US39032A - Improvement in combined pike and revolving fire-arm - Google Patents

Description

J. C. CAMPBELL.

Lance and RevolverJ` Patcntn-d June 30, 18453.

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` UNITED STATES JAMES C. CAMPBELL,

PATENT OFFICE.

0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,032, dated June 30, 1863.

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that L'JAMES C. CAMPBELL, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new WeaponV ot' War in which the Lance and the Revolving File-Arm are combined; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same,reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a partof this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of myn'ew weapon. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the revolving cylinder and' the back part of th pole or shaft of the lance. Fig. 3 is a top view of the cylinder and part of the pole or shaft, With the recoil-shield and the hammer-casing in section. Fig. 4 is a back view of the cylinder. Y

Similar letters of reference indica-te corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists, iirst,in the combination, with a lance, of a revolving manychambered cylinder of similar character to that commonly used in revolving fire-arms, arranged to rotate upon the pole or shaft of the lance by having the said pole or shaft passed directly through it. l

It also consists in furnishing the so-applied lnany-chambered cylinder at its rear end with a circular series of ratchet-like teeth correspondingin number with its chambers, andin fitting the lance pole or stock with a sliding hammer, so formed and arranged that by turning the cylinder upon the said pole or shaft the said teeth may be made to force back the said hammer in such manner as to permitit to be driven forward again by a suitably-applied spring, and thereby caused to strike upon percussion-caps or their equivalents, applied in rear of the several chambers for the purpose of firing the charges ofthe said chambers one at a time and in t regular succession all round the cylinder.

It also consists in fitting the butt of the pole or shaft with a spike which can be sheathed by being pushed into the pole or shaft when the weapon is to be carried or used, and protruded from the butt to enable it to be driven into the ground to hold the weapon in an upright position, ready to be quickly laid hold of when required for use.

This weapon is suitable for arming either infantry or cavalry, but especially for infantry.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the pole or shaft, which may be either made of wood and have the part to which the cylinder B is fitted and the part in front of the cylinder cased with a steel tube, or made entirely of an iron or steel tube, with the exctp tion of the rear portion, which constitutes the handle, which should be of wood, and of any suitable length, say from six to seven feet, and of a suitable thickness for proper strength.

O is the lance-head, made of steel, of any suitable form and length, but preferably ot' such form as to cut both in being pushed forward and in being drawn from a wound, after having been pushed in upto the pole or shaft.

The cylinder B is bored centrally throughout, of a size to t and turn easily on the pole or shaft A, and its chambers rt a are arranged around the bore, at equal distances apart, in a concentric circle. A

b b are nipples for percussion-caps, screwed nto the cylinder in rear of the several chamers.

o c are the ratchet-teeth formed on the rear end of the cylinder, corresponding in number with the chambers.

D is a circular recoil-shield, of steel or other metal, fast upon the pole or shaft A, in rear of the cylinder, and f is a key inserted transversely through the pole or shaft in front of the, cylinder, to keep it in place against the re` coil-shield, said shield being made with a'rim, d, to incase the ratchet-teeth. Two cylinders are intended to be provided, the other of which may be carried loaded in acartouch-box, and when all the chambers in the tirst 'one have beendischarged the key f is taken ont and that one is drawn off the pole or shaft over the head of the lance, and the other one is put on in its place and secured by the key.

E is the hammer, consisting ofa square steel bolt fitted to slide parallel with the length of the pole or shaft A, in a metal box, F, secured to the pole or shaft A in rear of the recoilshield. This bolt has formed on its front end an inclined surface, c, for the ratchet-teeth to act upon to force it back from the nipples.

l Gis the spring for driving forward the hammer, applied to work in a transverse slot, g, provided in the pole, and entering the box F in rear lof the hammer.

H is a screw, passing freely through a hole.,

h, in the rear ot the box, and screwing into atapped hole in the rear end of the hammer for the purpose of drawing back the hammer clear of the ratchet-teeth previously to taking out vthe discharged cylinder, and to prevent the accidental discharge of the chambers of the capped and loaded cylinder. e

VI is the spike, insertedinto n hole bored for its reception in the butt of the pole or shaft deep enough to receive its whole length, as

shown in Fig. 2; and J is ra set-screw, transversely screwing into the pole or shaft, to secure the spike either while sheathed, as shown in Fig. 2, or while drawn partly out ot'l thepole or shaft, as shown in red outline in Fig. l.

This weapon may be carried, in charging on an enemy, with the. cylinder grasped in the left and the back part of the pole or shatt in the right hand, and the cylinder being turned by the lett hand brings the chambers successively way a rapidly-repeated lire is elfected until arriving at close quarters, when the lance itself is used.

To change the discharged cylinder for the charged one, which has been kept in reserve, the hammer is drawn back by screwing in the screw H, the key fis taken out, the discharged cylinder is drawn off, the charged one put in its place, the key reinserted, and the screw screwed lback far enough to allow the hammer to reach the percussion-caps on the nipples.`

To stack arms in bivouacking or encamping, the spike I is drawn' out and secured, and by driving down the pole or shaft vertically the said spike'is driven i'ntothe ground. Y

What I claim as my invention, and desire t0 secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, with a lance, ofa manychambered cylinder of similar character to that of a revolving fire-arm, fitted to rotate upon the pole or shaft of the lance, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination of the series of ratchetlike teeth on the rear ofthe so-applied many- JAMES c. CAMPBELL.

Witnesses: i i

M. S. PARTRIDGE, DANIEL ROBERTSON.

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