US414388A - emmens - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) S. H. EMMENS.

PROJEGTILE.

180.414,888. Patented Nov. 5, 1888.

@QLD/moya@ STEPHEN HENRY Emmet/vsI Home l;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- STEPHEN n. EMMENs or LONDON, ENGLAND.

PROJ ECTI LE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 414,388, dated November 5, 1889.

Application led October 22, 1888i Serial No. 288,768. (No model.)

To tu whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN HENRY EM- MENsaSubject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of London, England, temporarily residing at Harrison, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Projectiles, of which the following` is a specification.

This invention relates to externally-applied thimble-shaped projectiles for guns.

It consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter'set forth and claimed, whereby such projectiles are primarily adapted to serve as grapnels, with or without provision for opening the arms by the grapnel-line after the projectile drops, and with or without provision in the shape of sharpened rear edges for cutting torpedo-lines and the like; also, to be readily converted into parachutes for carrying pyrotechnic lights and the like, and, finally, to be readily converted at will into my load-carrying projectile, which constitutes in part the subject-matter of a companion case, Serial No. 288,766, filed October 22, 1888.A

A sheet of drawings accompanies this speciiication as part thereof.

Figure 1 of these drawings is a side vieW, half in elevation and half Vin section, of the projectile proper with grapnel arms. attached. Fig. 2 is a rear end view of the same. Fig. 2X represents alternative cross-sections of the grapnel-arms. Fig. 2X is a perspective View of the two parts of the removable pivot of one of the grapnel-arms. Fig. 3 is asmallscale side View of a suitable gun for throwing the projectile, showing in dotted lines the projectile as above thereon. Fig. 4 is a like view of the same projectile, representing it as landed or dropped, and illustrating by full and dotted lines the operation of opening the arms. Fig. 5 is a like view of the same proj ectile, represented as tired with its arms open. Figs. 6 and 7 are like views of the same projectile converted into a parachute pyrotechnic device, representing the same respectively as ascending and descending.

Likef letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The projectile proper comprises a metallic guide-tube A, closed in front bya head B, and open at the rear to admit the barrel or powdertube A', Fig. 3, of the gun from which it is fired. It is provided at or near its rear end with three (or morel outwardly-projecting vanes or wings C for regulating its flight, and with a swiveled eye or loop D at bottom, which may conveniently be attached by means of a collar D2, fitted to the rear end of the tube A, as shown.

At its head end the projectile is provided with an eye or loop E in front, and with two or more side eyes or loops F. The loops F are preferably double and four in number, as shown, so as to serve for the attachment of four folding grapnel-arins G or G2, removably pivoted to the same, as hereinafter set forth. In front of their pivots g the arms G are preferably extended forward at a suitable angle, and terminate in eyes f, from which four strong cords k, Fig. 4, may extend in pairs through said front loop E from opposite sides thereof to the grapnel-line, (represented at L,) which in this case extends rearward through said loop D at the rear end of the projectile, and is free to run through the latter, so that a strong pull thereon may open the arms, as represented in Fig. 4; or, if preferred, the arms G may be preliminarily fastened open by means of a cord or wire m, Fig. 5, passing through the eyes t', and in this case the grapnel-line would be attached to said loop D,`as represented at L2, Fig. 5. lf the grapnel is to be used for cutting torpedo-lines in rivers and harbors, or for a like purpose, the arms would be made of hardened steel with sharpened rear edges, as represented at G2, Fig. 2x. For other purposes arms having 'blunt rear edges, as represented at G, Fig. 2x, would be preferable. In all cases the front ends of the arms G or G2 are more or less sharp, and in the parachute species of the convertible projectile, which is represented by Figs. 6- and 7, and is selected for my specific claims, these sharp ends of the arms G or G2 occupy eyelets 7L at the corners of a parachute-cover H, of asuitable iie'xiblefabric. The center of the cover H is provided with an opening, through which the front end of the projectile proper is passed, and the edges of which are provided with eyelets h2, from which straining-cords j extend to the front loop E of the projectile. A cup- I, containing a suitable pyrotechniclight compound and fuse, is conveniently sus- IOO pended in inverted position from the loop D at the rear end of the projectile, and the Whole is now ready to be fired from the gun. Its ight is represented by Fig. 6, and its slow descent, with the cup I lighted, is represented by Fig. 7. A highly-efficient device for nocturnal illuininations is thus readily formed.

To provide for readily and quickly converting the projectile into other forms, as hereinbefore stated, the pivots g, Figs. 1 and 2z, of the arms G (or G2) are made removable, as represented by the figure last named, and are fastened in place by screws g2, tapped into the respective arms radial to their pivot-holes. The ends of the pivots occupy the bores of the double lugs F, and by turning back the screws the pivots maybe easily removed and the arms detached.

The gun represented by Fig. 3 comprises a short powder-tube A', abreech-block B,a firing-device tube C', a stock-tube D', and a stock E', and is represented as provided with horizontal trunnions F and pivoted in avertical swivel G, to facilitate holding and aiming it with one of my said projectiles thereon. This gun constitutes in part the subjectmatter of another companion case, Serial No. 288,767, filed October 22, 1888, and forms no part of my present invention.

Another suitable gun for throwing my said projectiles is set forth in a previous specification, forming part of my allowed application for United States patent, filed June 14, 1888, Serial No. 277,098.

I do not claim herein a thimble-shaped proj ectile provided externally with wings-` for regulating its light and with loops to which interchangeable attachments may be coupled.

This is claimed in the coinpanioncase, Serial without a cover applied thereto, nor guidingwings, as I am aware that such combinations,

broadly considered, have before been effected in grapnels, drag-anchors, and projectiles of other descriptions.

In combination with a suitable gun, as hereinbefore set forth, my improved projectile is adapted to carry and is provided at once with rigidly-projecting wings of effective area, and with grapnel-arms, which may be fastened open and iired, thus effectively Y spread, or provided with a light parachutecover of any suitable flexible fabric, as they do not enter the gun.

Having thus described my said improvement in projectiles, I claim as my invention vand desire to patent under this specification- 1. A thimble-shaped projectile comprising a guide-tube open at the rear and having a head which closes its frontend, and provided With rigidly-projecting guide-wings and with grapnel-arms in front of said wings, substan tially as hereinbefore specified.-

2. A thiInble-shaped projectile comprising a guide-tube open at the rear and provided with a head which closes its front end, and with rigidly-projecting guide-wings and folding grapnel-arms, the latter located in front of said wings and having removable transverse pivots, substantially as hereinbefore specified. v

3. A thimble-shaped projectile comprising a guide-tube open at the rear and provided with a head which closes its front end, rigidly-projecting guide-wings, folding grapnelarms located in front of said wings, and an eyeleted parachute-cover of a flexible fabric applied to said arms, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

4. A thirnble-shaped projectile-body provided externally with double lugs at or near its head end, in combination with removable pivots fitted to said lugs, and grapnel-arrns .'iitted to the same and provided with lock-ingscrews, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

STEPHEN H. EMMENS.

Witnesses:

I-I.V EDGELL, HUGH HENRY.

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