IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO EXPLOSIVE SHELLS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Welcome Roys, of Southampton, Long
.Island, in the State of New York, in the United States of America,
Master Mariner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO
EXPLOSIVE SHELLS."
Sealed the 10th November 1857, and dated the 19th May 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Welcome Roys
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 19th May 1857.
I, THOMAS WELCOME ROYS, of Southampton, Long Island, in the State of.
New York, in the United States of America, Master Mariner, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO
EXPLOSIVE SHELLS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention is applicable to the class of shells which are of an elongated
form, and consists in forming a groove or grooves on the side of the shell, so
as to allow a portion of the fire from the charge which is used to project the
shell from the piece to escape along the side of the shell, so as to ignite the fuse
through an opening or openings formed in the side of the shell (by preference)
near the point, and which extends to the outer end of the fuse chamber, and
which fuse chamber has a small lateral hole at or near the bottom thereof,
through which the fire of the fuse enters the explosive compound chamber.
In these side openings a quick match may be placed to ignite the fuse, if
prefered.

page_text: When this Invention is applied to shells intended to be projected by rifles
or rifled ordinance, say such as are constructed according to the Invention of
Mr. Whitworth, of Manchester, it is proposed to remove a portion of the
metal from the top or face of, say, two of the spiral threads of the screw
formed on the exterior of the shell, so that when inserted in the piece there
will be the requisite space to form the passages between the shell and the inner
surface of the piece. The same object may be attained by forming a groove
or grooves in the inside of the barrel of.the piece.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Welcome Roys in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th November 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WELCOME ROYS, of Southampton, Long Island, in the State of New York, in
'the United States of America, Master Mariner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Welcome Roys, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Welcome Roys, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Thomas Welcome Roys, 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 " IM-
PROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO EXPLOSIVE SHELLS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Welcome Roys, 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 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 Thomas Welcome Roys, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say) :-

page_text: The object of this my said Invention is the construction and mode of
exploding elongated shell, the fusees of which are ignited by means of the
propelling charge, in such a way that they can be used with greater safety
than heretofore. This Invention consists mainly in forming a groove or
grooves on the sides of elongated shell, so that a portion of the fire from the
charge which is used to project the shell from the piece may escape along the
side thereof, and in its passage ignite a fusee through an opening or openings
in the side of the shell, formed by preference near the point or outer end. The
grooves for allowing a small flash from the propelling charge to escape along
the side of the shell to fire the fusee, or a quick match connected with the
fusee chamber, may be formed in the inside of the barrel of the piece, in place
of on the side of the shells; or the same object may be attained by forming
a vent hole or holes longitudinally through the skin of the shell; the object
attained thereby being the ignition of the fusee without allowing the propelling
charge to exert any considerable pressure against the fusee composition, as I
have found by experience when direct pressure is exerted against the fusee by
the propelling charge, there is great danger of the shell exploding instan-
taniously. The side openings for igniting the fusee are formed so as to
extend to the outer end of the fusee chamber, and which fusee chamber I
construct with a small latteral hole (or holes) at or near the bottom, to admit
the fire of the fusee to enter the explosive compound chamber when the fusee
bas burned sufficiently down to reach the hole (or holes). In the openings,
which extend from the exterior of the shell to the interior of the fusee
chamber within the shell, I prefer to introduce a quick match to fire the fusec,
and which quick match may be carried backwards along the groove or grooves
on the side of the shell to the rear end thereof, or to any intermediate
distance that may be desired. I also prefer to introduce a quick match
into the small lateral openings which form the communication or com-
munications between the fusee and explosive compound chambers. This
quick match should extend some distance into the explosive compound chamber
to insure the blowing up of the shell, as otherwise the fusee chamber being
constructed in the front of the shell by preference, I have found by experience
that sometimes the concussion of the propelling charge has been such as to
drive the powder within the explosive chamber of the shell to the rear end
thereof, and if the time arrives that the shell should explode before it strikes
an object, so as to throw forward a portion of the explosive compound, the
fusee may burn out without its fire being communicated thereto..
When this my said Invention is applied to shells intended to be projected

