IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE AND FIRE-ARMS, AND IN BALLS AND SHELLS
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN MACINTOSH, of Berners Street, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-
fourth day of March, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the
fifteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Macintosh, my exors, adñiors,
and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that I, the said John Macintosh, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Macintosh, my exors, adñiors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ORDNANCE AND FIRE-ARMS, AND IN BALLS AND SHELLS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said John

page_text: Macintosh, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said John Macintosh, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
are fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
My Invention consists, First, of improvements in balls to be fired in
succession from a gun or fire-arm suitably arranged for igniting powder
forward of the outermost ball.
Secondly, my Invention consists of improvements in balls or shells,
whereby the effect of explosion is made to take place all around and not
forward or backward; and,
Thirdly, my Invention consists of a mode of arranging guns and
parts in connection therewith to admit of firing below the water line of
the
gun boat or vessel.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
こ
Figure 1, shows a ball (on an enlarged scale) constructed suitable for
carrying out the first part of my Invention, where the fire-arm used is
constructed suitable to receive several balls at one time, and they are:
to be fired in succession by the charge which projects the first ball
igniting the charge which projects the next, and so on till all are
discharged. Figure 2, shows a pistol suitable for having a charge of
several balls. In Figure 2, there are six balls, but this may be varied,
and the six balls, with their several charges of powder, are to be
enveloped by a tube or coating of paper (or it may be other suitable
material) so that the whole charge will be introduced into a suitable
fire-arm at one time, there being then a small quantity of powder

page_text: introduced into the barrel, and a small wad of paper or other material
rammed in, as shewn at a, Figure 2, where a nipple is affixed to
receive a cap which is discharged by the blow of a spring b, which is
kept off by a crutch c, which is drawn away by movement of the trigger
as indicated by the Drawing. Each of the balls is provided with a
tube d, which contains fuse composition, there being small holes
through the back end of the tube communicating with the charge
within the ball. I would remark that I do not claim to make balls
hollow so that the charges of powder required to project them may be
within the balls, hollow balls having before been used; neither do I
claim the discharging several balls in succession from the same barrel,
this part of my Invention consisting of constructing balls in such manner
that the discharging the one most forward shall cause the next charge
to be ignited, as herein explained, the fuse composition regulating the
speed at which the balls shall succeed each other. In making the balls
shewn at Figure 1, I find it desirable that the fore part should be of
iron or hard metal, and the after part of lead or soft metal, and
although I have only shewn a pistol and balls of a suitable size there-
for, it will be obvious that guns or other fire-arms may have balls
suitable therefor, and such guns may be suitably arranged for dis-
charging the one most forward.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which consists
of making balls or shells of such form as to have no tendency to burst
forward or backward, but outwards on all sides. Figure 3, shows a
section of a ball or shell, according to this part of my Invention, and
of the form which I prefer to use; the part e, is made of malleable cast
iron or of wrought iron, it being desirable that the two ends e', e",
should offer equal area, and that they should be so tied together that
they will not separate on the bursting, but cause all the effects of the
bursting to take place all around the axis. f, is an external case of
paper tied around at top and bottom at g, g, when charged; and h, is
another case, which I prefer to be of gutta percha or of lead, though
other material may be used in place thereof. The back end of the
case h, is made hollow, so as to expand with discharge, and thus fill the
barrel, whether plain or rifled; there is also a tube or passage i, for a

page_text: fuze to discharge the materials in the shell, but in place of such mode
of igniting the charge, other modes may be resorted to for such purpose,.
such as a detonating cap on a proper nipple, as has heretofore been
employed with other shells. In place of making the case h, in the
form shewn at Figure 3, it may be made, in two parts, and rivited or
fixed together as shewn at Figure 4, so that the back end k', only need
be of soft material, whilst the other part of the case may bo of iron or
hard material. In place of making the ball or shell according to this.
part of my Invention cylindrical, it may be made spherical, as shown
at Figure 5, where the interior part is arranged similarly to what has,
been above described, but the exterior case j, is cast on to the other.
parts, and the case j is to be charged through a hole in the ordinary
manner, and may be exploded by being ignited by the means shown
and before described, or by any of the well-known means.
In using
such or other balls or shells, in order to prevent "windage," I employ
the instrument k, which may be of gutta percha, (or gutta percha
ground and mixed with other materials,) lead, or other suitably soft
material, which will expand and fill the bore when discharged; and
although I do not confine myself to the precise form of the instrument k,
shown, it is important that it be in close contact with the ball, which
may have short metal connections with the instrument k, and also it is
important that the instrument k, be capable of in part receiving the
charge, as its expansion is thereby facilitated.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention, which consists of
employing vulcanized india-rubber or collapsing material to close a
hole water-tight, up to which a gun may be run below the water line
of a gun boat or other vessel.
and part of a gun; 7, is the hole
is ordinarily covered by a slide m.
of an elastic mouth piece n, which I make of vulcanized india-rubber,
the outer part being in its ordinary state closed and kept closed by its
own elasticity, as is well understood in making like mouth pieces of
other instruments. The gun I prefer should be made somewhat conical
at its end, and fit into the opening at o, which should be packed with
vulcanized india-rubber. The gun, when to be fired, is to be run up to
Figure 6, shows a section of a vessel
through which a gun is to fire, which
The opening is covered by means

page_text: the opening and fired through the elastic mouth piece, which will close
immediately after the passage of the ball or shell, not only by reason of
its own elasticity, but also by the pressure of water thereon. When
the gun is removed to receive a fresh charge, the slide m is caused to
cover the port hole, and thereby prevent the ingress of water in case of
the collapsing of the india-rubber n.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not con-
fine myself to the details herein given so long as the peculiar character
of any part of the Invention be retained; but what I claim is,―
First, the improvements above described for firing a succession of
balls from guns or fire-arms.
Secondly, I claim the mode of constructing balls or shells to ensure
their explosion on all sides, and not forward or backward.
And thirdly, I claim the mode of arranging or constructing parts in
connection with guns to facilitate their being fired under the water line
of gun boats or other vessels.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Macintosh, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
JOHN (L.S.) MACINTOSH.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of
September, in the year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid John Mac-
intosh came before our said Lady the Queen, in Her Chancery, and
acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specifi-
cation aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute
made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-fourth day of September, in the year of our