IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF SEWERS, DRAINS, WATERWAYS, PIPES, RESERVOIRS, AND RECEPTACLES FOR LIQUIDS OR SOLIDS, AND FOR THE MAKING OF COLUMNS, PILLARS, CAPITALS, PEDESTALS, BASES, AND OTHER USEFUL AND ORNA- MENTAL OBJECTS FROM A SUBSTANCE NEVER HERETOFORE EMPLOYED FOR SUCH MANU- FACTURES
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
Earl of DUNDONALD, late of Chesterfield Street, in the County of Middlesex,
but now of Belgrave Road, in the same County, Admiral in Her Majesty's
Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most. Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-second day of July, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-one (in the fifteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Earl of Dun:lonald,
my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Thomas Earl of Dundonald, my exors, adñiors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Earl of Dundonald, my
exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF SEWERS, DRAINS, WATERWAYS,
PIPES, RESERVOIRS, AND RECEPTACLES FOR LIQUIDS OR SOLIDS, AND FOR THE MAKING
OF COLUMNS, PILLARS, CAPITALS, PEDESTALS, BASES, AND OTHER USEFUL AND ORNA-
MENTAL OBJECTS FROM A SUBSTANCE NEVER HERETOFORE EMPLOYED FOR SUCH MANU-
FACTURES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said Thomas Earl of Dundonald, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Earl of Dundonald, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the several Drawings hereunto annexed, (that is to
say):-
:-
My Invention consists in the construction and manufacture of useful and
ornamental objects. from a substance never heretofore employed for such
manufactures, (that is to say) by the adaptation and use of the bitumen,
petrolium, or natural pitch of Trinidad and of the British North American
colonies, in the construction and manufacture thereof. And in order that my
said Invention may be fully understood, and readily carried into effect, I will
proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
The natural bitumen obtained in Trinidad and the North Ainerican colonies
is of various qualities, some descriptions of it being more or less indúrated, and
other descriptions being of a more soft or even fluid or semifluid consistence, thus
furnishing a manufacturer with a considerable variety of materials, applicable
to the manufacture of various articles according to my Invention. For the
purpose of making articles according to my Invention, therefore, I select
the bituminous material which may be best adapted to the manufacture of
the intended articles. Thus, if it be desirable that the articles to be manu-
factured should be firm, and possess great strength, I select a bitumen
possessing those qualities, such as the indurated bitumen of Trinidad: And if
it should be desirable that the manufactured article should be more or less
flexible, I select a bituminous material (such as found in the pitch or bitumen
lake of Trinidad, possessing the requisite amount of flexibility. I am also
enabled to vary the quality of the bituminous materials which I employ, by
mixing and blending two or more different descriptions of material in such
proportions as may be necessary to produce a combination having the requisite
qualities. For the purpose of combining two or more kinds of bitumen, it is
necessary that they should be brought into a state of fusion, in some suitable
vessel, after which they should be intimately blended or mixed together, so as
to make the compound article as homogeneous as possible. And the mixing or
blending of these materials will be much facilitated by reducing the hard

page_text: <descriptions of bitumen into powder, or small pieces, and mingling the different
kinds together before they are heated. The material usually called bitumen
is generally hard when cold, and a compound bituminous material, less brittle
or softer, may be produced by combining such hard bitumen with the requisite
quantity of the soft bitumen usually called petrolium. If a material of a still
softer or more flexible description be required, bitumen may be combined with
the requisite proportion of naptha or fluid bitumen. When I intend to make
pipes, or other similar articles which must be capable of resisting a con-
siderable degree of internal pressure, I select a bitumen which is not only
hard, but also possesses considerable tenacity, and much of the indurated
Trinidad bitumen is of this description. If the proper description of bitumen
be selected or produced by combination in the manner I have described,
pipes may be constructed possessing a degree of strength approaching that of
cast-iron pipes of the same weight, and, not being subject to oxidation, the
pipes, when used for conveying water, will be almost indestructible. When I
make pipes for conveying water, or other purposes, I prefer to cast them
in open moulds, and with one side flat, as shewn at F, F, in the cross section,
Figure 1. In Figure 2 I have shewn a cros section of a trough or mould
C, C, C, such as may be used for this purpose, and which must be of the
length and diameter requisite to produce pipes of the required dimensions.
