IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE BATTERIES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes
and Son, Patent Agents, 128, Chancery Lane, London, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE BATTERIES."-A communication
from abroad by Captain Henry Doty and Captain William Porter
Downer, of 18, Rue Gaillon, Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 26th July 1864, and dated the 30th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th January 1864.
I, EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent
Agents, 128, Chancery Lane, London, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE BATTERIES," a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Captain Henry Doty and Captain William
Porter Downer, of 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, in the Empire of France, to be as
follows:
This Invention consists in the construction and application of certain
machinery, whereby submarine batteries, mines, or charges can be projected
from the bows or other parts of a ship, discharged or drawn back into the ship
with security, facility, and rapidity. For this purpose I make an opening in
the ship at the requisite distance below the water line, and inside of the ship
opposite to the said opening I attach a tube, the length of which is equal to
about three times its diameter, and on the inner end of such tube I adapt a

page_text: moveable water-tight cover, and towards its centre an ordinary sluice valve.
The explosive material constituting the battery or mine is charged in a
metallic shell, which I attach to the extremity of a rod. To place this battery
ready for action, the sluice being let down, I take off the external cover, place
the shell in the pipe, run the cover over the rod (through a stuffing box pro-
vided for that purpose), and then firmly bolt the said cover to the pipe;
having afterwards drawn up the sluice the battery is projected from the ship
to the extent allowed by the rod.--
The explosion of this battery is effected either by contact with any desired
object, the shell in such case being provided with the usual materials for
igniting explosive substances by concussion, or it may be made to explode by
an electric spark emitted by an electric battery placed in the ship and con-
ducted to the explosive materials by wires laid through the rod made hollow
for that purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters. Patent, filed
by the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 30th July 1864.
.
.........
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents, 128,
Chancery Lane, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS. Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of January, in the year, of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant-unto
me, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, Her special licence that I, the said
Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors, ádministrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, 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
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE BATTERIES," a communication to
me from abroad by Captain Henry Doty and Captain William Porter Downer,
of 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one

page_text: 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 per-
formed, 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 Edward Thomas Hughes, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say) :—
This Invention consists in the construction and application of certain
machinery, whereby submarine batteries; mines, or charges may be projected
from the bows or other parts of a ship, discharged or drawn back into the ship.
with security, facility, and rapidity. For this purpose an opening is made, in
the ship at the requisite distance below the water line and inside of the ship, and
opposite said opening a tube is attached, the length of which is equal to about
three times its diameter, and on the inner end of such tube is adapted a
moveable water-tight cover, and towards its centre an ordinary sluice valve.
The explosive material. constituting the battery or mine. is charged in a
metallic shell, which is attached to the extremity of a rod.. To place the
battery ready for action, the sluice being let down, the external cover is taken
off, the shell placed in the pipe, the cover run over the rod (through a stuffing
box provided for that purpose), and the said cover is then bolted firmly. to-the
pipe. The sluice being then drawn up the battery is projected from the ship
to the extent allowed by the rod.
:
The explosion of this battery is effected either by contact on striking any
desired object, the shell in such case being provided with the usual materials
for igniting explosive materials by concussion, or it may be made to explode
by an electric spark emitted from an electric battery in the ship, and con-
ducted to the explosive materials by wires laid through the rod made hollow.
for that purpose.
&=
In order that this Invention be better understood, I will proceed to describe
it with the aid of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, wherein. Fig. 1 is
sectional elevation of the apparatus, adapted in the hold of a ship, the battery
being drawn in; Fig. 2 a similar sectional elevation the battery, being pro-
5jected ready for action, and Fig. 3 a front view of a shutter used to protect
the mechanism during the explosion of the battery and a brace or support for
the rod in a heavy sea.
a is the stem of the vessel to which the cylinder is attached, and through or
alongside of which the battery is projected; b, the lower deck, on which the

