Untitled record

E. PIERCE.

Bomb-Lance.

Patented Jan. 28, 1879.

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United States Patent office

EBENEZER PIERCE, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOMB-LANCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,77®, dated January 28, 1879; application filed December 20, 1878.

To dll whom it may concern: .

Be it known that 1, Ebenezer Pierce, of New Bedford, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bomb-Larices, of which the following is a specification;

This invention relates to certain improvements in that class of bomb-lances for killing whales and other animals in which a charge of powder or other suitable explosive contained in a proper magazine is ignited by means of a fuse fired by a cap which is exploded by a suitable hammer or plunger operated by the concussion caused by the discharge of the gun.

My invention has or its object to provide a means by which a fresh surface of the fuse may be exposed to the fire of the cap, so as to insure the ignition of the said fuse; to provide an improved means of securingthespring-arms of the guide wings or feathers to the tail-piece of the lance, and at the same time close the central aperture of the tail-piece of the lance and the apertures through which said arms pass, sb as to prevent the fire at the discharge of the gun from communicating with the magazine of the lance; and to so construct and arrange the guide wings or feathers as to insure greater accuracy in the flight of the lance. My invention consists, first, in the combination, with the screw-threaded plug, secured in the forward erid of the magazine, of a fusetube provided with a detachable cover, carrying a nipple, whereby the·fuse may be cut off at the end when the lance is about to be used, so as to present a fresh surface to the fire when the cap is exploded to insure the ignition of the fuse;.second, in a fuse-tube for a bomblance having a segmental slot at or near its rear end or other portion, whereby the fuse may be confined in place by means of a cord, wire, or other binding device; third, in the combination, with the magazine of a bomblance, a screw-threaded shank fitting in the rear of the magazine, and provided with a rearward extension, having fluted sides and slotted longitudinally for the reception of the wings, which are adapted to spring in and but of the slots radially from and to a common center, as more fully hereinafter specified.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents an elevation of my improvement, with parts broken iaway. Fig, 2 represents a sectional view of :’my improvement. Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of the tail-piece, with wings open; :and 4, a cross-section of the same, showing the wings closed.

The letter A represents the magazine of a bomb-lance, consisting, as usual, of a hollow; cylinder of suitable diameter and length. The' letter B represents a plug, externally screwthreaded arid adapted to fit into a female iscrew-thread, C, in the . forward end of the magazine A. Through said plug extends the fuse-tube D, passing rearwardlyinto the magazine, and terminating therein, the forward end of said tube being externally screw-threaded for the reception of a removable cover carrying a nipple, E, which, is internally screwthreaded, in order to fit upon the end of said tube.

The letter F represents the lancetpoint, which is recessed and screw-threaded internally to fit upon the external screw-thread of the plug B; and within the recess in said lance-point is secured, by means of a pin, G, of wood or other easily-broken material, a hammer or plunger, H, which, by the-con mission of the explosion of the charge, breaks and releases the hammer, which strikes and fires the cap on the capnipple.

The rear end of said fuse-tube terminates, as before mentioned, within the magazine, so as to ignite the. contents of the same when the fuse contained in said tube is sufficiently burned out.

The letter K represents the tail-section of the lance. This consists of an externally screwthreaded shank, L, adapted to fit in an internal or female screw, M, at the rear end of the magazine A.

The said shank is reamed out from its front, forming a recess for the reception of a metal disk, P, and is provided with a rearward extension, to be hereinafter described.

I prefer, for convenience, to cast the two hollow and in one piece. The spring-arms of the wings O' pass through apertures I in the base of the shank, and sit in similar apertures p in the,disk P. The disk and the spring-arms are held in place by a filling of solder, S, the disk serving the additional purpose of closing the central aperture, when the tail-piece is cast

211,77®The letter-B' represents a ring, adapted to be slipped over the tail-piece and the wedges, S « ae Wings radially tat» to spective slots, for convenience “ packing for transportation, and for effecting with comparative ease andfocihty, the iniser tion of the lance into the barrel of the gun. The rear ends of the wings are also^cb^gered off, so that they will be automaticallyforced in as the lance is inserted in the gun, thus fa cilitating the operation.