IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCKETS FOR SAVING LIFE AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES, AND IN THE APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH."
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Humphrey Singleton Hooper, of Sunny Croft,
Croxted Road, Dulwich, in the County of Surrey, R.N., for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCKETS FOR SAVING LIFE AND OTHER USEFUL
PURPOSES, AND IN THE APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Humphrey Singleton
Hooper at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th October
1876.
JAMES HUMPHREY SINGLETON HOOPER, of Sunny Croft, Croxted Road, Dulwich,
in the County of Surrey, R.N. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCKETS FOR SAVING LIFE
AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES, AND IN THE APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH."
This Invention has reference to those rockets known as "The Hale's Rocket"
and consists of improvements in the means and apparatus for adapting such rockets
to life saving and other useful purposes.
The object of these improvements is to more readily carry out a line to a ship
wrecked or stranded vessel with certainly and at any angle according to the
distance or height at which it is desired to throw the rocket, and may be used as a
means of communication for other useful purposes.
To carry out my improvements I insert through the centre of the flange or tail
piece of the Hale rocket a small iron, steel, or other metal spindle or pin with a
head to it, the head being for the purpose of resting on a circular bearing made in
the interior of the flange or tail piece, the action of the spindle or pin working on
this bearing is what I call my first swivel; to the end of this pin or small spindle
which projects beyond the end of the flange or tail piece I attach a swivel joint or
other mechanical equivalent being capable of rotation, and this I call the second
swivel, thus making a complete double swivel, to which is attached a short length
of chain. The swivel and chain being both clear of the rear fire I can without
burning attach any description of line.
The real object of this Invention is to supersede the stick rocket at present in use,
which cannot be depended upon, while by means of my double swivel I carry out
the line much further and with greater certainty.

page_text: Another advantage of this Invention is that it is very light and portable, and
requires but a simple V stand to fire from, thus doing away with the complicated
machinery now used when firing these rockets.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Humphrey Singleton Hooper in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th April 1877.
JAMES HUMPHREY SINGLETON HOOPER, of Sunny Croft, Croxted Road, Dulwich,
in the County of Surrey, R.N. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCKETS FOR SAVING LIFE
AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES, AND IN THE APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH."
This Invention has reference to those rockets known as "The Hale Rocket," and
consists of improvements in the means and apparatus for adapting such rockets to
life saving and other useful purposes.
The object of these improvements is to more readily carry out a line to a ship-
wrecked or stranded vessel with certainty and at any angle according to the distance
or height at which it is desired to throw the rocket, and may be used as a means of
communication and for other useful purposes.
To carry out my improvements I insert through the centre of the flange or tail
piece of the Hale rocket a small iron, steel, or other metal spindle with a head to it,
the head being for the purpose of resting on a circular bearing for the purpose of
retaining the spindle in position made in the interior of the flange or tail piece, the
action of the spindle working on this bearing is what I call my first swivel; to the
end of this spindle which projects beyond the end of the flange or tail piece I attach
a swivel joint or bow or other mechanical equivalent being capable of rotation, and
this I call the second swivel, thus making a complete double swivel, to which is
attached a short length of chain. The swivel and chain being both clear of the rear
fire I can without burning attach any description of line.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood and carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe the same, reference being had to the
aunexed Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon.
Fig. 1, Sheet 1, represents an external view of a rocket known as a Hale rocket,
and shews my improvements attached thereto; Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal
section of the same, and shews more fully the internal mechanism and my double
swivel; Fig. 3 represents a transverse section of the rear end of the rocket taken on
the line A-B; Fig. 4 represents a transverse section through the tail piece or rotator
on the line C-D.
a is the wrought iron or other metal case or body of the rocket, to the fore end
of which is fixed by screw rivets b, b, b, the conical or other shaped head c. The
head is here shewn hollow with the usual vent d in the apex of the case. There is
a diaphragm e between the head and the case or body a of the rocket which is secured
in position by the same screws b, b, b, that fasten the head c to the case a; thus these
three parts are firmly attached together. The diaphragmne is flanged at f' so as to
make a sound and good connection between it and the head c. To the rear end of
the rocket is fixed a base piece or ring plate g which is secured to the case or body
a of the rocket by the screws h, h, h, in a similar manner to the method adopted in
fastening the head c as already described. The base piece g has a female screw cut
in its centre of sufficient size to suit the male screw i on the tail piece j to be herein-
after described. The base piece is flanged and abuts against the edge of the case as
shewn to give additional strength and greater security to the connection between it
and the case a.
The tail piece or rotator j before alluded to is constructed in the following
manner: Five circular apertures k, k, k, k, and I were made in it equi-distant from

