IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Lockyer Hickes, of No. 6, Liverpool
Street, in the City of London, Captain Commandant 12th Tower
Hamlets, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES."
Sealed the 8th March 1870, and dated the 21st September 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Lockyer
Hickes at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 21st September 1869.
I, RICHARD LOCKYER HICKES, of No. 6, Liverpool Street, in the City
of London, Captain Commandant 12th Tower Hamlets, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES,'
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in cartridges.
In order to construct a cartridge carrying its own percussion, but
without a case requiring to be drawn back out of the gun after firing,
I form the base of the cartridge of a roll or thick wad of paper rendered
explosive by the process described in the Specification of a Patent

page_text: granted to Constant Reichen, and dated 2nd Sept. 1865, No. 2266, or
it may be by other convenient process, as by treating it with nitric acid
to convert it into gun cotton paper, and in the centre of the wad I fix
the percussion arrangement of the cartridge, which may be such as is
now commonly used in breech-loading cartridges. The powder case 5
of the cartridge may also advantageously be of explosive paper, or it may
be of skin or thin paper, which will be consumed by the explosion.
This powder case may be attached to the explosive roll or wad at one
end and at the other end to the projectile.
In place of forming the roll or wad of paper it may be made of 1
vegetable fibre, such as cotton or flax, in other forms, and similarly
rendered explosive. In some cases the roll or wad may alone or
without powder suffice for the charge of the cartridge.
The roll or wad may be made with a flange at the back to serve as
a stop to prevent the cartridge from entering too far into the bore, or 1
or in some cases when the barrel is chambered the roll or wad may be
made without a flange.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Lockyer Hickes in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st March 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
LOCKYER HICKES, of No. 6, Liverpool Street, in the City of London,
Captain Commandant 12th Tower Hamlets, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Richard Lockyer Hickes, Her special
licence that I, the said Richard Lockyer Hickes, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Lockyer
Hickes, 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

page_text: "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Richard Lockyer Hickes, 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 Richard Lockyer Hickes, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in cartridges.
In order to construct a cartridge carrying its own percussion, but
without a case requiring to be drawn back out of the gun after firing,
I form the base of the cartridge of a roll or thick wad of paper
rendered explosive by the process described in the Specification of a
Patent granted to Constant Reichen, and dated 2nd September 1865,
No. 2266, or it may be by other convenient process, as by treating it
with nitric acid to convert it into gun cotton paper. In the centre of
the wad I fix the percussion arrangement of the cartridge, which may be
such as is now commonly used in breech-loading cartridges. The
powder case of the cartridge may also advantageously be of explosive
paper, or it may be of skin or thin paper, which will be consumed by
the explosion. This powder case may be attached to the explosive
roll or wad at one end and at the other end to the projectile.
In place of forming the roll or wad of paper it may be made of
vegetable fibre, such as cotton or flax, in other forms, and similarly
rendered explosive. In some cases the roll or wad may alone or without
powder suffice for the charge of the cartridge.
The roll or wad may be made with a flange at the back to serve as a
stop to prevent the cartridge from entering too far into the bore or in
some cases when the barrel is chambered the roll or wad may be made
without a flange.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view of a cartridge constructed according to my
Invention; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section thereof. This form of
cartridge is adapted for use where the cartridge is passed directly into
the bore of the piece. It has, as will be observed, a flange or enlarge-
ment at the back to prevent it from going too far down the barrel.
Figures 3 and 4 show similar views of a cartridge without a flange
and adapted for guns in which the barrel is chambered, and the cartridge
is stopped in the barrel by the shoulder at the front of the chamber.
In these cartridges a, a, is the roll or thick wad of prepared paper or
vegetable fibre. That belonging to the cartridge, Figures 1 and 2, is
shown separately at Figure 5. 6 is the priming case or "hat cap " in
the centre of the roll or wad containing as is usual a percussion cap and
anvil; c is the thin paper or other case of the cartridge containing
the powder if, as is preferred, powder be employed; d is the projectile
with a felt wad e behind it.
The rolls or wads a are made by preference in the following
manner: I impregnate paper or vegetable fibre in the form of sheets
with the following composition:-
Chlorate of potash
Nitrate of potash
Prussiate of potash
Dextrine
-
9 parts.
4¾
"
-
31
و,
4%
Water
"
79 23
I prefer to proceed as follows:-I dissolve the dextrine in the water
by boiling and add the potash salts. The boiling is continued for a
few minutes until the solution and mixture is complete. Whilst the
composition is still warm the paper is passed through it.
It is convenient to employ a vessel having two cylindrical brushes
mounted upon it so as to stand a short distance above the surface of
the composition in the vessel. The paper, which is by preference in
a long continuous sheet and unsized, is passed down into the mixture
and is then taken up between the two rotating brushes which brush
back into the vessel any superfluous composition which may be taken
up, and at the same time work it well into the substance of the paper;
afterwards the paper is passed on over a steam-heated surface and dried;
the sheet is then rolled up into tight rolls, corresponding in diameter

page_text: with the bore of the barrel of the fire-arm from which the cartridges
are to be fired. These rollers are cut into lengths, and whilst still
moist are pressed in a mould with suitable plunger so as to produce
the flange of the cavity for the priming case b. Where no flange is
required the cavity may be produced by a boring tool. In making
the cartridge the case c is cemented to the roll or wad a, and then
having received the charge of powder and the wad the projectile
is inserted and attached to the case c by cement. I prefer to lubricate
cartridges thus constructed with paraffin or other lubricant. By em-
ploying as herein described paper or vegetable fibre rendered explosive
as the material for the back of the cartridge a very strong base is
obtained to the cartridge which effectually supports the central priming
when exposed to the blow of the hammer or striker, and also acts as
an elastic wad to keep the breech tight until the whole or nearly the
whole of the charge of which the roll or wad itself forms a part is
consumed. With such cartridges after each discharge the barrel is
left quite empty; there is no cartridge case to be withdrawn before the
piece can be reloaded.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Lockyer Hickes, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of March,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.