A NEW AND IMPROVED.. GREEK-FIRE ARM
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of the British and
Foreign Patent Offices, 18, Ohaussée d'Antin, Paris, in the Empire
of France, and 10, Sackville Street, Piccadilly, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the-Invention of "A NEW AND IMPROVED..
GREEK-FIRE ARM." -A communication from Wilhelm Rabback,
residing at 36, Boulevart des Batignolles, in Paris, aforesaid,
Gentleman.
Sealed the 3rd December 1869, and dated the 25th September 1869.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 25th September 1869, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI
ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 18,
Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, in the Empire of France, and 10, Sackville Street,
Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "A NEW AND
IMPROVED GREEK-FIRE ARE," communicated to me by Wilhelm Rabback, a

page_text: i
person resident at 36, Boulevart des Batignolles, in Paris, aforesaid,
Gentleman, and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my
exccutors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the
same, and made solemn Declaration that it is a communication.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, reference being
had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:
The Invention communicated to me relates to a new and improved
fire-arm by means of which Greek-fire is employed with continuous
motive power for attack and defense at a short distance. This arm is
shewn in the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. I. is a longitudinal
section with the short barrel screwed; Fig. II., the long barrel called
the reserve barrel; Fig. III., the handle for the condensed air pump
envelopped in a leather packing; Fig. IV., the ramrod for charging the
arm with Greek-fire; Fig. V., the suction pipe for the introduction of
the Greek-fire.
EXPLANATION OF THE FIGURES.
Fig. I., A is a gasometer consisting of a stretched and soldered pipe
of copper, bronze, or iron; a, a ring or stay screwed and soldered to the
gasometer; b, section of the gasometer and of the condensed air pump
by the line x,y; B, condensed air pump; c, a ring or stay in which is
soldered and screwed the pump, said pump is consequently placed in
the gasometer; d is a valve of the gasometer with a spiral spring;
the piece in which is placed this valve is screwed and soldered to the
'pump; e, is the valve of the pump with a long rod; f, piston of the
pump with leather packing; g, hollow rod of the piston of the pump;
h, the oil reservoir screwed to the rod of the pump and fastened between
two rings, screwed likewise, and of which one is soldered to the said rod.
These two rings are separated from the oil reservoir by leather washers
so as to form two ordinary pistons, so that the oil is enclosed between
two pistons and the interior sides of the pump; the pump piston is
consequently formed of three different pistons. This combination being
intended to carry the oil reservoir along with the piston without the oil
running too quickly, the reservoir is filled with spun cotton imbibed
with oil, which will keep a sufficient time. i is a section of the pump

page_text: pump
by the line v, 2; k, two holes closed by a head screw for introducing the
oil into the reservior of the pump piston; 1, a spiral spring for the
valve of the pump; m and n, two screws to maintain this spring, m
serving also as a guide for the rod of the valve of the pump and having
several hollow grooves in its circumference; o, a cap to guard the
three pieces l, m, n, when the handle, Fig. III., of the is detached
from the arm; P, piece of iron forming the piston screwed upon the rod
of the pump. and which maintains the leather packing; 7, the guiding
cap of the rod of the pump piston. To break the shock when charging
the gasometer it has leather washers within. To introduce the oil into the
reservoir the piston is drawn outwards, the two holes are opened, and
the oil introduced with a little syringe; or the cap q is unscrewed, the
piston drawn out entirely, the oil poured upon the cotton which
imbibes the same, and the piston, scrows, and caps replaced in their
respective positions. r is an end view of the body of the valve of the
gasometer; 8, an end view of the piston of the pump; t, a section of
the same by the lines o³, 2¹; C, cock of the gasometer, shewn by a section
perpendicular to the axe of the same, the piece in which is placed the
cock is screwed and soldered to the gasometer; O³ a side view, and Os a
top view of the same; O³, a section by the line u, w; C, a section by
the line u, w, of the same; 0, section of the same and of the gasometer
by the line ¹³, y¹; a¹, two sections of cylinders to guard the cock
on each side against dirt, see 0, 0%, and 0; 61, screw filling up a hole
for the escape of air during the introduction of Greck-fire into the
short barrel; c, two pins to limit the movement of the cock when it
is completely opened or shut; d, two pins on the cock for the same
purpose; e shews the position of the handle of the cock when this latter
is completely shut; f, the same when completely opened; D, side view
of a manometer; E, longitudinal section of a short barrel with its
accessories; the two barrels are smooth; E, top view of the cock of the
short barrel; a, piston without rod with two pieces of leather which
are enclosed between three iron plates which are concave and convex,,
being rivetted together by three screws; 73, cock and its accessories;
c, handle of the cock turned towards the left hand, sec E¹, when it is
completely shut; &, position of this hand for opening the cock
completely; f, cap with an opening; 9, the pointed covering of the cap.
Fig. II. represents the long or reserve barrel. a, piston without rod;
a, the same from an end view; &, side view of a cock; these three
picces are the sanie as. those used in the short barrel. c³, a cap for

