IMPROVEMENTS. IN CARTRIDGES FOR BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William. Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS. IN CARTRIDGES FOR BREECH-LOADING
FIRE-ARMS." A communication from abroad by Caleb Huse, of
Neuilly, in the Empire of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st December 1865.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES FOR BREECH-LOADING
FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to construct central-fire metallic cartridges
which shall be perfectly impervious to air and moisture. To this end the case.
is made of thin sheet metal (copper by preference), provided at its base with
a flange whereby it may be extracted or drawn out of the breech end of the
barrel after the cartridge has been discharged. The fulminate whereby the
'powder is ignited is placed at the centre of the base of the cartridge inside,
the base or end plate of the metallic case having been made thin at this part

page_text: so as to admit of it yielding to the blow of the hammer or exploding pin
when the latter is driven forward to explode the charge. In order to keep
the fulminate in a central position it is placed in a hole made in a circular
piece of cardboard which is inserted in the lower end of the case, and on
this is placed a steel or other metal disc with a small hole in the centre, and
the periphery or edge of which is forced into the inside of the flange of the
The charge of powder is then introduced and the bullet when placed
thereon is soldered in its place, and the cartridge thus completed will be
perfectly impervious to air or water.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st June 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County.
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant. unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES FOR BREECH-LOADING, FIRE-ARMS,"
being a communication from Caleb Huse, of Neuilly, in the Empire of
France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Edward Newton, 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby declare

page_text: per-
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention has for its object to construct central-fire metallic cartridges
which shall be perfectly impervious to air and moisture, and in a much simpler
manner than is now employed. To this end the case is made of thin sheet
metal (copper by preference), provided at its base with a flange whereby it
may be extracted or drawn out of the breech end of the barrel after the
cartridge has been discharged, as is well known in reference to metallic
cartridges. The fulminate whereby the powder is ignited is placed at the
centre of the base of the cartridge case inside. The base or end plate of the
metallic case must be made thin at this part so as to admit of it yielding to
the blow of the hammer or exploding pin when the latter is driven forward.
to explode the cartridge. In order to keep the fulminate in a central position
it is placed in a hole made in a circular piece of cardboard or other suitable
substance which is inserted in the lower end of the case, and on this is placed
a steel or other metal disc with a small hole in the centre, and the periphery,
or edge of which is forced into the inside of the flange of the case. This.
steel or metal disc acts as an anvil against which the fulminate is struck
with a hard blow when the hammer descends. The charge of powder is.
then introduced and the bullet when placed thereon is soldered in its
place, and the cartridge thus completed will be perfectly impervious to air or
water..
In the accompanying. Drawing I have shewn various views of some of the
improved cartridges.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of one of the cartridges complete; a, a, is,
the metallic case, which is made in the ordinary manner except that the
central part of the base is so thin as to admit of being indented with
ease by a smart blow from the hammer or striking pin of the gun. The
fulminate is placed in a hole made in the centre of a disc of cardboard or
metal 6, shewn detached in plan and section at Fig. 2. The fulminate may.
be secured in this hole by varnish or by covering it with a thin piece of tinfoil:
A second disc c, shewn detached in plan and section at Fig. 3, and provided
with a hole at its centre, serves to keep the disc 6 in its place at the bottom
of the cartridge, and also to act as an anvil against which the fulminate will
be exploded by the force of a blow given by the descent of the hammer.
The disc c is made dish-shaped so that it may be conveniently placed at the
bottom of the cartridge case, in which it is secured by flattening it therein by

page_text: means of a plunger which will force the edges of the disc into the hollow
flange of the case. Instead of the circular disc with a central hole, as shewn
at Fig. 8, a flat bar d may be employed, which may be secured under the
flanges as in the former instance, or by rivetting it to the base of the case, as
shewn at a, Fig. 4. As a modification of Fig. 1 a central perforation may be
made in the base of the case, as shewn at Fig. 5, for the purpose of enabling
the hammer or striking pin to reach the fulminate, which in this instance will
be placed in a recess in a thin dise of soft metal 6', shewn detached at Fig. 6.
This disc may be cemented into the case a with a waterproof, varnish, and it
will be further secured, as in the former instance, by means of a perforated
steel disc c, the edges of which will be forced into the hollow flange of the
case: If a pellet of compressed powder be used for the charge the disc c
may be dispensed with, and a small stud or disc of metal or other bard
substance may be let into or fixed on the end of the compressed pellet, and
will act as an anvil when the fulminate is struck through the central hole at
the back of the cartridge, as shewn at Fig. 7. By constructing or manu-
facturing central-fire metallic cartridges in the manner herein described, not
only can the article be manufactured more economically than heretofore, but
at the same time the thick wad, anvil, and percussion cap heretofore used may
be dispensed with, and the cartridge may therefore be made much shorter
than usual, which is a very important consideration with some breech-loading
fire-arms.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, and having explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent
as aforesaid the mode herein set forth of constructing central-fire metallic
cartridges.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)