IMPROVEMENTS IN CON: STRUCTING STREETS. ROADS, AND WAYS. THEREBY FACILITATING TRAFFIC AND PROVIDING FOR THE MORE CONVENIENT CONVEYANCE OF SEWAGE, DRAINAGE, GAS AND WATER SUPPLIES AND TELEGRAPHIC WIRES ALONG THE SAME."
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hugh Greaves, of Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CON:
STRUCTING STREETS. ROADS, AND WAYS. THEREBY FACILITATING TRAFFIC AND
PROVIDING FOR THE MORE CONVENIENT CONVEYANCE OF SEWAGE, DRAINAGE, GAS
AND WATER SUPPLIES AND TELEGRAPHIC WIRES ALONG THE SAME."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hugh Greaves at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd August. 1858..
I, HUGH GREAVES, of Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING STREETS, ROADS AND WAYS, THEREBY FACILITATING TRAFFIC
AND PROVIDING FOR THE MORE CONVENIENT CONVEYANCE OF SEWAGE, DRAINAGE
GAS, AND WATER SUPPLIES AND TELEGRAPHIC WIRES ALONG THE SAME," to be
as follows:-
1 form the foot pavement, the level of which may as usual be higher than
that of the road, of openwork plates or grids of cast iron, supported in such
manner as to leave a space beneath, along which the pipes conveying the
gas and water supplies may be conveniently laid, and which will receive the
[Price 8d.1

page_text: mud, &c., which may fall through the openings from the upper surface of the
pavement. The openwork plates or grids above named may be cast in chills
in order to give them increased hardness, and may be so formed as to admit
of being turned over, in order that when one surface is worn smooth the
other shall be brought into use.
The curb, which is also formed of cast iron, is constructed in the form of a
hollow channel or pipe, having openings along its sides to admit the surface
water from the roadway and foot pavement, and communicating at short
intervals with tanks sunk to a lower level for the purpose of receiving the
more solid matters, which may be carried off with the water. The pipe or
channel curb may in some cases be formed with one edge rail of a tramway
attached thereto, the other rail of which may be laid in the roadway, and also
formed as a pipe or channel, as before described.
By these arrangements the storm or surface water may be kept com-
paratively pure and conveyed as required apart from the sewage of dwelling-
houses, &c., which 1 propose to run into suitable tanks situated at intervals
along the line of road or way, and from thence to pump it up into a pipe or
pipes supported on columns along the centre or sides of the road. This pipe
or pipes being made to carry a line or lines of railway (accessible at intervals
by steps or otherwise from the street level) upon which carriages may travel
for the purpose of relieving the road below from a portion of its traffic. The
columns before named may also be made available for supporting other pipes
for the conveyance of gas, water supplies, and telegraphic wires.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Hugh Greaves in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, IIUGH
GREAVES, of Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Hugh Greaves, Her special licence that I, the said
Hugh Greaves, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others

page_text: as I, the said Hugh Greaves, 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 "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING STREETS, ROADS, AND WAYS, THEREBY FACILITATING TRAFFIC,
AND PROVIDING FOR THE MORE CONVENIENT CONVEYANCE OF SEWAGE, DRAINAGE, GAS
AND WATER SUPPLIES, AND TELEGRAPHIC WIRES ALONG THE SAME," upon the con-
di tion (amongst others) that I, the said Hugh Greaves, my executors or admini-
strators, 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 Hughes Greaves, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement -
I form the foot pavement, the level of which may, as usual, be higher than
that of the road, of openwork plates or grids of cast iron, supported in such
manner as to leave a space beneath, along which the pipes for conveying the
gas and water supplies may be conveniently laid, and which will receive the
mud, &c. which may fall through the openings from the upper surface of the
pavement. The openwork plates or grids above named, may be cast in chills
in order to give them increased hardness, and may be so formed as to admit of.
being turned over in order that when one surface is worn smooth, the other
shall be brought into use.
The curb, which is also formed of cast iron, is constructed in the form of a
hollow channel or pipe, having openings along its sides to admit the surface
water from the roadway and foot pavement, and communicating at short
intervals with tanks sunk to a lower level for the purpose of receiving themore
solid matters which may be carried off with the water. The pipe or channel
curb
may,
,in some cases, be formed with one edge rail of a tramway attached
thereto, the other rail of which may be laid in the roadway, and also formed
as a pipe or channel, as before described.
By these arrangements the storm or surface water may be kept com.
paratively pure, and conveyed as required apart from the sewage of dwelling-
houses, &c., which I propose to run into suitable tanks, situated at intervals

