IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WALLS OF HOUSES AND LIKE STRUCTURES AND IN THE BRICKS TO BE USED IN BUILDING THE SAME "
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Nicholson Sully of Wellington in the County
of Somerset, Brick Manufacturer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE WALLS OF HOUSES AND LIKE STRUCTURES AND IN THE BRICKS TO BE
USED IN BUILDING THE SAME
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Nicholson Sully at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th July 1882.
THOMAS NICHOLSON SULLY of Wellington in the County of Somerset Brick
Manufacturer "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WALLS OF HOUSES, AND LIKE STRUCTURES
AND IN THE BRICKS TO BE USED IN BUILDING THE SAME
"
My Invention relates to improvements in the walls of houses and like structures
and in the bricks to be used in building the same and has for its principal object
to prevent damp or moisture striking through the said walls.
"
According to my said Invention I form the bricks to be used in building the
said walls as follows:-The "stretchers or those bricks which are placed with
their length in the direction of the length of the wall are formed with longitudinal
perforations and grooves the perforations passing longitudinally through the
substance or body of the brick from end to end and the grooves passing longitu-
dinally in and along the upper and lower sides of the said brick from end to end.
The "headers" or those bricks which are placed with their length transversely to
the length of the wall are formed with similar perforations and grooves but they
extend from side to side of the brick instead of from end to end. These perfora
tions and grooves are preferably so relatively situated that if a straight line be
drawn through the brick at any part thereof from the part which is presented
towards the outside of the wall to the part which is presented to the inside of the
wall it will pass through one or more of these perforations or grooves. In building
a wall of these bricks the perforations all fall into line and the groove or grooves

page_text: "
in the top side of the one row of bricks forms or form with the groove or grooves
in the underside of the adjacent row of bricks similar passages the said perforations
and grooves thus forming a number of continuous passages extending from end to
end of the wall-In order to cause currents of air to pass through these bricks the
corner or coign "bricks are formed with perforations passing through the brick 6
from the top side to the bottom side thereof and so situated that when the "coign
bricks are placed together these perforations form vertical air shafts into which the
before named perforations in the stretchers and leaders open to receive a supply of
-air therefrom.
"
If desired cross perforations may form communicating channels between the 1
various grooves and perforations of the stretchers leaders and coign bricks.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Nicholson Sully in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th January 1883.
THOMAS NICHOLSON SULLY of Wellington in the County of Somerset Brick
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WALLS OF HOUSES AND LIKE STRUCTURES
AND IN THE BRICKS TO BE USED IN BUILDING THE SAME
Manufacturer
"
My Invention relates to Improvements in the walls of houses whether of brick
or artificial Stone or any other material used for like purposes or Structures and in
the bricks or blocks to be used in building the same and has for its principal
object to prevent damp or moisture striking through the said walls.
In order that my said Invention may be fully understood I will now proceed
to particularly describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed Sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
According to my said Invention I form the bricks to be used in building
the said walls as follows: The stretchers or those bricks which are placed
with their length in the direction of the length of the wall are shown in
end view and plan in figures 1 and 2. They are formed with longitudinal
perforations a and grooves b the perforations a passing longitudinally through
the substance or body of the brick from end to end and the grooves b
passing longitudinally in and along the upper and lower sides of the said brick
from end to end. The ")
"headers or those bricks which are placed with their
length transversely to the length of the wall are illustrated in side view and plan
in figures 3 and 4. They are formed with similar perforations and grooves
marked respectively a³ and b' but they extend from side to side of the brick
instead of from end to end. These perforations a a³ and grooves 6 6³ are preferably
so relatively situated that if a straight line be drawn through the brick at any
part thereof from the side or end which is presented towards the outside of the
wall or structure to the side or end which is presented to the inside of the wall or
structure it will pass through one or more of these perforations or grooves. This
construction prevents dampness from penetrating directly through the brick and
in conjunction with the air circulation gives a wall very free from damp. In
building a Wall of these bricks, the perforations (a or a³) all fall into line and the
groove or grooves (6 or 6³) in the top side of the one row of bricks forms or form
with the groove or grooves on the underside of the adjacent row of bricks similar
passages, the said perforations and grooves thus forming a number of continuous
passages extending from end to end of the wall.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a Wall thus built. It will be seen that the
grooves b b cut' off the mortar joint, that is to say, the said joint is not continuous
from the outside to the inside of the wall or structure and thus the dampness in
walls due to a continuous mortar joint is obviated.
In order to supply air to pass through these bricks, the corner or "coign" blocks
are formed as shown in plan in figure 6 with perforations c. c. c passing through
the brick from the top side to the bottom side thereof. and so situated that when
the "coign" bricks are placed together these perforations form vertical air shafts
into which open transverse grooves or perforations (c³), or both, giving communi-
cation from the said air shafts to the respective ends of the passages formed by the
perforations and grooves in the "stretchers" and "headers" for the passages of air
therethrough, air bricks being used to form the bottom or top or other part of the
shafts for the passage of air thereto.

page_text: Figure 8 is a perspective view of the angle of a wall provided with these air
shafts In this figure an air brick is shewn at & for the entry of air to the shafts.
If desired the air shafts can be at other place or places than in the corner bricks
or blocks; they may then be formed by vertical passages in the stretchers and
headers as shewn at in Figure 7
In this case passages as at c may be made to give communication from the said
shafts to the perforations in the adjacent headers or stretchers
If desired cross perforations may form communicating channels between the
various grooves and perforations of the stretchers headers and coign bricks or
blocks.
The bricks or blocks herein before mentioned may be made of any size and
from any suitable material such as ordinary brick materials artificial stone or
the like.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that I do not limit myself to the precise
number and form of the perforations and grooves described and illustrated provided
that the air passages are constituted in the structure substantially as hereinbefore
described but what I consider to be novel and original and therefore claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein before in part recited Letters Patent is
First The improvements in the walls of houses and like structures consisting in
constructing them of bricks or blocks having perforations grooves or channels
therein the said bricks or blocks being so placed together that a circulation of air
is maintained through the walls or like structure substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Second The improvements in bricks or blocks to be used for building walls
or other structures consisting in providing the bricks or blocks with perforations
grooves or channels so relatively situated that if a straight line be drawn through
the brick or block at any part thereof from the side or end which is presented
towards the outside of the wall or structure to the side or end which is presented
to the inside of the wall or structure it will pass through one or more of the said
perforations grooves or channels substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Third-The bricks or blocks formed so as to constitute air channels and also
their arrangement in conjunction with the bricks claimed by the preceding claiming
clause for forming a damp proof wall substantially as described with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Thomas Nicholson Sully have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal this Second day of January One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
THUMAN. NICHOLSON, SULLY.
(L.S.)