IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE AND IN WADS TO BE USED THEREWITH
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Palliser, of the Army and Navy Club,
Pall Mall, in the County of Middlesex, Major Unattached, and
Francis John Bolton, of Rochester, in the County of Kent,
Captain in the Army, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ORDNANCE AND IN WADS TO BE USED THEREWITH."
Sealed the 13th November 1868, and dated the 21st May 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Palliser and
Francis John Bolton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 21st May 1868.
We, WILLIAM PALLISER, of the Army and Navy Club, Pall Mall,
in the County of Middlesex, Major Unattached, and FRANCIS JOHN
BOLTON, of Rochester, in the County of Kent, Captain in the Army,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ORDNANCE AND IN WADS TO BE USED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
One part of our Invention has reference to a mode of converting
existing cast-iron muzzle-loading guns into breech-loading compound
guns, as also to the manufacture of new compound breech-loading guns.

page_text: For this purpose cast-iron guns converted as described in the
Specification to certain Letters Patent, granted to one of us, and
bearing date the 10th December 1867, No. 3507, or new compound
guns constructed as there described, have a cylindrical hole cut through
the breech passing through the cast-iron casing and outer or B tube of
the barrel, in which hole is formed a female screw thread, in such a
manner as to be in relief as compared with the bore of the B tube, and
therefore also of the casing, but which is at the same time of a larger
diameter than the bore of the gun. Into this hole is screwed a plug
or breech piece, by preference of steel, passing through the casing and
screwing into the outer or B tube of the barrel. In this manner the
front threads of the breech piece which transfer nearly the whole of the
longitudinal pressure to the female threads, transfer such pressure to
female threads of either wrought iron or steel. In some cases we line
the hole formed through the casing and B tube with a screwed bush
of wrought iron or steel, into which the breech piece is screwed in its
turn. The breech piece is carried by a collar having female guiding
threads through which the former screws. The collar and breech piece
swing out sideways in a similar manner to the breech piece mentioned
in the Provisional Specification filed by one of us on the 8th March
1860, No. 634, the collar being for this purpose provided with an arm
attached to the gun by means of a hinge. In order to facilitate the
unscrewing of the breech piece, as also to enable it to be screwed
up tightly, we employ the tappet lever invented by Sir William
Armstrong, and now well known in connection with his breech-loading
guns.
In some cases we make the rear part of the breech piece which
screws through the collar cylindrical and the front portion we make
taper, fitting into a corresponding taper female thread.
It is an essential feature in the above arrangement that the front female
threads respectively of the casing and the B tube should be in relief
as compared with their respective bores. In order to expedite the
withdrawal and screwing up of the cylindrical breech piece or plug we
make the screw of a quick pitch, and we employ two or more screw
threads. In order to prevent the breech piece from being screwed out
of the collar beyond that point at which it will most readily re-enter
the female screw in the gun, we provide in the collar a spring bolt,
which works in the thread of the breech piece and is pushed into a

page_text: hole which is drilled between the threads at the point necessary for
stopping the breech piece in the above-mentioned position. This same
locking bolt further answers the purpose of preventing the breech piece
when screwed up being partially unscrewed by the pressure of the
discharge, for which purpose a second hole is drilled between the
threads at the rear end. The front hole is considerably tapered off on
the one side so as to enable the breech piece to be screwed into the
gun without withdrawing the locking bolt, while the rear hole is formed
with a very steep incline, so that the bolt may always be kept in
contact with such incline should the plug require to be screwed in
slightly farther owing to the effect of continued firing.
Furthermore we provide the hinged collar with a locking bolt or
catch in order to keep it in close contact with the gun when the breech
requires to be screwed in, which contrivance is essential for causing
the breech piece to enter the female threads correctly. The front
surface of the breech plug may be recessed out so as to form a shallow
cup, and the outer surface of such cup be coned so as to fit into a
corresponding conical seat in the barrel. Or where the barrel is
provided with a short inner tube or "chamber liner" the front part of the
breech piece may be formed with a tapering projecting ring, the outer
surface of which fits into a similarly tapered or coned seat in the A
tube, while the inner surface overlaps the tapered end of the chamber
liner.
In some cases we extend the before-described screwed bush into which
the breech piece fits a considerable distance into the gun, thus making
the front portion thereof constitute the B or outer tube of the barrel.
We insert the inner or A tube in the usual manner from the muzzle,
and retain it there by means of a screw collar as described in the
Specification to a Patent granted to one of us dated 11th November
1862, No. 3038. It is essential that the cast-iron casing be recessed
out at the innermost thread of the screwed bush, which has the effect
of throwing the female threads cut in the casing into relief, and thus
preventing a breaking point at the front female screw thread.
The last-described system of breech loader with screwed bush is well
adapted for new compound guns in which the metal is run round the
barrel as described in the before-mentioned Specification, No. 3507
of 1867.

