US17662A - Iron pavement for streets - Google Patents

Description

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

GEO. IV. BISHUP, OF BROOKLYN, YORK.

IRON PAVEMENT FOR STREETS.

i Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,662, dated June 30, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BIsHUP, of the city of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Iron Pavements for Streets and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specication, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of a series of the blocks on my improved plan. Figs. 2 and 3, vertical sections taken at the line A, a, and B, b, of Fi 1, and Fig. 4 a bottom view of one of the books.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The object of my invention is to make a avement for streets of blocks of iron so formed on their upper surface as to effectually prevent horses from slipping and permit water with accumulating dirt to run 0H to the side gutters, and at the same time of securing rails thereto for a rail road.

In the accompanying drawings (a) re resents the upper surface of a cast iron b ook formed with parallel grooves (b) running at or nearly at right angles to the line of the road way, and the surface of the ribs (c) between these grooves is composed of a series of inclined planes (d) and shoulders (c) presenting somewhat the appearance of a shingled roof, but with the inclination in the reversed direc-tion. The shoulders which join the summits of each inclined plane with the base of the next are not square across the ribs but curved. When these blocks are formed for aving a street with a railroad the upper surface of the ribs are formed with cross grooves (j) of sufficient width to receive the rails (g) and for the passage of the fianches of the rail road wheels, and the rails are then to be secured in place by screws, keys, wedges 0r other suitable means but the grooves are not to be made so deep as the grooves (b) so that there will be sufficient space left below the rails for the assage of water and dirt. The upper part of the blocks can be made of any suitable thickness, at the discretion of the constructor. Two of the edges are chamfered or beveled o as at (k, 7c) to an angle of about forty-five degrees, and the other two edges are beveled off to the same angle but on the under face as at (l, l). The

proportional extent of this beveling may be varied at discretion, but all four edges to the same extent, and below the oblique faces produced by this beveling the four faces of the block are vertical, forming four iianches (m, m, m, m), and these may be braced by two diagonal iianches (n, n), leaving on the under side of the block four triangular compartments (o, o, o, o), so that when the flanches are buried in the earth or concrete, or other cement, composing the foundation of the roadway these cavities will be filled up and the ianches will then hold the blocks firmly in place. The blocks thus formed are to be laid in opposite directions, commencing in the middle of the street and inclining downward on both sides from the middle to the sides, but with the shoulders (e) facing the middle and the inclined faces (d) inclining toward the sides of the street, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The series of blocks overlap one another, so that two sides of one will overlap two contiguous blocks and the other two sides will be overlapped by two contiguous blocks, as represented by full lines; but if desired they may be arranged as represented by dotted lines, in which case parts of two blocks will be overlapped by one side of one block, and its opposite side will be overla ped by part of two blocks, and instead of beveling the edges of the blocks for overlapping and being overlapped they may be rabbeted as represented by dotted lines in Fig. 2 with a flat rabbet, or the rabbet may be curved to interlock as represented by dotted lines in Fig. 3. When the edges are either beveled or formed with fiat rabbets it will be found advantageous in either case to bind the blocks to one another by means of wedge like spurs or tongues (t) projecting from the overlapping faces and fitting into cavities in the overlapped faces.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a pavement thus formed will be very durable and clean, as no portion of dirt will be produced from it, and any dirt that may accumulate upon it will be washed 0H from the surface of the ribs into the grooves and thence along the grooves to the side gutters or sewers, and this, too, even when a railroad track islaid on such a pavement, and what is very important, it w1ll effectually prevent horses from slipping, for, as the surface of the ribs present a series of inclined planes from the middle of the roadway on each side, there can be no tendency to slip laterally exce t toward the sidewalks, and this is effectua ly prevented by the series of the rails of a street railroad than any other Y plan with which I am acquainted.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting my claim of invention to the use of all the features ofY my invention in connection, as good results may be obtained by the use of some of them Without the others, but'the best results will be obtained when all the parts are used in connection. Nor do I Wish to be understood as limiting myself to the making of the blocks of a quadrangular form, as other forms, such as the hexagonal, may be substituted, although I prefer the quadrangular form.

I do not claim broadly as my invention the aving of streets with blocks of cast iron, as tiiis has long been known; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Making cast-iron paving blocks with a series of transverse draining grooves, substantially as described, which, when completed and laid, will form grooves running from the middle ofthe street toward the side gutters or sewers, as set forth.

2. I also claim forming the surface of iron paving blocks with a series of inclined planes and shoulders, substantially as described, to prevent horses from slipping, While at the same time carriages Will roll over the surface Without serious impediment or concussions.

3. And I also claim the said series of inclined planes and shoulders in combination with 'the lateral grooves for draining, but which also answer the purpose of preventing horses from slipping, as set forth.

4. And, finally, I claim the manner of uniting the iron blocks in laying a pavement by the alternating over and under lapping of the series of blocks, substantially as described, whereby the blocks areenabled to sustain one another and thereby to more effectually maintain the required grade.

G. W. BISHUP.

Witnesses:

WM. H. BISHOP, F. J. DE LA HUNT.

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