Means of Igniting Fuses without Exposing Flame or Sparks.
Year: 1887

page_text: This Specification was, upon the 17th day of February 1888, amended under
Sections 18 to 21 of the Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Act, 1883.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Means of Igniting Fuses without Exposing Flame or Sparks.
We, WILLIAM BICKFORD-SMITH and GEORGE JOHN SMITH, both of Tuckingmill
in the County of Cornwall, Fuse Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to means of igniting fuses without exposing flame or sparks,
the object being to avoid the risk of firing blasts in an inflammable or explosive
atmosphere.
We prepare pills consisting of a mixture of chlorate of potash and sugar, we place
one of these pills in a closed tube into which we insert the end of the fuse that is
to be ignited, having first dipped that end in sulphuric acid. On bringing the acid
in contact with the pill, combustion takes place within the tube and the fuse is thus
ignited. In order to avoid the objection of carrying sulphuric acid in a liquid state,
a few drops of acid may be enclosed in a globule of glass, and one of these globules
being inserted in the firing tube along with a pill such as is above mentioned, the
end of the fuse is pushed into the tube with sufficient force to break the glass
globule and so liberate the sulphuric acid in presence of the pill of mixture. Or,
instead of enclosing the acid in a glass globule, the acid may be soaked into infusorial
earth or other suitable material so as to form a paste, and a small quantity of this
paste, which may also be in the form of a pill, may be used as above described instead
of a globule containing acid. The firing tube may be in the form of an elbow pipe, in
one limb of which the end of the fuse is lodged, into the other limb the pill and the
globule or paste of acid, or it might be a few drops of acid, are introduced and then a
plunger is pushed down breaking up the pill or globule and so bringing the acid
contact with the mixture and causing ignition of the fuse.
Dated this 10th x of Tan 1987
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants:

page_text: We, WILLIAM BICKFORD SMITH and GEORGE JOHN SMITH both of Tuckingmill
in the County of Cornwall Fuse Manufacturers 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 :-
This invention relates to means of igniting fuses without exposing flame or sparks,
the object being to avoid the risk of firing blasts in an inflammable or explosive
atmosphere.
For this purpose in a tube into which the end of the fuse to be ignited can be
inserted we place separately a small quantity of a mixture of chlorate of potash and
sugar, and a small quantity of sulphuric acid, and we provide means of bringing these
in contact with each other and with the fuse, so that the flame caused by the chemical
action ignites the fuse within the tube without presenting itself externally. The small
quantities of the chemicals employed may be made up in various ways, thus the
mixture of chlorate of potash and sugar may be made up with an agglutinating
substance to form a pill which can be dropped into the tube, or it may be put in as
loose powder. And the sulphuric acid may be soaked into infusorial earth to form-
Fill, or it may be is enclosed in a glass globule, which can be broken to liberate the
acid when ignition is desired. Fig. 12 of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal
section of one form of igniting apparatus according to this invention. In the tube T,
which has one end closed, is placed a pill globule A of infusorial earth soaked with
containing sulphuric acid, and near it is placed a pill C of chlorate of potash and sugar.
On thrusting the fuse F into the tube so as to break the globule and crush the two
pills and and bring them the acid and chlorate mixture into intimate contact,
Hame is produced which ignites the fuse. Fig, shews a similar arrangement but
in this ease the neid A is contained in a globule which is broken by the thrust of
the-fuse, liberating the neid to net on the chlorate mixture. In the modified form
of apparatus shewn in Fig. 3, an elbow pipe T is employed with a plunger P in
one of its limbs. On thrusting down the plunger, the globule A of acid is broken and
the liberated acid acting on the chlorate mixture C produces flame which ignites the
fuse F. Fig. 4 shews a convenient form of igniting apparatus which can be charged
ready for use in the following manner. T is a taper tube of flexible metal such as tin
plate. Into this tube is pushed a short piece of fuse H forming a plug at the smaller
end. On this plug is laid in powder C the mixture of chlorate of potash and sugar,
and on it the globule A of acid. The tube then is nearly filled up with soft material
such as cotton wool W and closed by pinching its end as indicated by the dotted lines.
A cap L shewn in Fig. 5 may also be put on the small end of the tube, so that the
contents are quite closed in. When the apparatus is to be used for ignition, the cap L
is removed and the end of the fuse F is pushed in so as to come in contact with the
fuse plug Hand in order to prevent the fuse from being blown out, the tube is
squeezed upon it; also to prevent escape of sparks a little clay or other luting should
be applied where the fuse F enters the tube T. On now pinching th tube at the part.

