to be as PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND LOADING ORDNANCE
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION--left- by the said. Cowper Phipps Coles;
.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,.
on the 14th December 1864.
I. COWPER PHIPPS COLES, of Ventnor, in the Isle of Wight, Captain in the
Royal Navy, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im
to be as
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND LOADING ORDNANCE,'
follows:
. The first part of my luvention refers to iron gun carriages.
sides of boiler plate rivetted together by means of
C
I form the
irons or solid iron.
The former is rivetted to first plate, and attacheil to second, by screws, the
latter is rivetted through all. The base of the carriage is faced with three
inches. more or less, of hard wood, so as to obtain the advantage of the friction
of wood. I fit these carriages with india-rubber or other spring buffers on

page_text: the front, so that when the gun is run out with violence, these buffers receive
and break the concussion. I fit pauls to the sides of the carriages, which,
when lowered, engage in ratchets in order that when the ship has much motion,
these pauls will hold the gun while loading. and when the gun is running in
they prevent it running out again until they are released and drawn up by
chains. 1 fit compressors, one or more, as may be required, to control the
recoil of the gun and also to control it when running in or out. These
compressors may be connected with one long bar, so as to work from only onc
side of the carriage, or may be worked separately. On this bar there are
worms which take into the compressors, and on turning it in one direction the
compressors are released, and on turning it in the opposite direction the com-
pressors are made to nip the slide, the compressors are kept together, and the
fulcrum is provided by a connecting block of iron, which may be free of the
carriage, and kept in place by wood, or attached to the bottom plate of the
carriage by rivets or screws. The compressors may be in two pieces, for the
convenience of putting in place and introducing threaded nuts into which the
worms on the cross bar take. For running the guns in and out I fit a winch
with chain, which may be placed in front of or in the rear of the gun, or
other convenient position, chain is attached to an eyebolt in and under the
gun carriage, passing through one or more pulleys or gins round the barrel of
the winch, and the ends secured with a tightening screw. If preferred, the
ends of the chain may be attached direct to the eyebolt on the gun carriage.
The winch has a barrel for chain, to which is attached a drum for break, these
revolve freely on a spindle when a lever throws a cog wheel and clutch out of
gear. The clutch and break are worked by handles. The cog wheel is
worked by pinions or other cog wheels,, as may be required, for power, and
by winch handles, or the handles may be fitted at right angles to the shaft of
winch.
Another part of my Invention consists in apparatus for slinging a shot or
shell near the centre of gravity for hoisting it up with the power of fixing it
in this sling or bearer, or leaving it free to move on the axis of the cradle, and
pass it into the bore of the gun. This apparatus is composed of a cradle, to
which are fixed two rigid handles and a band, which handles and band arc
somewhat higher than the centre of gravity of the projectile when placed in
the cradle to prevent it topping over. On the neck or spindle, by which the
handle is fastened to the barrel, a moveable handle or sling free to revolve is
fitted, to which the chain or pulley by which it is hoisted up is hooked. As
a further precaution to prevent the shot from turning over and out when
suspended by chain and handle, a claw is fitted, so that when up and clasping

