IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING OIL UPON THE SEA OR WATERS WHEN AGITATED FOR THE PURPOSE OF CALMING OR ALLAYING THE FORCE THEREOF APPLICABLE ALSO TO EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN GORDON Junior of Dundee in the County of Forfar North Britain do
hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR DISCHARGING OIL UPON THE SEA OR WATERS WHEN AGITATED FOR THE
PURPOSE OF CALMING OR ALLAYING THE FORCE THEREOF APPLICABLE ALSO TO
EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES to be as follows:-
:―
"
This Invention has for its principal object to provide a projectile shell or vessel
which can be discharged from a gun or other equivalent projecting apparatus and
which thereafter at any predetermined time will be opened ruptured or dismembered
so as to ensure the escape of oil which the said projectile shell or vessel contains and
the distribution of the said oil upon the water-According to my said Invention
I provide a can, shell or vessel in which is contained a charge of oil and with this
can, shell or vessel I employ a time fuse (or fuses) and exploding charge (or charges)
which can be fixed in or to the base of the said can, shell or vessel so that on its
being discharged from the gun the time fuse is ignited and at any given time
thereafter explodes the bursting charge which opens dismembers or ruptures the
can, shell or vessel to allow the oil to escape at the proper time to cause it to be
distributed upon the water at the desired place. The bursting charge and time
fuse are carried by a chamber with a suitable cover to retain the charge and to
open on firing The fuse is of a length timed to ignite the said charge when the
can shell or vessel arrives at or over the place where the oil is to be distributed―
It is preferred to make a recess in the base of the can shell or vessel and to cover
it with a suitable cover or filling and to shape the chamber holding the bursting
charge and fuse so that it can be screwed or fixed in the said recess Thus the said
can, shell or vessel may be used as an ordinary oil can until it is required for use
for the purposes of my Invention when the said chamber holding the bursting
charge and fuse can be attached.
The charge for the gun may be put thereinto separately or it may be contained
in a box or receptacle fixed to the base of the chamber holding the bursting charge
and fuse.
In order to prevent a sudden firing through the whole length of the fuse owing
to the great heat of the gun chamber, I dip the said fuse in or coat it with a

page_text: These
material which will be melted or liquified by the heat of the discharge and whilst
not extinguishing the fuse will retard the progress of the fire along the same for
the requisite time to delay the firing of the bursting charge until the can, shell or
vessel has arrived at its destination. I have found paraffin wax a suitable
substance for this purpose as it is impervious to moisture or practically so.
improvements may be applied to explosive shells such as are used in warfare,
whereby the bursting charges and fuses can be used at the base of the projectile
and the arrangement for having the bursting charge separate from the shell and
attachable thereto when desired as hereinbefore described can consequently be
applied to shells of this class. By this means, the shells can be stored separately
from the bursting charges and so the said shells will not be liable to danger of
bursting accidentally whilst after the bursting charges and fuse are attached to the
base of the shell the practical certainty of the ignition of the fuse and subsequent
bursting of the shell is ensured.
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the said John Gordon, Jun.

page_text: I JOHN GORDON Junior of Dundee in the County of Forfar North Britain
do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR DISCHARGING OIL UPON THE SEA OR WATERS WHEN AGITATED FOR THE
PURPOSE OF CALMING OR ALLAYING THE FORCE THEREOF APPLICABLE ALSO TO
EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to bo
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention has for its principal object to provide a projectile shell which can
be discharged from a gun or other equivalent projecting apparatus and which
thereafter at any predetermined time will be opened ruptured or dismembered so
as to ensure the escape of oil which the said projectile shell or vessel contains and
the distribution of the said oil upon the water According to my said Invention
I provide a can shell or vessel in which is contained a charge of oil and with this
can shell or vessel I employ a time fuse (or fuses and exploding charge (or charges)
which can be fined in or to the case of the said can shell or vessel so that on its
being discharged from the gun the time fuse is ignited and at any given time
thereafter explodes the bursting charge which opens dismembers or ruptures the
can shell or vessel to allow the oil to escape at the proper time to cause it to be
distributed upon the water at the desired place.
The bursting charge and time fuse are carried by a chamber with a suitablo
cover to retain the charge and to reopen on firing The fuse is of a length timed
to ignite the said charge when the can shell or vessel arise at or over the place
where the oil is to be distributed It is preferred to make a recess in the base of
the projectile shell or vessel and to cover it with a suitable cover or filling and to
shape the chamber holding the bursting charge and fuse so that it can be screwed
or fixed in the said recess Thus the said can shell or vessel may be used as an
ordinary oil can until it is required for use for the purposes of my Invention when
the said chamber holding the bursting charge and fuse can be attached.
The charge for the gun may be put thereinto separately or it may be contained
in a box or receptacle fixed to the base of the Chamber holding the bursting charge
and fuse.
The accompanying drawing represents an apparatus constructed according to my
Invention A is the projectile Shell or vessel containing the oil and provided with
a cover to top piece a the opening through which may be closed by a cork a² or
in any other suitable way. The said vessel A has a screwed recess in its base at b
which is covered with a disc of thin metal 62. The Chamber C containing the
bursting charge is covered by a disc of, thin metal c' and is screwed on its exterior
so that it can readily be secured in the vessel 'A' when required for use. At
other times when the fuse is not secured in place the vessel "A" may be used as an
ordinary oil can. The fuses dd are held in the projection c and are of a length in
accordance with the time which is to elapse between the discharge from the gun
and the rupture or dismemberment of the shell or vessel A.-E represents a box
or receptacle fixed to the Chamber C in which box or receptacle the charge for the
gun may be contained instead of being put independently into the gun but of
course it may be put in independently if desired. It must be understood that
I have only given this as an example of the manner in which my invention may be
carried into practical effect and that I do not limit myself to the precise details of
the apparatus shewn as they may be varied without departing from the nature of
my invention. In order to prevent a sudden firing through the whole length of
the fuse owing to the great heat of the gun chamber I dip the said fuse in or coat

page_text: it with a material which will be melted or liquified by the heat of the discharge
and whilst not extinguishing the fuse will retard the progress of the fire along the
same for the requisite time to delay the firing of the bursting charge until tho
projectile shell or vessel has arrived at its destination. I have found paraffin wax
a suitable substance for this purpose and it possesses the additional advantage of
being a material impervious to moisture or practically so.
These improvements may be applied to explosive shells such as are used in
warfare whereby the bursting charges and fuses can be used at the base of the
projectile and the arrangement for having the bursting charge separate from the
shell and attachable thereto when desired as herein before described can consequently
be applied to shells of this class By this means the shells can be stored separately
from the bursting charges and so the said shells will not be liable to danger of
bursting accidentally whilst after the bursting charges and fuse are attached to the
base of the shell the practical certainty of, the ignition of the fuse and subsequent
bursting of the shell is insured.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First Apparatus for discharging oil upon the sea or waters when agitated
consisting of a receptacle shell or vessel containing the oil and provided at its base
with a time fuse substantially as hereinbefore described.
Second Apparatus for discharging oil upon the sea or waters when agitated
consisting of a receptacle shell or vessel containing the oil and a time fuse and
bursting charge capable of being attached to the base of the said receptacle shell
or vessel substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Third For use with explosive projectiles a time fuse or fuses prepared by
covering or dipping it or them or part thereof with or in Paraffin wax or equivalent
substance as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
Dated the 30th day of September One thousand eight hundred and eighty