IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES FOR BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CARTRIDGES FOR BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."-A communication from
abroad by John Webster Cochran, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America.
ealed the 8th May 1868, and dated the 11th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th November 1867.
1, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES FOR BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," a com-
munication, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to cartridges provided with an internal cup-shaped
anvil which serves also to strengthen the base portion of the shell.
The said Invention consists partly in contracting that portion of the shell
in front of the anvil in such manner as to firmly secure the latter and prevents
its displacement by the blow of the hammer or other striker, and to prevent
its being dislodged by the action of any gas that may find its way or be
generated between the said anvil and the base of the shell in firing.

page_text: The said Invention further consists in the peculiar construction of the base
of the shell and of the anvil, and in the means for holding the percussive
priming, whereby any liability of accidentally exploding the cartridge by
dropping the same upon a hard surface is effectually provided against, and
whereby the primer is made to serve as a gas check. The gas eliminated
by the explosion of the charge is by this means kept from getting between
the anvil and the base of the shell and from driving forward the anvil in the
said shell and setting the same tight in the chamber of the barrel. In
manufacturing my improved cartridge the shell is first made of the ordinary
cylindrical form, and a recess or indentation is provided in the exterior of the
base. The cup-shaped anvil is formed with a cavity or indentation to receive
the internal projection formed by the indentation of the base of the shell, the
said projection being of somewhat less diameter than the cavity in the anvil so
that a slight annular space is left around the same; small holes are formed
through the base of the cup to form a communication between the said cavity
and the interior of the shell. The primer is placed in this cavity previous to
fitting the anvil into the shell. The said primer is a shallow cup filled or
lined with fulminate of mercury or other detonating substance, and fitted into
the cavity with the priming towards the bottom of the said cavity, and with
its base resting against the depression or indentation on the base of the shell.
The anvil together with the priming being thus placed in the shell, that
portion of the latter in front of the anvil is reduced in diameter, the edge of
the cup being also slightly contracted; the shell is then furnished with the
required quantity of powder and with the projectile or bullet. The rearmost
end of the aforesaid contracted portion of the shell constitutes an internal
shoulder pressed against the front end or edge of the cup-shaped anvil.
When the fulminate of the priming is exploded the shallow cup containing
the same is expanded or driven back in such manner that its edges are
jammed or forced into the annular space between the projection on the base
of the shell and the inside of the cavity in the anvil. The said space is thereby
effectually closed, and no gas can pass between the anvil and the base of the
shell from the aforesaid cavity. The explosion of the charge also has the
effect of forcing the cap into the said annular space. Any danger of
accidentally exploding the shell by dropping the same upon a bard surface is
prevented by the depression of that part of the base of the shell which
covers the shallow cup and priming. The anvil may be held in place in the
shell by means of a flange formed around its exterior and forced into the
space left inside the rim of the shell in crimping or folding the same.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Robert Lake, Her special licence that I, the said William Robert
Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Robert Lake, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CARTRIDGES FOR BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, form-
ing a part of this Specification:-
My Invention relates to cartridges provided with an internal cup-shaped
anvil which also serves to strengthen the base portion of the shell.
The said Invention consists partly in contracting that portion of the shell
in front of the anvil in such manner as to firmly secure the latter and prevent
its displacement by the blow of the hammer or other striker, and to prevent
its being dislodged by the action of any gas that may find its way or be
generated between the said anvil and the base of the shell in firing.
The said Invention further consists in the peculiar construction of the bases

page_text: of the shell and anvil, and in the means for holding the percussive priming,
whereby any liability of accidentally exploding the cartridge by dropping the
same upon a hard surface is effectually provided against, and whereby the
primer is made to serve as a gas check. The gas eliminated by the explosion
of the charge is by this means kept from getting between the anvil and the
base of the shell and from driving forward the anvil in the said shell and
setting the same tight in the chamber of the barrel.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a cartridge shell constructed
according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a partial longitudinal section of my
improved cartridge provided with its charge and projectile; Figure 3 is an
end view of the anvil; Figure 4 is a section of part of a shell of slightly
modified construction drawn to an enlarged scale; Figure 5 is a similar section
showing the condition of the cartridge after its explosion. Like letters
indicate the same parts in all of the Figures.
In manufacturing my improved cartridges the shell A is first made of the
ordinary cylindrical form except that a recess or indentation a is provided
in the exterior of the base A¹, such recess or indentation being produced
by any suitable means. The cup-shaped anvil B is formed with a cavity or
indentation 6 to receive the internal projection formed by the indentation a
in the base of the shell, the said projection being of somewhat less diameter
than the cavity b in the anvil, so that a slight annular space is left around
the same.
Small holes c are made through the base of the cup to form a
communication between the said cavity and the interior of the shell. The
primer is placed in the cavity b and the anvil B is then fitted into the shell.
The said primer is a flat cup a¹ filled or lined with fulminate of mercury or
other detonating substance, and is fitted into the cavity b, as shown in Figures
1, 2, and 4, with the priming or fulminate towards the bottom of the said
cavity and with its base resting upon the projection formed by indenting the
base A of the shell, and which constitutes the bottom of the recess a. The
anvil B together with the priming being thus placed in the shell A that portion
of the latter in front of the anvil is reduced in diameter, as shown in Figure 2
the edge of the cup being also slightly contracted; the shell is then furnished
with the required quantity of powder and with the projectile or bullet C.
The rear end of the aforesaid contracted portion of the shell constitutes an
internal shoulder which is pressed against the front edge or lip of the cup-
shaped anvil, so that this contracted portion of the shell being stiff and strong
serves to securely hold the anvil in position not only against the impact of

page_text: the hammer, but against the action of any gas that may be generated between
the anvil and the base of the shell by the explosion or ignition of the cartridge
or priming. Any undue expansion of the shell which might occur from the
forward movement of the anvil when the cartridge is exploded is by this means
provided against, the easy removal of the shell from the arm being also
secured. When the fulminate of the priming is exploded the shallow cup
containing the same is expanded or driven back in such manner that its edges
are jammed or forced into the annular space between the projection formed
by indenting the base A¹ of the shell and the sides of the cavity b, thereby
effectually closing the said space, as shown in Figure 5, and preventing the
passage of any gas between the anvil B and the base A¹ of the shell from the
said cavity b. The explosion of the charge also forces back or jams the edges
of the cup a into the said annular space. Furthermore any liability of
accidentally exploding the shell by dropping the same upon a hard surface or
otherwise is prevented by the depression of that part of the base of the shell
which covers the cup a¹ and priming, such depression preventing the contact
of that part of the base with the surface upon which the cartridge may be
dropped or thrown. The anvil B may also be held in place by means of a
flange formed around its perimeter and forced into the space left inside
the rim in crimping or folding the shell at the exterior of the base.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and shown how the same may be conveniently and
advantageously carried into practice I claim,―
First. Constructing a cartridge with the shell A contracted in front
of the cup-shaped anvil B, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Second. The combination of the indentation in the base of the shell, the
indentation in the bottom of the anvil and the interposed cup or primer a³,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)
Witness,
THO. N. PALMER,
Clerk to Messrs. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
8, Southampton Buildings, W.C.