IMPROVEMENTS IN AIR CANES OR PEA SHOOTERS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Dreyfous, of Paris, France, Civil Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AIR CANES OR PEA SHOOTERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Dreyfous at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th May 1864.
I, SAMUEL DREYFOUS, of Paris, France, Civil Engineer, do hereby.declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AIR CANES OR -PEA
SHOOTERS," to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in an improved arrangement of air cane or pea-
shooter, the principal object of which is to allow the shooter, whilst blowing
forth the pea or other projectile, to take aim with greater precision and facility
than with those now in use. The cane or barrel, which I prefer to be made of
iron or other suitable metal, is mounted on a stock in the manner of a fowling
piece, musket, or other portable fire-arm, one end of an india-rubber, or other
suitable elastic tube is connected to the back end of the bore of the barrel of the
cane, or to a tubular perforation provided in the butt-end of the stock, and
communicating with the said bore. For firing, the shooter takes in his mouth.
the other end of the said elastic tube in which he blows whilst taking aim as
with an ordinary fowling piece. The barrel is moveable in the stock, and its
back end fits into a sort of breech, so that by pushing forward the barrel, the

page_text: breech is opened so as to allow of inserting therein the pea, clay ball, or
other similar projectile, after which the breech is shut by pushing back the
barrel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Dreyfous in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th November 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
DREYFOUS, of Paris, France, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for IIerself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Samuel Dreyfous, Her special licence that I, the said
Samuel Dreyfous, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Samuel Dreyfous, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AIR CANES OR PEA SHOOTERS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Dreyfous, 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 Samuel Dreyfous, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The Invention relates to. an improved arrangement of air canes or pea
shooters, the object of the Invention being to allow the shooter, whilst blowing
forth the pea or other projectile, to take aim with any required degree of pre-
cision, and with the same facility as with an ordinary rifle, pistol, or other
similar portable fire-arm.

page_text: The hitherto known air canes or. pea shooters consist merely of a barrel, in
the interior of which is placed a pea, a small ball of clay, a light arrow or dart,
or other similar light projectile which the shooter by 'puffing in the barrel
blows forth in the wished for direction; in this exercise a good deal of skill is.
required, because of the shooter keeping the end or mouth-piece of the cane
in his mouth, the said cane or barrel is not situated in the visual direction of
the shooter, but in a more or less perpendicular position in respect to the eyes
of this latter, which position besides in taking aim is always more or less
disturbed, the visual ray of one eye forming an angle with that of the
Fother.
My improved air cane or pea shooter is free of the said defects, and allows "
of whilst shooting to take aim with the same precision and quietness as with
an ordinary fire-arm, which allows of my improved air cane to be used as well
as a plaything, as for hunting, exercising in shooting at a target, and other
purposes:
:
It will be readily understood that according to these various purposes the
shape and size of the air cane may be more or less varied, whilst the same
may be manufactured of any suitable metal, wood; gutta percha, or other suit-
able material.
The annexed Drawings show the arrangements of my improved air canes
in the shape of a rifle, or gun, and of a pistol; in the various Figures the same
letters of reference relate to corresponding parts, whilst various parts are repre-
sented as partly cut off.
Fig. 1' represents a longitudinal sectional view, and Fig. 2 a plan view of one
of my improved air canes made in the shape of an ordinary rifle or gun; the barrel
b of metal, glass, or other suitable material is laid partly in the stock' a, and
kept either fixed by rings or other suitable means, or arranged to be moveable
in the manner of the rocking barrel of a breech-loading gun; c is a flexible
india-rubber tube connected in a fixed or in a moveable manner to the breech,
back, or hind end of the barrel, part of which tube is inserted in opening pro-
vided for that purpose in the butt end d of the stock, whilst the free end of
this tube has a mouthpiece f of ivory, horn, or other suitable material; which
the shooter keeps in his mouth when shouldering the cane for taking aim as
with an ordinary musket; a small drawer or slide box e, may be provided in
the stock between the tubes b and c, in which drawer is to be put the pea'h or
other projectile for carrying it opposite the centre of the said 'tubes. Or the
end of the tube c might be provided as represented in the top view, Fig. 3, with
a small socket or appendage g, which niay be inserted in the end of the tube b,
the projectile having been placed previously in the said appendage. Or, as

page_text: represented in the top. view, Fig. 4, a suitably curved shape S might be
given to the hind part of the tube 6 so as to allow the shooter to
keep the end or mouthpiece of this part in his mouth whilst taking aim;
this curved part S might be entirely separate from the remainder of the
barrel, and when required to be applied and fixed thereto by a bayonet joint
or other suitable means, and be provided with a fixed or a moveable mouth-
piece. When an air cane in the shape of a pistol, as represented in side view
in Fig. 5, is made use of, it will be preferable to employ the india-rubber tube
c, and have the same either inserted in a perforation provided for that purpose
in the butt end d, or one end of the said tube might be applied as shown in the
longitudinal side view of the musket-shaped air cane represented in Fig. 6, by
means of the above-mentioned socket 9 into the back end of the barrel; the
said socket or appendage 9 consists merely of a small tube 9 of brass or other.
suitable material, one end of which fits into the, end of the barrel b, whereas
the opposite end fits either into or round one end of the india-rubber tube c,
the opposite end of which tube is provided with a mouthpiece f. The drawer
e is provided with a knob or handle for allowing the same to be drawn out,
and the pea or other projectile to be put in the drawer; or this latter might
be replaced by a suitable recess provided in the stock a to be closed by a
lid. The curved connecting part S, and the tube c may be either fixed or be
moveable on the stock of the air cane, the barrel of which may be situated in
any suitable position.
The same arrangements might be applied also to toy cannons, in which case
the flexible tube c might serve as well for shooting as for dragging along the
cannon on its carriage.
What forms the conspicuous part or main principle of my improved pea-
shooters or air canes is, their allowing to take aim in a similar manner. and
with the same accurateness as with muskets, pistols, or other similar portable
fire-arms, whilst blowing forth the pea or other projectile.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be put into
effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details of the above described arrangements, as many
variations may be made therefrom without deviating from the main princi-
ples of the said Invention, but what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent is, providing the barrel of pea shooters or air
canes with an india-rubber or other suitable tube, by means of which the
shooter blows in the barrel for driving forth the pea or other projectile

page_text: whilst he is allowed at the same time to take aim as with an ordinary
portable fire-arm..
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Dreyfous, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
S. DREYFOUS. (L.S.)