page_text: along the line of road or way, and from thence to pump it up into a pipe or
This
pipes, supported on columns along the centre or sides of the road.
pipe or pipes being made to carry a line or lines of railway (accessible at
intervals, by steps or otherwise, from the street level) upon which carriages
may travel for the purpose of relieving the road below from a portion of its
traffic. The columns before named may also be made available for supporting
other pipes for the conveyance of gas, water supplies, and telegraphic wires.
represents a
verse section
of roadway and foot path, constructed according to my said Invention; Fig. 2,
a side elevation, and Fig. 3 a plan of part of the same. a represents the foot
path, constructed of openwork grids of cast iron, roughened or otherwise
formed in such manner as to prevent the feet of passengers slipping thereon,
and partly supported upon pipes b, laid along the space c, and used for the
conveyance or distribution of gas and water supplies, as also for the conveyance
of telegraphic wires. Such pipes may also in some cases be employed for the
conveyance away of foul air arising from the sewers, or for other similar
purposes. The outer edges of the plates orgrids a rest upon and are supported
by the channel curb d, having openings e along its inner side, whereby the
drainage, &c. from the space c may find its way into the channel; similar
openings fbeing also formed at the opposite side thereof, for the admission of
the surface drainage from the carriage way g. The surface h-beneath the foot
path may be formed of concrete, asphalte, or other similar non-absorbent sub-
stance, and the rain or storm water from the adjacent buildings may eitherbe
delivered thereon or may be conveyed by pipes i, shewn in dotted lines, direct
into the channel d, as found most desirable; j,j, are moveable lids or covers,
situated either at intervals or otherwise extending along theentire length ofthe
curb or channel, for the convenience of ready access thereto for the purpose of
cleansing, &c. as required; k, l, are tanks sunk below the level of the channel
and provided with similar convenient means ofaccess for the purpose of collect-
ing the heavier matters carried off by the drainage. The curb & may either
be cast, as represented or otherwise formed, so as to answer the purpose of one
rail of a tramway; the corresponding rail, formed also as a drain pipe or
channel, being laid along the carriage way at l; m, m, are columns (situated
along the central part of the carriage way) carrying pipes n, n, having the
rails-o, o, formed upon or attached thereto, and constituting a road or way
available for the purposes of passenger or other traffic. In connection with

page_text: these pipes (n,n,) which in this case are used for the conveyance of sewage,
I make use also of other pipes p, supported on the same columns for the con-
veyance of gas, water supplies, and telegraphic wires, or either of them.
Otherwise, pipes supported and carrying rails, as described for the purposes of
passenger or other traffic, may be made use of for the conveyance of gas and
water supplies, unconnected with pipes, for the conveyance of sewage as above
explained, and I would here remark that I do not lay claim for the conveyance
of sewage alone to the use of pipes supported on columns and carrying rails,
excepting when the same are used in combination with other pipes employed
for the conveyance of gas or water supplies, or both of them as described.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section of one half of a line of road differing somewhat
from the foregoing; and Fig. 5 a side elevation of the same. In this case the
supporting columns m are placed near to the edge of the foot path instead of
in the centre of the road, as in the former instance, and carry only one main
row of pipes or tubes n, supporting a platform or brackets carrying the rails o.
Thecolumns are in this instance placed farther asunder than in the foregoing
Figures, and are strengthened by the addition of lattice girders. The bodies
of the carriages shewn in connection with these Figures are dependent from
the axles; they are not, however, necessarily so constructed, but may be
accommodated to suit circumstances, neither their form nor arrangement con-
stituting any part of my Invention. The supporting columns of both arrange.
ments herein described, may be made available to serve the purposes of
ordinary street lamps.
It is to be observed, that in some situations it maybe found advisable to make
use of wrought iron in the construction of the pipes or tubes, instead of cast
iron as here represented, and otherwise to modify these and other parts of my
said Invention to suit thecircumstances of particularcases; it being understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise forms or details represented; but
that I claim as of my Invention,―
Firstly, the construction of foot ways of grids of cast iron supported in
such manner as to leave a space beneath for the placing of pipes and other
purposes as described.
Secondly, the arrangement of hollow curb or channel, whereby the drainage
or surface water is carried off from the foot path and roadway, and the heavier
matter collected in tanks, as described.
Thirdly, the use for the conveyance of gas and water supplies, of pipes or
tubes supported on columns,and carrying rails, forming a way for the purposes
of passenger or other traffic.

page_text: And, fourthly, the general combination of parts in the construction of
streets, roads, or ways, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hugh Greaves, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
FRANCIS WISE, Patent Agent,
108, Fleet Street, E.C.
HUGH (L.S.) GREAVES.