Within this mould I place a core D (Figure 2), and I coat the mould and
the core with clay, black-lead, or any other material which will prevent the
melted bitumen from adhering to them. The bitumen is then to be melted
in iron or other vessel, of a convenient description, and it must be heated to
such a degree as will make it run freely into every part of the mould.
When pipes are made in the manner I have mentioned their flat sides will
make them stand firmly upon any foundation on which they may be placed.
but they may if required be cast round or in any other desired shape. But
in every case in which the material may be cast in a mould, or with any core
which is to be withdrawn, care must be taken to give surfaces which are
intended to come in contact with the melted bitumen a coating or covering
of clay, black-lead, or some other material which will prevent the bitumen
from adhering to it. Lengths of these pipes may be united or joined
together, simply by interposing a heated plate of metal, to produce semi-
liquefaction of the surfaces, or by directing a hot blast or jet of flame thereon,
and then pressing the parts together, or their junction may be effected by
means of liquid or melted bitumen, which, when it becomes cold or indurated,
will make a solid joint. Plates, sheets, or tables of bitumen, of any of the
qualities I have mentioned, may be made by first casting a convenient quantity

page_text: of the material in the shape of a block, and then, whilst it remains soft or
plastic, passing it through between rollers, until it shall have been reduced
to plates, sheets, or tables of the required thickness. Whilst the block of
bitumen is undergoing this operation the rollers or other apparatus used
for this purpose must be kept warm by steam or other convenient means, and
clay, black-lead, steam, hot water, or some other convenient means must be
adopted for preventing the adhesion of the bitumen to the rollers or other
apparatus employed. Plates, sheets, or tables of this description may be
used to line water cisterns or reservoirs, and also to form floors or im-
permeable coverings for excluding damp, and for other purposes. When
these sheets of bitumen are used to form a lining for a cistern or reservoir
I cause the edges of the sheets to unite or adhere together, by applying heat
or a solution of bitumen. Heat may be applied by an iron resembling a
soldering iron, and, where requisite, some of the bitumen, powdered or in
small pieces, may be applied between the edges of the sheets, and melted so
as to cause it to unite to the edges of the sheets. If a solution of bitumen
be used the bitumen may be dissolved in naptha, and made of a pasty
consistence, and if introduced in this state between the edges of the sheets it
will adhere to them, and when it becomes indurated by the evaporation of
the naptha it will form a solid joint. By uniting the edges of the sheets in
one or other of these modes the joints between the sheets may be made
water-tight, and the material will be almost indestructable. It will be
desirable in many cases that the bituminous material used for constructing
water cisterns or reservoirs should possess some degree of flexibility, so as
to enable it to yield slightly to any pressure to which it may be exposed, and
prevent it from being fractured by any slight change of form or position.
