IMPROVED EXPLO- SIVE PROJECTILES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Olark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of tho said invention for IMPROVED EXPLO-
SIVE PROJECTILES a communication to me from abroad by John Lee Bachelder
of Globe in the county of Gila and Territory of Arizona, United States of America,
Carpenter to bo as follows:—
This invention relates to an explosive shell for cannons which is perfectly
harmless until it strikes some solid object with great force when it explodes with
enormous power. The invention consists of the combination with a shell of fragile
vessels containing liquids or substances the mixture of which forms a highly
explosive compound which however will not cause an explosion until the shell
is brought into forcible contact with a resisting body or object, together with
means to effect the breaking of said fragile vessels upon firing the shell from
the cannon.
The shell is made of cast iron or other metal and with its butt end open and a
plug screwed into the opening.
In the cavity of the shell two funnel shaped glass vessels are held each vessel
being provided with a neck. One of the vessels is held in a recess and the two
vessels are held together at their bases, and the neck of each vessel is closed by
a stopper.
A rod passes through the stopper of one of the vessels and the inner end of the
rod which adjoins the inner surface of the base of the vessel is provided with a
series of prongs. A head is formed on the outer end of the rod and in the
corresponding end of the shell.
A firing pin is held in a longitudinal central opening in the plug and by a
spring surrounding the pin, the said pin is forced in the direction toward the outer
end of the plug.
The vessels are filled with two distinct liquids, substances or mixtures which
when they are mixed form a highly explosive mixture.
The shell is fired from a cannon and the force of the explosion that drives the
shell out of the cannon forces the firing pin into the shell and breaks the two

page_text: glass vessels that hold the two substances so that the said substances mix as the
shell leaves the cannon, and form a mixture ready to explode when the shell
strikes any object.
The substances or mixtures referred to may be of such kind as to form a highly
explosive mixture when combined, but this mixture must be of such a nature that
it will not explode immediately upon being formed but only when it receives a
heavy shock or blow,

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Instituto of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED EXPLO-
SIVE PROJECTILES," (a communication to me from abroad by John Lee Bachelder,
of Globe, Gila County, Territory of Arizona, United States of America, Carpenter,)
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to an explosive shell for cannons which is perfectly
harmless until it strikes some solid object with great force when it explodes with
enormous power.
The invention consists of the combination with a shell, of
fragile vessels containing liquids or substances the mixture of which forms a highly
explosive compound, which however, will not cause an explosion until the shell is
brought into forcible contact with a resisting body or object, together with
means to effect the breaking of such fragile vessels upon firing the shell from the
cannon, substantially as hereinafter moro fully set forth and pointed out in the
claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification in which similar letters of referenco indicate corresponding parts in
both the figures.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the improved explosive shell.
Figure 2 is a cross sectional elevation of the same, on the line Figure 1.
The shell A made of cast iron or other metal has its butt end open and this butt
end is closed by a plug B screwed into the opening. In the cavity of the shell
two funnel-shaped glass vessels D and E are held, each vessel being provided with
a neck F. One of the vessels for instance D is held in a suitable recess and the
two vessels are held together at their bases.
The neck of each vessel is closed by a stopper G.
A rod H, passes through the stopper G of the vessel E, and the innor end of the
rod which is adjoining the inner surface of the base of the vessel is provided with
& series of prongs J.
A head K, is formed on the outer end of the rod H, and in the corresponding
end of the shell.
A firing pin L is held in a longitudinal central opening M, in the plug B and by
a spring N, surrounding the pin L, the said pin is forced in the direction toward
the outer end of the plug.
The vessels D E are filled with two distinct liquids, substances or mixtures,
which when they are mixed form a highly explosive mixture.
The shell is fired from a cannon and the force of the explosion that drives the
shell out of the cannon forces the firing pin into the shell and breaks the two
glass vessels that hold the two substances, so that the said substances mix as the
shell leaves the cannon and form a mixture ready to explode when the shell strikes
any object.
The substances or mixtures referred to may be of such kind as to form a highly
explosive mixture when combined, but this mixture must be of such a naturo that
it will not explode immediately upon being formed, but only when it receives a
heavy shock or blow.
The spring N, keeps the firing pin in place The shell is perfectly harmless until
the vessels D, E, are broken. The vessels are preferably made in the shape shown,
but they may have any other desired shape.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The shell having fragile vessels containing substances or liquids, the mixture of
which together with the concussion caused by the forcible contact of the shell with
n resisting body or object, will produce an explosion, in combination with a firing
pin held in the rear of the shell and a rod in the rear fragilo vessel substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
2nd The combination of the shell with two fragile vessels held in the same and
adapted to contain substances, a firing pin held in the rear end of the shell, and
a rod in the rear vessel substantially as herein shown and described.
3rd The combination with a shell of two fragile vessels bold in the same and
adapted to contain substances, the firing pin L, in the butt end of the shell, and of the
spring N, surrounding the said-pin, substantially as herein shown and described.
4th The combination with the shell A, of the fragile vessels D, E, in the same, 1
the rod H, held on the vessel E, and provided on its inner end with prongs J,
substantially as herein shown and described.
5th The combination with a shell of the fragile vessels D E, the rod H, held
in the vessel E, and having prongs J, on its inner end, and of the firing pin L,
substantially as herein shown and described.
2