IMPROVEMENTS IN SPADE BAYONETS, AND BAYONET FASTENINGS
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Thomas Hughes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th May 1873.-A communication from abroad by Felix Chilling-
worth, of Springfield, in the County of Hampden, in the State of
Massachusetts, United States of America.
I, EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent
Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPADE BAYONETS, AND BAYONET
FASTENINGS," a communication to me from abroad by Felix Chillingworth,
of Springfield, in the County of Hampden, in the State of Massachusetts,
United States of America (to be as follows):-
The object of my Invention is to make the bayonet shank of regular
form free from angular projections, for the purpose of providing a smooth
handle for the spade bayonet, thereby removing any liability of cutting
or injuring the hand by any sharp projections, when the bayonet is
detached from the gun and used for the purpose of digging in forming
entrenchments, and at the same time to improve the means of attaching
the bayonet to and detaching it from the gun.

page_text: Fig. 2 is another side view of the shank, made upon a spade bayonet;
Fig. 3 is an end view of the same.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the sleeve through line I.
Fig. 5 is an end view of the socket with the sleeve removed; Fig. 6
is a side view of the same, with the sleeve removed and showing the
stud.
Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the sleeve through line H; Fig. 8 is
a longitudinal section of the sleeve through line N of Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 1
is a side view of the friction pin, its stop, and spring.
In the Drawing A represents the shank, and E the blade of a trowel
bayonet, upon the end of which shank is made the arm 6 having the
sight slot a made therein, extending into the shank sufficiently to receive
the sight of the gun, and a sleeve B having a longitudinal groove a¹,
therein, which I denominate the sight groove, is made to fit said arm
properly. A hole is made in the shank or socket which is made
sufficiently thick for that purpose, and a pin e is inserted therein with a
spring x behind it, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1, 2, and 6, so that
the end of the pin may project a little from the shank, as shown in same
Figures and a projection h is made upon the arm, which projection should
not be placed upon the arm at any point between the friction pin e and
the sight slot a, but may be placed upon any other portion of said arm.
I prefer to place it a little to one side of the line of the friction pin e, as
shown in Figs. 5 and 6.
That part of the sleeve having the largest inside diameter fits upon
the arm, and a shoulder m in said sleeve meets the end of the arm, so that
the part of the sleeve having the smallest inside diameter forms a con-
tinuation of the inside of the arm, both being of the same inside
diameter.
A groove n is formed on the inside of the sleeve at right angles to the
sight groove a¹ of sufficient size to allow the projection or stud / to move
therein, and the groove n is of such length (extending from the sight
groove) as to allow the sleeve to be turned upon the arm until the sight
groove a¹ and the friction pin e coincide, and also in the other direction
until the sight groove a¹ and sight slot a in the arm coincide.

page_text: The extreme inner end of the sight groove is beveled or rounded off
upon one side, as shown at i, and the other side of the same is straight,
as shown in Fig. 5, and the outer end of the friction pin is rounded, as
shown in Figs. 1, 6, and 9. This construction of the end of the sight
and the end of the pin allows the sleeve to be turned upon the arm in
attaching the bayonet to and detaching it from the gun, for when the
sleeve is in its place upon the arm with the end of the friction pin e pro-
jecting slightly into the groove a¹, if the sleeve is forcably turned upon
the arm in a direction to bring the sight groove a¹ directly over the
sight slot a, the bevel & rides over the rounded end of the pin e, and
pushes the pin back into its socket. The pin remains in this position
until the sleeve is turned back again, and when the sight groove a¹ is
brought again into line with the friction pin e, said pin is pushed into
the groove by the spring behind it, and as the straight side of the sight
groove strikes the pin, the sleeve is prevented from turning any further.
If it is desired to detach the sleeve from the arm b, it is only necessary
to insert a strong wire into the sight groove in the sleeve, and press back
the friction pin, at the same time turning the sleeve so that the sight
groove a¹ shall be in line with the projection or stud h, when it may be
easily withdrawn from the arm b.
The neck or shank which connects the blade E to the socket is made
concave upon the outside, as shown at f, to give suitable bearing for the
forefinger when pressing the bayonet as a spade into the ground,
thereby preventing the hand from slipping over the neck fand being cut
by the blade, and so that the soldier in lying upon the ground and firing
from behind his entrenchments may use it as a rest to fire from, by
sticking the blade in the ground and placing the stock or barrel of his
gun in the concave part f, and thus keep the gun clean from the dirt,
and in using a breech-loading gun he would not be obliged to remove
his gun from the rest after every discharge of the piece.
I prefer to make the friction pin with a small neck or shank & of
smaller diameter than the ends of the pin, and with a stop pin t inserted
in the socket and passing between the two larger ends of the pin e, so
that said pin shall have less friction surface in its longitudinal action,
and so that it may not be accidentally lost out.
This construction of the pin and its stop is shown clearly in Fig. 9,
and the friction pin might have an elongated part extending through the

page_text: shank or socket to the front part of the neck, the shank having a hole
made therein for that purpose, and with a small knot on the extreme
end of the elongated part, so that in case dirt should get into the socket
of the friction pin, and cause the pin to stick in the socket a slight
pressure upon the knot would force the pin out again into its place.
This attachment or fastening is equally applicable to the ordinary
triangular bayonet, as shown in Fig. 1, as to the trowel or spade bayonet
shown in Fig. 2, and such variation may be made in the shank as may
be necessary to accommodate the construction of the bayonet, and is
equally applicable to the sword bayonet.
The friction pin and the sleeve may be corrugated upon the inside to
prevent the surfaces from rusting together, and to prevent their working
hard if dirt should get in.
The blade may have a strengthening rib on the back extending longi-
tudinally thereon, which may be either rolled out solid with the blade or
welded sheets as may be most convenient in construction, and the blade
may be curved or convex upon its back, and concave upon its face,
and may have a greater or less degree of curvature in its length if
desirable.
It will be perceived that the sleeve of the socket contains the sight
groove a, which is wholly inside and entirely covered, and that and that
when the socket is attached to the gun the sight of the gun slides along
in said groove until the socket is in place, and the sleeve is turned to
secure it to the gun.