Year: 1888

page_text: I CHARLES AMBROSE MCEVOY, of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane,
Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
--
According to this invention I form a fuze in such a manner that it will be ignited
or detonated by immersion in water. Such fuzes may be used for a variety of
purposes for example they may be used for firing a torpedo a certain number of
seconds after the torpedo has been started so as to explode the torpedo if the per-
cussion firing mechanism fails to act. Or it might be used to explode a shell or
torpedo on its falling into the water.
To effect this I use sodium or potassium or a mixture of these or other compounds
or substances contained in a chamber which is open at one end to allow water to
enter. I also use in conjunction therewith a compound which will readily ignite on
application of heat The two compounds I separate one from the other by a thin
waterproof diaphragm or partition through which heat generated by the burning of
the sodium and potassium or other compound will pass quickly.
The sodium and potassium or like substance may conveniently be contained in a
thin copper tube closed at one end and open at the other-the open end may be made
to pass through a screw plug which forms a cover to the end of a chamber in which
a compound readily ignitable by heat (such for example as gun cotton) may be
contained.
The opposite end of this chamber may be closed by a screw plug similarly having
a thin tube passing through it but having its inner end open and its outer end closed
and in this tube there may be a detonating compound for detonating the charge of a
shell or torpedo.
The access of water to the open end of the thin tube containing the substance
ignitable by water may be prevented by a cover screwed to the end of the body of
the fuze until the fuze is about to be used.

page_text: open.
Or the substance ignitable by water may be contained in the chamber formed in
the body of the fuze and the compound ignitable by heat in a thin copper tube
projecting inwards through the inner end of this chamber and having its outer end
A screw cap carrying a detonator tube may be screwed on to this end of the
chamber or the fuse may be used without the detonator when ignition alone is required.
Or the substance ignitable by water might be contained in a chamber com-
municating at its end by a small passage with a second chamber containing the
compound ignitable by heat and a thin waterproof diaphragm or partition may be
placed across the passage to exclude water from this second chamber.
Dated this 16th day of April 1888.

page_text: Improvements in Fuzes.
I, CHARLES AMBROSE MCEVOY of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane,
Southwark in the County of Surrey Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
According to this invention I form a fuze in such a manner that it will be
ignited or detonated by immersion in water. Such fuzes may be used for a variety of
purposes for example they may be used for firing a torpedo a certain number of
seconds after the torpedo has been started so as to explode the torpedo if the
percussion firing mechanism fails to act. Or it might be used to explode a shell or
torpedo on its falling into the water.
To effect this I use sodium or potassium or a mixture of these or other compounds
or substances contained in a chamber which is open at one end to allow water to
enter. I also use in conjunction therewith a compound which will readily ignite on
application of heat. The two compounds I separate one from the other by a thin
waterproof diaphragm or partition through which heat generated by the burning of
the sodium and potassium or other compound will pass quickly.
The sodium and potassium or like substance may conveniently be contained in a
thin copper tube closed at one end and open at the other-the open end may be made
to pass through a screw plug which forms a cover to the end of a chamber in which a
compound readily ignitable by heat (such for example as gun cotton) may be
contained.
The opposite end of this chamber may be closed by a screw plug similarly having a
thin tube passing through it but having its inner end open and its outer end closed
and in this tube there may be a detonating compound for detonating the charge of a
shell or torpedo.
The access of water to the open end of the thin tube containing the substance.
ignitable by water may be prevented by a cover screwed to the end of the body of
the fuze until the fuze is about to be used.
A
Or the substance ignitable by water may be contained in the chamber formed in the
body of the fuze and the compound ignitable by heat in a thin copper tube projecting
inwards through the inner end of this chamber and having its outer end open.
screw cap carrying a detonator tube may he screwed on to this end of the chamber or
the fuse may be used without the detonator when ignition alone is required.
Or the substance ignitable by water might be contained in a chamber communi-
cating at its end by a small passage with a second chamber containing the compound
ignitable by heat and a thin waterproof diaphragm or partition may be placed across
the passage to exclude water from this second chamber.
In the drawing annexed I have shown examples of fuzes constructed as above
described.

page_text: In Figure 1A is the hollow body of the fuze B a plug screwed into its front end-
C is a tube of thin metal contained within the hollow body and passing through and
soldered into the screw plug B-the inner end of the tube is closed and its outer end
open so that water may enter into it. The tube is filled with substance readily
ignitable by water say a mixture of sodium and potassium pressed into it firmly. The
hollow body A is filled with a compound D readily ignitable by heat as for example
with gun cotton-E is a screw plug closing the rear end of the body and carrying a
thin metal tube F which contains detonating material-G is a screw plug by which
the front end of the body can be closed watertight until the time when the fuze is
about to be used.
A modification of the construction is shown at Figure 2.
In this modification the substance ignitable by water is filled into the hollow interior
of the body of the fuze whilst the compound ignitable by heat is contained in one end
of a thin metal tube H soldered into a partition which passes across the rear end of
the body. E is a screw plug screwed into the rear end of the body and carrying a thin
metal tube F containing detonating material as in the construction shown in Figure 1.
In the modification shown at Figure 3 the compound ignitable by water is
contained in the front end of the hollow body A and the compound ignitable by heat
in the rear end of the body, the two compounds being separated one from the other
by a partition A¹ through which is a small opening the passage of water through
which may be prevented by a thin waterproof diaphragm placed across its front end.
E is a screw plug screwed into the rear end of the body and carrying a tube F
containing detonating material.
When the fuzes are required simply to effect ignition they may be used without
the tubes F.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A fuze formed with a chamber containing a substance readily ignitable by water
and to which water can enter when the fuze is immersed and a second.chamber
separated from it by a thin metallic or waterproof division and containing a substance
ignitable by heat.
2. The construction of fuzes substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the drawing annexed for effecting ignition or detonation when immersed in water.
Dated this 7th day of January 1889.