IMPROVEMENTS IN VESSELS FOR CONTAINING. GUNPOWDER OR OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Roby, of Ince within Makerfield, near
Wigan, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VESSELS FOR CONTAINING.
GUNPOWDER OR OTHER MATERIALS.”
Sealed the 12th January 1875, and dated the 18th November 1874..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Roby at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th November 1874.
I, GEORGE ROBY, of Ince within Makerfield, near Wigan, do hereby
3 declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VESSELS
FOR CONTAINING GUNPOWDER OR OTHER MATERIALS," to be as follows:---
•
My Invention relates to an improved construction and arrangement of
vessels or safe for containing gunpowder or other explosive or non-
explosive materials, so as to protect such materials from the action of fire.
or undue heat arising from any cause.
My Invention consists principally in fitting the vessel in which the
powder or other material is contained with a cover or lid so constructed

page_text: that the whole arrangement may be entirely submerged below the
surface of a body of water contained in a tank or other receptacle placed
eitlier above or below the surface of the ground. To carry this out I
cover the vessel containing the material with a lid so constructed that
the turned over or covering edge forms an annular air space or chamber
-round and extends a considerable distance down the sides of the vessel,
thereby enclosing a body of air in the said chamber between the
surrounding part of the lid and the containing vessel. The lid is either
kept in its place by weights placed upon the upper external surface, or
it may be fastened down by catches or springs. The powder or other
material to be protected is first put into the vessel, and the lid then
closed and weighted or fastened down upon it. The whole is then
immersed in the water, so as to be entirely below the surface thereof.
The object of this arrangement is to provide a body of water entirely
surrounding the vessel or safe containing the powder, and so keeping it
from the fire, and also to maintain a body of air between the powder and
the water, so as to keep the latter from coming in contact with the
powder or other material.
A number of vessels or safes may, if required, be placed in one tank,
each vessel or safe being constructed as above described.
Before putting the lid on, the powder may be covered with an inner
or second lid composed of a disc of wood provided with an elastic
packing, so as to form a nearly air-tight joint with the inside of the
vessel, the object of this being to keep or preserve the powder from the
action of the vapour arising from the water.
When the material to be preserved is powder I prefer to make such
portions of the vessels and cover as come in contact of some metal such
as. zinc or copper which will not be liable to produce a spark by
friction.
To remove the powder from the vessel or safe the latter must either be
lifted out of the water, or the level of the water may be lowered by
drawing off by any suitable means.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Roby in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
ROBY, of Ince within Makerfield, near Wigan, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the 38th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Roby, Her special
license that I, the said George Roby, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Roby, my executors,
administrators, or 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
VESSELS FOR CONTAINING GUNPOWDER OR OTHER MATERIALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Roby, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument 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 calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Roby, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to an improved construction and arrange-
ment of safe or vessel for containing gunpowder or other explosive or
non-explosive materials, so as to protect or preserve such materials from
the action of fire, or undue heat arising from any cause, or from
deteriorating influences; and it consists principally in fitting the vessel
in which the powder or other material is contained with a cover or lid so
constructed as to admit of the entire apparatus being submerged in water

page_text: or other liquid contained in a tank or other receptacle, which may be
placed either above or below the surface of the ground.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in both the
Figures.
.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a vertical section of a safe or
vessel constructed and arranged according to one modification. a is the
vessel containing the materials to be protected or preserved, which vessel
I fit or cover with a lid 6 arranged either by turning over the edges
at c, c, or otherwise, in such a manner as to form an air space, or
chamber d around and above the vessel d, and extending a considerable
distance down its sides, whereby a body of air is enclosed in the said
chamber between the surrounding part of the.lid and the containing
vessel a.
The lid 6 is either fastened down by catches or springs e, e, as
shewn in the Drawing; or in lieu thereof it may be maintained in place
by weights disposed upon the upper external surface of the lid. Tho
powder or other material to be protected or preserved is first placed in
the vessel a, and the lid 6 is then closed and weighted or fastened down'
upon it, and the entire apparatus is immersed in the water or other.
liquid contained in a tank or receptacle f, so as to be entirely below the
surface thereof. The object of this arrangement is to provide a body of
water entirely surrounding the safe or vessel containing the powder or
other material, and so protecting it from fire, and also to maintain a
body of air between the powder or other material and the water, in
order to prevent the possibility of the latter coming into contact with the
material.

page_text: When the material to be preserved is gunpowder or other explosive
substanco I prefer to make such portions of the vessel a and lid bas
come in contact with each other of somė metal, such for example-ás zinc
or copper, which will not be liable to produce a spark by friction.” ****
When it is required to remove the powder from the safe or vessel
the latter may either be lifted out of the water, or the level of the
water may be lowered--by drawing off a portion thereof by any suitable
means.
"
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* In lieu of making the apparatus of a circular shape in cross section,
as shown in Figure 1, it may be constructed of a rectangular or other
suitable form.
'
Figure 2-represents-a-sectional perspective view of an apparatus
constructed according to another modification, and in which a rectangulàr
form is adopted. In this arrangement the vessel a is entirely surrounded
by a cover or casing 6, which extends to the bottom, where it abuts
against and is enclosed by a frame or tray i, so as to leave an air space
or tight chamber d between the internal sides of the cover or casing
and the external sides of the vessel a. e¹ is a screw, any suitable number
of which may be employed for securing the cover or casing 6 to the
frame or tray i. .
It is obvious that safes constructed and arranged in the manner
herein before described may also be employed for containing meat and
other articles of food or perishable substances in order to protect the
same from the influences of the external atmosphere and preserve them
from decay.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to
be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The employment of safes or vessels fitted with lids or covers
so constructed and arranged as to admit of the entire apparatus being
submerged in a liquid tank or receptacle, as and for the purposes herein-
before described.
Second. The application and use to and with a submerged safe or
.
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