Improvements in Ammunition Chests or Boxes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Mar., 1896-Accepted. 2nd May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ammunition Chests or Boxes.
We, JAMES RAMSAY, of Glendower, Erith Road, Erith, Kent, Engineer, and
PETER WATSON MASSON, of 54 Bexley Road, Belvedere, Kent, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to ammunition-chests for use in connection with the
limbers of artillery carriages and to transport boxes for use in carrying the
ammunition from the limbers to the gun.
Our invention provides an ammunition-chest of strong but cheap and simple
construction that will afford thoroughly safe and efficient means for supporting the
ammunition during transport while allowing of the use of a simple construction of
limber. Our improved ammunition chests are complete in themselves and can be
finished before putting them in the limber; they thus afford great facility for
substitution in case of injury to them in the field and for renewal and repair,
which are important considerations. Should it be deemed desirable to carry
ammunition of different calibres in one limber, this can be readily done by
introducing in the limber the appropriate ammunition chest. Our improved
ammunition chest is constructed of tubes secured in two tube plates which are
stayed if necessary, by bolts. The said tubes are adapted to receive the ammuni-
tion and preferably correspond in size and shape with the interior of the cartridge
chamber of the gun.
Our invention also provides a nest or box of tubes for use in connection with the
ammunition chest for transporting the ammunition from the limber to the gun, and
in some instances for use as the ammunition chests in the limber.
Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate our invention
Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the ammunition chest ; and
Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same on the line, a of Figure 1
showing one cartridge in the chest.
Figure 3 is a detail view showing one of the stay rods or bolts.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the transport box for use in transferring the
ammunition from the limber to the gun, and
Figure 5 is a tranverse section of the said box on the line y, y Figure 4.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 A, A are two tube-plates connected by a number
of tubes B, B of a size and form suited to the ammunition to be carried. As
shewn in the drawings they are choked down from about the middle to their
forward ends to conform to the shape of the cartridges. Internally each tube is
substantially a replica of the wall of the cartridge chamber of the gun for which
the ammunition is intended. Therefore the cartridges when in the tubes are
supported along the greater portion of their length so that the danger of the shot
or shell working loose from the cartridge cases is reduced to a minimum. The
tube plates are preferably made of mild steel and the tubes of brass. The tube-
plates are stayed by the tubes which may be expanded at their ends by an
expanding mandrel, or they are stayed by separate stay bolts, rods or tubes C
as indicated in Figures 1 and 3, or both the tubes B and the rods C may serve as.
stays..
The ammunition chest so constructed is put
secured at its rear end with bolts or the like.
it may be permanentl. fiend in the limber
in its proper place in the limber and
If it is not required to be changed

page_text: For use in transferring the ammunition from the limber to the gun we provide a
box such as that illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. This box is constructed with tube
plates A and tubes B similarly to the ammunition chest above described but is
further provided with an enclosing shell D. The forward end of the box is
permanently closed by a board E and the rear end is furnished with a door F
hinged at F and secured by a hasp F' and turn button F3. F is the handle of
the door. The box is shown constructed with six tubes, but it may have any
desirable and convenient number of such tubes. A suitable number of these boxes
may if desired be employed in lieu of the ammunition chest to accommodate the
whole of the ammunition to be carried by the limber. When several of these
boxes are used for this purpose they will be housed in pigeon holes or on shelves in
the limber in the usual manner.
In some instances the tubes B are of the same diameter throughout their
length.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. An ammunition chest consisting of two tube plates and tubes connecting said
plates with or without additional stay bolts or rods, substantially as described
with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings, and for the
purpose specified.
2. An ammunition box consisting of two tube plates and tubes connecting the
said plates, an enclosing casing and a door at the end, substantially as described
with reference to Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings, for the purposes
specified.
CM1 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.