IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THERE WITH, WHICH CARTRIDGES ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER FIRE- ARMS, TO THE EXPLODING OF DESTRUCTIVE ENGINES OF WARFARE, AND FOR USE IN MINES
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th March 1869.-A communication from abroad by Charles.
Louis Joseph Cousin, of Paris, in the Empire of France.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN CARTRIDGES
TO BE USED THERE WITH, WHICH CARTRIDGES ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER FIRE-
ARMS, TO THE EXPLODING OF DESTRUCTIVE ENGINES OF WARFARE, AND FOR USE IN
MINES," a communication to me from abroad by Charles Louis Joseph
Cousin, of Paris, in the Empire of France, to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention consists in making the bore of small
arms (whether for military or sporting purposes) and ordnance oval, but
without any twist, the object being when using small shot, or when
more than one ball is employed to scatter the shot in the most service-
able direction.
In military arms the major axis of the bore should be horizontal
so as to disperse the shot in a horizontal line, but in double-barrelled

page_text: sporting guns one of the barrels is placed above the other, and the
major axis of one bore coincides with the minor axis of the other.
The arms intended for the use of the improved cartridges herein-after
described may be breech-loaders, wherein the barrel turns sideways in
order to expose the breech, but this is not essential, and as the cartridgo
is fired by friction only the whole of the lock mechanism may be
dispensed with or greatly simplified.
The improved friction cartridges which constitute the second portion
of this Invention consist, according to one arrangement, wherein no
lock mechanism or trigger is required to fire the gun, of three essential
parts, namely, the base, the firing cord, and the case. The base is
composed of cork or such like compressible elastic material having a
groove on its inner face partly covered over with any substance capable
of being ignited by friction. A cord having a knot on the end lies in
this groove, the knot being covered with powdered glass or other rough
substance. The free end of the cord passes out through an opening in
the side of the breech, and is provided with a loop for the insertion
of the forefinger, the pulling of the cord causing the firing of the
charge. The cork base serves to close effectually the breech and prevent
the escape or leakage of the gases at the time of the discharge. A
safety pin is thrust through the cord when not in use, to prevent the
cartridge from being accidentally discharged. The cartridge case is
composed of any light fabric steeped in nitrate of potass or other like
solution to ensure its perfect combustion after discharge.
According to another form of friction cartridge for fire-arms the case
is enclosed in a close impermeable sheath which is thrown out of the
gun by the explosion. The friction surface consists of a disc of sand-
paper or of wood perforated and covered with silk on the side next the
powder to prevent its escaping behind the disc. The opposite face of
the disc is coated with sand or ground glass, or otherwise roughened,
or it may be covered with chlorate of potass and gunpowder in the
proportion of about two parts by weight of the salt to one of powder,
with a little gum or starch. The base is closed by a disc of wood or
paper containing a little phosphorous and coated with animal oil to
render it less hygrometric. This disc is not in actual contact with the
base or perforated disc before referred to, but is maintained a little
distance therefrom and in contact with the cartridge by a piece of paper.
At the instant of firing this paper is torn and the disc is brought in

page_text: contact with the inflammable substance on the base which is ignited
by a rotatory motion of the disc at the time it is brought into contact
with the base and thus explodes the cartridge. The mechanism for
producing this result consists of a piston having a roughened face and
carried on the end of a short spindle, which, by the combined action of a
spiral thread on the spindle, and a rack and pinion movement, is caused
to advance and rotate at the same time, thus carrying forward the
moveable disc and also rotating the same in contact with the base;
the piston is caused to resume its normal position again by the back
pressure resulting from the explosion of the charge.
The friction cartridge intended for mining purposes consists, according
to one arrangement, of a wooden cylinder made in two halves and
having a rectangular longitudinal passage therein, made slightly tapered,
and having two of its opposite sides roughened or notched transversely,
such notches being covered with an explosive mixture containing sand
or emery, according as amorphous or ordinary phosphorous is employed.
The phosphorous is contained on a piece of fabric which covers a flat
bent spring, or an elastic plug contained inside the cylinder and attached
to a cord, on pulling which, friction is obtained, and the phosphorous
ignited which produces the explosion of the cartridge.
In order to preserve the cartridge the ends are closed with wax and
oiled paper, and the wood itself is pointed on the outside. The cord is
also carefully covered with wax.
Another form of cartridge for use in mines consists of two paper tubes
fitted at their ends, the one into the other. The hinder part of the
larger tube is coated with a composition composed of twenty parts by
weight of chlorate of potass, eight parts of sulphuret of antimony, seven
parts of gunpowder dust; but these proportions may be varied. This
tube is contracted at one part, and this contracted portion which
contains the igniting mixture and is closed by a piece of paper which
serves to unite the cord to the cartridge. The other tube which is of
smaller diameter contains the charge of powder; it is also contracted
at its junction end and provided at this part with a grain of powder
covered with the igniting composition above referred to. The opposite
end of this tube is closed by a piece of thin paper to preserve its contents
from the action of moisture. The cord or wire is attaclied to a plug
inside the larger tube covered with amorphous phosphorous, and on
pulling the cord or wire this plug will by its friction against the con-

page_text: tracted part of the tube covered with the composition above referred
to cause the explosion of the cartridge. This cartridge may also be
employed for military purposes, for the explosion of distant mines,
torpedoes, and other destructive engines of warfare.
In order to render these cartridges impermeable to moisture they
may be dipped in boiling stearine, or may be varnished with gum lac.