IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SAFETY FUZES, AND IN THE MACHINERY, APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Harebooth Gresham, of Hull, in the County
of the same Town, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SAFETY FUZES, AND IN THE MACHINERY, APPARATUS
OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREIN." -A communication from abroad by
William Robert Whitehorn, of Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria,
Engineer.
Sealed the 24th April 1867, and dated the 26th October 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said JamesHarebooth Gresham
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th October 1866.
I, JAMES HAREBOOTH GRESHAM, of Hull, in the County of the same Town,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SAFETY FUZES, AND IN THE MACHINERY, APPARATUS,
OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication to me from abroad by William
Robert Whitehorn, of Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Engineer, to be

page_text: quarrymen, and others employed in blasting rocks and hard minerals, whereby
a more certain and less costly method of firing the charge of powder is secured;
also to certain peculiarconstructions and arrangements of machinery,apparatus,
or means for manufacturing the said improved safety fuze. This improved
safety fuze consists of a central "core" composed of a number of threads of
fibrous material which have been steeped in or passed through a solution of
saltpetre, and which are then twisted together so as to enclose within them a
continuous column or train of gunpowder; the surface of this "core" is
then coated with pitch, tar, or similar material, and is covered with strips of
paper or other suitable material,suchas felt, but it is preferred to employ a stout
brown paper similar to the material known to bookbinders as "tip board;"
these strips are previously accurately cut to exactly half the circumference of
the fuze, and each strip is moulded into a semicircular trough shape, so that
when the edges are brought together they form a paper tube having two
longitudinal slits on diametrically-opposite sides thereof, which tube encloses
the "core" the core and case now joined together, and cemented with the
pitch, tar, or like composition, are lapped or wound round at an angle with
one or more strips of calico or other woven fabric in substitution for the-tape
heretofore employed in order to bind the whole together; the fuze is then
passed through a bath of pitch or tar to give it the final waterproofing coat,
and then through a trough of plaster of Paris previous to being coiled and
packed for sale.
The machinery employed in the manufacture of "the Britania. safety
fuze" consists of a powder canister of any required dimensions fitted to the
centre of a revolving horizontal disc; and provided at its lower end with a
nozzle having a number of slits or openings in its sides; through these slits
or openings are passed the threads to be twisted together, which have been
previously saturated by a strong solution of saltpetre as before described.;
these threads are supplied froin reels or bobbins carried by the revolving disc
before referred to. A vertical tube attached to the centre of the bottom of
the nozzle and descending some distance serves to receive the converging
threads as fast as they become twisted together, the twist being obtained by
imparting a rotatory motion to the disc with its bobbins, powder canister, and
nozzle by the aid of a driving pulley and band. As the interior of the nozzle
is kept supplied with gunpowder from the canister, it follows that the threads
as they pass through the powder will continuously take up an amount of
powder proportionate to their size and number. As fast as the "core" is
*formed'it is drawn through the tube by a grooved drawing roller or pulley
⚫receiving a positive motion, and having the "core" passed one or more times

page_text: round its circumference; the core thus formed is wound upon a reel, which
when full is conveyed to the machine for coating the core and applying
the paper covering. This machine consists of two uprights carrying at the
upper ends in suitable bearings the reel of "core," whilst two other reels,
situate one on each side of the uprights, carry the two narrow strips of
paper for enclosing or covering the core. The core itself as well as the two
strips of paper converge into a bath or vessel of melted pitch, and pass together
through a suitable aperture in the bottom thereof, the paper and core being
thus coated with pitch and united together at the same time.
SPECIFICATION.in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Harebooth Gresham in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 25th April 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HAREBOOTH GRESHAM, of Hull, in the County of the same Town, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Harebooth Gresham, Her special license that [, the said James
Harebooth Gresham, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as 1, the said James Harebooth Gresham, my executors, administrators,
or 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF SAFETY FUZES, AND IN
THE MACHINERY, APPARATUS, OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication
to me from abroad by William Robert Whitehorn, of Melbourne, in the
Colony of Victoria, Engineer, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said James Harebooth Gresham, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument-in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe
aud 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said James Harebooth Gresham, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The said Invention relates to the manufacture of an improved safety fuze
which the Inventor terms "the Britania safety fuze," for the use of miners,
quarrymen, and others employed in blasting rocks and hard minerals, whereby
a more certain and less costly method of firing the charge of powder is secured;
also to certain peculiar constructions and arrangements of machinery,
apparatus, or means for manufacturing the said improved safety fuze.
This improved safety fuze consists of a central "core" composed of a
number of threads of fibrous material which have been steeped in or passed
through a solution of saltpetre, and which are then twisted together so as to
enclose within them a continuous column or train of gunpowder; the surface
of this "core" is then coated with pitch, tar; or similar material, and is
covered with strips of paper or other suitable material, such as felt, but it is
preferred to employ a stout brown paper similar to the material known to
bookbinders as "tip board;" these strips are previously accurately cut to a
width of exactly half the circumference of the fuze, and each strip is moulded
into a semicircular trough shape, so that when the edges are brought together
they form a paper tube having two longitudinal slits on diametrically opposite
sides thereof, which tube encloses the core. The core and case now joined
together, and cemented with the pitch, tar, or like composition, are lapped
or wound round at an angle with one or more strips of calico or other woven
fabric in substitution for the tape heretofore employed in order to bind the
whole together; the fuze is then passed through a bath of pitch or tar to
give it the final waterproofing coat, and then through a trough of plaster
of Paris previous to being coiled and packed for sale.
The machinery employed in the manufacture of "the Britania safety
fuze" consists of a powder canister of any required dimensions fitted to the
centre of a revolving horizontal disc, and provided at its lower end with a
nozzle having a number of slits or openings in its sides; through these slits
or openings are passed the threads to be twisted together, which have been
previously saturated by a strong solution of saltpetre as before described;
these threads are supplied from reels or bobbins carried by the revolving
disc before referred to. A vertical tube attached to the centre of the bottom
of the nozzle and descending some distance serves to receive the converging
threads as fast as they become twisted together, the twist. being obtained by