page_text: from rifles or rifled ordinance, say such as are constructed according to the
Invention of Mr. Joseph Whitworth, of Manchester, in place of grooving the
shell, I prefer to remove a portion of the metal from the top or face of; say,
two of the spiral threads of the screw formed on the exterior of the shell, so
that when inserted in the piece there will be the requisite space to form the
required passages between the shell and the inner surface of the piece.
In applying this my said Invention to shell rockets I enclose a quick match,
which is connected to the fusee chamber formed in the front of the head of
the rocket within a suitable tube, which extends some distance past the rear
end of the rocket head, and I then connect the inner end of the quick match
to the rocket staff, in such a way that on the propelling charge of the rocket
being fired it will be ignited thereby.
That this my said Invention may be more readily seen and understood, I
have hereunto annexed Drawings, in partial illustration of its practical appli-
cation for shells of about three pounds weight each, which are intended for
killing whales, and which I project from a gun at the shoulder, using from
about two to four drams of powder.
In further explanation of my Invention, and by way of caution to those who
may put the same into practice, to avoid accident, by giving a clear vent to
the flash which fires the fusee, I have added two Figures, exhibiting longi-
tudinal sections of two shells which have their fusees on the rear end thereof,
and are so constructed that the propelling charge acts directly upon the fusee,
the consequence of which is that they are very apt to explode before leaving
the gun. Like letters marked on the Drawings have reference to similar
parts.
Figure 1 is a side view of a shell having spiral polygonal sides, according
to the Invention of Mr. Whitworth, of Manchester, and having a portion of
the metal removed from the face of two of the spirals, to allow a vacant space
between the shell and rifle barrel for the purposes of my Invention.
Figure 2 is an horizontal section of the same.
Figure 3 is a vertical section of ditto, and a vertical section of one of Mr.
Whitworth's improved rifles, showing the passages between the shell and the
bore of the rifle.
Figure 4 is the top view of an elongated shell, having grooves formed in
its side.
Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, shown within a
partial section of a gun barrel to exhibit the vent passages.
Figure 6 is a vertical cross section of ditto.

page_text: Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of a square-headed shell and a portion
of a gun barrel, shewing the vent grooves formed on the inner side of the
gun barrel; and Figure 8 is a vertical cross section of the same.
Figure 9 is the longitudinal section of a truncated conical-headed shell,
having holes formed longitudinally through its side, to form the vent passages,
in place of being grooved on the side.
I may here incidentally mention, that the elongated shells with blunt or
square points, such as are shewn in the two Figures 8 and 9, or of a form
still more blunt than that shewn by Figure 9, are the only formed points
which. I have been enabled to enter water at an angle without recursion.
$
Figure 10 is a round-headed elongated shell, having the quick match carried
to its rear end.
Figure 11 is a conical-headed elongated shell, having the quick match from
the fusee chamber carried backwards, to present the end, thereof to the igniting
flash from the propelling charge.
Figure 12 is the longitudinal section of a shell, having the fusee in the rear,
and against which the propelling charge acts directly; and Figure 13 is a
modification of the same, the propelling charge acting against the fusee through
the small passage, as shown by the arrows.
I have merely inserted these two latter Figures (12 and 13) to illustrate in
contradistinction to my Invention a common mode now used to ignite shells,
but which method I consider exceedingly fraught with danger to the gunner,
I having had the misfortune to lose my left hand by a shell constructed
similarly to that shown in Figure 12, by its exploding in the gun and bursting
the barrel, although the fusee was made with great care and in the most
approved manner. And I have also found by recent experiments, that shells
constructed according to the plan shewn in Figure 13 do also often explode
before leaving the barrel, although I am not quite sure that it would do so if
the lower portion of the passage was carried directly forward along the length
of the shell (as shewn by the dotted line), to allow the flash to escape and
avoid
any considerable pressure against the fusee from the propelling charge,
as I believe all fusees, however well made, are to a certain extent porous, and
if great direct force be exerted by the propelling charge against the fusee it is
not unlikely that a portion of the fire may penetrate through the fusee com
position & ignite the explosive compound.
A, the body of the shell, into the outer end of which is screwed B, the point
which is chambered so as to contain C, the fusee composition, which fires D,
the explosive composition. E is a small screw plug, to close the fusee com-
position chamber when loaded, and which, in Figures 1 and 2, is shown placed

page_text: on the front of the fusee, and in Figures 5, 7, and 9, in the rear thereof, which
latter method I prefer; F are small vent passages, extending from the
chamber containing the fusee composition to explosive compound, and into
which I introduce f, a quick match; G are lateral side openings which
extend from the fusee composition chamber to the exterior of the shell (and into
which I sometimes I introduce a quick match); through these side openings
the fusee is ignited by a small flash from the propelling charge; H (Figures
1 and 2) exhibits two of the spiral threads on the exterior of one of
Mr. Whitworth's shells, reduced to give the required space between the shell
and the bore of the rifle to form a passage to allow a portion of a small flash
from the propelling charge to escape, and which fires the fusee on its passage
outward; I, partial section of a gun barrel; K are grooves formed in the side
of the shell, to allow a portion of the flash from propelling charge to escape
and ignite the fusee; L are grooves formed in the barrel of the gun in place
of the side of the shell; M are holes formed longitudinally through the skin of
the shell in place of grooving it; N are quick matches, which in Figure 10 is
shown carried to the back of the shell, and in Figure 11 carried backward
about half the distance; O, (Figures 12 and 13,) are fusees formed on the
back of the shells; P, (Figure 13,) is a vent passage for igniting the fusee.
Having now fully described and ascertained my said Invention, and how
the same may be performed, what I claim as new and my Invention is
igniting the fusee of elongated shells by the propelling charge, avoiding any
considerable pressure from the propelling charge by allowing the igniting flash
free vent to escape, as herein-before described, or any mere modification
thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Welcome Roys, have hereunto
set my hand and affixed my seal, this Seventeenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
THOMAS WELCOME (L.s.) ROYS.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street, Liverpool.