IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCKETS, AND IN APPARATIS FOR DISCHARGING MOD SAND
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Hewetson, of Blackheath, in the County of
Kent, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCKETS, AND
IN APPARATIS FOR DISCHARGING MOD SAND”
Sealed the 12th February 1861, and dated the 13th August 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Hewetson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th August 1860.
I, HENRY HEWETSON, of Blackheath, in the County of Kent, Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCKETS,
AND IN. APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in rockets, and in apparatus
for discharging the same. For these purposes in constructing rockets.it is
preferred to apply three or other number of rockets around a tube, on the
hinder part of which there are spiral blades,, against which the fire from the
rockets acts, in such manner as to cause the series of rockets to rotate; or in
place of employing a series of rockets around the central tube, the tube may
be in the centre of a single rocket, in such manner that the spiral blades on
the back end of the tube may be acted on by the fire passing out from 'the
end of such single rocket; but, as above stated, it is preferred to employ
three or other number of rockets around the tube.
In order to discharge such rockets, apparatus is used consisting of an outer

page_text: cylinder and a short inner cylinder, so constructed and arranged that the inner
cylinder in being removed from end to end of the outer cylinder shall be
caused to rotate by reason of spiral guides applied or formed on the interior of
the outer cylinder and exterior of the inner cylinder.. On the interior of the
outer cylinder is fixed a rod, corresponding in diameter with the interior
diameter of the tube around which the rockets are fixed, and the ends of the
spiral blades on the tube are constructed so as to become attached to the
inner cylinder, in such manner that when the discharge of a.combined rocket
takes place, the inner cylinder moves, outwards with the rocket, and in doing
so rotates within the outer cylinder; but so soon as the inner cylinder arrives
at the outer end.of the outer cylinder, the rocket is disconnected from the
inner cylinder. The outer cylinder is mounted on trunnions in a suitable
frame or carriage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Hewétson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th February 1861..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, HENRY
HEWETSON, of Blackheath, in the County of Kent, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Hewetson, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Hewetson, my
executors, administrators,-and assigns, or- such others as I, the said Henry
Hewetson, 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
ROCKETS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING THE SAME,"Lupon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Hewetson, my executors, or adminis
trators, 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 In-
vention, 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 I, the said Henry Hewetson, 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 rockets, and in apparatus-
for discharging the same. For these purposes in constructing rockets it is
preferred to apply three or other number of rockets around a tube, on the
hinder part of which there are spiral blades, against which the fire from the
rockets acts in such manner as to cause the series of rockets to rotate; or in
place of employing a series of rockets around the central tube, the tube may
be in the centre of a single rocket in such manner that the spiral blades on
the back end of the tube may be acted on by the fire passing out from the end
of such single rocket; but, as above stated, it is preferred to employ three or
other number of rockets around the tube.
In order to discharge such rockets apparatus is used consisting of an outer
cylinder and a short inner cylinder, so constructed and arranged that
the inner cylinder in being moved from end to end of the outer cylinder'
shall be caused to rotate, by reason of spiral guidés applied or formed on
the interior of the outer cylinder and exterior of the inner cylinder. On
the interior of the outer cylinder is fixed a rod, corresponding in diameter
with the interior diameter of the tube, around which the rockets are fixed,'
and the ends of the spiral blades on the tube are constructed so as to become
attached to the inner cylinder, in such manner that when the discharge of a.
combined rocket takes place, the inner cylinder moves outwards with the
rocket, and in doing so rotates within the outer cylinder, but so soon as the
inner cylinder arrives at the outer end of the outer cylinder the rocket is
disconnected from the inner cylinder. The outer cylinder is mounted on
trunnions in a suitable frame or carriage.
.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
°
ד'
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS..
Figure 1 shows four rockets a, a, fixed round a central tube b, but, as before
stated, one or more rockets may be formed in such manner as to have a tube b
through the centre thereof. The hinder end of the tube b is formed with two
spiral blades c, c, arranged in such manner that they will cause the rocket or
rockets on the tube b to continue the rotation communicated thereto by the
act of discharging the rocket or rockets from an apparatus such as is herein-
after described.. The ends of the blades c, c, are formed with projections c¹, e¹;

page_text: which, when, the tube b with the rocket or rockets thereon is introduced into
the apparatus, will bold it securely for a time in connection with part of the
apparatus.
Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7, show various views of the apparatus used for
discharging rockets, having a tube 6 and spiral blades c, such as are above
described. Figure 2 is a longitudinal-section of a cylinder, which is mounted
in a suitable carriage or frame; the cylinder, by preference, being formed
with trunnions or axes to admit of its being placed and retained at any desired
angle of elevation. On the interior of this, which I call the outer cylinder.
there are formed spiral guides; in the arrangement shown there are four
such guides, the inner cylinder having four projections which work in and, are.
guided by the four spiral guides fixed or formed in the interior of the outer:
cylinder, but other number of such guides may be used on the interior of the
outer cylinder, the exterior of the inner cylinder being formed accordingly..
Near the outer end of each of the spiral guides on the interior of the outer
cylinder there is applied a break surface d, capable of being set up by a screw,
or other convenient means, so as to cause friction on the surfaces of the 'four-
inclined projections e, e, on the outside of the inner cylinder, and thus-to retard:
and finally to stop the inner cylinder from passing out of the outer cylinder:
when it arrives near the outer end of the outer cylinder; f, f, are. rollers
carried by the inner cylinder, which, running against the inner surface of the
outer cylinder, retains the inner cylinder correctly centred in the outer cylinder ;.
9, 9, are bars or rods across the inner cylinder, behind which the projections
c', c¹, are received, and by which the tube b is prevented running out of the
inner cylinder, till the projections c' are released from the bars or rods 9, 9,
which I prefer to be by the stopping of the progress and rotation of the inner
carriage, whilst the continued rotation of the rockets and the tube b will cause.
the projections cat the ends of the spiral blades to be released, but the
holding and releasing of the end of the tube 6 may be performed in any other
manner, the object being that the tube 6 and the inner cylinder should be fixed
or retained together, and consequently be caused to revolve together as the
inner cylinder moves through the outer tube, and then that the tube b should
be released from the inner cylinder the instant that that cylinder is retarded
in its progress and rotation. On the interior of the outer cylinder is fixed a.
central rod or tube h, on to which the tube b slides when the rocket or rockets.
thereon is or are fixed. Immediately the rocket or rockets is or are lighted,
and the discharge takes place at the hinder end or ends thereof, the tube b.
will be moved forward, together with the inner cylinder, by reason of the
rocket or the rockets and the tube drawing with them the inner cylinder, at:

page_text: the same time the interior fixed rod or tube h will retain the whole centrally
within the outer cylinder, and the inner cylinder, together with the tube b
connected thereto, will, by the spiral guides within the outer cylinder, be
caused to rotate about the central axis of the tube b, which rotation will be
continued after the rockets have left the outer tube in consequence of the
spiral blades c, c, on the end of such tube.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to
any of the parts separately; but what I claim is, the combination herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Hewetson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Twelfth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.