page_text: In making such new compound guns intended either for breech
loaders or muzzle loaders instead of running ordinary cast iron round
the barrel we sometimes previously convert such cast iron into steel
or homogeneous metal and run it direct from the converter or furnace
into the mould in the manner described in the last-mentioned
Specification.
The before-described construction of breech-loading guns may also
be employed with the outer casing of the gun made of wrought iron.
Another part of our Invention consists in an improved system of
rifling ordnance which is applicable either to breech loaders or muzzle
loaders, wherein we employ by preference three grooves having the
partially accelerated pitch described in the Specification No. 3507 of
1867; two of these grooves are arranged so as to be on the upper portion
of the bore at the breech end so that the third groove shall be at
the lowest point of the circumference of the bore. The latter groove
is made slightly (say 1% of an inch) deeper than the others, and
further it is situated slightly nearer to that groove which lies on its
driving side, and it is also made, say th of an inch wider on the
loading side than the others. The object of this improvement is to
retain the axis of the shot in its passage out of the bore of the gun
in the same excentric position with reference to the axis of the gun
which it occupied previous to being fired.
We propose to call this system the "excentric rifling" in contra-
distinction to the systems previously proposed, which have had for
their object to centre the projectile in the gun as it passes along
the bore.
Another part of our Invention has reference to wads to be used in
connection with the before described system of ordnance, but which
are also applicable to other guns. Our improvements consist in con-
structing such wads of a consolidated pulp composed of fibrous materials,
such as wool, hair, rags, oakum, tow, and other animal or vegetable fibres
felted together with or without the admixture of glutinous or gelatinous
substances, such for instance, as that produced by the action of acids
upon refuse pieces of untanned hides; the wads may either be formed
entirely of such compound and moulded into any desired shape, or
they are formed of a ring composed of such material surrounding a
plug of wood (by preference alder) or other suitable solid substance,

page_text: the base of which is hollowed out to fit the end of the cartridge, and
which has a central hole for the top of the cartridge to pass through.
This plug is furthermore made somewhat larger in diameter at the
rear end than at the front end, so that on firing it acts like the plug of
the Enfield bullet and expands the wad against the surface of the bore
of the gun, thus preventing the escape of gas. The outside ring of
moulded fibrous material is formed with an overlap or projecting rim
in order to fit over the rounded portion of the base of the projectile.
The wad formed entirely of the compound of fibrous and other materials
is also moulded into a shape similar to that of the compound wad above
described with a hole through its centre; such wads may be waterproofed
either by incorporating any suitable waterproofing compound therewith
or by applying the waterproofing material superficially; for the latter
purpose we prefer to employ a compound of the residuum from petroleum
and stearine works dissolved in naptha.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Palliser and Francis John Bolton in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st November 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
PALLISER, of the Army and Navy Club, Pall Mall, in the County of
Middlesex, Major Unattached, and FRANCIS JOHN BOLTON, of Rochester,
in the County of Kent, Captain in the Army, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said William Palliser and Francis John Bolton
Her special licence, that we, the said William Palliser and Francis John
Bolton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said William Palliser and Francis John Bolton, our 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 ORDNANCE
AND IN WADS TO BE USED THERE WITH," upon the condition (amongst others)

