Year: 1888

page_text: I DANIEL ADAMSON of Dukinfield in the County of Chester Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
The chief objects of my Invention are first to mount guns in such manner that
they will be capable of covering a wide area and can be quickly trained and laid into
position ready for firing and changed from one angle to another as required
without interfering with or moving the gun carriage; and secondly to improve the
breech loading mechanism.
In carrying out the first part of my Invention I dispense with the usual trunnions
on the gun and in their stead I form the gun at such part of increased diameter and
turn the same spherical and I fit this spherical portion into a clip composed say of two
plates secured together and to the gun carriage.
A convenient means of locking the gun after sighting it is by means of wedge
bolts which are fitted in the clip and bear against the spherical portion of the gun
thereby causing the clip to grip the gun before the latter is fired. By the combi-
nation of the spherical portion on the gun and the clip bored to fit it a universal
joint is obtained which allows the gun to be readily pointed and sighted over a wide
vertical and lateral range.
The improved breech loading mechanism is of the solid wedge block type in which
a wedge shaped block is fitted in a transverse slot cut across the breech of the gun
in the rear of the combustion chamber; in this block I fit a coarse screw preferably
double threaded which screw has at one end a collar and is connected to the block by
a metal plate through which the square end of the screw projects; the threaded
portion of the screw works in a corresponding thread partly cut in the metal of the
gun the part of the thread in the breech block being cut away. By turning the
screw the breech block is traversed rapidly backward or forward so as to open or
close the breech of the gun a stop being arranged to prevent the breech block being
withdrawn too far. The block is fitted in guides so that when it is drawn back it
gradually leaves the face of the powder chamber.

page_text: To facilitate the use and removal of metallic and other cartridge cases I propose to
enlarge the combustion chamber and make it a uniform taper for a certain distance
say as far as the point which the rear end of the projectile would occupy when placed
in position ready to be fired.
I propose to employ as a cartridge extractor a metal tube or cylinder which extends
from the rear end of the gun a short distance into the combustion chamber the
breech block passing through a slot in the tube. The inner end of this tube has
a projecting flange and a flange on the cartridge case bears against the inner face of
this flange.
If necessary suitable guides may be used to prevent the tube twisting and a lever
or equivalent may be employed to start the tube and ease the empty cartridge case so
that it can be readily withdrawn.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Field Guns and other Ordnance.
I, DANIEL ADAMSON of Dukinfield in the County of Chester Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The chief objects of my invention are first to mount guns in such manner that they
will be capable of covering a wide area and can be quickly trained and laid into
position ready for firing and changed from one angle to another as required without
interfering with or moving the gun carriage and secondly to improve the breech
loading mechanism.
In carrying out the first part of my invention I dispense with the usual trunnions
on the gun and in their stead I form the gun at such part of increased diameter and
turn the same spherical and I fit this spherical portion into a clip composed say of two
parts secured together and fixed to the gun carriage.
A convenient method of locking the gun after sighting it is by means of wedge
bolts which are fitted in the clip and bear against the spherical portion of the gun
thereby causing the clip to grip the gun as soon as sighted and before it is fired. By
the combination of the spherical portion on the gun and the clip block bored to fit it,
a universal joint is obtained which allows the gun to be readily pointed and sighted
over a wide vertical and lateral range.
The improved breech loading mechanism is of the solid wedge block type in which
a wedge shaped block is fitted in a transverse slot cut across the breech of the gun in
the rear of the combustion chamber; in this block I fit a coarse screw, preferably
double threaded, which screw has at one end a collar and is connected to the block by
a metal plate through which the square end of the screw projects the threaded portion
of the screw works in a corresponding thread partly cut in the metal of the gun, the
part of the thread which has been formed in the breech block having been away the
outside of the thread bearing against the breech block as a, guide. By turning
the screw the breech block is traversed rapidly backward or forward so as to open or
close the breech of the gun, a stop being arranged to prevent the breech block being
withdrawn too far. The block is fitted in guides so that when it is drawn back it
gradually leaves the face of the powder chamber and when closed presses tight against
the powder chamber.
propose
To facilitate the use and removal of metallic and other cartridge cases I
to enlarge the combustion chamber and make it a uniform taper for a certain distance
say as far as the point which the rear end of the projectile would about occupy when
placed in position ready to be fired.
If necessary a suitable lever or equivalent may be employed to start the tube and
ease the empty cartridge case so that it can be readily withdrawn.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will describe the accompanying three Sheets of Drawings reference being
had to the figures and letters marked thereon.

page_text: Figure 1 is a side elevation Fig. 2 a sectional plan taken on the plane of the
line A B Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a breech end view of a field gun constructed according
to my improvements. Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 2 but showing a cartridge in
position in the combustion chamber.
In these views a designates the body of the gun, and a the turned spherical
portion thereof which is fitted in the clip composed of the plates bb. Each pair
of plates 6 is recessed to fit the spherical portion a¹ and is mounted in a slideway
formed by the angle plates cc which are secured to a portion d of the gun
carriage. The plates bb are held together by the bolts e e in such way that by
tightening up the nuts e¹ e' on the said bolts the plates bbare drawn together.
In order to lock the gun securely in position ready for firing I employ wedge
shaped pieces which fit onto the spherical surface of the portion a¹ and have
screwed shanks which are supported in the carriage frame. When the shanks k¹
are drawn up by turning the wrench bars the wedges k bind on the spherical
portion a¹ and so lock the gun in position.
An important advantage obtained by the use of the universal joint consisting of
the spherical portion a combined with the clip, is that the gun can be readily
adjusted to its true horizontal position irrespective of any angle at which the
carriage may be through irregularities or inequalities in the surface of the ground on
which it is standing.
In order to facilitate the gunner in his work of laying the gun truly I make a
flat surface a on the gun near the breech as a guide for the eye.
Referring to the improved breech loading mechanism is the wedge shaped
block fitted in the transverse slot a²; g is the screw fitted in the block and held
therein by a plate f¹ secured to the block and is the collar on the said screw
and the handle for turning the same and traversing the block f.
The Drawings Figs. 2 and 4 show clearly one form of the taper combustion
chamber. a3 and various means for extracting the cartridges may be employed as
for example I have shown a spindle the end of which projects slightly into the
combustion chamber just in advance of the flange on the cartridge case i the
lower end of this spindle is turned eccentric so by turning the spindle on its axis
the eccentric portion is brought against the flange on the cartridge case and moves
it slightly backward and eases it so that it may be readily withdrawn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1.—The combination with a spherical portion formed in lieu of trunnions on a
field gun or other piece of ordnance of a clip arranged to grip and lock the gun
firmly in position after sighting, the spherical portion and the clip constituting
form of universal joint and thereby giving great facilities for pointing and sighting
substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
¿L
2. The arrangement of parts constituting the improved breech loading mechanism
substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
3. The general construction and combined arrangement of parts embodying my
improvements in and relating to field guns and other ordnance substantially as herein
described and as illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
Dated this Tenth day of April 1889.
H. B. BARLOW,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester,
Agent for Applicant.