluid bituminous composition
and superimpose thereon the blocks of wood to cause a firm adherence
to the asphalte underneath, On separating the moulds from their
contents a block having an asphalte surface with any desired foreign
material firmly embedded therein and even and level therewith will be
produced and ready to be laid down for a street pavement on a sub-
stratum of ordinary concrete embedded in sand or upon two layers of

page_text: .
.
board well saturated with coal tar or other preservative laid transversely
over each other.
In dealing with an old road or street pavement I take up the old
granite blocks and dress their surface, which I place downwards on the
bottom of my moulds and in the centre thereof, making the size of my
moulds to accord with the size of the granite blocks, and allowing a
margin of about two inches between the granite block and the sides of
my moulds, and then pour in the superior asphalte and the bituminous
concrete as before described, and the result is a block having an asphaltic
surface with the granite block appearing thereon and as a part of the
same with which I cover the old road, previously preparing the same
with a substratum either of lime, concrete, or of boards as before
mentioned,