IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
T
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th February 1856.
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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-ARMS,"
to be as follows:-
In the efforts heretofore made to apply the repeating principle to that class
of arms which are fired from the shoulder, it has thus far not been found prac-
ticable to avoid the danger, to which all of them are more or less liable, of
premature explosion, either of the magazine containing the powder for the
successive charges, or of the chambers contiguous to the one discharged, bý
which serious accidents have occurred to those making use of them, resulting in
loss of limb and life. To avoid entirely this danger, and to make the musket
or the rifle, when constructed upon the repeating principle, as safe to those

page_text: discharging them as the repeating pistol, is the object of the present Invention,
which consists in bringing up the chambers separately and successively into
a line with the gun barrel, while all the others remain in a vertical position,
each one at the instant of its discharge being so far removed from the
others as to avoid the possibility of communicating combustion from one tube
to another.
Another improvement consists in closing the joint between the barrel and
the charge chamber by means of a sliding ring, which is made to cover the
joint at the instant of the discharge, and is moved forward out of the way of
the charge chamber whenever it becomes necessary to bring up a new chamber
into line with the barrel. The discharge of the piece is prevented by means
of a lever, which keeps the hammer from falling whenever the joint between
the barrel and the charge chamber is not closed by the sliding ring, and
the movements of the sliding ring are effected at the moment required
by means of mechanism acting in concert with the moving parts of the lock.
The charges are inserted in a series of chambers, which are attached by a
pivot or hinge to a revolving plate, from which they hang in a vertical position,
until by the revolution of the plate they are elevated, and brought in succession
one at a time into a line with the barrel, in a position to be discharged. After
a tube is discharged, it is lowered by the revolution of the plate to its original
position, at the same instant that the next in order is brought up in a line
with the barrel, and so on through the whole series until all the chambers are
discharged, when they may be removed for the purpose of reloading; or where
a great number of discharges are required in immediate succession, as in action
upon a field of battle, the set of discharged chambers may be replaced by
another set, one or more sets of chambers being carried about the person for
the purpose.
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 13th August 1856.
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 13th day of February, in the year of our Lord

page_text: 1856, in the nineteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her
special license, that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 THE CONSTRUC-
TION OF FIRE-ARMS," being a communication from abroad, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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 calender 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 the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, 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):-
In the efforts heretofore made to apply the repeating principle to that class
of arms which are fired from the shoulder, it has thus far not been found
practicable to avoid the danger to which all of them are more or less liable
of premature explosion, either of the magazine containing the powder for the
successive charges, or of the chambers contiguous to the one discharged, by
which serious accidents have occurred to those making use of them, resulting
in loss of limb and life. To avoid entirely this danger, and to make the
musket or the rifle, when constructed upon the repeating principle, as safe
to those discharging them as the repeating pistol, is the object of the present
Invention, which consists in bringing up the chambers separately and succes-
sively into a line with the gun barrel, while all the others remain in a vertical
position, each one at the instant of its discharge being so far removed from
the others as to avoid the possibility of communicating combustion from one
tube to another.
The 2nd part of this Invention consists in closing the joint between the
barrel and the charge chamber, by means of a sliding ring, which is made to
cover the joint at the instant of the discharge, and is moved forward out of the

page_text: way of the charge chamber whenever it becomes necessary to bring up a new
chamber into line with the barrel..
The 3rd part of this Invention consists in an improved method of preventing
the discharge of the piéce whenever the joint between the barrel. and the
charge chamber is not closed by the sliding ring.
The 4th part of this Invention consists in a combination of parts whereby
the exact movements of the sliding ring are effected at the moment required,
las will be liereafter more fully explained.;
"
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1. is a view from beneath, of a, rifle
with the improvements attached'; Fig. 2, a vertical section through the centre
of the same; Fig. 3, a détached view of the chambers, showing the manner in
which they are hinged to the revolving plate which carries them;, Fig..4,
detail, which will be referred to hereafter.
The charges are inserted in a series of chambers, which are attached, by a
pivot or hinge to a revolving plate; from which they hang in a.vertical position,
until by the revolution of the plate they are elevated, and brought in succession,
one at a time, into a line with the barrel, in a position to be discharged: After
a tube is discharged, it is lowered by the revolution of the plate to its original
position, at the sanie instant that the next in order is brought up in line with
the barrel, and so on through the whole series until all the chambers are
discharged, when they may be removed for the purpose of reloading; or where
a great number of discharges are required in immediate succession, as in action
upon a field of battle, the set of discharged chambers. may be replaced by
another set, one or more sets of chambers being carried about the person for
the purpose.
A, in the Drawings, represents the chambers, which are hinged to the
plate B at C, and which may be turned up into a horizontal position, as seen
at A' in all the Figures. The plate B is adapted to and revolves upon the
pin D, which projects downwards from the body of the gun; this plate with its
charge chambers is held in position by a button or catch a upon the end of the
lever E; this button is operated by the knob F, and. enters a notch in the
pin D, as seen in Fig: 2' at c. The lever E is pivoted at b, and when in place,
tis seen in Figs. 1 and 2, serves to throw up the chambers one by one, as the
plate B is revolved, the spring d holding them up against a firm bearing above
until they are securely locked with the barrel, as will be hereafter explained.
When the plate B with its chambers is to be removed from the gun, the catch
a is turned and the lever E depressed, which leaves. the plate B with its charge
chambers free to be separated from the gun. The chambers are revolved and

