USRE1583E - Improvement in wooden pavements - Google Patents

Description

4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. l'

SAMUEL NrcoLsoN, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMI'ROVEMEN'I IN WOODEN PAVEMENTS.

Specification forming part of lLetters Patent No. 11,491, dated August 8, 1854; Reissue No. 1.583, datedv December 1, 1863,

T 0 all whom, it may concern.' Be it known that the following isa full, clear, and exact description of the new and useful Improved Wooden Pavement invented by me, SAMUEL NIcoLsoN, of Boston, in the State oi' Massachusetts, and for which Letters Patent were granted to me on the-8th day of August, in the -year of our Lord 1854,*the said Letters Patent having been surrendered for the purposeY of describing the .same invent-ion` and pointing out;in what it consists in more clear, full, and exact terms than was done in the original specifications.

The nature and object of my invention is the creation and constructing of such a wooden pavement for streets and roadways as shall be comparatively permanent-and durable by souniting and combining all its parts, both superstructure and foundation, so as to provide against the slipping of the horses feet, against noise, a-gainst unequal wear, and against rot on and from the top surface, and against rot and consequent sinking away from below, or

the working of the gravel or other material under the blocks so as to causeinequalities in the surface.

For a clear understanding ofthe manner of constructing my improved wooden pavement I refer to the accompanying drawings, with. making corresponding vletters of v reference, part of these specifications, of which- Drawing No. I, Figure 1, represents a top view of the first plan of lsaid pavement, and Fig. 2 of the'same drawing represents a transverse and kvertical section of the same; and` Fig. 1v of .Drawing No. II represents a perspective view ofthe said pavement constructedv vafter these'cond plan or modification; and Fig.. 2, Drawing ,No."IL a further perspective view ot' thesaid .pavement on the first plan; vand Fig. 3, Drawing No. II, a further perspl ctive view ofthe said pavement on the second plan.

The earth of a roadway upon which my improved wooden pavement is to be constructed must Iirst be suitably graded in any of the' usual and well-known methods in .order to. prepare it 1for the reception of such pavement. When the street or roadway has been thus prepared for the reception of my pavement, I then cover the surface ofthe roadway or bed with tarred paper, or with lime, mortar, or hydraulic cement, laid over it about two inches v.be put. I broken stoneor coarse clean gravel, the whole being firmly rammed, so that the upper sur-A .face of the mass in each cell shall be iirm and level. Next, mineral or vegetable tar'or pitch is to be pouredover thewhole surface of the 'use of two sets or series, a a a b b b, of wooden blocks. They are cut with parallel sides, lines, or surfaces from joist or timber, about four inches square. or of other suitable shape and dimensions in cross-sections, the longer blocks a a a being madeabout eight inches in length, while the shorter blocks, or those represented at b b b, are formed about half the length of the others. These blocks are placed end upward upon said 'foundation or support, and

are arranged both transversely and longitudinally so that the long and the short blocks shall be arranged alternately in each direcy tion or run as seen in the drawings. Such au arrangement of them leaves cavities c c c, be:

, tween the said blocks, each of the said cells being bounded by four. of the larger' blocks andjhaving its bottom formed by one of the shorter blocks. The upperfends of the long blocks, when thus placed together, present a f checkered or,tessellatedappearanc, and they will exhibit the open spaces arranged together Into each of these cells g in a similar manner. l a small quantity or layer of coarse saltmay These cells are filled up with small pavement and into' thecells 'or-.cavities containing the broken. stoneor gravel, so as to4 penetrate entirely between the. pieces of stoney or gravel and cement them together. The tar, permeating into the squares containing the broken stone or gravel, will cause the masses of the same to adhere rmly to the surrounding blocks, and will admit of expansion of the.

mass by the weight of the wheels of carriages in passing over them, such expansion serving tn till up the space which might otherwise be made by shrinkage of the wooden blocks.

dov'vn'into the joints between the blocks.

In order to prevent the blocks from being forced below one another in some of my-modes of constructing the pavement they may be pinned together with wooden pins extending l from block to block.

Instead of the broken stone and tar any other suitable cementing material or cement may be employed in the cells. I prefer, however, common tar, or pitch and gravel,or broken stone, as such in practice has been found to operate to great advantage and to be very durable in use, and to present a surface over which it is very difficult for ahorses foot to slip or slide, as it will on'lordinary wooden pavement when itssurface is wet or covered vwith mud. The shorter blocks-b b b serve to uphold the masses of cement and stone in the v -cells or cavities, so as to prevent particles o the broken stone or gravel .from working under the longer blocks and thus upheaving themV and causing inequalities in the pavement, and when such masses are compacted by 'any blow upon. theml or the rolling of wheels over them, instead of being pressed down so asto slide down between the blocks, 'they are made to spread laterally and thereby completely close up the joints between the blocks and themselves, 'so as to prevent water from passing As the salt will slowly melt it will penetrate into the wood and aid-in preserving it from decay. My invention may be carried out in' another formthat is to say, as seen in Fig.1 and Fig. 3, DrawingNo. II. The long blocks may be arranged side by side and in rows transversely of the roadway, and with spaces about one inch in thickness between each two rows of them, in each 'ofwhich spaces a strip cf g board may be introduced edgewise or vertical,

lthe' width of the board being equal to about halfthe' length of the block. `'These boards being made to .rest onthe foundationror support resting on he surface of theground, cre- 'c ate with the rows of the-blocks long. cells or grooves extending transversely. across the roadway, such cells or grooves being subser q-uently filled with broken stone or gravel, and tarorcem t. v I would remark as to the greatl durabilityof my pavement that for the purpose otfex-- periment I have had some 'of itV in use :for six years before the month 'of March','1854,on a road over which the travel has been very great. Some of the advantages of Ymy improved pavement. areto- ,be found in the hold that .it offers to the' feet -ofl horses; in the little noise that is'produce'dl by carriages in passing over it-the absence of noise resulting from thepeculiar character of the materials of which the pavement is composed. This pavement is also very durable,- its durability being occalittle dust is likely to form upon it, and such as does form. is quickly removed therefrom by v Irains and winds. .I y.

Having thus fully describedv the parts and combination of parts, and the operation of my improved wooden pavement, and shown various lnodes in whichI the same may be constructed and made to operate without changing the principlepf'its construction and opef ration, what I claim therein as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, vis- The so combining or arranging the foundation or support, or its equivalent, of said wooden pavement resting on the roadway surface or bed,- substant'ially as herein described, .with said long and short blocks above describedmr their equivalents, which said blocks are combined in such manner as that partitions shall be made, leaving cellsor channels between them, with a wooden bottom formedby the shorter .hlocks'some distan ce above the lower end of the longer blocks for the reception of the broken stoneor gravel and tar or other like material, and also combined with such cells or channels iilled with broken stone, gravel, and tar, Aor other like material, substantially as herein described, having such wooden bottom to rest upon, substantially as herein described, f

whereby the ,particles of pounded. stonel'or gravel-are prevented from working under the lower ends of the longer blocks, and -whereby water is .prevented from passing froml the surfacer ofthe pavement downward through' the joints of `said wooden blocks', and also moisture is prevented from being absorbedjupward .from the ground by said wooden blocks, substantially as herein described.4

- SAMUEL NICLSON.

Witnesses:`

.STEPHEN A. GoonwIN, `DANIEL GooDwiN, J r.'

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