Any Data or Patent on this blind shell?

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

To All Interested:
  I am wondering if anyone has additional data or a patent on the below blind shell?  It came from the Fort Monroe cache.

[CarlS]

John,

Your drawing looks to be this one:
     http://www.civilwarartillery.com/projectiles/rifled/FAOIIIa159.htm
At this web page Jack states:
This projectile was patented by Dr. John B. Read on November 24, 1857, patent #18,707.  It was found at the site of the test range at Fort Monroe, Virginia.  On the flat base are six small holes around the outside diameter extending underneath the sabot, which aided the propellant gases in expanding the sabot to better fit the cannon's rifling. Another pattern has twelve holes drilled into the base.  This variety of Read projectile was never manufactured during the American Civil War.

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Carl,
    thank you for the info.  I wonder why Jack says it was not manufactured during the war. Mine was found along with several others in the cache found under one of the CONAC buildings during electrical repairs. They were found with other 20 or 30 pdr Hotchkiss, Parrott, Broke and Dalhgren shells. If patented in 1857  All of these shells that were found together were evidently being tested to determine the best one.  I happened to obtain one of each variety which was later sold to Jack Bell along with the rest of my collection.
Any other comments?
Regareds,
John
P.S. It has a thin cast iron sabot.

[CarlS]

I really don't know.  You'd have to reach out to him. My guess from what he wrote is that while manufactured before the war for whatever reason they never saw use to make any more during the war. I would presume that there was some issue with them and a better design came along that was selected so the only ones around were made before the war.  How he came to that conclusion you'd have to ask Jack but I'm sure he has some basis for his comment as he does an extensive amount of reading and research and has quite the research library.

[emike123]

Picture of mine:

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Mike it is really difficult to see the iron sabot.  Does yours have more thatn six holes?
John

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

To All, below is Jack's reply:
"John,
These shells were manufactured and tested at Fort Monroe prior to 1861. There are no records indicating that they were manufactured or tested after the late 1850's. The image was photographed from Larry Pawl's collection back in the early 1990's.
Best regards,
Jack W. Melton, Jr.

[emike123]

From the photo, I count 6 holes in the base John

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Okay thank you.  On my question on the Mill Base topic, have you ever seen the one with the hair line joint  where the black powder is loaded?
John

[emike123]

The two small ones I showed are the only Mill Base Brookes I own.  As I mentioned, they are bolts with no line.  I have not looked at others very closely.  Recently I have acquired quite a few of the larger caliber projectiles, but for a long time I stayed away from them.  I think they are interesting but I still am reluctant to get into them too "heavily" as they are unwieldy and typically expensive. 

Besides we have Garret here to collect the big shells!

[scottfromgeorgia]

I have a few of these. I never saw a line, but then I never really looked. I will when I get home.

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Thanks guys.  I will ask Col. Biemick as I think he has one.  The line is difficult to see unless you have a mint shell not subject to burial.
John