Untitled record

Application filed January 8,1889. Serial Ko. 296,782. (Ko model,) Patented in England February 3,1888, Ko, 1,609.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, John D’Arcy-Irvine, of Howth, in the county of Dublin, Ireland, a citizen of the United Kingdom of Great 5 Britain and Ireland, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Throwing Lines, (patented in England February 3,1888, No. 1,609;) and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and io exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to apparatus for throwing a line to a distance by means of com15 pressed air or other suitable elastic force for saving life at sea, throwing a line across a stream or ravine or into a burning building, and other similar purposes.

Heretofore lines have been thrown by fir20 ing from a gun or bymeans of the well-known “rocket” apparatus; but such means are often found inconvenient of application, owing to the weight and quantity of apparatus required, and are especially unsuitable for dis25 charging from life-boats or from wrecks to the shore.

In carrying out my invention I use a species of air-gun, into the barrel, of which is inserted a projectile carrying a line which ex30 tends longitudinally along the outside of the barrel of the gun and passes through a collar large enough to slip over the outside of the barrel. The ends of the line are then knotted together, and to theloopthus formed 35 is secured the line to be thrown, which is arranged conveniently ona bobbin, orotherwise, in close proximity to the apparatus.

The construction of the gun and projectile and manner of admitting compressed air, as 40 also the method of holding and discharging the projectile, will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the gun with the projectile inserted in position. Fig. 2- is a 45 sectional plan of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a vertical section of breech, showing a modification of the base end of the projectile. Figs. 4 and 5 show plan and side views of the projectile with line attached. Fig. 6 is a general view 50 of the gun on its stand, showing the projectile in flight; and Fig. 7 is a detail view, en larged scale, of the disengaging-gear hereinafter more fully described.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views. 55

A shows the gun, in the breech of which is formed the air-chamber a, which is filled with compressed air through the opening a', the air. being retained in the gun by the screwvalve E. 60

B is the projectile, which is hollow and closed at its head, while its base is compressed nearly together or is otherwise provided with a small aperture b'. The whole interior space b is filled with compressed air when the gun 65 is charged. The escape of this air will accelerate the flight of the projectile after it has been discharged from the gun.

The heavy head of the proj ectile is provided with an .eye b², through which the line L is 70 passed. The ends of the line are then passed up and down through two or more smooth but vertical holes in the wings M' on the collar M, which latter is slipped loosely over the barrel and adjusted forward or backward on the 75 line, so that it may stand in the desired position relatively to the projectile.

When the projectile leaves the gun, the pull on the line will cause the line to jam and remain immovable in the crooked channel 80 provided in the wings M', and the collar will move forward with it, remaining in a fixed position on the line, and consequently maintaining a uniform position relatively to the projectile. This position may be adjusted 85 as practice with any given style and weight of projectile and of line may require. I have shown it adjusted near the base or rear of the projectile.

The attachment of the line to the front of 90 the projectile which protrudes from the gun insures that the line shall start at the same time as the projectile, and shall gradually increase its velocity as the projectile gathers way. This avoids breaking the line at the 05 start.

The loose collar M, encircling the projectile farther rearward and having the line engaged with it, enables me to avoid the tendency to turn the projectile over during its flight, 100 which would otherwise result from the backward and downward pull of the line attached

433,674 to the head. I can, by proper adjustment of the position of the collar M, make such tension serve to steady the position of the long projectile and cause it to point downward at 5 about the same rate as its course through its curved path shall require to keep its axis exactly coinciding with its path. When adjusted near the rear of the projectile, as shown, its tension rearward holds the proio. jectile forcibly in position, and as the forward part of the line is usually held by the air nearly in the line directly rearward, I believe this is the position for the collar M which will be generally preferable. My invention '15 allows it to be adjusted as may be determined by practice to best attain the end.

The projectile is provided at its base with a screw-thread, which screws into the jaws C C, (forming a divided nut,) until the shoul20 der g on the projectile is tight against the seat or flange g', formed at the end of the barrel, whereby an air-tight joint is made. These jaws are caused to approach and retire by means of the right and left quick-threaded 25 screws h h, Fig. 7, which work through stuffing-boxes p p in the side of the breech, and receive at their outer extremities a forked lever-handle D, by the movement of which the projectile is held or disengaged at pleasure. 30 For convenience, the jaws are made round and prevented from turning by flats formed on the upper part thereof, against which the flat end surface of the screwed cap k slightly presses; or they may be made square and fit35 ted into a square recess.

The action of the invention is, briefly, as follows: Having passed the line through the head of the projectile and thence through the collar M, the projectile is inserted in the gun, 40 while at the same time the collar is slipped over the barrel. The lever-handle D is then moved, so as to cause the jaws to close in, forming a complete nut embracing the end of the projectile, a slight turn of which will 45 then bring its shoulder g tight up to its seat g', the joint being made absolutely tight by a thin packing-ring fitted on the projectile, if found expedient. The gun is now charged with compressed air to the required extent 50 and the valve tightly shut. The gun, now completely charged, can be conveyed to the spot where it is required or placed on a lifeboat. The line to be thrown being then arranged conveniently the apparatus is ready 55 for discharging. To discharge it, the leverhandle D is moved in the reverse, direction to the first, causing the jaws to retire, and thus disengage the projectile, which is then expelled by the compressed air imparting to 60 it the high velocity necessary to carry it and the end of the attached line to a great distance.

The line, by being extended upward and downward through the holes m, allows the 65 collar M to be readily adjusted forward and backward to fix the collar in any desired po sition relatively to the barrel. It keeps the same relative position on the projectile during its flight, except that the violence of the movement in starting stretches the line between 70 these wings and the front of the projectile to a great tension and allows the collar to take a position considerably rearward of its loose position, to which it is set before starting.

By properly allowing for such stretch the 75 collar may be set to fly in a position coinciding with the center of gravity of the projectile, or even a little in front of that point, if it shall ever be judged expedient, or may be adjusted backward or forward of such center. 80

Instead of compressed air any suitable compressed gas may be used—as, for instance, the compressed hydrogen used for balloons.

That portion of my invention relating to the line attachment and collar M passing out- 85 side the barrel of the gun may also be applied in the case of projectiles with lines fired from ordinary guns.

It will be understood that the details may be variously modified without departing from 90 the principle of my invention.