AN IMPROVED FIRE-ARM AND PROJECTILE
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the Firm of John Gedge
and Son, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middle-
sex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED FIRE-ARM AND
PROJECTILE." A communication from abroad by Eugène Moreau, of 39,
Faubourg Saint Martin, Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th February 1864.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of No. 11,
Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED FIRE-ARM
AND PROJECTILE," a communication to me from abroad by Eugène Moreau,
of 39, Faubourg Saint Martin, Paris, France, to be as follows:-
This improved fire-arm is intended not only to kill the object aimed at, say,
fish or any other object, which may be done more or less well by other fire-
arms, but offers the advantage of never losing the projectile. It differs from
ordinary carbines only in the arrangement of the barrel, the exterior shape of
which (for greater strength) is always a hexagon, and which has a slit
extending from its extremity to about six inches from the breech, and about
one-fifth of an inch wide. The projectile is formed of a wooden cylinder,
having a groove following its length, which groove deepens at the end to

page_text: receive a spring formed of two parts, the one being a steel piece ending in
a blade or plate, and having a groove covered by another steel plate or blade
screwed at its end on the first-mentioned blade; a dart or harpoon terminates
the wooden cylinder and makes it into a sort of arrow, at the back is a metal
ferule slightly projecting. On the side and near the breech of the carbine is
a piece having two branches, which embrace a ball of string, one of the ends
of which is attached to the buckle part of the two branched piece, and the
other (drawn from the inside of the ball) is attached to the projectile.
Before placing the projectile in the barrel one end of a cord is attached to
a ring bolt or screw at the back and within the ferrule above mentioned, the
other end of the cord passing in the groove of the spring; this cord rests
entirely in the groove of the projectile. Lastly, the cartridge is placed
behind the projectile, and the whole is introduced by the breech, the point
forward, until the back of the cartridge is level with that of the breech, and
so that the spring which has lowered on the introduction rises as soon as it has
arrived opposite the slit in the barrel, the cord attached to the projectile is
then withdrawn from the groove in which it was placed, and by a buckle at
its end is fastened to one of the ends of the ball of string on the side of the
carbine. The spring on the projectile fulfils three principal functions; firstly,
it serves to hold the other end of the cord, one end of which is attached
to the ring bolt at the back of the projectile until the projectile is placed
in the carbine, and so that (as above stated) one end of the ball of string
may be attached to it; then it guides the projectile by means of the slit
until it leaves the piece, and thus makes it follow a more regular trajectory,
and consequently renders the shooting more certain; lastly, it acts on the fish
like a hook, that is to say, having once entered it it cannot come out when
the sportsman pulls in the string.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of No. 11, Wellington
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Gedge, Her special licence that I, the said William
Edward Gedge, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Gedge, 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 FIRE-ARM AND PROJECTILE," (a communication to me from
abroad by Eugène Moreau, of 39, Faubourg Saint Martin, Paris, France,)
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Gedge,
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 Edward Gedge, 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 had to the Sheet of Drawing hereunto
annexed, and forming part of this Specification, and to the figures and letters
of reference placed thereon, Figure 1 being a view of the projectile, its groove
being at top; Figure 2, section of projectile; Figure 3, view of projectile, the
groove being in front; Figure 4, nipper for holding ball of string; Figure 5,
cartridge; and Figure 6, fire-arm. The projectile and the nipper are down
to a scale double that of the fire-arm.
The improved fire-arm or carbine, the subject of this Invention is intended not
only to kill fish or any other object against which it may be directed, which may
be done more or less well by other fire-arms, but offers the advantage of never
losing the projectile discharged, which may be brought back to the sportsman.
This fire-arm is composed as follows:-It differs from ordinary carbines
only in the arrangement of the barrel, the exterior shape of which is, for
greater strength, always a hexagon, and which is slit as shewn, Figure 6,
from its extremity to about six inches from the breech, the slit being about
one-fifth of an inch in width. The projectile used with the said fire-arm is
formed of a wooden cylinder (Figures 1, 2, 3,) having a groove a, b, following
its length; this groove becomes deeper at c in order to receive a spring

page_text: formed of two parts, the one d, e, f, g, h, being a piece of steel ending in a blade
or plate g, h, and having a groove at d, f. This groove is covered by
another steel plate or blade i, h, screwed at its end on to d, h. A dart or
harpoon k, l, m, terminates this wooden cylinder, and makes it into a sort
of arrow; at the back is a slightly projecting ferrule p, q, r, s, of copper or
other suitable metal or material. On the side and near the breech of the
carbine is screwed a nipping piece, shewn separately, Figure 4, which may
embrace with its branches A, B, a ball of string; one of the ends of this
string is fastened in the part C, which is in form of a loop, and the other
(drawn from the inside of the ball) is attached to the projectile. Before
placing the projectile in the barrel to a ring, bolt, or pin n placed at the back
of and within the ferrule, as shewn Figure 2, is fastened one end of a cord,
the other end of which passes in the groove d, f, of the spring piece d, e, f, g, h,
this cord lies in the groove a, b, of the projectile. Lastly, the cartridge,
Figure 5, is placed at the back of the projectile, and the whole is introduced
by the breech, the point forward, until the back of the cartridge is level with
that of the breech, and so that the spring which has lowered during the intro-
duction rises as soon as it has arrived opposite the slit in the barrel of the
fire-arm. The cord attached to the projectile is then withdrawn from the
groove d, f, in which it was placed, and by a buckle at its end is fastened
to one of the ends of the ball of string placed on the side of the carbine, as
shewn Figure 6, and the projectile thus finds itself tied to the fire-arm. The
spring d, e, f, g, h, has here three principal functions, to the fulfilment of
which it is necessary and indispensable; firstly, it serves to hold the end o of
the cord n, o, attached to the bolt n, until the projectile has entered the
carbine, and so that as already explained, one end of the ball of string
may be attached to it; then it guides the projectile by means of the slit until
it leaves the piece, and thus makes it follow a more regular trajectory, and
consequently renders the shooting more certain; lastly, it acts on the fish or
other object struck like a hook, that is to say, having once entered it cannot
come out when the sportsman pulls the string.
in
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner
which the same is carried into practical effect, I desire it to be distinctly under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the use of any particular metal or material or
to any precise proportions in the construction of this improved fire-arm and
projectile, as such may be varied or modified without departure from the said
Invention, and that I claim the exclusive use of the modification made in the
barrel of the fire-arm, the projectile, both as a whole and in its parts, and

page_text: the method of attaching the ball of string, the whole substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated on the accompanying Sheet of Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
W. E. GEDGE. (L.S.)