page_text: the sling, the bearer cannot rotate on its centre, and the sling becomes a
fixture. preventing any chance of its turning out. When the projectile is in
its proper position for entering the bore of a gun. the claws are released, and
from the projectile being nearly balanced it is easily turned in position for
loading. When entered into the muzzle the bearer is slipped off and the
projectile is forced home by a rammer in the usual manner. If preferred
instead of the claws a pin or a clamp screw may be fitted. I do not confine
myself to any particular form of the bearers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Cowper Phipps Coles. in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. CoWPER
PHIPPS COLES, of Ventnor, in the Isle of Wight. Captain in the Royal Navy,
send greeting.
WHEREAS er most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria. by Her Letters.
Patent. bearing date the Fourteenth day of December. in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four. in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign. did. for Herself, Her heirs and successors. give and grant unto
ine, the said Cowper Phipps Coles. Her special licence that 1, the said
Cowper Phipps Coles, my executors. administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Cowper Phipps Coles, my executors, administrators, and
assigns. should at any time agree with. and no others. from time to time.
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed. should
and lawfully might make, usc. exercise, and vend. within the United..
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING AND
LOADING ORDNANCE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Cowper Phipps Coles, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed. and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I. the said Cowper Phipps Coles, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
The first part of my Invention consists in the employment for running guns
in and out, of a winch with a chain which may be placed in front or in the
rear of the gun, or in any other convenient position; the chain is attached to
an eye bolt in and under the gun carriage, passes over one or more pulleys or
gins round the barrel of the winch, and the ends are secured by a tightening
screw. If preferred. the ends of the chain may be attached directly to the
eye bolt on the gun carriage. The winch is furnished with a barrel for the
chain and also with a drum to receive a break strap. The barrel and drum
revolve freely on a spindle when a lever throws a cog wheel and clutch out of
gear. The clutch and break are worked by handles. The cog wheel is
worked by pinions or other cog wheels, as may be required for power and by
winch handles; the handles may be fitted at right angles, or parallel to the
shaft of the winch. My apparatus for running guns in and out is represented
in side elevation at Figure 1, in end elevation at Figure 2, and in plan at
Figure 3 of the accompanying Drawings. A is a worm wheel actuated by a
worm B. on a vertical shaft C. which carries a bevil pinion D in gear with
and, driven by another bevil pinion E. on the spindle of which a winch handle
Fis mounted. Or the wheel A may be driven by spur gearing if found more
convenient. The shaft of the wheel A carries a chain barrel b, round which
and a chain pulley, an endless chain a, a, is caused to run. The barrel b
may be made to revolve in either direction according to which way the
handle F is turned. The pulley is firmly attached to a chock d, by means
of an eye bolt. Beneath the gun carriage G are lugs e, to which what I term
a compresser is pivoted at f. this compresser consists of an excentric g, on
the end a lever h. to which a weight is attached to keep the lever h when
not acted upon in a vertical position, and when in that position allow the
chain a to run freely over the excentric g, is a chain or cord, which, when
hauled on draws the lever in the direction indicated by the arrow, and causes
the excentric to bite or grip the chain a, so that it becomes, as it were, fixed
to the gun carriage G; thus. in whichever direction the chain is made to
travel, the carriage G will travel with it. Instead of being fitted to work in a
vertical plane, as shewn in the Drawings, the compresser may be made to
work horizontally, and in that case, the weight i may be dispensed with; lis a
break for arresting the chain a, and with it the gun carriage in any desired
position. This break is worked either by a hand lever m, or by a treadle n,
or by a self-acting lever o. The upper part of the lever is struck by the gun
carriage, so that the lever p is forced down and the break 1 acted upon; q is a

page_text: clutch worked by hand levers and s. for putting the chain barrel into and
out of gear: when out of gear the barrel runs loose upon its spindle: t is a
small barrel keyed to the barrel b, for working the tripping or other tackle
employed: this barrel may be worked in connection with or independently of
the barrel b, when worked in connection with it the clutch q is made to fix
the barrel firmly to its spindle, and when worked independently the
barrel is allowed to run loose on its spindle by putting the clutch q out of
gear.
The second part of my Invention consists in apparatus for slinging a shot or
shell near the centre of gravity for hoisting it up. with the means of fixing it
in this sling or bearer, or leaving it free to move on the axis of the cradle and
pass into the bore of the gun. Figure 4 represents a sling or bearer for a
shot for rifled ordnance. The apparatus is composed of a cradle a. to which
are fixed two rigid handles b, b, and a band. which handles and band are
somewhat higher than the centre of gravity of the projectile when placed in
the cradle, so as to prevent it tipping over. On the necks or spindles, by
which the handles b, b. are fasten'd to the band c. a moveable handle or sling
d, free to revolve is fitted, to which the chain or pulley, by which the cradle is.
hoisted up. is hooked. As a further precaution to prevent the shot from
turning over and out when suspended by the chain and the handle d, I fit
claws
e so that when up and clasping the handle d (as shown by the claw e)
the cradle cannot rotate on its centre and the handle d becomes a fixture.
preventing any chance of the shot turning out, is a stand by which the
apparatus may be supported in a vertical position, and by which in the case of
shells the fuse is protected. When the shot is in the proper position for
entering the bore of the gun the claws are released (as shown by the claw e¹)
and from the shot being nearly balanced it is easily turned into position for
loading, as seen in Figure 5. When the shot has entered the muzzle of the
gun the cradle or bearer is slipped off and the shot forced home by a rammer
in the usual manner. If preferred, instead of the claws e, e', a pin or a clamp
screw may be fitted. Figure 6 shows a bearer for a spherical shot. I do not
particular form of the bearers.
e,
confine myself to any
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my "Improve-
ments in Apparatus for Working and Loading Ordnance,"
First, constructing apparatus for running guns in and out, composed of
a winch and chain, arranged and actuated substantially in manner herein-
before described and represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying
Drawings.

page_text: Second. constructing apparatus for slinging shot and shell. substantially
as herein-before described and represented in Figures 4. 5, and 6. of the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof. I. the said Cowper Phipps Coles, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of June. One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five.
Witness.
CARL A. RADERMACHER.
COWPER P. COLES. (..s.)