IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MAKING AND CONSTRUCTING OF CARRIAGE WAYS
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward James Jeffs and Thomas
Turner at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 22nd April 1863.
I, EDWARD JAMES JEFFS, 1°, St. James St., Old Steyne, Brighton,
in the County of Sussex, Auctioneer and Estate Agent, and I, THOMAS
TURNER, of Stanley Bridge Wharf, King's Road, Chelsea, in the County
of Middlesex, Mason and Pavior, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MAKING AND CONSTRUCTING OF CARRIAGE
WAYS," to be as follows:-
Carriage ways as at present constructed, on account of the small area of
the granite pitchers or stones with which they are laid, do not retain an even
surface for any length of time, thereby increasing resistance to vehicles
passing over then on account of the pitchers sinking irregularly, and rendering
necessary at short periods the complete relaying of the road, as well as creating
much unnecessary expense and inconvenience in stopping the thoroughfare.
These improvements consist in supporting the granite pitchers forming the
surface of the road on sleepers, which may be of wood creosoted or otherwise, or
of iron or wood combined, of any form as may be thought most desirable, and
of any suitable length, which sleepers may be laid diagonally or longitudinally,
or there may bo two layers of sleepers running at right angles to each other,
or in any other way which may be founed best in carrying out the Invention,
whereby each stone or pitcher receives a firm support, its area of support being
virtually increased to the area of the under side of one or more of the sleepers,

page_text: thereby preventing the possibility of the surface of the road becoming uneven by
the sinking of one or more of the pitchers, on account of the great area of the
sleepers by which they are supported. The sleepers may be laid on the ordi-
nary ground or on a bed of concrete, as thought desirable, and the space
between them may be filled in with the same material. We are of opinion
that in introducing the sleepers between the stones or pitchers and the ground
or concrete the noise caused by vehicles passing over the roadway will be much
reduced, and with that object in view it is proposed to use two layers of sleepers,
the top layer running at any angle with the bottom layer, and by placing
between the top sleepers and on the upper side of the bottom sleepers a thin
layer of wood, and filling in with concrete or any other material to the level of
the top sleeper, a hollow space will be formed between the bottom sleepers,
which it is believed will secure the least amount of noise; the hollow space may
be produced in any other way or in any other part of the roadway if thought
desirable, also any elastic or yielding material may be placed between the
pitchers and the sleepers, or between the sleepers, or both, if thought desirable.
In laying carriage way paving, whether the sleepers be laid transversely, longi-
tudinally, or diagonally to the line of the street, we prefer the length of the
pitchers to be transversely to the length of the sleepers, so that the ends of
each stone or pitcher rests the one end on one sleeper and the other on the
adjoining sleeper, and bridging over the space between the sleepers, which may
be filled with concrete or otherwise, as before mentioned. The pitching or
paving may be worked up to the kerb on each side or to a granite tramway
as in ordinary.
In addition to the direct support of the pitchers or stones, the sleepers, more
especially where two layers are adopted, may afford a firm and uniform support
to the concrete or filling between the upper sleepers, and so render the entire
area of the upper surface firm for the support of the pitchers.