AN IMPROVED GUN AND PROJECTILE FOR CASTING LIFE SAVING LINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
"
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " AN IMPROVED
GUN AND PROJECTILE FOR CASTING LIFE SAVING LINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES,"
a communication to me from abroad by Jeremiah Williams of Hartford, Ohio
County State of Kentucky United States of America, Gentleman, to be as
follows
-
This invention relates to a new and improved gun for casting life saving lines
for the purpose of rescuing persons from burning buildings or from stranded vessels
and for other purposes, which gun can also be used for shooting fishes.
The invention consists in a gun having side openings in its barrel at about the
middle of the length of the same.
The invention further consists in the combination with a gun of a cone mounted
to turn on the same on which cone the line secured to the dart is wound.
The invention further consists in a dart having a wad held on its butt end by
a screw.
The invention also consists in parts and details and combinations of the same
as will be set forth hereinafter.
The dart consists of a rod of wood or metal provided with an arrow head point
and with a wad held by a screw passed through the wad and screwed into the
butt end of the dart. The wad is made of rubber, leather, pasteboard, felt or other
suitable material of slightly greater diameter than the dart and fits closely in the
barrel of the carbine.
A cord, rope, wire or cable is secured to the front end of the dart and the other
end of the cord is secured to a cone shaped paper or other cap or sheath at the
base end, the said cord being wound around the said cap. An arm projects down-
ward from the stock of the carbine and in the said arm a short crank spindle is
journalled longitudinally beneath the stock, on the front end of which spindle a

page_text: solid supporting cone is fastened, which extends under the barrel and on which the
conical paper cap or sheath fits. At about the middle of its length, the barrel of
the carbine is provided with two side apertures. The carbine is loaded with a
cartridge on the front end of which a felt or other wad is secured, and then the
dart is passed into the barrel. When the carbine is fired, the explosion projects
the dart outward and the rifling in the barrel revolves the dart on its longitudinal
axis and causes the rope or cable to wind on the dart. As the dart leaves the
barrel it unwinds the rope, cable, or wire from the conical cap. The cord is never
passed into the barrel. The force of the explosion forces the dart outward and
also forces the wad on the cartridge outward beyond the side apertures or slots in
the barrel, thus permitting the gases and the fire produced by the explosion to
escape through the side apertures, so that the force of the explosion cannot force
the wad out of the barrel, and the fire of the explosion is thus prevented from
burning the cord, which it would otherwise do. As the wad is not forced out of
the barrel it cannot affect the flight of the dart, which always hits the object aimed
at. If desired, the cord can be fastened directly to the base end of the solid cone
on which cone it can be wound by turning the crank shaft, or the paper cap can
be slipped on to the solid cone and the cord wound on the cap by turning the
crank handle.

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for AN IMPROVED
GUN AND PROJECTILE FOR CASTING LIFE SAVING LINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
(a communication to me from abroad by Jeremiah Williams of Hartford Ohio
County State of Kentucky United States of America Store Keeper,) 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 a new and improved gun for casting life saving lines
for the purpose of rescuing persons from burning buildings, from stranded vessels &c,
which gun can also be used for shooting fishes.
The invention consists in a gun having side openings in its barrel at about the
middle of the length of the same.
The invention further consists in the combination with a gun of a cone
mounted to turn on the same on which cone the lino secured to the dart is
wound.
The invention further consists in a dart having a wad held on its butt end by
□ screw.
The invention also consists in parts and details and combinations of the same
as will be set forth hereinafter.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the figures.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of the improved gun for casting ropes for
fire escapes and for other purposes.-Figure 2. is a like view of the same showing
the dart after leaving the gun-Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal elevation of the
dart, parts being broken out and others shown in section-Figure 4 is a perspective
view of the cone shaped cap on which the line is wound-Figure 5 is a longitudinal
view of the cartridge, part being shown in section.
The dart A, consisting of a rod of wood or metal is to be fired by a carbine B.-
The dart A. is provided with an arrow head point and with a wad C. held by a
screw D. passed through the wad and screwed into the butt end of the dart. The
wad is made of rubber, leather, pasteboard, felt, or other suitable material of
slightly greater diameter than the dart and fits closely in the barrel B¹ of the
carbine.
A cord, rope, wire or cable E is secured to the front end of the dart A. and the
other end of the cord is secured to a cone shaped paper or other cap or sheath F.
at the base end, the said cord being wound around the said cap. An arm G
projects downward from the stock of the carbine and in the said arin a short crank
spindle H. is journaled longitudinally beneath the stock on the front end of which
spindle a cone J. is fastened which extends under the barrel and on which the cap
or sheath F. fits-At about the middle of its length the barrel B¹, is provided with

page_text: two side apertures K. The carbine is loaded with a cartridge M. on the front end
of which a felt or other wad is secured, and then the dart is passed into the barrel.
When the carbine is fired the explosion projects the dart outward and the rifling
in the barrel revolves the dart on its longitudinal axis and causes the rope or cable
E to wind on the dart as shown in Figure 2.-As the dart leaves the barrel it
unwinds the rope, cable or wire E from the conical cap F. The cord is never passed
into the barrel. The force of the explosion propels the dart forward and also forces
the wad N, on the cartridge beyond the side apertures or slots K. in the barrel, thus
permitting the gases and the fire produced by the explosion to escape through the
sido apertures so that the force of the explosion cannot drive the wad out of the
barrel and the fire of the explosion is thus prevented from burning the cord, which
it would otherwise do- As the wad is not forced out of the barrel it cannot affect
the flight of the dart which always hits the object aimed at If desired the cord
can be fastened directly to the base end of the cone J. on which cone it can be
wound by turning the crank shaft H. or the paper cap F can be slipped on to the
solid cone J. and the cord wound on the cap by turning the crank handle H.
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. The combination with a gun of a cone held to the same in such a manner that
it can be revolved on its longitudinal axis, substantially as herein shown and
described.
2. The combination in a gun for throwing lines of the barrel B' provided with
transverse slots near its centre with a detached wad constructed to be placed in
rear of the line dart whereby on the explosion of the charge the wad first impels
forward the dart and when beyond the slots stops and cuts off access of the flame
to the line, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with a gun of the arm G. the crank shaft H. and the cone J
secured on one end of the said crank shaft, substantially as herein shown and
described.
4. The combination with a gun of the dart A. the conical cap F. the cord or
wire E. having its ends secured to the front end of the dart and to the base end of
the cap F and of the cone J held to turn on the gun substantially as herein shown
and described.