330 FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. [60] 



Grudchos & Egger's BOMB-LANCE. 



A kind of lance invented and Manufactured by Julius Grudchos 

 & Selmar Eggers, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, to be used 

 in connection with the rifled gun. It was an experiment, ended 

 in failure, and has been abandoned. Length, 15£ inches. New 

 Bedford, Massachusetts, 1882. 56378-9. Gift of Frederick S. 

 Allen. Patented May 26, 1857. Head or blade, steel ; lanceo- 

 late. Shank forming the magazine, iron tubing. Bear section 

 contains the mechanical contrivances for exploding the bomb. 

 Extreme rear end terminates in a butt, technically termed a 

 " ball," made of lead, with spiral elevations to fit the grooves 

 of the rifle, thereby giving the lance, when discharged from 

 the gun, a rotary motion to prevent it striking sidewise. A 

 groove is made around the ball for the reception of oiled yarn, 

 which is intended as a wadding, as well as for cleaning the 

 rifle. Trigger pivoted at one end in a slot near the extremity of 

 the instrument. The trigger remains in repose, parallel to the 

 shank, when the lance is placed in the barrel ; but upon enter- 

 ing the whale it is elevated to an angle of about 40 degrees 

 by the resistance of the flesh and automatically explodes the 

 lance by striking a percussion-cap. 



Explosive gun-lance. 



A kind of explosive lance, the record of which is very little known. 

 Consists of two conjoined parts; the forward half, or magazine, 

 malleable iron, cast with the head, which has four cutting 

 edges; the rear section, or fuse-shaft, cast iron, fluted on three 

 sides for the ropes (which are placed in the gun with the lance), 

 and attached to the bomb with a screw-joint. The rear ex- 

 tremity of the fluted elevations is perforated with three holes 

 through which the strands of rope are rove and braided. Time- 

 fuse inclosed in fluted tubular shank. Cork shoe, or button. 

 Length, 33 inches. Fairhaven, Massachusetts, 1882. 56380. 

 Gift of Luther Cole. As the lance has no barbs, it is evident 

 that the braided rope-tails (which were of a uniform size and 

 so systematically arranged round the axis of the shank) were 

 intended to act in the capacity of wings, by dragging behind 

 the lance with equal force to keep it in a true course during its 

 flight. 



explosive lances recovered from whales. 



Brand's lance, No. 1. 



Old, not exploded. Cut from a dead whale. Wings burned by the 

 flash of the gun. Length 16 inches. Edgartown, Massachu- 

 setts, 1882. 56361. Gift of C. B. Marchant. 



