IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ARMS DESIGNED FOR DISCHARGE BY ELECTRICITY
Year: 1884

page_text: I, THOMAS PAGE WOOD of 35 Nicholas Street, City of Bristol, Gunmaker, do
hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ARMS
DESIGNED FOR DISCHARGE BY ELECTRICITY" to be as follows:-
This invention consists in so arranging the wires of the fire arm that the current
is conveyed by them to the rear of the cartridge. The wire from one of the poles
of the battery, which may be conveniently carried in the butt, passes direct to the
rear of the cartridge, but is divided as required to permit the opening of the breech
and to enable the arm to be taken to pieces. The other wire from the opposite
pole, in addition to being divided similarly to the first, has a gap or break therein
above the trigger. In the base of the cartridge case are two wires extending into
the powder chamber and across the inner ends of these wires is placed a link of
platinumn or other good conducting material.
Against the outer ends of the wires in the cartridge case bear the ends of the
wires in the action, one of which, as aforesaid, is electrically connected directly to
one pole of the battery. The act of pulling the trigger electrically connects the
other wire with the battery through a contact piece carried on the top of the trigger,
which contact piece is raised into and bridges over the gap or break aforesaid.
Thus the platinum wire or other conductor in the cartridge case becomes heated
and the powder of the charge thereby ignited. If desired, a gap or break may be
made in both wires and bridged in like manner.
Under a modification, the gap or break in the circuit may be bridged over by
impelling the wire at one side of the gap against the wire on the other. For this
purpose the wire is carried in a moveable arin of insulating material acted upon by
the trigger in such manner that on pulling the latter the said arın is impelled
forward to cause a firm contact between the said wires-A safety bolt or catch may
be provided and operated to prevent the trigger from acting.
In applying this invention to double-barrelled guns, wires of opposite polarity
are connected and arranged for each cartridge in a manner similar to that herein-
before described as for a single barrelled gun.
In fire arms such as above referred to I prefer to use cartridges such as described
in another application for Letters Patent made by me, and bearing even date
herewith.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
Applicant's Agent.

page_text: I, THOMAS PAGE WOOD, of 35, Nicholas Street, City of Bristol, Gunmaker, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention, for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS
DESIGNED FOR DISCHARGE BY ELECTRICITY," and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention consists in so arranging the wires of the fire-arm that the current
is conveyed by them to the rear of the cartridge. The wire from one of the poles
of the battery, which may be conveniently carried in the butt, passes direct to the
rear of the cartridge, but is divided, as required, to permit the opening of the breach
and to enable the arm to be taken to pieces. The other wire from the opposite
pole, in addition to being divided similarly to the first, has a gap or break therein
above the trigger. In the base of the cartridge case are two wires extending into
the powder chamber, and across the inner ends of these wires is placed a link of
platinum or other good conducting material.
Against the outer ends of the wires in the cartridge case bear the ends of the
wires in the action, one of which, as aforesaid, is electrically connected directly to
one pole of the battery. The act of pulling the trigger electrically connects the
other wire with the battery through a contact piece curried on the top of the trigger,
which contact piece is raised into and bridges over the gap or break aforesaid.
Thus the platinum wire or other conductor in the cartridge case becomes heated
and the powder of the charge thereby ignited. If desired, a gap or break may be
made in both wires and bridged in like manner.
Under & modification, the gap or break in the circuit may be bridged over by
impelling the wire at one side of the gap against the wire on the other. For this
purpose the wire is carried in a movable arm of insulating material acted upon by
the trigger in such manner that on pulling the latter the said arm is impelled
forward to cause a firm contact between the said wires.
A safety bolt or catch may be provided and operated to prevent the trigger from
acting.
In applying this invention to double barrelled guns, wires of opposite polarity
are connected and arranged for each cartridge in a manner similar to that herein-
before described as for a single barrelled gun. In fire-arms such as above referred
to I prefer to use cartridges, such as described in another application for Letters
Patent made by me and bearing even date herewith.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood, I now proceed
more particularly to describe the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of
illustrative drawings and the figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 on the accompanying sheet of drawings represents a longitudinal section
of a single-barrelled breech-loading fire-arm designed for discharge by electricity
according to one method comprised in my said invention.
The wire represented by the dotted line N from one of the poles of the battery
or accumulator a, conveniently carried in the butt b of the arm, passes through
the bridge B direct to the rear of the cartridge c. It is divided behind the action g,
and elsewhere as may be necessary, for the purpose of allowing the various portions
of the arm to be taken apart.
The other wire P by which the current from the opposite pole of the battery or
accumulator a is conducted to the cartridge is similarly divided. In addition to
being so divided it has a gap or break at a point above the trigger d.

