IMPEOVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING NEEDLE GUNS FOR MILITARY AND OTHER PURposes.
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Frederik Christian Carle, of the City of Ham-
burg, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPEOVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
NEEDLE GUNS FOR MILITARY AND OTHER PURposes.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Frederik Christian
Carle at the Office of the Commissioners of. Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th April 1865.
I, JOHN FREDERIK CHRISTIAN CARLE, of the City of Hamburg, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING NEEDLE GUNS FOR MILITARY AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to the improved construction of needle guns by which
they are made perfectly tight, so that no gas can escape, and the whole gun
rendered more simple and durable, and by which greater rapidity in firing is
obtained.
My Invention consists in placing beneath the near end of the barrel an
eccentric. This eccentric is so formed as to pass through to the under side of
the stock where to it is fixed a lever. By means of the eccentric and lever
the barrel is open to receive the charge, and at the same time they cock the
needle. At the same time also that the barrel is made to open by means of
the eccentric and lever, it is moved by them horizontally in a kind of slide
joint, which allows the barrel to assume by its weight the requisite position
for loading. The barrel is so firmly secured by a guide piece, that it is per-

page_text: fectly rigid laterally, and it cannot assume any other position but the one
indicated above. The lock case is of the same diameter as the barrel, and
inside the same at the end next the barrel I screw a collar piece, the end of
which protrudes or extends about half an inch beyond the lock case. By
placing the thumb of the left hand upon the barrel, and moving the lever,
and thereby the eccentric with the little finger of the same hand, the barrel is
brought back over the collar piece so as to form a perfectly tight joint which
will allow of no escape of gas whatever, the end of the barrel being slightly
turned out so as to come over the collar piece. The lock consists of a cylin-
drical piece, having thereon at one end a tapered collar. On the top of this
cylindrical piece is a spring, which has an end piece or stud. Within the
cylindrical piece is a hollow plunger through which the needle passes. Ono
end of the plunger is recessed so as to form a circular groove, and around
the plunger is placed a spiral spring. This spiral spring is for the purpose of
giving the needle the force required for igniting the charge. On the right
side of the cylindrical piece is a slot in which works a pinion fixed to a spring
on the outside of the lock. This spring is for the purpose of securing the lock
in position, and also to enable the lock to be taken out. On the under side
of the cylindrical pieces at one end of the same is a longitudinal slot, into
which passes the end of the trigger for cocking the needle. The barrel can
be cleaned without removal, or its removal can be effected by merely taking
out one screw.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Frederik Christian Carle in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN,
FREDERIK CHRISTIAN CARLE, of the City of Hamburg, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Frederik Christian Carle, Her special licence that I, the
said John Frederik Christian Carle, my executors, administrators, and assigns;
or such others as I, the said John Frederik Christian Carle, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others

page_text: 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 BREECH-LOADING NEEDLE GUNS FOR
MILITARY AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Frederik Christian Carle, my executors or administrators, 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 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Frederik Christian Carle, 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:-
My Invention relates to the improved construction of needle guns, by which
they are made perfectly tight, so that no gas can escape, and the whole gun
rendered more simple and durable, and by which greater rapidity in firing can
be obtained.
In order that the nature of my Invention, and the means by which I effect
the same may be clearly described and ascertained I to this Specification
append two Sheets of Drawings, numbered I. and II., and having Figures
(numbered 1 to 18), and letters of reference marked thereupon, the like
letters being used to denote the same parts in each Figure.
In these Drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section, Figure 2 a plan, partly in
section, and Figure 3 a horizontal section at A, B (Figure 1) of my improved
needle gun. By reference to these Drawings it will be seen that I place
beneath the near end of the barrel an eccentric a (Figure 1 and Figures 4
and 5). This eccentric a is so formed as to pass through to the under side of
the stock, where to it a is fixed a lever b. By means of the eccentric a and
lever b, the barrel e is opened to receive the charge, and at the same time they
cock the needle as herein-after described. At the same time also that the barrel
is made to open by means of the eccentric and lever, it is moved by them in
a horizontal direction in a kind of slide joint c. This joint is so constructed
as to allow the barrel e to assume by its weight the necessary position for
loading. The barrel e is so secured by a guide piece d that it is perfectly
rigid laterally, and it cannot move or assume any other position than the one
indicated above. The lock case f (Figure 1 and Figures 6 and 7) is of the
same diameter as the barrel, and inside the lock case at the end next the

page_text: barrel I screw a collar piece 9, (Figure 1 and Figure 8). The end of this
collar piece protrudes or extends about half an inch beyond the lock case f.
By placing the thumb of one hand upon the gun barrel e, and moving the
lever b, and thereby the eccentric a with the little finger of the same hand
the barrel e is brought back over the collar piece 9 so as to form a perfectly
tight joint, which will allow of no escape of gas whatever, the end of the
barrel e being slightly turned out so as to come over the collar piece.
The lock and Figures 9, 10, 11, consists of a cylindrical piece, having
thereon at one end a tapered collar. On the top of this cylindrical piece is a
spring, which has an end piece or stud. Within the cylindrical piece is a
hollow plunger k, through which the needle passes. One end of the the plunger k
is recessed so as to form a circular groove, and around the plunger is placed
a spiral spring m. This spiral spring is for the purpose of giving the needle
the force required to enable it to penetrate, and thus ignite the charge. On
the right side of the cylindrical piece h is a slot n (Figure 11), in which works
a pinion fixed to a spring o, Figure 2, on the outside of the lock. This
spring o is for the purpose of securing the lock in position, and also to enable
the lock to be taken out. On the under side of the cylindrical piece or lock h
at one end of the same is a longitudinal slot (p, Figure 9), into which passes
the end of the trigger for cocking the needle 1. At the same time the barrel
is moved backwards as herein-before explained by means of the lever b and
eccentric a. The sliding piece 7 and Figure 12 is moved by means of the
small crooked connecting rod r, and by its motion the spiral spring mis
compressed, and the needle withdrawn. The piece s and Figure 13, is for
the purpose of catching or detaining the spring, and the intermediate lever t
and Figure 14 when actuated by the trigger by means of s releases the spring,
and thus the gun is discharged. A retaining piece u and Figure 15, for the
purpose of connecting barrel and stock, has through it transversely a screw;
this screw forms with the slot va kind of hinge joint, which allows the barrel
to assume the required position for loading. The frame or piece which
embraces, or to which are connected the principal working parts of the gun is
denoted by w, and is shewn separately in Figures 16, 17, and 18. The barrel
can be cleaned without removal, or its removal can be effected by merely
taking out one screw.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be
distinctly understood that what I claim as more particularly of my Invention
is, the peculiar construction of the lock or cylindrical piece with its springs;
the arrangement by which the barrel is moved horizontally over the collar

page_text: piece g; the collar piece 9; the arrangement of sliding piece q, with the
crooked connecting rod 7 (shown in dotted lines in Figure 2) for the purpose
of self-cocking; the releasing pieces s, t; and the combination or mechanical
arrangement of these parts, or arrangements of parts with all the other parts so
as to form an improved needle gun. Separately I do not claim the lever b
with eccentric a, nor the other parts not mentioned in this claim.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Frederick Christian Carle, bave bere-
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
JOHN FREDERIK CHRISTIAN CARLE. (L.S.)