page_text: closing the barrel behind;
P, a screw for this cap, the short barrel
being likewise provided with articles similar to these two last-mentioned
for closing it when unscrewed; f³, the cap with an opening of the
barrel; g', the covering of the cap. It is understood that everywhere
where two pieces are screwed together without being soldered there are
leather washers.
A. Loading the Arm. Suction of Greek-fire in the Reserve Barrel.-
The screw d³ is drawn back so as to introduce and slightly screw the
ramrod in the piston a³; the cock is opened and the piston pushed to
the bottom to expel the air; the suction pipe is then screwed to
immerse it in the Greek-fire prepared in advance; the Greek-fire is
drawn up by suction by slowly drawing the piston by means of the
ramrod; the cock is closed as long as the pipe is in the liquid; the
pipe is then unscrewed and well rinsed in water.
B. Introduction of the Greek-fire into the. Short Barrel.-This barrel
and the hand, Fig. III., of the piston of the condensed air pump are
supposed to be screwed to the arm, then the handle is placed on the
ground, and the two barrels are screwed together; the two cocks are
opened and the screw b¹ taken away; by slowly driving the piston of
the reserve barrel by means of the ramrod the liquid imparts motion
to the piston with no rod in the short barrel; this piston having
reached the bottom the introduction of the Greek-fire is operated;
then the screw 6' is replaced and the cock and short barrel shut; then
the arm is turned over and the gasometer is thus placed on top; in this
position the ramrod is pulled as if the piston was to be drawn out, in
order to produce the vacuum in the little canal between the two cocks.
When the vacuum is produced the cock of the reserve barrel is quickly
shut, after which the two barrels are unscrewed; the cap and its
covering on the short barrel are screwed up and the reserve barrel is
loaded again, but leaving a space of three centimetres high; the
opening through which passes the ramrod is closed again by the
screw d; the cap and its covering is screwed up and the reserve
barrel is placed in a leather receptacle. The Greek-fire is thus
hermetically enclosed in the two separate barrels. The interior of the
reserve barrel is three centimetres longer than that of the short barrel.
The reason for this difference will be indicated further on.
C. Introduction of the Charge with Continuous Motive Power into the
Gasometer. For this operation the arm is placed with the point of the

page_text: covering of the cap against the ground and the piston of the condensed
air pump being put into motion; by raising the piston of the pump a
vacuum is formed underneath the same, as in the air gun, in con-
sequence of the operation, which would require fatiguing efforts and
necessitate the arm being firmly held down by the feet of the operator
were it not for the following provisions and combinations, viz.:-1st,
the piston rod of the pump is hollow; 2ond, the valve spring of the
pump is not attached to the valve itself, but to the outer end of a long
rod, where it is maintained by two screws m and n; 3rd, the screw m
having four hollow grooves in its circumference; 4th, the hande,
Fig. III., has a hollow screw in the main screw; 5th, the thin part of
the valve is also provided with three hollow grooves. Thus by drawing
the pump piston the exterior atmospheric air rushes in through the
grooves or openings 4, 3, 1, and 5, quickly opens the valve e and
introduces itself under the piston, so that the vacuum cannot take
place; when the piston reaches the end the little spring immediately
shuts the valve, and thus a column of air is enclosed in the pump; by
pushing down the piston this air is compressed until it forces open the
valve of the gasometer and enters the same. In this way the two
drawbacks above mentioned are surmounted. The two valves are
provided with rubber washers. When the pressure in the gasometer
equals from 10 to 12 times that of the atmosphere the two barrels are
screwed together and the two cocks opened to establish a permanent
communication of the liquids in the two barrels; this is necessary in
consequence of the difference in the expansion of liquids and metals,
arising from variations in the temperature (exterior). The two cocks
opened this difference of expansion is corrected spontaneously, for the
expansion, resulting from the increased heat during the day, pushes
the piston without a rod from the reserve barrel proportionally to this
increase of heat, care having been taken to leave the three.centimetres
already spoken of for this play. When the temperature decreases
during the night the piston is in the same way, and proportionally,
pushed in a contrary direction in the barrel.
In order to arrange
conveniently this space of a few centimetres the ramrod has a certain
number of divisions. The Greek-fire thus is again hermetically
enclosed in the two united barrels, and no longer presents any danger
for the operator. When- it is seen that the fire may be operated the
two. barrels are separated, then the cap is put on the short barrel, and