The thickness of the sheets may vary according to the size of the cistern or
reservoir, but I deem sheets of about one inch thick to be of such a substance
as to be generally useful. When these sheets or tables are used to form
floors or impermeable coverings their edges may be joined or united in the
same manner as I have already described. The thickness of the sheets or
tables used for such purposes must be varied according to the pressure or
mechanical action they will have to sustain or bear, and the thinner they are
the more flexible; I prefer to make them so as to prevent them from being
broken when bent by any pressure to which they may be exposed. Sheets
or plates of bitumen, made as already described, may be cut into long strips,
and formed into pipes or tubes, by being bent transversely round a core D,
as shewn in Figure 3, whilst in a soft or plastic state. The edges of I, I,
being then pressed down, and brought close together at K, they may be

page_text: united in like manner as I have already described. Pillars, pedestals, capitals,
ornamental fittings, and other articles, a, may be cast in suitable moulds or
shapes, in like manner as already described with respect to the casting of
pipes; and such articles may either be cast solid or hollow, or with a piece
of some other material (as wood or iron, for instance), to strengthen them
or save material. In casting pipes or other articles in manner already de-
scribed, I allow the articles, when cast, to remain in their moulds for a
considerable time, because the material cools slowly, and removing them too
early would injure, if not destroy them. In hot weather it may be desirable
to accelerate the cooling by throwing cold water upon the mould and the
casting which it contains. Sheets of bitumen, prepared in manner already
described, when made thin and flexible, may be strengthened by having
cloth pressed against them, and thus united with them, and such sheets may
also be made double, having cloth or other texture placed between two thin
sheets of bitumen (so to form what may be called intertexture), and be
united together by rolling or some other sufficient pressure. The cloth or
webs which I prefer to use for this purpose is made of a light open texture,
and of hemp or any other cheap material. I prefer to prepare the cloth by
impregnating it with a small portion of a solution of bitumen or liquid-
bitumen, so as to cause it to adhere more readily and completely to the sheet
or sheets of bitumen to which it is to be united. When the texture of the cloth
employed is very wide and open it may be used without preparation, for
the bitumen, when sufficiently softened by heat, may, by rolling or other
pressure, be made to adhere to the cloth; but the adhesion of the cloth will
be much promoted by impregnating it with naptha or petroleum. Sheets of
bitumen intended to be thus combined with cloth or other equivalent should
be warmed or heated sufficiently to make their surfaces adhesive, and the
surfaces of the roller or other presses by means of which they are united i
to the cloth should be coated with clay, black-lead, or such other material as
will prevent the adhesion of the bitumen to them. Pieces of cloth or other
such material may also be coated with the said imperishable bitumen on
one or both sides, by having solutions of bitumen applied to them, either by
a brush or other convenient means, and, if necessary, several coats of the
solution may be applied, until a covering of the said bitumen of the requisite
thickness is obtained. When the natural naptha in which the bitumen has
been dissolved shall have sufficiently evaported the material will be fit for
use. Combinations of bitumen and cloth, made in the manner I have de-
scribed, will form sheets of various descriptions, which may be applied to
various purposes, such as coverings for ships' bottoms (between the vessel'

page_text: and the metallic sheathing), linings for coffins, and various other useful pur-
poses. I also employ a bituminous material to cover, and thus insulate, the
conducting wires of electric telegraphs, which are intended to be placed
underground. For this purpose I employ the said bitumen, either simple or
compounded, of a flexible description, and pass the wire through it when it is
in a melted state, then causing the wire to pass through some die or orifice,
which will deprive it of all the superfluous bitumen, after which I pass it
through water, or (which I prefer) an emulsion composed of water and clay,
or water and lime, so as to deprive the surface of the bitumen of its adhesive
qualities, and cool it. The covered wire may then be wound upon a reel,
or otherwise coil, so as to be ready for use, and in hot weather it may bc
desirable to do this under water. The coating of wire in this way will be more
uniform if it be previously covered with some cheap filamentous material, and
the impregnation of this filamentous material by the bitumen will be much
facilitated by first passing the covered wire through naptha or some other fluid
bitumen or solution of bitumen. The incasement of this wire with bitumen
may also be effected by covering it with a filamentous material, which has
been previously saturated with melted bitumen, and then passing the wire so
covered through a heated die or orifice, so as to melt or soften the bitumen upon
the filamentous material, and press the whole of the coating against the wire
in such a way as to cause it to form one compact continuous covering of
the wire, and thus insure its insulation.
In Figure 4 of the said Drawings I have shewn, in a transverse section,
another mode of insulating electric conducting wires, which is more par-
ticularly applicable in cases in which it may be desired to lay down several of
such wires. In Figures 4 & 5, H is a core, which may be made of hempen
rope or any other convenient material, upon which I put a thick covering I, I,
of flexible bitumen, either of the thickness shewn in the Figure or any other
thickness which may be sufficient to contain the wires. This covering may be
put upon the core in the same way as I cover wires as herein-before described.
