IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES FOR BREECH-LOADING
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Theophilus Alexander Blakely, of Park Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, late Captain in the Royal Artillery, and
Josiah Vavasseur, of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES FOR BREECH-LOADING
Sealed the 9th July 1866, and dated the 11th January 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Theophilus Alexander
Blakely and Josiah Vavasseur at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 11th January 1866.
We, THEOPHILUS ALEXANDER BLAKELY, of Park Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, late Captain in the Royal Artillery, and JOSIAH VAVASSEUR,
of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Engineer; do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES FOR BREECH-
LOADING RIFLES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in inserting wire made of copper, brass, or other
suitable metal or alloy into one or more grooves formed concentrically or
spirally on the periphery of projectiles for breech-loading rifles, which wire
projects a little from the surface of the projectile, so that when the projectile
is fired the wire is forced into the grooves or rifling of the gun, and the shot
is caused to rotate. The grooves in the projectile may be dovetailed,
square, circular, or other suitable shape; their width should be a little less

page_text: than the diameter of the wire employed, so that the wire by being ham-
mered in may be held without any other means of attachment; other
means of attachment may, however, be adopted if required. We prefer
the diameter of the wire to be a little more than twice the depth of the
grooves in the gun.
For projectiles for guns of very large calibre we prefer to insert in
addition to the wires to give rotation one or more rings or lengths of copper
wire into one or more circular or spiral grooves towards the fore and rear
parts or other convenient part of the projectile; the diameter of the ring
or rings of wire thus inserted is equal to that of the bore of the gun, so
that the ring or rings do not take the rifling, but serve to keep the body of
the projectile from contact with the bore of the gun, and also to keep the
centre of the projectile coincident with the axis of the bore.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Theophilus Alexander Blakely and Josiah Vavasseur
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THEO-
PHILUS ALEXANDER BLAKELY, of Park Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
late Captain in the Royal Artillery, and JOSIAH VAVASSEUR, of Southwark,
in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Theophilus Alexander Blakely and Josiah Vavasseur, Her
special licence that we, the said Theophilus Alexander Blakely and Josiah
Vavasseur, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said Theophilus Alexander Blakely and Josiah Vavasseur, our exe-
.cutors, 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 PROJECTILES
FOR BREECH-LOADING RIFLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Theophilus Alexander Blakely and Josiah Vavasseur, or one of
us, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under

page_text: our, one of our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 we, the said Theophilus Alexander Blakely
and Josiah Vavasseur, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained. in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
Our Invention consists in inserting wire made of copper, brass, or other
suitable metal or alloy into one or more grooves formed concentrically or
spirally on the periphery of projectiles for breech-loading rifles, which wire
projects a little from the surface of the projectile, so that when the projectile
is fired the wire is forced into the grooves or rifling of the gun, and the shot
is caused to rotate. We insert only one wire or thickness of wire into
each groove, such wire being composed of one or several strands.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is an elevation, and Figure 2
a longitudinal section of a projectile constructed according to our..Inven-
tion. This projectile a is formed with three grooves b, b, b, concentric
with the axis of the projectile; in these grooves we insert wire c of copper,
brass, or other suitable metal or alloy; the wire projects a little as shown
from the surface of the projectile, so that when the projectile is fired the
wire is, as before stated, forced into the grooves or rifling of the gun, and
the projectile is thereby caused to rotate.
Figure 3 represents in elevation, and Figure 4 in longitudinal section
a projectile a formed with a spiral groove b, in which a wire c is
inserted for the purpose before explained. The grooves in the projectile
may be dovetailed, square, circular, or other suitable shape; their width
should be a little less than the diameter of the wire employed, so that the
wire by being hammered or forced in may be held without any other
means of attachment; other means of attachment may, however, be adopted
if required. We prefer the diameter of the wire to be a little more than
twice the depth of the grooves in the gun.
Figure 5 represents in elevation, and Figure 6 in longitudinal section a
projectile a for guns of large calibre. b, b, b, are three grooves concentric
with the axis of the projectile, and having a wire c inserted in each groove
for the purpose before explained. For these projectiles for guns of large
calibre we prefer to insert in addition to the wires c, to give rotation, one

page_text: or more rings or lengths of copper or other suitable wire into one or more
circular or spiral.grooves towards the; fore and rear: parts or other conve-
nient parts of the projectile, according to the form of the projectile. d
represents a ring of copper wire inserted into a circular groove towards the
fore part of the projectile; the diameter of the ring or rings of wire d
thus inserted is equal to that of the bore of the gun, so that the ring or
rings do not take the rifling, but serve to keep the body of the projectile
from contact with the bore of the gun, and also to keep the centre of the
projectile coincident with the axis of the bore.
. And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim as our
Improvements in Projectiles for Breech-loading Rifles,"―
First, inserting wire made of copper, brass, or other suitable metal or
alloy into one or more grooves formed concentrically or spirally on the
periphery of projectiles, only one wire or thickness of wire composed of one
or more strands being inserted into each groove, substantially as herein-
before described, so that when the projectile is fired the wire is forced
into the grooves or rifling of the gun and the projectile thereby caused to
rotate.
Second, inserting one or more rings or lengths of copper or other suit-
cable wire into one or more circular or spiral grooves towards the fore and
rear parts or other convenient part of projectiles for guns of large calibre,
the diameter of such ring or rings being equal to that of the bore of the
gun, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah Vavasseur, for myself and on
behalf of the said Theophilus Alexander Blakely, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-six.
JOSIAH VAVASSEUR. (L.S.)