page_text: apparatus is erected; c, the cylinder, composed of two parts, one of which is
fitted water-tight by means of bolts and packing into a metallic ring or 'eye v
bolted firmly through the timbers or frame of the ship, whilst the other part
projecting inwards is closed by means of a cylinder head d attached by bolts
or clamps, and provided with a central aperture surrounded by a stuffing box,
these parts forming two halves of a sluice cock in which the valvo e can be
made to rise and fall by means of a handle passing also through a stuffing
box; is the battery composed of a metallic shell charged with gunpowder or
other detonating compound and united by the union joint h, or by any
other
appropriate mechanical device to the rod g, which is passed through the
stuffing-box adapted to the cylinder head d to gearing attached to a stand t,
by means of which the rod can be propelled forward. held fast during the
explosion, or drawn in as required, for the purpose of throwing out or drawing
in the rod; it is laid on a roller m, to the axis of which is adapted a working
lever 1, and directly over the said roller m pressure is applied to the rod by
means of a top roller n, fitted in a lever o, suspended on a fulcrum p, which
roller can be lowered or raised by the hand wheel and screw 9; for the
purpose of resisting the recoil of the rod during explosion of battery, I make
use of a back stay or swivel fork r jointed to the standard t at 'w, and a tight-
ening screws as shewn in Fig. 2; in Fig. 1 this stay is represented lowered
in order not to impede the to-or-fro motion of the rod.
In order to protect the cylinder from the effects of the explosion of the
battery I make use of a revolving shutter or escutcheon i hung outside the
ship on a pin j, and worked by a lever k placed within the vessel; a front
view of this shutter is shewn at Fig. 3, in order to give passage to the battery
being thrown out or drawn in, it (the shutter) is raised as shewn in dotted
lines, under all other circumstances it remains closed as shewn in full lines,
besides arresting the force of concussion this shutter serves as a support to the
rod in addition to the cylinder head d and roller m. When it is required to
work this battery the rod is passed through the rollers mandn, and the
stuffing box in the cylinder head d and the battery f is united to the rod by
means of the union joint h, and thrust forward in the cylinder c by means of
the lever 1, the cylinder head d is then run forward and bolted to the cylinder c
the valve e drawn up, and the shutter i thrown back (as seen in dotted lines
Fig. 3) the battery is run out by means of the handle to any desired extent
within the limits of the rod, the shutter i is then descended and the swivel
joint r raised to the position indicated in Fig. 2, the extremity of the screw s
being brought in contact with the end of the rod. When it is required to
draw in a battery, the shutter i is raised, and the rod g drawn in by means of

page_text: the handle until the battery or charge is lodged in the inner half of the
cylinder c, the valve e is then lowered so as to shut off all connection from the
sea, the cock or pipe u opened to allow the escape of water from such inner
part of cylinder, the head d can then be removed with safety and the battery
withdrawn. When the battery made use of is to be fired by contact or
concussion, the exploding material is hermetically enclosed within the case,
which latter is provided externally with any of the ordinary appropriate con-
trivances for igniting gunpowder by percussion, and when the explosion is to
be effected at any desired period, and at the command or will of the captain
or officer in charge of the battery, I make use of an electric battery, ignition
taking place by means of the passage of an electric spark through the charge
produced by appropriate wires laid in the hollow rod g.
Having explained the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which it can be put into practice as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondents, I claim,―
Firstly, the construction and application of a cylinder as above described,
provided with a water-tight valve and water-tight cylinder head, with a stuffing
box as above mentioned, together with discharge pipe and cock u:
Secondly, the construction and application of, a submarine battery, mine, or
charge attached as above mentioned to a sliding solid or tubular rod for being
projected from the bows or other parts of a ship whether fired by percussion,
or contact, or by electricity.
And, thirdly, the construction and application of the machinery above
described for propelling forward, drawing back, or holding fast the battery.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
E. T. HUGHES. (L.S.)