IMPROVEMENTS IN BLASTING CARTRIDGES AND CHARGES OF THE STRONGER EXPLOSIVES FOR MILITARY AND NAVAL PURPOSES."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert May Gardiner, of Queen Anne's Gate; in the City
of Westminster, and George Trench, of Faversham, in the County of Kent,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLASTING CARTRIDGES AND CHARGES
OF THE STRONGER EXPLOSIVES FOR MILITARY AND NAVAL PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert May Gardiner and
George Trench at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
14th December 1881.
ROBERT MAY GARDINER of Queen Anne's Gate in the City of Westminster and
GEORGE TRENCH of Faversham in the County of Kent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BLASTING CARTRIDGES AND CHARGES OF THE STRONGER EXPLOSIVES FOR
MILITARY AND NAVAL PURPOSES."
The object of this improvement is so to prepare blasting cartridges and explosive
charges generally as to render them water and damp proof id est, to be fully
effective in all conditions of climate locality and position also to enable their being
transported abroad without the necessity of lining the packages containing them
with metal or other material usually employed for keeping the contents of the
packages dry the protection to the cartridges or charges being self contained. The
improvement is also intended to give greater effect to the cartridges and explosive
charges to add to the safety of using them in their handling and placing in bore
holes, sbells or torpedoes-to increase safety in the transit by land or sea of such
cartridges and charges whether intended for commercial or military or naval
purposes and to secure greater certainty in regard to complete explosion of the
whole charge when used in wet or damp situations in mines quarries &c. and
to greater security against mis fires or partial explosions and their consequent
dangers.
For this purpose each individual charge of explosive preferably in the form of a
compressed block is enclosed in a tube of metal or equivalent anhydrous substance
of somewhat greater length than the compressed block. A disc of metal anhydrous

page_text: cardboard or other water proof material is placed into the end or ends of the tube
against the explosive material and the edges of the tube are crimped or turned
over and burnished so as to cause them to lap over and bear against the discs and
form a water tight joint, or the case for the cartridge may be made with one end
closed leaving the other end only to be afterwards dealt with.
Charges so made are in the form of solids they are not adapted for having a
detonator inserted into them but are used with other cartridges called primers that
are provided with fuses and detonators.
Cartridges or charges to be used as primers we make in the same way as the
foregoing except that we form the block of explosive with a central longitudinal
hole and the waterproof disc for covering one end of such explosive block wo form
of elastic waterproof material such as india rubber or other suitable elastic
substance.
When the cartridge or charge is to be prepared for use this disc is punctured
through its centre by a sharp pointed instrument preferably the straight leg of the
pliers used in fixing the detonator to the fuse. The detonator tube is pushed
through this hole into the interior of the cartridge-the rubber then closes tightly
around the fuse and prevents any admission of water.
Charges of the high explosives for military or naval purposes when protected in
this way are capable-of-being-kept-with-perfect-safety-separate-from-the-shells-or
torpedoes in which they are to be used and can be placed in them at any moment
or be withdrawn if so required and again stored separately without danger, the
increased safety imparted to the explosive by this improvement rendering the
handling and use of the cartridges free from the risk that would otherwise attend
the manipulation of powerful explosives.
When exploded by means of a detonator the cartridges and charges encased in
the manner described exhibit greater disruptive force than when the explosive is
used in the ordinary way without confinement so that better results are more
economically attained.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Robert May Gardiner and George Trench in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th June 1882.
ROBERT MAY GARDINER of Queen Anne's Gate in the City of Westminster and
GEORGE TRENCH of Faversham in the County of Kent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BLASTING CARTRIDGES AND CHARGES of THE STRONGER EXPLOSIVES FOR
MILITARY AND NAVAL PURPOSES."
The object of this improvement is so to prepare blasting cartridges and explosive
charges generally as to render them water and damp proof id est: to be fully
effective in all conditions of climate locality and position, also to enable their being
transported abroad without the necessity of lining the packages containing thein
with metal or other material usually employed for keeping the contents of the
packages dry, the protection to the cartridges or charges being self contained. The
improvement is also intended to give greater effect to the cartridges and explosive
charges to add to the safety of using them in their handling and placing in bore
holes, shells or torpedoes-to increased safety in the transit by land or sea of such
cartridges and charges whether intended for commercial or military or naval
purposes and to secure greater certainty in regard to complete explosion of the
whole charge when used in wet or damp situations in mines quarries &c. and
to greater security against misfires or partial explosions and their consequent
dangers.
