IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Patrick Robertson, of Sun Court, Cornhill, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF CARTRIDGES."-A communication from abroad by the Inventors,
Algernon Johnston, of the City of Middletown, in the State of Con-
necticut, and Lorenzo Dow, of the City of Topeka, in the State of Kansas,
United States of America.
Sealed the 16th April 1862, and dated the 18th October 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Patrick Robertson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
October 1861.
I, PATRICK ROBERTSON, of Sun Court, Cornhill, in the City of London, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF CARTRIDGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
cartridges. For this purpose I take paper, cloth, or other texture, and treat
it with nitric acid (NO), or with nitric acid in combination with sulphuric
acid (SO), or with any nitrate alone or in combination with sulphuric acid,
as in the production of gun cotton. This renders the paper or other texture
[Poire 81

page_text: used highly inflammable, and prepares it for theap plication of the other
processes.
The material prepared by the process above described, and after it has
been thoroughly dried, I treat with a solution of chlorate of potash (K O, CIOs),
or with nitrate of potash (KO, NO,), or other preparation affording oxygen;
this renders the material highly inflammable and combustible, and ready for
the application of the third process, which consists in coating the same with
collodion, or its equivalent, as herein after described, by which the material is
rendered compact and waterproof. Before applying the third process, the
cartridge may be constructed with the material as prepared by the first two
processes named, using gunpowder and bullet in the usual manner; then cover
the whole with a thin film of collodion, or other substance, obtained by
dissolving cotton, flax, or other textile matter in the ether of some acid, such
as sulphuricor hydrochloric, alone or in combination with alcohol, this renders
the whole cartridge compact and waterproof. Instead of coating the material
with collodion, as above described, a similar effect may be produced by drawing
the paper or other texture prepared by the first two processes above described
through ether, or ether in combination with alcohol, and then, after thoroughly
drying the material, use it so prepared in the manufacture of a cartridge for
the covering thereof, fastening the joints, if desired, with collodion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Patrick Robertson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th April 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PATRICK
ROBERTSON, of Sun Court, Cornhill, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Patrick Robertson, Her special licence that I, the said Patrick
Robertson, my executors,administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Patrick Robertson, myexecutors,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

page_text: me from
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES," a communication to
abroad by the Inventors, Algernon Johnston, of the City of Middletown, in
the State of Connecticut, and Lorenzo Dow, of the City of Topeka, in the
State of Kansas, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Patrick Robertson, 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 Inven-
tion, 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 Patrick Robertson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
cartridges. For this purpose I take paper, cloth, or other texture, and treat
it with nitric acid (NO), or with nitric acid in combination with sulphuric
acid (S O3), or with any nitrate alone or in combination with sulphuric acid,
as in the production of gun cotton. This renders the paper or other texture
used highly inflammable, and prepares it for the application of the other
processes.
The material prepared by the process above described, and after it has been
thoroughly dried, I treat with a solution of chlorate of potash (K O, CI O₂), or
with nitrate of potash (KO, NO,), or other preparation affording oxygen,
this renders the material highly inflammable and combustible, and ready for
the application of the third process, which consists in coating the same with
collodion, or its equivalent, as herein-after described, by which the material is
rendered compact and waterproof. Before applying the third process, the
cartridge may be constructed with the material as prepared by the first two
processes named, using gunpowder and bullet in the usual mauner; then cover
the whole with a thin film of collodion, or other substance, obtained by
dissolving cotton, flax, or other textile matter in the ether of some acid, such
as sulphuric or hydrochloric, alone or in combination, or in combination with
alcohol; this renders the whole cartridge compact and waterproof. Instead of
coating the material with collodion, as above described, a similar effect may
be produced by drawing the paper or other texture prepared by the first two
processes above described through ether, or ether in combination with alcohol,

page_text: and then after thoroughly drying the material, use it so prepared in the
manufacture of a cartridge, for the covering thereof, fastening the joints, if
desired with collodion.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
It is preferred to employ paper made from Manilla flax or hemp, though
other paper or woven fabric may be used in place thereof. The paper or
fabric which is to be employed is first gut-cottonized, which is preferred to be
done by combining equal measures of nitric acid making 44° Beaume, and
sulphuric acid making 66° Beaumè. This mixture is mosi conveniently made
in a stoneware jar or vessel placed in a chimney having a good draught. The
mixture is allowed to stand two or three hours. The sheets of paper are
taken one at a time and spread out on to the acid bath, and then by means of
glass rods the sheet of paper is submerged, and in this manner any desired
number of sheets are successively immersed in the acid bath. The succeeding
sheets of paper are pressed down or to those which have been previously sub-
merged. In this manner the jar or vessel is moderately filled with sheets of
paper which are allowed to stand for about eight minutes; the sheets of
paper are taken out over a glass rod, so as to hang smoothly thereon, and not
in wrinkles, and the sheets are not to be permitted to remain in the atmosphere
more than a minute. Each sheet is pressed under water in like manner to
that in which it was submerged in the acid bath.
sheets of paper as they are taken from the acid
possible immersed in water. The water used for this purpose may with
advantage be contained in a ba rrel or vessel with an opening at the bottom, in
order (when the sheets of paper have been placed thereon) to allow the water
to run off, whilst at the same time fresh water is supplied at top, till the water
coming off at the bottom indicates no trace of acid. The sheets of
then dried, and then they are dipped into a bath of hot saturated solution of
chlorate of potash, or it may be a solution of another salt capable of affording
oxygen. The sheets of paper are then dried separately, and it is preferred
that their surfaces should be made smooth by rubbing or otherwise, as is well
understood when treating other descriptions of paper for other uses. Cartridge
cases are then formed on sticks or mandrils, and collodion is employed to
cement the edges, as well as the folded or twisted ends. These cases are
charged with powder, and the bullets or projectiles are inserted. It is found
desirable to moisten the parts of the cases round the bullets or projectiles with
collodion, so that such parts may contract and embrace the bullets or pro-
It is important that the
should be as quickly as
paper are

page_text: jectiles more closely. The cartridges are placed in suitable racks to dry, after
which they are dipped into collodion, in order to render them waterproof. It
is generally found that twice dipping the cartridges in collodion is sufficient,
the cartridges being allowed time to dry before dipping them a second time.
The peculiarity of this Invention consists in the combined processes of
making the cases of cartridges of gun-cottonized paper or fabric, and water-
proofing the same by collodion.
In witness whereof, I, the said Patrick Robertson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
PAT ROBERTSON. (L.S.)