page_text: that we, the said William Palliser and Francis John Bolton, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands
and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Francis John Bolton, on behalf
of myself and the said William Palliser, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
One part of our Invention has reference to a mode of converting
existing cast-iron muzzle-loading guns into breech-loading compound
guns, as also to the manufacture of new compound breech-loading guns.
For this purpose cast-iron guns converted as described in the Specification
to certain Letters Patent granted to one of us and bearing date the 10th
December 1867, No. 3507, or new compound guns constructed as there
described have a cylindrical hole cut through the breech, passing through
the cast-iron casing and outer or B tube of the barrel, in which tube
is formed a female screw thread in such a manner as to be in relief
as compared with the bore of the B tube and therefore also of the
casing, but which is at the same time of a larger diameter than the bore
of the gun. Into this hole is screwed a plug or breech piece, by
preference of steel, passing through the casing and screwing into the
outer or B tube of the barrel. In this manner the front threads of
the breech piece which transfer nearly the whole of the longitudinal
pressure to the female threads, transfer such pressure to female threads
of either wrought iron or steel. In some cases we line the hole formed
through the casing and B tube with a screwed bush of wrought iron
or steel, into which the breech piece is screwed in its turn. The
breech piece is carried by a collar having female guiding threads
through which the former screws. The collar and breech piece swing
out sideways in a similar manner to the breech piece mentioned in
the Provisional Specification filed by one of us on the 8th March
1860, No. 634, the collar being for this purpose provided with an arm
attached to the gun by means of a hinge. In order to facilitate the

page_text: unscrewing of the breech piece, as also to enable it to be screwed up
tightly, we employ the tappet lever invented by Sir William Armstrong
and now well known in connection with his breech-loading guns.
In some cases we make the rear part of the breech piece which
screws through the collar cylindrical and the front portion we make
taper, fitting into a corresponding taper female thread.
It is an essential feature in the above arrangement that the front
female threads respectively of the casing and the B tube should be in
relief as compared with their respective bores. In order to expedite
the withdrawal and screwing up of the cylindrical breech piece or plug
we make the screw of a quick pitch, and we employ two or more screw
threads. In order to prevent the breech piece from being screwed out
of the collar beyond that point at which it will most readily re-enter
the female screws in the gun, we provide in the collar a spring bolt,
which works in the threads of the breech piece and is pushed into a
hole which is drilled between the threads at the point necessary for
stopping the breech piece in the above-mentioned position. This same
locking bolt further answers the purpose of preventing the breech picte
when screwed up being partially unscrewed by the pressure of the
discharge, for which purpose a second hole is drilled between the
threads at the rear end. The front hole is considerably tapered off on
the one side so as to enable the breech piece to be screwed into the
gun without withdrawing the locking bolt, while the rear hole is formed
with a very steep incline, so that the bolt may always be kept in
contact with such incline should the plug require to be screwed in
slightly farther owing to the effect of continued firing.
Furthermore we provide the hinged collar with a locking bolt or
catch in order to keep it in close contact with the gun when the
breech requires to be screwed, which contrivance is essential for
causing the breech piece to enter the female threads correctly.
The front surface of the breech plug may be recessed out so as to
form a shallow cup, and the outer surface of such cup be coned so
as to fit into a corresponding conical seat in the barrel. Or where
the barrel is provided with a short inner tube or "chamber liner" the
front part of the breech piece may be formed with a tapering projecting
ring, the outer surface of which fits into a similarly tapered or coned
seat in the A tube; while the inner surface overlaps the tapered end
of the chamber liner.

page_text: In some cases we extend the before described screwed bush into
which the breech piece fits a considerable distance into the gun, thus
making the front portion thereof constitute the B or outer tube of the
barrel. We insert the inner or A tube in the usual manner from the
muzzle, and retain it there by means of a screw collar as described in
the Specification to a Patent granted to one of us dated 11th November
1862, No. 3038.
It is essential that the cast-iron casing be recessed out at the innermost
thread of the screwed bush, which has the effect of throwing the female
threads cut in the casing into relief, and thus preventing a breaking
point at the front female screw thread.
The before-described construction of breech-loading guns may also
be employed with the outer casing of the gun made of wrought iron.
Another part of our Invention consists in an improved system of
rifling ordnance which is applicable either to breech loaders or muzzle
loaders, wherein we employ by preference three grooves having the
partially accelerated pitch described in the Specification No. 3507 of
1867; two of these grooves are arranged so as to be on the upper portion
of the bore at the breech end so that the third groove shall be at the
lowest point of the circumference of the bore.
The latter groove is
made slightly (say 1 of an inch) deeper than the others, and further
it is situated slightly nearer to that groove which lies on its driving
side, and it is also made, say of an inch wider on the loading side
than the others. The object of this improvement is to retain the axis
of the shot in its passage out of the bore of the gun in the same
excentric position with reference to the axis of the gun which it occupied
previous to being fired. We propose to call this system the "eccentric
rifling" in contradistinction to the systems previously proposed, which
have had for their object to centre the projectile in the gun as it passes
along the bore.
Another part of our Invention has reference to wads to be used in
connection with the before-described system of ordnance, but which
are also applicable to other guns. Our improvements consist in con-
structing such wads of a consolidated pulp composed of fibrous
materials such as wool, hair, rags, oakum, tow, and other animal or
vegetable fibres felted together with or without the admixture of
glutinous or gelatinous substances, such for instance as that produced
by the action of acids upon refuse pieces of untanned hides. Such

