IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCKETS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM HALE, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Eleventh day of January, in the seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Hale, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said William Hale, my exors,
admiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Hale, my
exors, aduiors, 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
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROCKETS," in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said William Hale, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her

page_text: said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately 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 William Hale, do hereby declare that the nature of my said In-
vention, 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 Drawings hereunto annexed, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say):
It is well known that in constructing rockets for war, as well as for
other purposes, a rod or stick is affixed to the case of each rocket for
the purpose of causing the rocket to move in the direction in which it
is pointed when fired, and for preventing rockets turning over and
tumbling during their flight; and I am informed that it has been sug-
gested, but without, success, to use wings or projecting surfaces in place
of the sticks or rods for like purposes. Now the object of my Inven-
tion is to dispense with the necessity of using sticks, or rods, or wings.
And in order that the Invention may be fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the best means I am
acquainted with for performing my improvements; at the same time I
would remark, that I do not confirm myself to the precise details here
given, provided the peculiar character of any part of my improvements
Figure 1, represents an external view of a rocket constructed accord-
ing to part of my Invention. Figure 2, shows a. section thereof. This
rocket is caused to move with a considerable degree of correctness
without tumbling over during its flight, by being loaded at the hinder
part, and having a hole through the loaded end bored or formed in the
line of the rocket's axis, which is the cause of keeping the rocket
correct in its movement. a, a, is the metal case of the rocket, which I
prefer to line with a thin interior surface of wood, or it may be of other
suitable material, in order to separate the charge of pyrotechnic matter

page_text: b, b, from the iron. c, is a cast iron plug or weight fixed at the back or
hinder end of the rocket; this weight is to be such as to bring the
centre of gravity towards that end of the rocket; and I have found, so
far as my experiments have gone, that the weight should be such as to
balance the head and solid part of the composition, and which brings
the centre of gravity to a position within one third of the length of the
case containing the pyrotechnic matter, so that in the rocket shewn the
centre of gravity would be at or about the dotted line c', c', and the centre
of gravity of the rocket will come nearer and nearer to the head of the
rocket as the matter contained therein is consumed; and it will be
found that by thus weighting the back end of a rocket, combined with
the making a hole in the direction of the axis of the rocket through the
metal of the weighted end, as is shown, that a rocket so made will per-
form with considerable correctness. In filling the case a, a, I cause
there to be a hollow portion d, left in the axis of the rocket, either by
placing a core therein when filling; or else, when filled, I cause the
hollow to be produced by boring out the pyrotechnic matter, as shown
at d. e, is the upper or fore end of the rocket, which I make of cast
iron, and fill the hollow with wood, or this end may be suitably formed
for a shell. I have thus described a rocket of the simplest form, show-
ing how the use of a stick or rod may be dispensed with.
I will now
proceed to describe another of my improvements on rockets, by which a
rocket can be made to rotate around its longitudinal axis, and thus
enable the elastic force which drives it onwards to move it more cor-
rectly, as any bias which a rocket may have consequent on a differ-
ence of weight in a particular locality or irregularity of form, will be
compensated for by a constant rotation about its axis in its flight; and
this improvement consists in forming side or lateral openings in such
manner that the ignited matter rushing through these openings will
cause the rocket constantly to revolve. Figure 3, shows an external
view, and Figure 4, a section of a rocket constructed according to this
part of my Invention, the parts being marked with the same letters of
reference as in the preceding Figure; ff, being oblique openings, änd
inclining downwards; and I prefer that these openings should be formed
tangential to the circle of the interior cavity of the rocket; hence when

page_text: the ignited matter is rushing out of the openings f, the rocket will be
caused to rotate. Figures 5, and 6, show an external view and section
of another arrangement of rocket, having the openings f, (for producing
the desired rotation of the rocket,) at the upper or fore end thereof, as is
shown. In other respects the rockets shown at Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6,
are similar to that shown at Figures 1, and 2, they being weighted at
the hinder or lower end by the metal c, with a hole through it in the
line of the axis of the rocket. Figures 7, and 8, show an external view
and a section of another arrangement of rocket, and so constructed that
the charge of pyrotechnic matter is burning in two opposite directions,
the discharging openings ff being intermediate of the lengtli; and this
rocket is formed for carrying two shells g, 4, one at either end, with an
opening into each at i, i, to ignite the bursting powder in the shells. j
is a chamber, which connects the two parts a, a, of the rocket, the Pyro-
technic charge in each being hollow at d. d, as is shown; hence the
matter in both compartments a, a, will be simultaneously consumed,
and the ignited products will rush into the chamber, and thence
through the openings f, by which the rocket will continue to be pro-
pelled forward, and will rotate about its longitudinal axis. Figures 9,
and 10, shew an external view and section of another construction of
rocket, somewhat similar to the preceding, but it only shows one shell
at the upper end, the matter in the parts a, a, burning simultaneously,
and the ignited products rush out at the openings f; but in this case
the chamber is somewhat differently formed, as will readily be under-
stood on examining the Drawing. I would remark, that before filling
either of the above rockets, I line the same with a thin veneer of wood
or other suitable material for separating the iron of the case from the
charge, thereby preventing any chemical action from the iron injuring
the pyrotechnic matter.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that
I do not confine myself to the precise details herein described, provided
the peculiar character of either part of my Invention be retained. But
what I claim is, first, the application of a hollow or bored weight c,
to the end, as herein described; secondly, I claim the application of

page_text: openings to rockets for the rush of ignited matter in such manner as
to cause them to rotate, as herein described; and, thirdly, I claim the
forming double rockets so that the pyrotechnic matter contained may
be simultaneously consuming towards each end of a rocket.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hale, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.