IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Oivil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS."-A communication from abroad by Alfred
TL-1
T
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William 'Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th February 1869.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Oivil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS," to be as follows:-
When a powdered nitrate, be it nitrate of potash, soda, baryta, or lead,
is intimately mixed with coal or any substance containing carbon or
hydrocarbon, such as rosin, sugar, or starch, a combustible mixture is pro-
duced, which unless hermetically enclosed under strong resistance bains

page_text: too slowly to form what is usually called an explosive mixture; but a
slight addition of nitro-glycerine intimately mixed therewith so as to
form a thin coating over every separate grain admits of effecting the
instantaneous combustion of the whole owing to the intense heat
developed by the explosion in immediate contact with every grain of
nitre which it causes to melt. From the nature of the aforesaid mixture
it is evident that the proportions of nitre and carbon or hydrocarbonated
substances, as well as nitro-glycerine, may be greatly varied with no
other difference in result than an increase or decrease of explosive power;
it is therefore only possible to give here the composition of mixtures
which serve as a type of the strongest and safest of such compounds.
Such are, 68 parts of nitrate of baryta, 12 parts of coal (that kind which
contains the greatest proportion of hydrogen being best for use), and 20
parts of nitro-glycerine; or 70 parts of nitrate of baryta, 10 parts of rosin,
and 20 parts of nitro-glycerine. An addition of sulphur from 5 to 8 parts
to either mixture somewhat heightens the explosive effect of the mixture,
but is less safe in use.
To effect the explosion of the aforesaid powder a tube or cap con-
taining fulminate of mercury or other suitable detonating. substance is
affixed to the end of a fuse, the cap then being inserted into the powder.
Or instead of a fuse the cap may be fired in the usual manner by
electricity. In either case it is the fulminate in the cap which causes
the explosion of the nitro-glycerine, which in its turn carries off the
mixture of nitre and coal or analogous compound, as stated above.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
⚫ filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th August 1869.
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.
8
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her a

page_text: special licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors,
administrators, 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
5 during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
Пsе, 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 MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS," being a come.
munication to me from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Edward Newton, 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
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
calendar 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 (that is to say) :-
This Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture of Explosive
Compounds" consists in the combination of nitro-glycerine with any
suitable nitrate and carbon so as to form an explosive compound"
differing in character from ordinary gunpowder.
When a powdered nitrate, whether it be a nitrate of potash, soda, baryta,
or lead, is intimately mixed with coal or any substance containing carbon
or hydrocarbon, such as rosin, sugar, or starch, a combustible mixture is
produced, which unless enclosed or confined under strong resistance
burns too slowly to form what is usually called an explosive mixture;
but a slight addition of nitro-glycerine intimately mixed therewith so as
to form a thin coating over every separate grain admits of effecting the
instantaneous combustion of the whole owing to the intense heat
developed by the explosion in immediate contact with every grain of
nitre which it causes to melt. From the nature of the aforesaid mixture it
will be evident that the proportions of nitre and carbon or hydrocarbonated
substances, as well as nitro-glycerine, may be greatly varied with no other
difference in result than an increase or decrease of explosive power;
it will therefore be useless to do more in the present Specification than

page_text: to give the composition of mixtures which will serve as a type of the
strongest and safest of such compounds. Take, for instance, sixty-eight
parts of nitrate of baryta and mix therewith twelve parts of pulverised
coal (that kind which contains the greatest proportion of hydrogen being
best for use); to these ingredients I add twenty parts of nitro-glycerine.
As a modification of this combination take seventy parts of nitrate of
baryta and ten off rosin, and add thereto twenty parts of nitro-glycerine.
An addition of from five to eight parts of sulphur to either of the above
mixtures somewhat increases the explosive effect of the mixture, but is
less safe in use.
To effect the explosion of the above compounds a tube or cap con-
taining fulminate of mercury or other suitable detonating substance is
affixed to the end of a fuse, the cap then being inserted into the powder.
Or instead of a fuse the cap may be fired in the usual manner by
electricity. In either case it is the fulminate in the cap which causes
the explosion of the nitro-glycerine, which in its turn carries off the
mixture of nitre and coal or analogous compound, as stated above.
Having thus set forth the nature of the Invention of " Improvements
in the Manufacture of Explosive Compounds," which has been com-
municated to me by my foreign correspondent, I wish it to be understood
that I claim, the use as explosive compounds of a combination of nitre,
either nitrate of potash, soda, baryta, or lead, with carbon or substances
containing carbon or hydrocarbon, such as coal, starch, rosin, sugar, or
other analogous substance, and nitro-glycerine, the latter besides its own
developement of power serving the purpose of greatly quickening the
combustion of the other ingredients, as above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twolfth day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nina