IMPROVEMENTS IN CASES AND MAGAZINES FOR GUNPOWDER
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HALE, Engineer, and EDWARD DELL, Merchant, both of Woolwich, in the
County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Thirteenth days of August, in the fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Hale and Edward Dell, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that we, the said William Hale and Edward Dell, our exors,
adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Hale and Edward
Dell, our exors, admors, 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, our Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CASES AND MAGAZINES FOR GUNPOWDER;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said William Hale and
Edward Dell, or one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
William Hale and Edward Dell, do hereby declare that the nature of our
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):-
Our Invention relates to the construction of covered cases and magazines
for gunpowder of cast or wrought tin, whereby cases containing gunpowder
will not be chemically injuriously acted on by the powder.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of a case or magazine made of cast tin;
Figure 2 is a section thereof; Figure 3 is a plan thereof with the cover fixed;
Figure 4 is a plan with the cover thrown back; Figure 5 shews the handle
by which the cover is turned in order to fix it on the neck of the case or
magazine, and to unfix it therefrom. The case or magazine has six sides,
which allows of them packing close together, and yet offer a figure or shape of
considerable strength and stiffness. a, a, repesents the case or magazine;
6 is the neck on which is cut or formed a screw, there being spaces c, c,
removed or omitted to be produced, as is shown; d, d, is the cover, within
which is formed a corresponding screw with spaces or blank intervals c', c¹,
hence when the cover is placed down in the neck of the case or magazine it
will be made secure on the neck by turning it partly round; e is a curved wire
or axis on which the cover moves, and which retains it attached when thrown
back. In casting cases or magazines such as is shewn I prefer to have the
neck downwards, by which the core for forming the interior will be readily
supported; and we prefer to use moulds of sand, though metal moulds may be
employed. When we use wrought tin for making cases or magazines for
containing gunpowder we bend a sheet of metal into the figure of the six
sides, and solder the two ends of the sheet of metal; we then fix a bottom by
soldering, and when we having formed and affixed a neck to the top end, we affix
that end to the case by soldering. The cover may be formed either of cast or
wrought metal tin, in the same manner as the other parts are formed as above
explained. In the upper part of the cover are formed two holes e¹, e', which
receive the studs f, f, on the handle g; by this handle the cover can be moved
partly round for fixing or unfixing it. Within the cover may be placed a
washer of leather or other subtance, such as a thin disc of india rubber, with
a disc of woollen cloth behind it, by which a close and secure joint will be
made. By this means a covered case or magazine of any desired size may be

page_text: made, which, from the peculiar character of the metal, will retain gunpowder
with great safety, and without the metal whereof it is composed being
prejudicially acted on by the chemical properties of the gunpowder.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the best form of
case or magazine which we are acquainted with, at the same time we would
remark, that we do not confine ourselves to the form or to the mode of fixing
the cover, as the same may be varied. And we would further remark, that
although we have mentioned tin only, that metal being slightly alloyed would
not materially alter the character of the metal; we do not therefore confine
the Invention to the use of tin exclusively, though we believe it better to use
tin alone and unalloyed.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Hale and Edward Dell, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twelfth day of February, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-two.