MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROCKETS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JOSEPH WHITLEY of the Railway Works Leeds in the County of York,
Engineer and Founder do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROCKETS, to be as follows:-
Whereas hitherto Rockets have been made for pyrotechnic and for signalling
purposes, now the object of my invention is to make a Rocket containing oil and to
apply the said Rocket for the purpose of preventing the loss of life and property
at sea by discharging oil upon the rolling billows and breaking seas when
approaching ships. For this purpose I construct a rocket proper in which I place
a shell weight within which is a vessel of oil and which by preference I form of
glass and having filled the same with oil seal it up and embed the same in
powder or other fulminating material with a proper fuse so that the oil shall be
shot out at the required time and place upon the raging sea in a spreading shower
when the fulminating power of the rocket is spent thereby causing the billows and
the breaking seas to pass away and enable the good ship to pursue her course in
comparatively still waters & at a greater speed because of the lubricating influence
of the oil upon the sides of the ship, and the still waters that surround her.
These Rockets I construct of various sizes and power so that when shot from a
cannon mortar or gun they will discharge-any known quantity of oil at a given
distance from the ship so as to spread the oil upon the raging waters and make a
smooth highway for the vessel so equipped.

page_text: Improvements in the Construction of Rockets.
I, JOSEPH WHITLEY of the Railway Works, Leeds in the county of York,
Engineer and Founder do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROCKETS, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
1
Whereas hitherto Rockets have been made for pyrotechnic and for signalling
purposes now the object of my invention is to make a rocket containing oil and to
apply the said rocket for the purpose of preventing the loss of life and property
at sea by discharging oil upon the rolling billows and breaking seas when
approaching ships. For this purpose I construct a rocket proper in which I place
a shell weight within which is a vessel of oil and which latter by preference I form
of glass and having filled the same with oil I seal it up and embed the same in
powder or other fulminating material with a proper fuse so that the oil vessel in
the said shell weight shall be shot out at the required time and placed upon the
raging sea in a shower when the fulminating force of the rocket proper is spent
thereby causing the billows and the breaking seas to pass away and enable the
good ship to pursue her course in comparatively still waters and at a greater speed
because of the lubricating influence of the oil upon the sides of the ship and the
still waters that surround her,
These Rockets I construct of various sizes and power so that when shot from a
cannon mortar or ordinary gun they will discharge any known quantity of oil at a
given distance from the ship. The shell weights of these Rockets when required for
long distances I form of steel or iron according to the weight and power of charge
and distance to be covered. For a distance of six hundred or a thousand yards
well made paper or asbestos rocket cases will convey a glass vessel containing one
ounce of oil but even for those sizes I prefer to use a light metallic tube for my
Rockets in preference to the above asbestos paper or other similar substances any
of which materials will do for shorter distances when small oil cartridge for
common guns are only required. When I construct metallic tubes for long range
firing I prefer to make a telescopic tube the longer portion having the charge
proper in it and the shorter one the oil vessel and so arranged that the last portion
of the rocket charge shall fire the fuse that ignites the powder which discharges
the oil vessel and scatters the contents upon the sea and I prefer that the smaller
rockets be prepared in like form for all sizes & quantities. In constructing these
Oil Rockets I mould the upper portion of their respective charges into a given
standard form to receive the bottom end of the oil vessel so as to secure the certain
bursting of the vessel containing the oil and which vessel may be made of a
gelatinous substance light metal glass prepared paper animal intestines or otherwise.
I also place in the upper end of the main tube fire powder balls to indicate the
exact position where the oil falls upon the raging sea. In constructing my smaller
oil rockets I perforate the bottom end of the long and the top end of the short tube
for the purpose of attaching wires to lock the two tubes together and finally for
the twisting of the same into a wire cord by which to form a suitable jointed trail