page_text: imparting a rotatory motion to the disc with its bobbins, powder canister, and
nozzle by the aid of a driving pulley and band. As the interior of the nozzle
is kept supplied with gunpowder from the canister, it follows that the threads
as they pass through the powder will continuously take up an amount of
powder proportionate to their size and number. As fast as the "core" is
formed it is drawn through the tube by a grooved drawing roller or pulley
receiving a positive motion, and having the "core" passed one or more times
round its circumference; the "core" thus formed is wound upon a re el,
which when full is conveyed to the machine for coating the "core" and
applying the paper covering. This machine consists of two uprights carrying
at the upper ends in suitable bearings the reel of "core," whilst two other
reels, situate one on each side of the uprights, carry the two narrow strips of
paper for enclosing or covering the "core." The core itself as well as the two
strips of paper converge into a bath or vessel of melted pitch, and
pass together through a suitable aperture in the bottom thereof, the paper
and "core" being thus coated with pitch and united together at the same
time.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
reter to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings represents an elevation of the
"core machine," and Figure 2 is an enlarged detail section of the nozzle of
such machine detached.
B (Figure 1) is a powder canister of the required dimensions provided
at its lower end with a nozzle C, which nozzle is shown full size at A
(Figure 2). A number of threads previously soaked in a strong solution
of saltpetre are led from reels A (Figure 1) into this nozzle through the
slotted holes B, B, (Figure 2), which threads converge towards the centre
of the nozzie and are drawn through the gunpowder contained therein aud
down a tube or hollow spindle marked Cin Figure 2. This tube should be
of the required size to regulate the supply of powder necessary to be taken
through with the threads. By this means the threads carry in their downward
passage a column of powder proportionate to the size or number of the threads
employed and to the internal diameter of the tube C. The powder canister B
and the thread reels A, A; (Figure 1) are attached to a revolving disc G,
which receives a rotatory.motion either from a band passing round the sheave b
or by any other suitable contrivance; this rotatory-motion of the reels with
the powder canister and nozzle has the effect of twisting the several threads
or filaments employed into a perfect cord containing an unbroken column:of

page_text: gunpowder in the centre thereof. The cord thus formed with the column of
gunpowder contained therein is termed the "core;" it is woun'l upon a wheel
or "core" drum shown at B in Figure 3, which represents an elevation of the
casing machine. In this machine the paper covering or casing is applied to the
"core" in the following manner :-The "core" is unwound from the drum B
and passed through a vessel Dcontaining a composition of pitch and tar, which is
kept in aliquid state by the application of heat thereto in any convenient manner;
a conical tube d passes through the bottom of this vessel, the internal diameter
of such tube being equal to the external diameter of the fuze which passes
through this tube; during its progress through the tube d, and just as it enters
therein, the "core" is joined by two strips E, E, of stout brown paper similar
to the material known to bookbinders as "tip b ard," or in lieu thereof felt
or other suitable material may be employed; these strips, which are supplied
from the reels A, A, have previously been accurately cut by suitable and well.
known machinery to a width equal to exactly half the circumference of the
fuze, and each strip is moulded as it enters the mouth of the tube d'into a
trough or semi-cylindrical form, so that when the edges of the opposite strips
are brought together the two united strips will form a perfect tube, having a
longitudinal slit or junction on diametrically opposite sides thereot. The
"core" and case thus united together as shewn at F, and cemented with the
composition contained in the vessel D, are lapped or wound round at an angle
so as to produce a spiral lapping with one or more strips of calico or other
woven fabric in order to bind the whole together, such lapping being applied
in a similar manner to the ordinary tape lapping on the tapefuzes at prosent
in use. The fuze nov made is passed through a bath of a similar composition
to that herein-before described in order to give it the final waterproofing coat,
and lastly through a trough of plaster of Paris previous to being coiled
and packed for sale.
The peculiar advantages afforded by the "Britania fuze" herein-before
described are,-
1. An unbroken column of powder obtained by the drawing of twine or
threads through a "nozzle" containing gunpowder, as shewn in Figure 2,
whereby freedom from the dangerous and often fatal consequences resulting
from the "fuze" hanging fire is insured.
.
2. A tough homogeneous and impervious casing of such a character as to
provide against damage resulting from careless tamping or from heat or
moisture.
3. Cheap material and simple machinery, thereby considerably reducing
the cost to the consumers.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that 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, the peculiar manufacture of safety
fuzes, and the machinery or apparatus employed therein, substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Harebooth Gresham, have to
this my Specification hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seven-
teenth day of April, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.