IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE."--A communication from abroad by
זי
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 6th July 1871.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION.
OF BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE," to be as follows :-
:-
The object of this Invention is to construct and adapt to the gun or
other piece of ordṇance a moveable breech piece of great strength and
simplicity of construction, and which may be worked with rapidity and
facility.

page_text: The breech of the gun is closed by means of a screwed block which is
screwed from the rear into the body of the gun in which is cut a female
screw to receive it. This screwed block when out of the bore of the
gun is supported in a swinging piece hinged at one side to the gun, so
that when the screwed block is released from the breech, the swinging
piece with the block in it may be swung on one side and a clear opening
through the gun thereby obtained. The touch hole is made in a down-
ward diagonal direction through both the swinging piece and the screwed
block, and as the latter is turned round twice in its socket, in order
either to withdraw it or secure it in place, provision is made to ensure
that the holes through the two moveable pieces should (when the block
is in place to close the breech) be brought into perfect coincidence.
This is effected by means of a spring bolt, the end of which takes into a
notch or square hole in the screwed block when the latter is in place.
In the hinged piece is mounted a block through which works, the
screwed block which forms the moveable breech piece, and this latter
is screwed and unscrewed by means of a winch handle.
In order to facilitate the repair of damages in the field, the several
working parts of ordnance of the same description and calibre are made
exactly alike, so that they will be interchangeable, and any piece of any
gun may be used in place of a corresponding piece of any other gun of
the same size.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward

page_text: Newton, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE," being a
communication to me from abroad by Pierre Raymond Cody, Engineer,
of Paris, France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thercon (that
is to say) :-
This Invention relates to an improved arrangement for closing the
breech of guns, which is applicable to ordnance of any calibre, and
possesses some important advantages over the systems at present in use
both as regards facility of manoeuvring, strength, and simplicity.
These advantages will be readily perceived from the following
description, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings repre-
senting the improved system of closing the breech, wherein Fig. 1 is a
longitudinal vertical section of the breech end of the gun; Fig. 2 is
a horizontal section of the same; Fig. 3 is an end elevation; and Fig. 4
is a plan view of the breech end of a gun.
The breech of the gun is closed by means of a threaded block or
plug A, which is screwed into the proper position for firing by two turns
of the winch handle B, which is secured to the rear end thereof, but is
free to receive a slight independent .axial motion. A swinging piece C,
with a female screw cut therein corresponding to the thread of the
block A, is hinged at one side to the rear of the gun, and serves as a
support to the screwed block when the breech is open, so that when the

page_text: screwed block is released from the breech the swinging piece with the
block in it may be swung on one side, and a clear opening through
the gun thereby obtained. A spring bolt E, adapted to the lower part
of the swinging piece C, and held in position by a thimble D, ensures
the complete closing of the breech by indicating the accomplishment of
the two turns which are necessary in order that the touch-hole F, which
is cut in a downward diagonal direction through both the swinging
piece and the screwed block, may be brought into a proper position for
firing, that is to say, that the two parts of which it is composed may
be brought into perfect coincidence. A notch cut in the rear portion
of the screwed block or moveable breech piece receives the spring bolt E
when the former is in place, and serves also to limit the turning
necessary to open the breech, viz., two revolutions of the screwed block.
The spring bolt has an automatic action as regards both its functions,
the winch handle B being put in motion to turn the screwed breech
block into position for firing, first, disengages the spring bolt by means
of an inclined plane with which it is provided striking the head
of the bolt. During the time that the winch handle performs its proper
extent of rotation the disengagement of the bolt is maintained. When
this is effected the coiled spring causes the bolt to spring into the notch
in the moveable breech piece. For opening the breech the winch handle
is provided with a second inclined plane, which by striking the head of
the bolt when the rotation of the handle is reversed disengages the bolt,
and thus allows of the reverse movement being effected.
The "sight" at the top of the swinging piece is intended to prevent
the quick match (or detonating tube) from being applied before the
complete closing of the breech. This "sight" and the lump to receive
the bolt E are situated in the same longitudinal plane.
To utilize the maximum of resisting force obtained by two turns of
the screw,
and to avoid fine points (pointes), the thread of the screwed
block and the thread in the brecch of the gun terminate abruptly with
slightly rounded extremities to facilitate the engagement of the one in
the other.
This arrangement offers great security. The surface of contact of the
screw threads having a great extent and the screw threads a considerable
section, it possesses great simplicity, and its solid operating parts can
be safely entrusted to the hands of artillerists knowing nothing of
mechanics. The manipulation is very simple, and can be performed in

page_text: three movements, of which two are for the two turns of the screwed
breech block. Again, the "sticking" at the moment of opening is
casily overcome. The solid dimensions of the various parts of this
system (which are very few in number) allow of the provision of supply
pieces for all the various parts in case any of them should get out of
order. In fact, a battery may be so constructed that the breech pieces
could be applied indiscriminately to any of the guns. The swinging
picce carries a portion of the screw thread, against the extremity of
which abuts the extremity of the thread of the breech block when the
closing is complete. This arrangement has for its object to avoid any
shocks against the spring bolt. The notch or recess formed in the
screwed block to limit the amount of opening will be a rectangular
cavity.
All the parts of this breech-closing arrangement must be kept in a
state of absolute cleanliness and properly lubricated.
To effect the detachment of the parts a turn is given to the handle B
to depress the bolt, and the point of a priming iron is then introduced
into the hole o in the lower extremity of the bolt. The breech can
then be entirely unscrewed. The swinging piece is then taken off by
removing the pin on which it turns.
This method of closing is applicable in general to cannon either in
steel or bronze, and of all calibres, by augmenting or diminishing as
required the number of turns or revolutions of the screwed breech block.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of " Improvements
in the Construction of Breech-loading Ordnance," as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by the
above in part recited Letters Patent the arrangement above described for
closing the breech of breech-loading ordnance.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Sixth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two