Small longitudinal grooves 21, 21, 21, 2', being made in the periphery or surface
of the bitumen by.appropriate projections in a heated die or collar through
which the core H, with its covering, is drawn; the wires are then to be laid
along the grooves 21, 21, after which I cover the whole with lengths of longitudinal
strips of bitumen I, I, f, f, Figures 5, in like manner as I have described
with respect to the making of tubes, such as shewn in Figure 8. In Figure 6
of the said Drawings I have shewn a side view of a length of a case or cover-
ing containing four conducting wires, and shewing the wire protruding at each
end; the end of these cases may be joined or united together in the same way

page_text: as I have already described with respect to joining lengths of pipes. I also.
apply bitumen or petroleum, of the description already mentioned, to the coat-
ing of the bottoms of iron ships, or other metallic bodies which are subject to
galvanic influences or to destruction by corrosion. For this purpose I dissolve
the bitumen or petroleum in a sufficient quantity of its natural naptha to form
a material, which I apply in a hot state by means of a brush or otherwise to
the ship's bottom or metallic body.
In carrying out the objects I have already described I have taken
advantage of the properties of the best descriptions of bitumen. I now
proceed to explain the use and application which I make of the crude
and less pure material, which constitutes the greatest portion of the natural
bitumen I have mentioned. Suppose I wish to construct sewers, drains, or³
waterways, and that the trench or ditch L, L, L, Figure 7, is formed to:
receive the sewer or structure destined to conduct the fluids in their proper
course, I throw into such trench or ditch a portion of gravel, or stones, or
other indurated material M, and thereon pour crude bitumen in a molten
state to form concrete, resting firmly on the lower part of its circuit, which
operations of throwing gravel and pouring melted bitumen may be continued
throughout the space between N and N in the sides of the trench, and the core,
mould, or form O may be used to regulate the interior dimensions of the sewer'
or channel to be formed; or the same may be effected by casting the parts in
lengths of such forms as will go together, and produce the construction of such
sewers, drains, waterways, or portions thereof. In this case I join the blocks.
together in the manner herein-before described, or by running in melted bitu-
men between the joints, or using petroleum in its natural plastic state.
Further, I employ the said crude bitumen for other useful purposes to which it
has not heretofore been applied, namely, to construct submerged foundations for
submerged works, as shewn in Figure 8, by pouring it in a boiling state, combined
with gravel stones or such like materials constituting a bituminous concrete l',
into the water over the site of the intended foundation whereon the boiling
fluid will descend, retaining sufficient fluidity to conform to the shape or adhere
to solids it may rest upon; if the bottom is of a soft nature, and the concrete is
continued to be poured thereon, the successive portions will firmly unite to those
previously immersed, and form one block of any magnitude or strength neces-
sary for the contemplated superstructure, as shewn in Figure 9. My said
method of forming submerged foundations is equally adapted to their con-
struction on sand banks or shoals in the sea, where extended surface, solidity,
and strength are essential. Such crude bitumen, or bituminous concrete I
use in like manner to support decayed or undermined piers, pillars, or walls, as

page_text: shown in Figure 10, and for other purposes such as arresting and consolidating
rolling gravel or shifting sand; (often productive of great mischief), and for
forming embankments.
Lastly, I effect an object by the application of crude bitumen, which is
highly conducive to the interests of the British tropical colonies, namely, by
forming channels water-tight, or nearly so, for enabling the copious streams
from the mountains, which hitherto have run, to waste or been absorbed in the.
beds of the streams, to be conducted to the places where their fertilizing effects
may be beneficially applied. For this purpose I render the beds of the streams
water-tight, or nearly so, by means of a coating of bitumen S, S, S, Figure 11,
which (in localities destitute of other means for. melting) may be strewed in
the channels, and fused by burning brushwood or other combustibles laid-
amongst.or upon it. :<
-
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Earl of Dundonald, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of January, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
DUNDONALD. (L.S.)