page_text: rod on all occasions when using short distance oil rockets and in such a position
that they will not interfere with the burning of the fuse. These wires are so
arranged that they pass up the sides of the long tube and clip into or upon the top
end of the short tube and are twisted into one at the bottom of the long tube, and
form a core of wire to receive the sectional parts of the perforated trail rods which
may be formed like unto an ordinary wood stock for the common lead pencil upon
the ends of which I place light ferrules similar to those of a fishing rod so that the
trail rods can be folded into the length of the rocket proper and be readily mounted
when required and which trail rods are not required when mortar and cannon oil
rockets are used as those are balanced to the line of direction by the weight and
construction of the rocket shell weight.
'
I round off the ends of those portions of the trail rods so as to facilitate the
folding up of the whole and when required the wire is drawn tight and folded
round the bottom end or otherwise secured to keep the rod in a straight line when'
the rockets are required for service. The top of my patent rocket terminates with
a core the base of which fits into and forms a part receptical for the oil vessel.
When I charge the longest metallic or other rocket case I form at its outer end a
powerful powder or other shot in which I place a glass or other suitable oil vessel
charged with oil properly sealed up one end of which is embedded in the shot so
that when the rocket charge proper is consumed the shot is fired the oil vessel burst
and the contents are scattered upon the raging waters fifteen hundred or two
thousand yards distant from the good ship and which fact enables her to pass
through comparatively still waters by the time she arrives at the otherwise
dangerous sea. When the shorter upper tube is put in position and the oil vessel.
placed in the moulded recess of the shot I place a small quantity of dry powder or
other fulminate round the oil vessel and then wad or pack the vessel up with fire
fulminating balls so as to show where the oil strikes the raging sea so giving
stability to the oil vessel covering the whole with a light pad to secure the
material from motion whilst stowed away the whole being secured from damp by
well varnished paper. The oil vessel when charged with oil may be corked up
with suitable corks or cement and sealed with wax or proper varnish.
But I prefer oil vessels formed with small orificies so that when placed in oil
whilst they are hot will be charged with oil when cold and can then be hermitrically
sealed with the blow pipe or other flame.
I construct my patent rockets so as to contain any required quantity but in my
opinion for all practical purposes four sizes are sufficient viz: number one half
ounce, number two one ounce, number three an ounce and a half, number four two
ounces. These oil vessels when they are discharged should be burst immediately
above the breast of the rolling sea at intervals of a few minutes and so let down their
mountainous height by lubrication then the good ship would rise imperceptibly over
their otherwise destructive weight and power the tendency of which mountainous
seas when bursting upon a ship is to cause a considerable wreck or total destruction.
Thus a few pounds of oil discharged at intervals by my patent process upon a head
or following sea would save from partial or total destruction any ship afloat. In
constructing my small patent rocket trail rod I prefer to use separate pieces of
wood or other suitable material reversing the grain of the wood and groving the
same to receive the wire those I turn or otherwise form into the required shape
then I put the two together with glue or gum and when dry I round off the ends
so as to facilitate the folding and packing of the same when put together in the
smallest possible space the whole being properly varnished to preserve them
from damp.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be
perfectly understood that I do not bind myself to the precise mode or arrangement
herein described as these may be variously modified without departing from the
principle of my invention for instance animal intestines would make splendid oil

page_text: vessels but in my judgment would not be so safe in practice, then the rocket socket
might be made in one piece or the metallic tubes might be screwed together but in
the latter case it would add to the cost of production and in the former it would
not be so strong and gain to work; whilst the trail rod might be in one piece but
this mode of construction would make them too cumbersome, I declare that what
I claim is
First. The construction of a Rocket containing oil for the purpose of lubricating
mountainous billows in stormy seas and thereby gently letting them down
substantially as herein before described.
Second. The construction of a metallic rocket case in two or more parts
substantially as herein before described.
Third. The introduction of a moulded form of powder or other explosive so as to
secure a vessel of oil at the outer end of the rocket substantially as herein before
described.
Fourth. The introduction of a glass or other vessel containing oil into the outer
end of the rocket substantially as herein before described.
Fifth. The introduction of an hermitrically sealed oil vessel formed of glass or
other material into the outer end of a rocket fixed in or upon a moulded shot of
powder or other fulminate substantially as herein before described.
Sixth. The construction of a trail rod having a wire core with loose ends for the
double purpose of bracing the several parts together and for permeating and holding
the trail rod together in a straight line substantially as herein before described.
Seventh. The introduction of a loose powder packing or other explosive around
the upper portion of the glass or other vessel substantially as herein before
described.
Eighth. The introduction of fulminating fire balls around the oil vessel and
immediately upon the powder shot so as to indicate where the oil vessel is burst
and the oil scattered substantially as herein before described.
Ninth. The introduction of an asbestos or other non-combustible packing at the
top of the oil vessel for the purpose of keeping it in position substantially as
herein before described.
Tenth. The introduction of a shell weight in which to place a vessel of oil when
it is desirable to fire a large quantity a long distance from a cannon substantially
as herein before described.
Dated thin n0th d... of T..1.. 10OK