For this purpose each individual charge of explosive preferably in the form of
a compressed block is enclosed in a tube of metal or equivalent anhydrous
substance of somewhat greater length than the compressed block. A disc of metal
anhydrous cardboard or other waterproof material is placed into each end of the
tube against the explosive material and the edges of the tube are crimped or
turned over so as to cause them to lap over and bear against the discs and form
a watertight joint. The case for the cartridge might be made with one end closed
leaving the other end only to be afterwards dealt with.
Charges made as above described are in the form of solids they are not adapted
for having a detonator inserted into them but are used with other cartridges called
primers that are provided with fuses and detonators.
Cartridges or charges to be used as primers we make in the same way as the
foregoing except that we form the block of explosive with a central longitudinal
hole passing into it from one of its ends and the waterproof disc for covering this
end of such explosive block we form of elastic waterproof material such as india
rubber or other suitable elastic substance.
When the cartridge or charge is to be prepared for use this disc is punctured.
through its centre by a sharp pointed instrument preferably the straight leg of the
pliers with a sharp pointed end used in fixing the detonator to the fuse. The
detonator tube firmly attached to a fuse is pushed through this hole into the
interior of the cartridge the rubber then closes tightly around the fuse and prevents
any admission of water.
The detonator tube and fuse may be of any suitable construction we prefer
however to use a fuse and detonator such as is shown in Specification of Patent
No. 3612 in the year 1879.
Charges of the high explosives for military or naval purposes when protected
in this way are capable of being kept with perfect safety separate from the shells
or torpedoes in which they are to be used and can be placed in them at any
moment or be withdrawn if so required and again stored separately without
danger, the increased safety imparted to the explosive by this improvement
rendering the handling and use of the charges free from the risk that would
otherwise attend the manipulation of powerful explosives.

page_text: When exploded by means of a detonator the cartridges and charges encased in
the manner described exhibit greater disruptive force than when the explosive is
used in the ordinary way without confinement so that better results are more
economically attained.
To effect the turning or crimping over of the ends of the cylindrical cartridge
cases we use a pair of revolving tools each similar to the revolving tool used for
crimping or turning over the end of the cylindrical case of a breech loading
sporting cartridge. The two heads which carry the two revolving tools are
mounted upon a bed or frame so that the two tools are in a line with and opposite
to one another and one is made moveable so that it may be slidden endwise and
be made to approach or recede from the other by the depression or nondepression
of a treadle. The cylindrical cartridge case with a block of explosive within it
and with a disc of waterproof material against each end of the block is held by
a workman between the two tools and by the depression of the treadle the
revolving tools are caused to bear one against one end of the cylinder the other
against the other end of the cylinder. The tools are made to revolve in opposite
directions so that the workman has not to restrain the cartridge case from revolving
whilst the tools are acting upon it. In this way both ends of the cartridge case
are simultaneously turned or crimped over.
Figure 1-of-the-Drawings annexed-shows-a-longitudinal-section-of-a-charge-of-
explosive made as above described. A is a moulded block of explosive. B is a
cylindrical case of thin metal within which the moulded block is contained.
Care anhydrous cardboard, indiarubber or metallic discs_placed against each end
of the block A. Bare the turned over ends of the case B.
At Figure 2 we have shown a longitudinal section of a similar cartridge or
charge of explosive but in which one end only of the cartridge case is crimped or
turned over in the manner above described-the case being made with one end
closed before the insertion of the charge of explosive into it.
At Figure 3 of the Drawings we have shown a longitudinal section of a cartridge
or charge to be used as a primer. The block A of explosive has formed in it a
central hole A¹. Over the end of this hole is placed a disc D of elastic material
and over this again is preferably placed a disc C of metal or other stiff waterproof
material having a hole C₁ made through it at the centre or the position of these
discs may be reversed. The end or ends of the case are then turned or closed
over in the manner above described.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner of
performing the same we would have it understood that we claim :-
First. The manufacture of blasting cartridges and charges of explosives
substantially as herein before described and illustrated at Figures 1 and 2 of the
Drawings annexed.
Second. The manufacture of blasting cartridges and charges of explosives
substantially as bercin before described and illustrated at Figure 3.
Third. The making up of a blasting charge of a number of cartridges constructed
as described and illustrated at Figures 1 and 2 and of a cartridge or primer
constructed as described and illustrated at Figure 3.
In witness whereof I the said Robert May Gardiner have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of June in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
K. M. GARDINER. (L.S.)