page_text: raised into line with the barrel in the following. manner:-Gris the: "guard,i"
which in lieu of being attached permanently to the gun is.pivoted at k; as seen in
Fig: 2; the short arm of this lever is connected by means. of the link m with the
slide n; this sliden carries a spring dog p; which engages: with the teeth; pro-
jecting from the upper-side of the plate B. As now the guard is thrown forward
into the position represented in red in Fig. 2, the dog p engages with one of the
teeth (the number of which corresponds to that of the charge chambers), and
revolves the plate sufficiently to bring the next succeeding. chamber into. line
with the barrel; this is effected by the lever E, against which the chamber: A
strikes as it revolves, and by which the latter is thrown up into the position
represented in Figs. 1 and 2 in line with the barrel and ready to be discharged:
The charge chamber is secured to the barrel of the gun at the instant of the
discharge, and a tight joint between the two insured in the following manner:
The forward end of each chamber is turned' down, as seen at r; the rear end-of
the barrel H being furnished with a corresponding offset s; upon this latter is
fitted a ring t; which previous to the discharge is made to pass over the joint
between the chamber and the barrel, in a manner which. will be: hereafter
explained. The piece is cocked and discharged in. the following manner:-
As the guard G-is depressed, for the purpose of rotating the charge chambers;
its short arm a strikes against the hammer b³, and throws it back, until the
point c catches over a shoulder upon the trigger f as seen in Fig. 2; the
hainmer is thus retained cocked. until the trigger is pulled, so as to release
the hammer, when the latter is thrown by its spring. Osagainst the hammer
rod P, the opposite end of which is projected against the nipple.g (Fig. 2); for
the purpose of exploding the cap and discharging the piece. Whenever the
piece is not cocked, the trigger is thrown up and concealed from view by,its
spring g². The ring t, which covers and closes the joint. between the charge
chamber and the barrel, is operated as follows:-It is attached to the rod h;
to which is hinged at the arm 2, which is pivoted to the lock plate at l":
This arm passes through a slot in the hammer rod P; so formed, that when
the hammer rod is projected by the blow of the hammer, it shall advance
without moving the arm ; but when the hammer rod is relieved of the
pressure of the lammer, it is thrown back by the spring m²; until the
shoulder n of the slot rests against the arm k³. When the guard G is
depressed and the slide n is drawn back; the latter strikes against the pin,o²,
projecting from the hammer rod, by which the latter is drawn back slightly,
by which means the shoulder pupon the ring t is caused to arrest the motion
of the charge chamber at the instant when it is in line with the barrel:

page_text: The ring t is drawn over the joint between the chamber and the barrel by
the return of the guard to its place, as follows:-q3 is a pin projecting from
the slide n, which strikes against the lever k, and thus draws back the ring as
required. The following device is employed for the purpose of throwing
forward the ring from off the charge chamber before the latter is moved:
is a hooked dog, which is pivoted to the link m, and is thrown forward as the
guard is returned to its place, being held up by the pin s³, as seen in Fig. 2,
so that its hook t shall catch the end of the arm when the guard first
commences to move, by which means the arm is moved upon its fulcrum 1³,
and, through the connections already explained, the ring t is thrown forward,
and the chamber A' is left free to be moved by the continued motion of the
guard. So soon as the ring is thrown sufficiently far forward to release the
chamber, the dog r³ is thrown off the lever by the the pin a² the pins s and a
project sufficiently far from the lock plate to operate the dog. In order to
prevent the piece from being discharged until the joint between the charge
chamber and the barrel is covered by the ring t, the following device is
employed y is a bent lever pivoted to the lock plate, one end of which is
borne up against the arm by the spring, the other end entering a mortice
or slot q through the hammer; when the ring t is thrown forward, the long
arm of the lever y' is raised out of the slot q, so as to rest against the shoulder
w of the hammer, by which the latter is prevented from being thrown forward.
When; however, the guard G is brought home to its place, and the ring t has
covered the joint between the chamber and the barrel, the end of the lever y³
is depressed, so as to enter the slot q3 in the hammer, and the latter is left
free to fall.
Having now set forth the nature of this Invention, and explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the
above recited Letters Patent I claim, bringing the tubes or short barrels in
which the charges are placed separately and successively into a horizontal
position, so as to form a continuation of the gun barrel, while the others retain
a vertical position, as set forth for the purpose specified.
2nd, the ring t, operating in the manner substantially as herein described,
for the purpose of closing the joint between the barrel and charge chamber at
the instant of discharge, as set forth.
3rd, the lever y³, in combination with the slot through the bammer, and
with the ring t, for the purpose of preventing the discharge. of the piece at
all times when the joint between the barrel and charge chamber is not closed
by its ring.

page_text: 4th, the combination and arrangement of the parts by which the ring t is
operated, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eleventh day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane,
(L.B.) W. E. NEWTON.