IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS AND CONTRIVANCES EMPLOYED IN THE PACKING, CONVEYING, AND STORING OF GUNPOWDER AND OTHER EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS TO PREVENT THE ACCIDENTAL EXPLOSION THEREOF
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Gottlieb Ulrich at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd December
1864.
I, JOHN GOTTLIEB ULRICH, of Wellclose Square, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MEANS AND CONTRIVANCES EMPLOYED IN THE PACKING, CONVEYING, AND STORING OF
GUNPOWDER AND OTHER EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS TO PREVENT THE ACCIDENTAL
EXPLOSION THEREOF," to be as follows:-
The first part of my Invention for the prevention of accidental explosions
relates to improvements in the mode of securing the heads and bottoms to the
staves of gunpowder casks to prevent the liability of the ends of the staves
breaking off and consequent leakage of the powder as frequently happens
with gunpowder casks such as are usually employed. For this purpose, in
place of "chamfering" off the edges on each side of the heads and bottoms
to a sharp angular edge as heretofore practised, I turn or form them with a
comparatively broad edge having a square or nearly square "set off" on each
side thereof, and I turn or form a corresponding groove at the head and
bottom ends of the staves when put together for the square edges of the head
and bottom to fit tightly and accurately into when the parts of the cask or
barrel are finally put together. In place of taking out the head of a gun-
powder cask or barrel by removing the hoops in order to obtain access to the
contents (which operation involves considerable risk) I apply a bung or

page_text: stopper to a hole formed either in the head or one of the staves.
The bung
or stopper is formed by preference with a broad flanch over which a ring or
disc of india-rubber (by preference vulcanized) or other suitable elastic
material is placed so as to close and hermetically seal the hole in the cask
when the stopper is pressed down and secured by screws, turn buttons, or
other fastenings employed to secure the stopper in or over the hole.
The second part of my Invention for preventing accidental explosions
relates to the mode of forming the gangways or surfaces over which gunpowder
or other explosive materials are conveyed, or upon which a "train" is liable to
be formed by leakage or other dangerous distribution of such materials thereon
in order to prevent the accidental explosion thereof. For this purpose I
construct the gangways and floorings of gunpowder mills, barges, vessels, or
warehouses wherein gunpowder or other explosive materials are conveyed or
stored with planks or surfaces formed with transverse or diagonal corrugations
or grooves, by preference with angular edges on the upper surfaces and deep
cuts or grooves between so that gunpowder or other similar explosive materials
falling thereon would be conducted by the inclined upper edges of the ridges
down into the grooves or hollows between, where it would not be exposed to
friction, and the risk of explosion would to a great extent be avoided, and in
case any portion so distributed in the grooves or hollows were to explode, it
would not be liable to act as a "train" to the other parts of the gangway or
floor by reason of the divisions formed by the grooves separating one part of
the train formed by leakage from another. In place of grooves or corrugations
cellular or honey-combed surfaces may be employed for the purposes previously
described.
The third part of my Invention for preventing accidental explosions relates
to the means employed for closing the doors, windows, or other apertures of
gunpowder magazines, mills, vessels, or warehouses where gunpowder or other
explosive materials are made, stored, or conveyed. The object of this part of
my Invention is for the purpose of preventing the effect of an explosion
occurring near where other magazines or stores of gunpowder or other
explosive materials are situated from extending and firing such adjacent stores
and thus causing the explosion thereof. It is well known that when a violent
explosion occurs, the effect produced causes a great rush of air to fill up the
vacuum created in the vicinity of the explosion, and the air contained in
buildings or closed chambers is drawn outwards and frequently bursts open the
doors and windows, and in case they contain gunpowder or other explosive
materials the fire produced by the first explosion is thus readily communicated
to such explosive materials. Now, in order to prevent the effect of
an

page_text: explosion being communicated to adjacent magazines or stores in this manner,
I close the doors, windows, or other apertures of powder magazines, vessels,
or places where explosive materials are stored, with doors or shutters of great
strength and comparatively small in size opening inwards, such doors or
shutters being well fitted to their openings and faced at the parts in contact
with india-rubber or other elastic materials, thus hermetically sealing such
apertures, so that should an explosion occur externally of a magazine so
constructed the apertures therein will be most effectually closed by the
expansion of the air therein. In order to prevent explosions in powder
magazines or other places where explosive materials are stored from the
effects of lightning I place or support the barrels or other packages containing
the explosive materials upon cushions or bags containing feathers, and I
prefer to coat or cover the external surfaces of such bags with feathers by
means of adhesive materials, and I also prefer to cover the casks or packages
with feather quilts or coverings likewise coated externally with feathers.