page_text: wads are formed hollowed out or concave at the rear end to fit the
end of the cartridge, and they have a central hole for the top of the
cartridge to pass through. The front face of these wads is formed
with an overlap or projecting rim in order to fit over the rounded
portion of the base of the projectile. In some cases in place of making
such wads entirely of the fibrous material they may be provided with
a central plug of wood (by preference alder) or other suitable substance
having a central hole as in the case of the solid fibrous wad, which
plug is made slightly larger in diameter at the rear end than at the
front end so as to expand the fibrous portion against the surface of
the bore of the gun, thereby causing the wad to expand and fill up
the grooves of rifled ordnance, and so preventing the passage of the gas
between the interior surface of the bore and the projectile, which escape
of gas causes erosion and guttering of the grooves. Such wads may
be waterproofed either by incorporating any suitable waterproofing
compound therewith, or by applying the waterproofing material super-
ficially; for the latter purpose we prefer to employ a compound of the
residuum known as "foots" from petroleum and stearine works, dissolved
in naptha or other solvent.
Figures 1 to 3 on Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings show one
arrangement of our improved construction of breech-loading ordnance.
Figure 1 shews a part longitudinal action of a gun with the breech
plug screwed up ready for firing. Figure 2 shows a part sectional
plan with the breech plug screwed out and partly turned back for the
introduction of a cartridge; and Figure 3 shows an end view of the
breech of the gun.
C is the casing of the gun, into which is inserted from the muzzle
end the A and B tubes secured by a screw collar as before described,
In this
the former of which is provided with a chamber liner A'.
arrangement a cylindrical hole with a screw thread is first formed
through the breech of the casing C of the gun and into the rear end
of the B tube, and into this hole is screwed a lining D, by preference
of steel, passing through the casing and into the B tube as shown.
This lining also has a screw thread cut on its inner surface, into which
is screwed the breech plug E. This breech plug is of larger diameter
than the bore of the gun, and is provided at the front end with a
conical part e hollowed out somewhat, which, when the plug is screwed
up fits into the conical scat a formed in the chamber liner A¹.

page_text: The breech plug E screws through a collar or ring F hinged to the
casing C, as shewn at Figure 3, by means of which collar the breech
plug when screwed out as in Figure 2 is turned back so as to allow
of the introduction of the cartridge. When closed up the collar is
held in position by a catch G, so as to cause the breech plug E to enter
the screw threads of the lining D correctly. The screw threads on
the breech plug are formed with a quick pitch in order that the screwing
in and out may be effected rapidly in order to prevent the breech plug
from unscrewing on firing; a spring bolt H passing through the collar F
is made to enter a hole formed at e¹ between the screw threads of the
plug when this is screwed up, and a second hole e³ is provided near the
front end, into which the bolt H passes as indicated at Figure 2 so as
to prevent the plug from being screwed out beyond a certain point.
This hole is formed with an incline on one side so as to allow the bolt
to ride out of it when the breech plug is screwed up. The screwing
and unscrewing of the breech plug is effected by means of the tappet
lever I turning loose on a collar on the end of the plug and provided
with tappets i, , which bear against the stops J on the plug in a
similar manner to Sir William Armstrong's well-known tappet lever.
It will be observed that the screw threads cut in the casing, as also in
the B tube, are well in relief as compared with the respective bores of
these parts. On firing the strain transmitted in great part through
the front threads of the breech plug to those of the lining D is taken
by the threads of the B tube, which being of wrought iron or steel
are consequently well enabled to resist the same.
Figure 4 shows a part longitudinal section of a gun in which the
B tube, formed by preference of steel in this case, and provided with
a screw thread along its entire length is screwed in from the breech
end of the casing C, and constitutes the lining of the first-described
arrangement, into which the breech plug is screwed. At the inner
end of the screw threads cut in the casing Ca recess c is formed so as
to bring the screw threads in relief for the purposes before stated.
The breech plug E and hinged collar F are arranged in the same manner
as before described.
Figure 5 shews a transverse section of the bore of a gun A with a 3
projectile D inserted, and having our improved system of excentric
rifling applied thereto. For this purpose only three grooves a', a³, a³,
are formed in the gun corresponding with the three studs , d, ds,

