US117172A - Improvement - Google Patents

Description

THOMAS HILL, OF VALLEJO, CALllORNIA.

iMPRovEMEN-ris meteorites.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,172, dated July 18, 1871.

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that l, THOMAS HILL, of Vallejo, county of Solano, State of California, have in .vented an Improvement in lroiectile's; and l do hereby declare thev followimgI description and accompanying` draivingI are sul'iicient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertains to make and use my said inventioi i -or improvement without further invention or experiment. i

The object ofmy invention is to provide an improvement in that class oi' projectiles which is .nnployed in gunning; anditrelatcs more particularly to the construction oi' shells, the manner oiclmrging, and the devices for' exploding,r the same. lhe projectile consistsoltwo or more con.- centric shells, one within the other, so arranged that one shall contain the bursting;I charge, while, the other one. is `loaded with balls or scraps ot' metal. li' a third one is employed, it is placed the iuneriiiost ot' all, and serves to contain a small vial of liquid tire or other igniter which will be broken by the concussion when the shell strikes, and 'thus ignite the charge through small openings, as shown. 'ln'bes may be arranged to extend through the shell `irom side to side, in two or three diliercnt directions, and a small i'uluiinatingshell is placed 'in' each, having a spring' and needle so placed that, when thc'shell strikes, one or other oi' the dil'icrent fulminates shall be. exploded bythe concussion and ignite the charge.

This latter device is also amilicable to conical' shells.

I tcferrinig to the accompanying' Q lrawingg,` i'or a, more complete explanation of my invention, A, B, and (l are three eoneeni'rieshells,cast oi' suitable thickness, proportioned tothe size, audsuported and stayed. by braces, `which may be introduced when the shell is molded. An opening' is nnule-directly into the outer shell. A short tulsa/1, opens into the shell il, and a tube, c, com llccts the inner shell (l with the outside.. These ltubes and tubes (I, to be hereafter described, may be so introduced as lo serve as braces instead oli' rods. lhe shell l is ehaii'ged' -with the powder necessary to explode it. The outer shell A may be lilled with balls, serapiron, or other missiles,

and the inner shell (l is leit empty, buthas small holes c madeforconnuuuication with the shell l.

ln order toexplode this projectile, l employ one orboth of two devices, which l willnovinleA scribe: f is a small bottle, of zine, glass, or any substance which. will move about ordinarily with safety, but which can be broken by violent concussion. This bottle' is illed with Vliquid fire or other inflammable substance and corlccd ti ghtly. The bottle fis then made tast by a string to the end oi a wooden plug, g, which is iiattened at the sides to admit air, and which tits tightly in the pipe c. Into this pipe it is placed so that the bottle is suspended Within. the .inner shell U. The bottle is released by the llame of the discharge, which burns the string and it is sut'ered to roll loosely within the shell. When the ,projectile strikes any objeizt-after being discharged theconeussionwill break the 'bottle or force the corllA` out by compression-'and the bursting` charge in the chamber l5 will beLnited through theslnall 'holes 0. A hole, a., is made through the plug y, so that, if desired,'an ordinary time-fuse' may be used.

llo secure a greater certainty' of explosion lmakethe projectile with two or, three or more tubes, d, passing entirely through the chambers A-and B outside oi' the inner one C, and in different directions, so that in whatever positionthe shell strikes some one ol the tubes will stand with its axis in the direction of' the line of motion. Within each of the tubes d l place a small fnlmiiratingslrell, h, which will slide easily from end to end. To one end ol this shell is aiiixed aspring, i, and a small weight, m, is l'astened to tlie outer end' ot' 'the spring'. A needle ortiring-linnn., extends from the weight so as to touch or nearly touch the shell l1., and when the projectile strike` anobject lthe device inst described will slide t'fn'e-ibly to one end ol" its tube and the spring fi will be compressed enough to allow the -pin n. to pierce the shell It, and thus lire the bursting,I chargein the large shell .li through the holes'o. All of' the tubes b, o, and (l are closed from the outside by suitable ,wooden plugs, as shown.

lllither one or both ol'the devices descrilnalinay be employed in eo'neentric shells, and jtheone last described may be used in elongated projectiles. l/Vhcn the latter only is employed in, crnnzentric shells the inner chamber may be dispensed with, it' desired.

l am asv-are that bottles lutv'e'heen inclosed within projectiles and so arranged as to bc Abroken by the explosion olf some luhninate; hence l. do not claim, broadly, the use oi bottles inclosed in projectiles; but

Vhat l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The bottle j; containing the igniting-iinid,`

-ehambers 'A and B and outside of the innei one 0, and touching the outer surface of the proj eet-ile at various points, so that, in whatever position the shell strikes, some one ofthe tubes will stand with its line nearly in the direction of the line of motion, substantially as set forth.

I'n witness that the above-described invention is claimed.- by me I'hzwe hereunto set my hand and seal. A

GEO. H. STRONG,' CHARLIE BROWN.

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