AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF OFFENSIVE WEAPON
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF OFFENSIVE
WEAPON." A communication from abroad by James Cameron Campbell,
of New York City, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 11th September 1863, and dated the 9th April 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th April 1868.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby.declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF OPPENSIVE
WEAPON," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, firstly, in the combination with a lance of a re-
volving many-chambered cylinder of similar character to that commonly used
in revolving fire-arms, arranged to rotate upon the pole or shaft of a lance by
having the said pole or shaft passed directly through it. The many-chambered
cylinder is made removable from this lance, and it is furnished at its rear end
with a circular series of ratchet-like teeth corresponding in number with the
chambers.
The lance pole or stock is fitted with a hammer so formed and arranged
that by turning the cylinder upon its axis the ratchet teeth will force back the

page_text: hammer in such a manner as to permit it to be driven forward again by a
suitably applied spring. The hammer when driven forward will strike upon a
percussion cap or its equivalent applied in rear of the uppermost chamber, and
fire the charge contained therein, the charges of all the chambers being in like
manner discharged in regular succession.
The Invention also consists in fitting the butt of the pole or shaft with a
spike, which can be sheathed by being pushed into the pole or shaft when the
weapon is to be carried or used, and protruded from the butt to enable it to
be driven into the ground to hold the weapon in an upright position ready to
be quickly laid hold of when required for use. This weapon may be carried
in charging on an enemy with the cylinder grasped in the left and the back
part of the pole or shaft in the right hand, and the cylinder being turned by
the left hand brings the chambers successively in front of the hammer, and
causes the ratchet teeth to force back the hammer as each chamber approaches
it, and as the teeth severally pass the hammer the latter is driven forward by
the spring against the nipples, and caused to fire the charges of the chambers.
In this way a rapidly repeated fire is effected until arriving at close quarters,
when the lance itself is used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th October 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF OFFENSIVE WEAPON," being a communication

page_text: from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being bad to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
:―
This Invention consists in the combination with a lance of a revolving
many-chambered cylinder (of similar character to that commonly used in
revolving fire-arms), arranged to rotate upon the pole or shaft of a lance by
baving the said pole or shaft passed directly through it. The many-chambered
cylinder is made removable from the lance, and it is furnished at its rear end
with a circular series of ratchet-like teeth corresponding in number with the
chambers. The lance pole or stock is fitted with a hammer so formed and
arranged that by turning the cylinder upon its axis the ratchet teeth will force
back the hammer in such manner as to permit of its being driven forward
again by a suitably-applied spring. The hammer, when driven forward, will
strike upon the uppermost of a series of percussion cap or their equivalent
applied in rear of the several chambers and fire the charge contained therein;
the charges of all the chambers being in like manner discharged in regular
succession. Fitted to the butt of the pole or shaft is a spike which can be
sheathed by being pushed into the pole or shaft when the weapon is to be
carried or used, and protruded from the butt to enable it to be driven into the
ground to hold the weapon in an upright position ready to be quickly laid hold
of when required for use.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a side view of the new weapon;
Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the cylinder and the back part of the
pole or shaft drawn on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is a top view of the cylinder
and part of the pole or shaft with the recoil shield and the hammer casing in
section; and Fig. 4 is a back view of the cylinder. Similar letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in the several Figures.
A is the pole or shaft, which may be either made of wood and have the part
to which the cylinder B is fitted and the part in front of the cylinder cased
with a steel tube, or made entirely of an iron or steel tube, with the exception
of the rear portion which constitutes the handle, which should be of wood and

page_text: of
any suitable length, say, from six to seven feet, and of a suitable thickness
for proper strength; C is the lance head, made of steel, of any suitable form
and length, but preferably of such form as to cut, both in being pushed forward
and in being withdrawn from a wound after having been pushed in up to the
pole or shaft. The cylinder B is bored centrally throughout of a size to fit and
turn easily on the pole or shaft A, and its chambers a, a, are arranged around
the bore, at equal distances apart, in a concentric circle; b, b, are nipples for
percussion caps screwed into the cylinder in rear of the several chambers; c, c,
are the ratchet teeth formed on the rear end of the cylinder corresponding in
number with the chambers; D is a circular recoil shield of steel or other
metal fast upon the pole or shaft A in rear of the cylinder, and f is a key
inserted transversely through the pole or shaft in front of the cylinder to keep
it in place against the recoil shield, which is made with a rim d to encase the
ratchet teeth. Two cylinders are intended to be provided for each lance, the
detached one being carried loaded in a cartouche box, so that when all
the chambers in the applied cylinder have been discharged the key f is taken
out, and the empty cylinder is drawn off the pole or shaft over the head of the
lance; the charged cylinder is then applied in its place, and secured by the
key; E is the hammer, consisting of a square steel bolt fitted to slide parallel
with the pole or shaft A in a metal box F, secured to the shaft A in rear of
the recoil shield. This bolt has formed on its front end an inclined surface e
for the ratchet teeth c to act upon to force back the hammer, which receives
its forward motion from a spring G. This spring works in a transverse slot
provided in the pole, and enters the box F in rear of the hammer; H is a
screw passing freely through a hole in the rear of the box, and screwing into
a tapped hole in the rear end of the hammer for the purpose of drawing back
the hammer clear of the ratchet teeth previously to replacing the discharged
cylinder by a charged cylinder, the object being to prevent the accidental dis-
charge of the chambers of the capped and loaded cylinder while putting the
latter in its place; I is the ground spike inserted into a hole bored for its
reception in the butt of the pole or shaft deep enough to receive its whole
length, as shown in Fig. 2, and J is a set screw transversely screwing into
the pole or shaft to secure the spike either while sheathed (as shown) or
while protruded from the pole or shaft, as shown in red outline in Fig. 1.
This weapon may be carried in charging on an enemy with the cylinder
grasped in the left and the back part of the pole or shaft in the right hand,
and the cylinder being turned by the left hand brings the chambers succes-
sively in front of the hammer, and causes the ratchet teeth to force back the
hammer as each chamber approaches it, and as the teeth severally pass the

page_text: hammer the latter is driven forward by the spring against the nipples, and
caused to fire the charges of the chambers. In this way a rapidly-repeated fire
is effected until arriving at close quarters, when the weapon may be used as a
lance. To change the discharged cylinder for the charged one which has been
kept in reserve, the hammer is drawn back by screwing in the screw H, the
keyf is taken out, the discharged cylinder is drawn off, the charged one put
in its place, the key re-inserted, and the screw screwed back far enough to
allow the hammer to reach the percussion caps on the nipples. To stack
arms on bivouacking or encamping, the spike I is drawn out and secured,
and by driving down the pole or shaft vertically the spike will take a firm
hold of the ground.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of an improved con-
struction of offensive weapon, as communicated to me from abroad, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim, constructing
weapons of offence in the manner above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)