page_text: where the globule A is situated, the globule is broken and the acid being liberated
acts on the chlorate mixture C causing flame which ignites the fuse plug H and this
in its turn ignites the main fuse F.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is
For igniting a fuse without exposing flame or sparks the construction and use of
igniting apparatus consisting of a tube which is closed at its one end, and has the fuse
to be ignited inserted at its other end, the tube containing a mixture of chlorate of
potash and sugar separate from a small charge of sulphuric acid, so situated with
relation to each other and to the fuse that on the acid and the chlorate mixture being
brought into intimate contact by crushing, the flame evolved by the chemical reaction
ignites the fuse within the tube, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of October 1887
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: We, WILLIAM BICKFORD-SMITH and GEORGE JOHN SMITH, both of Tuckingmill
in the County of Cornwall, Fuse Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to means of igniting fuses without exposing flame or sparks,
the object being to avoid the risk of firing blasts in an inflammable or explosive
atmosphere.
We prepare pills consisting of a mixture of chlorate of potash and sugar, we place
one of these pills in a closed tube into which we insert the end of the fuse that is
to be ignited, having first dipped that end in sulphuric acid. On bringing the acid
in contact with the pill, combustion takes place within the tube and the fuse is thus
ignited. In order to avoid the objection of carrying sulphuric acid in a liquid state,
a few drops of acid may be enclosed in a globule of glass, and one of these globules
being inserted in the firing tube along with a pill such as is above mentioned, the
end of the fuse is pushed into the tube with sufficient force to break the glass
globule and so liberate the sulphuric acid in presence of the pill of mixture. Or,
instead of enclosing the acid in a glass globule, the acid may be soaked into infusorial
earth or other suitable material so as to form a paste, and a small quantity of this
paste, which may also be in the form of a pill, may be used as above described instead
of a globule containing acid. The firing tube may be in the form of an elbow pipe, in
one limb of which the end of the fuse is lodged, into the other limb the pill and the
globule or paste of acid, or it might be a few drops of acid, are introduced and then a
plunger is pushed down breaking up the pill or globule and so bringing the acid in
contact with the mixture and causing ignition of the fuse.
Dated this 10th day of la 1887
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Means of Igniting Fuses without Exposing Flame or Sparks.
We, WILLIAM BICKFORD SMITH and GEORGE JOHN SMITH both of Tuckingmill
in the County of Cornwall Fuse Manufacturers 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 :-
This invention relates to means of igniting fuses without exposing flame or sparks,
the object being to avoid the risk of firing blasts in an inflammable or explosive
atmosphere.
For this purpose in a tube into which the end of the fuse to be ignited can be
inserted we place separately a small quantity of a mixture of chlorate of potash and
sugar, and a small quantity of sulphuric acid, and we provide means of bringing these
in contact with each other and with the fuse, so that the flame caused by the chemical
action ignites the fuse within the tube without presenting itself externally. The small
quantities of the chemicals employed may be made up in various ways, thus the
mixture of chlorate of potash and sugar may be made up with an agglutinating
substance to form a pill which can be dropped into the tube, or it may be put in as
loose powder. And the sulphuric acid may be soaked into infusorial earth to form a
pill, or it may be enclosed in a glass globule, which can be broken to liberate the acid
when ignition is desired. Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal
section of one form of igniting apparatus according to this invention. In the tube T,
which has one end closed, is placed a pill A of infusorial earth soaked with sulphuric
acid, and near it is placed a pill C of chlorate of potash and sugar. On thrusting the
fuse F into the tube so as to crush the two pills A and C and bring them into intimate
contact, flame is produced which ignites the fuse. Fig. 2 shows a similar arrange-
ment but in this case the acid A is contained in a globule which is broken by the
thrust of the fuse, liberating the acid to act on the chlorate mixture. In the modified
form of apparatus shewn in Fig. 3, an elbow pipe T is employed with a plunger P in
one of its limbs. On thrusting down the plunger, the globule A of acid is broken and
the liberated acid acting on the chlorate mixture C produces flame which ignites the
fuse F. Fig. 4 shews a convenient form of igniting apparatus which can be charged
ready for use in the following manner. Tis a taper tube of flexible metal such as tin
plate. Into this tube is pushed a short piece of fuse H forming a plug at the smaller
end. On this plug is laid in powder the mixture of chlorate of potash and sugar,
and on it the globule A of acid. The tube then is nearly filled up with soft material
such as cotton wool W and closed by pinching its end as indicated by the dotted lines.
A cap L shewn in Fig. 5 may also be put on the small end of the tube, so that the
contents are quite closed in. When the apparatus is to be used for ignition, the cap L
is removed and the end of the fuse F is pushed in so as to come in contact with the
fuse plug Hand in order to prevent the fuse from being blown out, the tube is
squeezed upon it; also to prevent escape of sparks a little clay or other luting should
be applied where the fuse F enters the tube T. On now pinching the tube at the part
J

page_text: where the globule A is situated, the globule is broken and the acid being liberated
acts on the chlorate mixture C causing flame which ignites the fuse plug Ĥ and this
in its turn ignites the main fuse F.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
For igniting a fuse without exposing flame or sparks the construction and use of
igniting apparatus consisting of a tube which is closed at its one end, and has the fuse
to be ignited inserted at its other end, the tube containing a mixture of chlorate of
potash and sugar separate from a small charge of sulphuric acid, so situated with
relation to each other and to the fuse that on the acid and the chlorate mixture being
brought into intimate contact by crushing, the flame evolved by the chemical reaction
ignites the fuse within the tube, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of October 1887.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.