Improvements in Miners' Squibs.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 25th May, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Miners' Squibs.
I, JOHN R. POWELL, of Plymouth in the County of Luzerne, and State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to mining squibs, and it has for its object to provide
an improved squib of this character which, while very simple in construction at
the same time provides a perfectly safe one which can be easily inspected so as to
avoid the danger of premature explosion. To this end the main and primary
object of the present invention is to form a mining squib having a perfect roll
closure at one end to prevent the powder from working into the match portion,
and at the same time to provide a squib wherein the match portion thereof can be
easily untwisted its entire length by the miner before using, in order to ascertain
if by any accident any particles of powder had escaped into the same.
With these and other objects in view which will readily appear as the nature of
the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction,
combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated
and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a completed miners squib constructed in accordance
with this invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank out of which the squib is formed.
Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the first stage of rolling while the closure
of the tube is being formed before the match portion is reached.
Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the rolling of the tube advanced beyond the
match portion so as to roll such match portion therewith and up to the sealing
portion of the blank.
Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the completed squib, showing the match
portion opened or untwisted and also more clearly showing the formation of the
tube closure roll.
The
Referring to the accompanying drawings, the letter A represents an approximately
rectangular blank from which the squib bereinafter described is made.
blank A is either Manilla, tissue, or similar paper which will roll easily without
breaking, and the blank made from such paper is cut away at one side edge as at B,
which cut commences at one end of the blank and extends to an intermediate point
so as to form a tube portion C beyond and the match portion D at the same end in
which the cut is made.
The inner end of the cut B, is extended at one outer edge of the blank into the
notch E, which forms at the inner corner of the cut B, the projected and
intermediate closure piece F, which projects beyond the inner end of the tube
portion of the squib blank and is located at an intermediate point between the outer
edge of the blank from which the tube is rolled and the beginning of the match
portion D. It will be clearly observed by reference to Fig. 2, of the drawings that
one side of the notch extension E is the inner terminal of the tube to be rolled
from the blank, the length of which tube is consequently the distance between that
side of the notch and one end of the blank.
The squib blank A is further provided in its edge opposite the cut edge B, with
a V-shaped dividing notch or cut G. The V-shaped cut G is disposed intermediate
of the ends of the squib blank and forms a dividing space between the match

page_text: portion D and the tube body portion C, and at the same time separates the sealing
strip H from said match portion, said sealing strip being located between the V-shaped
cut and one end of the squib blank, and has applied thereto suitable adhesive
material which seals up the tube as the roll is continued over the sealing strip.
Now with the construction of the blank well in mind it is thought that the
formation and use of the same will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art
with but a slight description. The rolling of the tube I from the tube body
portion E is commenced from one edge of the blank by placing the paper upon
a flat base and rolling the same upon the usual rolling needle, in a manner which
is well known to those familiar with this art. At the very commencement of
the rolling of the blank from one edge the shape of the tube portion I is formed
before the projected and intermediate closure piece F is reached. By continuing
the rolling of the blank, the closure piece F now commences to roll up into a,
number of convolutions so that by the time the roll reaches one edge of the match
portion D a perfect intermediate roll closure is formed beyond the inner end of the
already rolled tube of the squib, and this roll closure which does not form a
portion of the tube itself, after being twisted, is much more secure in its function
than closures heretofore made. The rolling of the blank is still continued so that
the match D is rolled simultaneously with the tube and the closure portion of the
blank and is therefore completed together with the rest of the squib. When the
roll has reached the inwardly-extending apex of the cut G, the same completes
the squib by wrapping itself in the sealing strip H, formed at one side of said
cut G. The portion of the match D at the other side of said cut of course
rolls up with the tube, but is not sealed and such match together with the
closure roll are finally twisted by the fingers in the ordinary manner into the
shapes shown plainly in Figs. 1 and 5.
By the means just described the squib is entirely completed and the explosive
filling placed in the tube ready for use in the ordinary manner. Now, when
the miner takes up the squib for use, he is desirous of ascertaining whether by
any possible means a particle of powder has worked itself into the rolled match
portion. In order to secure this result it is simply necessary for him to unroll or
untwist the match portion as clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, and as will
be seen by reference to this figure, such match portion can be untwisted up to the
he entire
apex of the cut G and therefore beyond the closure roll itself whereby
inner closed end of the tube is completely exposed up to the beginning of its
sealing strip, thereby providing a very advantageous feature of improvement
over the ordinary squibs now manufactured.
After inspecting the match of the squib it is simply necessary to roll up the
match portion again when the squib will be ready for use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A mining squib having at one end an unsealed twisted match portion
extending as far as a point beyond the inner closed end of the tube of the squib
and adapted to be untwisted up to such point without affecting other parts of the
squib, substantially as set forth.
2. A mining squib having a tube portion, an unsealed match roll or twist
beyond one end of the tube portion, and a projected closure roll formed intermediate
of one end of the tube portion and the beginning of the unsealed match roll or
twist, substantially as set forth.
3. A mining squib comprising a paper blank having an end cut at one side edge
forming a match and tube portion, and a projected closure piece located at the
inner corner of said end cut and intermediate of the match and tube portions, the
said blank being adapted to be rolled from one edge to successively form the tube,
the intermediate closure roll from said projected closure piece, and a match roll
from the match portion, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 4. In a mining squib, the paper blank having a V-shaped cut or notch in one
edge forming at one side a sealing strip and leaving at its opposite side an unsealed
match portion, said blank being adapted to be rolled into a tube and match roll,
the tube of which is sealed from the apex of said cut to one edge of the blank
while the match portion is left unsealed up to said apex, substantially as set forth.
5. In a mining squib, the blank consisting of a single rectangular piece of paper
having an end cut at one side edge and forming a match and tube portion a projected
closure piece located at the inner corner of said end cut, and a V-shaped cut or
notch in one edge opposite said end cut and forming beyond one side thereof a
sealing strip, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 24th day of *Anril
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.