page_text: on the projectile, of which grooves a¹ is at the starting point of the
grooves situated at the lowest point of the bore, while the other two
grooves are there situated on the upper part of the bore. The groove a¹
is made slightly deeper than the others; it is also situated slightly
nearer to the groove at which is on its driving side (', 6, 6, being the
driving edges) than to a³, and it is made slightly wider on the loading
side than the other grooves, or in other words it is first made equidistant
from a and a, and is then slightly widened on the driving side b¹ so
that the stud d' on the projectile does not bear against such driving
edge as indicated to an exaggerated extent on the Drawing.
Figures 6 and 7 on Sheet II. of the Drawings show respectively a
plan and a transverse section of the before-described improved wad.
The rear face a of the wad is formed concave, as shewn, to fit the end
of the cartridge, the choked end of the casing of which is passed through
the central hole B; these holes also enable the wads to be strung
together on a rope or stick when in store. The front face is formed
with a rim c overlapping the rounded edge of the base of the projectile.
By means of this rim and by hollowing out the rear end of the wad as
described, the greatest possible thickness of material is brought in
contact with the bore of the gun without the wads taking up unnecessary
space in the gun; furthermore, at the moment of explosion the wad
being forced against the base of the projectile is crushed and fills up
the grooves as before described.
Figure 8 shows a transverse section of a wad with central wooden
plug d made somewhat larger in diameter at the rear end, as shewn for
the purposes
above stated.
We have found by experiments made by us that the employment
of wads as described considerably prolongs the endurance of ordnance,
more especially where heavy charges are used.
Having thus described the nature of the several parts of our Invention,
and in what manner they are to be performed, we wish it to be
understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise form of our
improved wads shown on the accompanying Drawings, as such form
may be variously modified without departing from the nature of our
Invention; thus, for instance, they may in some cases be made with
any one or two of the before-described features of their configuration
only, or they may be made with flanges to fit the grooves of the

page_text: particular guns for which they are required, or with grooves to fit the
rifling flanges of guns of a pattern similar to that known as the
"Blakely" ordnance; we also wish it to be understood that we are
aware it has already been proposed to make gun wads of papier maché,
and we do therefore not claim them when made of this material
otherwise than when they are prepared in the manner and constructed
of the particular form herein-before described, but what we claim is,―
First. Constructing breech-loading compound or converted guns
wherein a breech plug of larger diameter than the bore of the gun,
and carried by a hinged collar is screwed through the breech end
of the casing and into relieved threads in the end of the B tube,
substantially as herein-before described.
Second. Providing the hole in the breech of the gun through which
the breech plug passes with a lining screwed through the casing and
into relieved threads in the end of the B tube, substantially as described.
Third. Carrying the breech plug by means of a collar hinged to the
side of the gun and having female screw threads, through which the screw
threads on the breech plug pass, which collar has furthermore a spring
bolt passing into holes in the breech plug to hold this in position, and
is itself secured in the closed up position by means of a catch on the
breech of the gun, substantially as herein-before described.
Fourth. Constructing breech-loading compound or converted guns
with a B tube screwed along its entire length into the casing through
the breech end thereof, the breech end of which B tube constitutes a
lining to the casing for receiving the screwed breech plug, substantially
as described.
Fifth. The before-described system of excentric rifling whether applied
to breech-loading or to muzzle-loading ordnance.
Sixth. The construction and use of wads for ordnace composed of
a consolidated pulp of fibrous materials, such as wool, hair, rags, oakum, a
tow, and other animal or vegetable fibres with or without the admixture
of glutinous or gelatinous substances, such wads being formed with a
concave surface at the rear end with a hole through the centre and
with a projecting rim or overlap on the front face or with any one
or two of these features of configuration only, substantially as and for 3
the purposes herein-before set forth.

page_text: Seventh. Providing wads of fibrous materials for ordnance with a
central plug of wood or other suitable hard material, substantially as
and for the purposes herein-before set forth.
Eighth. Coating or impregnating wads of fibrous materials for
ordnance with a waterproofing compound, substantially as herein-
before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis John Bolton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
FRANCIS JOHN BOLTON. (L.S.)