page_text: each other and parallel with the longitudinal axis of the rocket, but that portion of
the tail piece that projects beyond the case a or body of the rocket has about one-
half of the outer side of each tube cut away; by this arrangement of parts, which is
that known as the Hale rocket, the gas generated by the combustion of the com-
position a' with which the case of the rocket a is filled being allowed no other means
of egress than the five openings k, k, k, k, and k, the gas in escaping from the rocket
will exert by its elastic force a lateral pressure against these projecting valves I, I, I, I,
and of the five tubes while it is free to expand in the opposite direction, and as
this pressure is at right angles to the rocket's longitudinal axis a rapid rotary motion
is thereby given to the rocket. The method adopted of securing the base piece g to
the case or body of the rocket is fully illustrated in Fig. 3. The screw rivets h, h,
and h, are screwed into the case as shewn, while the tail piece or rotator j is further
secured in its position in the base piece g and kept from any tendency to turn on
its axis by two countersunk head screws m, m, which pass from the outside of the
case a through the same, then through the base piece g, and finally screw into the
tail piece or rotator j.
Having now described the construction of the rocket to which my Invention is
applicable, I will now proceed to describe particularly my improvements with respect
to the same.
To carry out these improvements I insert (for about half its length) through the
centre or longitudinal axis of the tail piece or rotator j a spindle or bolt n with a
collar or head o at that end of it which is within the tail piece or rotator j. This
tail piece or rotator is recessed to receive the collar or head of the spindle or bolt n,
so that the under side of the collar or head o bears against the shoulder p formed by
the recess in the tail piece or rotator j, by which arrangement though the spindle or
bolt is retained in its position in the rotator j and securely held within the same
by the collar or head o so that it cannot be withdrawn, yet it is perfectly free to
turn or rotate on its own axis (after the well known manner of a journal in its
bearing) and this I call from its having such rotary action about its axis my first
swivel. Further, to that end of this same spindle or bolt n which projects beyond
the tail piece or rotator I attach an ordinary swivel bow or shackle q free to turn
or rotate on the aforesaid bolt n, but securely retained to the same by the nut?* on
the screwed ends of the spindle or bolt n. This nut is also further secured from
unscrewing by the cross pin 8 passing through the same.
The second swivel (bow)
works on the steel bolt in a recess q cut in the rear tail piece. The swivel is there-
fore safely protected from the back fire. injuring its working faces. This last
described swivel bow q (or shackle free to turn on its axis) I call my second
swivel, and to it is attached a small length of chain t to the end of which is fastened
one end of the rope or cord to be carried out.
It will be seen by this combination of parts which I have adopted the greatest
liberty is given to the rocket to rotate on its axis free from any impeding action to
such rotation by the rope attached as is experienced in the stick rocket at present
in use, and to supersede which is one of the real objects of this Invention, for in my
method the whole of the parts both of the rocket proper and also the double swivel
as well as the chain itself is equally balanced about the axis of rotation, and there-
fore these parts do not impede the equal action of rotation nor tend to cause the
rocket to deviate from its true path of flight.
By the double swivel action of my Invention in consequence of the spindle not
being fixed rigidly into the tail piece of the rocket I effectually guard against the
danger of one swivel not acting, for should one of my swivels from any cause cease
to act there is still the other swivel which is perfectly, capable of performing all that
is required, so that the first or the second swivel may severally perform apart from
any assistance from the other its proper office of permitting the rocket to rotate
without itself the link or chain attachment and rope rotating, or they (the swivels)
both may share more or less equally between them their functions, thus insuring in
my case a perfect swivel action between the rocket proper and the rope. The cavity
at the back of the head o of the bolt n is plugged with a plug u which protects the

page_text: bolt from damage. This plug u is made parallel and the head u² is coned, thereby
diverting the fire into the flange holes more readily, and the shoulder under the head
in conjunction with the tight fit when resting on a similar circular bearing to that
on which the bolt head rests effectually secures the head of the bolt n from damage
while the combustion of the composition a¹ is going on in the case a during the flight
of the rocket, the space between the two bearings being filled with tallow.
Figure 5, Sheet 2, represents a side elevation of the stand from which the rocket
is fired; and Figure 6 the back end view of the same to a larger scale. This stand
consists of two pieces V and V₁ of wood, iron, or other suitable material (when of
the first-mentioned substance they are covered with thin sheet iron) fastened
together parallel to each other with their upper surfaces inclined to one another
about 160 degrees or thereabouts. These pieces V, VI, are connected at three or
more places by semicircular bands or hoops of iron or other suitable material
which bridge from the outside of one piece V to the outside of the other piece
V¹ The near sides of these pieces V and V₁ are placed at such a distance
apart that the chain t and rope x connected to the tail of the rocket may be
able to freely pass between them without any danger of its being caught by
the sides. The stand is supported at the front end by two double jointed legs
y with spikes at their extremities or bases, and is supported at the rear end
by two shorter legs z of iron or other material. There is a small projection z³ on
the left side only, the pieces V and V₁ for the rear end of the rocket to rest against
when it is fired, which is performed by a slow match or fusee.
Another advantage of my Invention is that the improvements adopted are very
light and portable, and require but a simple stand (already described) to fire from,
thus doing away with the complicated machinery at present in use with the stick,
life saving, Boxer, or other rocket.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said Invention, I would
obseerve in conclusion that I am aware that a pin with a rigidly fixed connection
to the tail piece at one end and having a nut at the other end has been tried, and
that such an arrangement is shewn in the Specification of a Patent bearing date the
16th June, 1876, No. 2502, and granted to Walter Blott, but such a single rotating
joint is liable to derangement especially when outside the tail piece of the rocket,
and I therefore make no claim to such a joint, but I declare that what I claim and
desire to be secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The improvements in rockets for saving life and other useful purposes, sub-
stantially as herein-before described and shewn in the Drawings.
Second. As applied to rockets for saving life and other useful purposes the general
construction, arrangement, and combination of parts together forming the double
swivel as herein-before described and shewn more particularly in Figure 2 of the
Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
Third. The apparatus or stand used in connection with rockets for saving life and
other useful purposes herin-before described and shewn on Figures 5 and 6 of the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Humphrey Singleton Hooper, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
JAMES HUMPHREY SINGLETON HOOPER. (L.S.)