page_text: thic reserve barrel is provisionally placed in its leather receptacle with
its cap and cover.
In order to fire, the handle of the pump is rested on the upper part
of the right thigh, the thumb of the right hand on the handle of the
cock of the barrel, and the thumb of the left hand on the cock of the
gasometer. The two cocks should be opened nearly together, the one
of the barrel a fraction of a second before the other, and the fire is
operated without noise and with continuous motive power by means of
the piston without a rod. The fire being operated the two cocks should
be immediately closed. To re-charge, one barrel is substituted for the
other, or the Greek-fire is re-introduced into the barrel in place. In
either case a few strokes of the pump piston must be given to compress
the air. to its original pressure of ten or twelve times the atmosphere.
The piston without a rod is moved in the short barrel by means of any
sort of liquid for the loading process on one side, and by means of tho
compressed air for the discharging on the other, and in all cases always
without a rod. The piston without a rod in the reserve barrel is moved
by means of the ramrod, which serves as a rod for loading and for the
'introduction of the Greek-fire, but it is moved without a rod for the
'fire, as that of the short barrel, when this latter is replaced by the reserve
barrel, and finally it is moved without a rod in the variations of the
temperature, correcting spontaneously by the difference of expansion
between the metal and the liquid, which is necessary, because when
loading with the temperature cold, in the early morning for example,
there can be a difference of 25° (R.) at mid-day, or even more, which
might occasion the rupture of the barrels if this spontaneous correction
were not operated.
During the few fractions of seconds that the fire with continuous
motive power takes to issue from the barrel the position of the arm may
be frequently changed, it only requiring to be held at an inclination of
from 10° to 40°. If the range is not very distant, for example several
times the range of non-fire arms, the fire cannot fail to carry even in
the dark or under any other circumstances, when other arms of
instantaneous motive power (loaded with powder) can only be discharged
by chance. The effect is always felt in several places. The object of
the Greek-fire arm is to break the compact lines of the ennemy when an
army is attacking, or defending itself, with non-fire arms in a mêlée.

page_text: By the title Greek-fire arm it is not intended to convey the idea of a
gun or a canon, but simply of an engine appropriate for defense or
attack when the distance is not great, whatever may be its calibre. If
it is made the size of the Drawings, or somewhere about that size, it
would be portative like a gun. The size should be proportionately
reduced and the form somewhat modified for an arm of the pistol
description. For small merchant vessels the arm should be constructed
otherwise, much larger, and having the calibre of a field-piece; the
power of the condensed air pump has also to be modified and increased,
said pump being placed exteriorly. For large vessels, especially those
protected by armour plating, the arm may have a calibre as large
as the largest in use. The engines on steam vessels could work the
condensed air pump for charging the gasometers. To the arms with
large calibre it is as well to add a regulator distributing air by continuous
motive power with equal or regular pressure, which for the portative arm
has not appeared of use. In consequence of the relative superiority of
the portative arm, especially at night, over ordinary fire-arms, the tenth
or perhaps even the twentieth part of fighting troops armed with this
kind of arm would suffice to break the enemy's lines at a short distance,
as has been already indicated.
The arm above described has not for various reasons been yet
provided with the mecanism necessary for firing it artificially, whilst
the description of Greek-fire, which may be called "atmospheric Greek-
fire" or "pyrophorus liquid," which is spontaneously and instantaneously
combustible in the common atmosphere, even at a tolerably low
temperature, is the element at present indicated for use. But it would
be easy to add a fit mecanism for this purpose, if necessery, either for
the combustion of the pyrophorus liquid, in winter, or of other kinds of
Greek-fire not spontaneously combustible.
Having thus described this Invention, and the manner of putting it
into execution, I will observe in conclusion that what I claim and desire
to secure by the said Letters Patent is,―
1st. The use of Greek-fire as a means of attack and defense in fire-
arms with continuous motive power, portative or otherwise, by means of
a piston without a rod whatever may be the form and the calibre of said
arms, as described and set forth.
2ond. The piston working and operating without a rod, as described
and shewn in the Drawings, moveable during the charging or loading

page_text: operation under the pressure of Greek-fire, and during the discharge or
fire under the pressure of condensed air, as described.
3rd. The manner of loading the arm by leaving in the reserve barrel
an empty space to compensate for the difference in the expansion of the
metal and the liquid, as described and set forth.
4th. The combination of the hollow rod of the pump piston, the
hollow grooves in the screw m and in the pump valve, and the hollow
screw of the handle, Fig. III., or any other similar means for preventing
the formation of a vacuum under the piston, as described and set forth.
5th. The combination of the pump and of the gasometer placed one in
the other, as described and set forth.
6th. The application of the manometer to Greek-fire arms, as set
forth.
7th. The pump piston combined with the reservoir arranged and
operating as described and represented in the Drawings.
8th. The application of the cock to Greek-fire arms, as described and
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and sixty-
nine.