US39543A - bbaedslee - Google Patents

Description

mitre dem@ encuen vv. ennnnsnnn, or cotnnenroiur, Naw renin.

Specification forming part bf Letters Patent No. 399518339 dated August i8, i862?.

To all whom it ma/y concern:

Be itknown that l, GEORGE W. BEARDSLEE, of Gollege Point, Long Island, in the State of New York, have invented anew and useful Method of Firing or Discharging Cannon and @ther Fire-Arms; and l do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specificaticn, in which,

Fgure'il is a longitudinal section otv a cannon adapted to my improved method of firing the charge, andFig. 2 a perspective view of the fuse, the wrapper being represented as transparent. 1

The same letters indicate like parts 'in both :the figures.

My said invention relates to the iiring of cannon and other hre-arms by currents of electricity, and without a vent or touch hole.

The use of a vent or priming hole in tirearms, and specially in cannon, is known to be 'objectionably for reasons so well understood that it is deemed unnecessary to state them herein; and the object of my said invention is `to avoid the use ot' such vent or priming hole in rearms, and specially in cannon.

The mode of construction for the application of my said invention I will describe as applied to a cannon, as from that 'any one skilled in fire-arms may readily make the application to other hre-arms.

In the rear end or breech of Vthe cannon a, and in line with the axis of the bore, I bore or otherwise :form a holeextending entirely through to the bore, andthis I ream out to a conical form with the greater diameter inside. To this hole is accurately fitted a conical plug of metal, b, 'the periphery of which is to be coated with some suitable non-conductor of electricity. l have found that enameling the surface of the plug in the same way and by the same means used for enamelng iron wire, and therefore not necessary to be described, answers a good purpose.

f The metallic surface of the inner end of-the plug, orI at least a portion of it, should be left uncovered.-l This metallic plug is to be accurately fitted and-.driven forcibly into the conical hole andsecured by a nut,.c,crothcr suitablenieans, on the outside, a" washer of india- The cartridge or charge of powder e is pro vided with a fuse, f, which liv prefer to make `on a plan invented by Frederick E. Beardslee,

and for which l am informed he has made application for Letters Patent. it is constructed as follows, viz: In the accompanying drawings, g represents a block of wood, whichis termed the holden andyinto which are inserted two copper wires, h h', of about No. 16

wire gauge, and about three-sixteenths of an inch apart from center to center.

The edges of the extreme ends of the wires should be completely in contact with the wood. The other end of the wires are left to project from the block to a suiicient length for a purpose to be presently described.

The feeble conductor connecting the extreme end of the two copper wires h h" the inventor prefers to make by a pencil-mark, i, on the end of the holder, extending froml one wire to the other, and made with a pencil of the softest and purest plumbago.

rlihe holder is surrounded with paper extending suiiciently beyond-the end of the holder to form a small case, j, to hold a small charge of powder in contact with the feeble conductor, the inventor preferring to use meal-powder. When a current of electricity is induced in passing through the plumbago-mark, or equivalent feeble conductor, it will ignite a portion of it, producing a break with an intense flash, which will ignite the contained charge of pow der.

To protect the ends of the conducting-wires h h and the plnmbago-line from oxidation and injury, they may be coated with collodion or otherequivalent substance. rlhe fuse f, thus formed, is placed, by preference, at about the center of the cartridge or charge of powder e, with one of the conducting-wires, h, extending in a slight coil through, so as to project slightly from the rear end of the cartridge or charge To the outer end of this plug is atf of powder to insure 'its coming into-contct with the metallic face of the plug b at the f tent as to insure its being in contact with the bore when charged into the cannon.

-As one of 4the conducting-wires of the fuse fis in contact with the inner end of the conical plug b, 'which plug is in connection with the v conducting-wire d, leading to one pole of a magneto-electric machine or galvanic battery, or

other suitable means for inducing currents of electricity, and the other conducting-wire, h',

of the fuse is in contact with the bore of the gun, and the two wires are insulated by the non-conducting coating of the conical p1ug,.it follows that when the body of the cannonlis connected with'the other pole ofa magnetoclectric machine or battery,either by t he ground connection or by another conducting-wire, and the electric circuit is established, the current, on reachingtbe point of one of the wires, will be conducted to the otherwire, h', of the fuse by the pencil-mark o', or equivalent feeble conductor, causingaiiash or spark, which instantly ignites the charge of powder.

By the foregoing means cannon or other lirearms can-be instantly tired by simply closing the electric circuit, or, what is the same thing,

by simply turning the magneto-electric machine, thus dispensing with the necessity of using-a vent or priming hole and avoiding all tbe-objections thereto; andalthou'ghj deem it best to use fuses on the plan herein described, I do not wish to be understood as'restricting myself to the use thereof, as other means for causing the electric current to ire the charge of powder may be substituted;

When but one cannon is required to be fired v at a time it has been found vthat bass-wood and the substance known as the hard compound of vulcanized india-rubber,7 will answer a good purpose for making the holder of the fuse; but when it is desired to fire several at the same, or near the same, instant ottime, and all connected in one electric circuit, it will be best to make the holders of some non-conducting substance which is not combustible, such as glass,

ivory, bone, &c. These suggestions will indicate that other and equivalent means may be substituted.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent for firing cannoli and other fire-arms by currents of electricity, is

Combining with the barrel of the cannon or other tirearm an insulated plug extending through the metal from the bore to the outside, substantially as speciiied to be used with a cartridge having a fuse provided with two conducting-wires, lso that when inserted in the bore one will be in contact with the bore and the other with the insulated plug, as described,

GEO. W. BEARDSLEE. Witnesses: v

J As. DUNFoRD, GRAS. H. SHELLEY.

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