IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE AND FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1837

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
MOSES POOLE, of the Patent Office, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His late most Excellent Majesty King William the the
Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of January, in the
seventh year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Moses Poole, His especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Moses Poole, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Moses Poole, my
exors, adiñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein ex-
pressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE AND FIRE-ARMS," communicated to
me by a certain foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters.
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Moses Poole, shall cause
a particular description of the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said Majesty's

page_text: High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had; will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Moses Poole, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention, as
communicated to me from abroad, and the manner in which the same
is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing
annexed and to the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say):
The Invention consists of a means of constructing and applying a
series of breeches to a single barrel of ordnance and of fire-arms, as
will be fully described hereafter.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, represents a plan of part of a rifle having the Invention
applied thereto; Figure 2, is a side view of Figure 1; Figures 3, 4, 5,
are separate views of some of the parts. In each of these Figures
the same letters indicate similar parts.
a, is a cylinder, on the periphery of which are formed a series
of breeches or holes which, in using the piece of ordnance or other
fire-arm, may successively be brought into a line with the barrel,
and be retained securely there till discharged. Each of the holes.
constituting a breech, it will be seen, tends to the centre of the
cylinder a. Figure 6, is a side view of a pistol having the improve-
ments applied thereto. Figure 7, is a plan thereof; and Figures
8, and 9, are separate views of parts. b, is an axis on which the
cylinder a turns, in order to bring a loaded breech to the barrel. c, is
a plate having a series of recesses, one to each nipple or cone (on
which the percussion cap is placed). This plate c is attached to the
under part or surface of the cylinder a, and revolves therewith, as will
readily be understood on an examination of the Drawing; hence the
nipples are divided one from the other, and the firing of one charge
cannot communicate with another. e, is a steel plate, which is slightly
dished or made concave in the centre, and hence presses at the

page_text: outer edges on, and covers the recesses in the plate c, thus more com-
pletely separating and excluding all fire from any one nipple to the
others. f, is a recess formed in the bearing plate of the cylinder a, and
also in the spring plate e; the object of this recess is, that as a dis
charged breech comes round to that position a detonating cap may be
put on to the nipple. y, is a plate which retains the axis of the cylinder a
secure; it is retained in its place by screws at h, h; and p is a spring catch
which retains the cylinder a, when a charged breech has been brought
round to the barrel by a stud at one end entering one of the holes i, i, as
is clearly shewn in the Drawing. j, is the hammer, which, striking the
detonating cap, fires the charge in the breech which may be opposite the
barrel. k, is the trigger, having a recess or catch into which the end of
the hammer enters when it is cocked; and 1, is the main spring. The
end of the barrel is cut to the same curve as the cylinder a, allowing
for the cylinder a to move round with ease; m, is the screw which
retains the cylinder a in its place, and it also forms the axis of the
cylinder itself. It will be seen on looking at Figures 6, and 7, that
the plate 9 moves on a hinge at one end, and is held down at the other
by a spring catch n; the object of this arrangement is to give facility
for removing a discharged cylinder a, in order to replace it by one that
is charged. This arrangement is particularly applicable to fire-arms
employed for military purposes, as the men could conveniently carry
a number of cylinders a charged; and the simple act of replacing a
cylinder a, would require much less time than loading one charge in the
ordinary manner.
In making cannon it is preferred that the cylinder should turn on a
horizontal axis, in place of a vertical one; in other respects the cylinder
a will be similar to those above described, and the same may be dis-
charged by a lock, or may receive a blow by hand with a suitable iron
instrument. It will be seen that the charging of the breeches in the
cylinder a will be exceedingly easy, and will only require the charge to
be forced a very short distance.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, I would remark
that I do not confine myself to the particular arrangement of lock for
striking the percussion caps, as variations may be made; nor do I

page_text: confine myself to the use of percussion caps, as other means may be
resorted to. But what I claim is, the mode of constructing the cylinder
a, combined with suitable means of discharging the charges successively
from the series of breeches, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Moses Poole, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.