page_text: At each side of the gap or break each end of the wire P, there severed, is secured
in a stud e of insulating material or substance carried on the plate fscrewed or
otherwise attached to the wood of the stock. Upon the top of the trigger block d',
of insulating material, is carried a strip i of copper or other good conducting
metal or material.
In the base of the cartridge case c are two wires which extend into the powder
chamber-Across the inner ends of these wires is placed a link or strip of platinum
or of other metal or material being a good conductor of electricity and of such
nature as to become incandescent or fused by the passage of the current thero
through.
Against the outer ends of the wires in the cartridge case c bear the front ends of
the wires in the action g one of which is, as aforesaid, permanently_electrically
connected to one pole of the battery a and is represented as the wire N. The act
of pulling the trigger d raises the block d, and the wire P becomes electrically
connected to the battery a through the contact piece i which is pressed up against
the under sides of the studs e to which the ends of the wire P are at the gap
secured.
The platinum wire or other suitable conducting substance which connects the
wires in the cartridge case becomes on the completion of the circuit incandescent
or fused and the powder is thereby ignited.
The spring & tends to restore the trigger to its normal position.
The wires may be conveniently conducted through the action g in a socket of
insulating material carried in the movable plug o. If desired, a gap or break may
be made also in the wire N and be bridged over in a manner similar to and
simultaneously with that in the wire P.
At Fig. 2 the application of my said invention to double barrelled guns is
diagramtically illustrated.
The wires P and N, connected to opposite poles of the battery a are extended
through the bridge B direct to the different barrels, the wire N extending to the
right-hand barrel, and the wire P to the left-hand barrel.
The branch wires n and p severed at G constitute paths for conducting the
current from the opposite poles of the battery to each barrel. Either of the gaps G
is bridged over by the act of pulling the proper trigger and the desired barrel is
discharged in the manner hereinbefore described as for discharging the arm illus-
trated at Fig. 1. In the application of this invention to arms of more than two
barrels the wires are multiplied and arranged for each barrel in substantially the
same manner as that described with reference to Fig 2.
At Fig. 8 is represented a longitudinal section of a breech-loading fire-arm
designed for discharge by electricity according to a modification comprised in my
said invention. Under this modification the wire P is carried above the trigger d
in an arm & of insulating material which arm is, by the act of pulling the
trigger d, impelled forwards to cause contact with the front end of the wire P and
the rear end of the wire in the action g.
By this contact the circuit is completed through the wires P and N and tho
powder of the cartridge c ignited. The spring 8 acting on the trigger d tends to
maintain the arm d' away from the action g. A safety bolt or catch of any well
known form may be employed to lock the trigger and prevent the same from
acting.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st Dividing one or both of the wires of an electric fire-arm above the trigger
and bridging over or filling up the gap or division by the act of pulling the trigger
and thereby completing the electric circuit through the platinum wire or other
conductor in the cartridge, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
at Fig. 1 of the drawings.

page_text: 2nd The employment, in an electric fire-arm of a movable arm of insulating
material carrying one or both of the wires whereby the current is conveyed to the
cartridge and operated by the act of pulling the trigger to complete the circuit and
so to cause the powder of the charge to be ignited, as herein before described with
reference to Fig. 3 of the accompanying sheet of drawings.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
Applicant's Agent.