IMPROVE- MENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ORDNANCE BATTERIES FOR LAND SERVICE
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Smith, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ORDNANCE BATTERIES FOR LAND SERVICE."
Sealed the 24th October 1871, and dated the 28th April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th April 1871.
I, JOHN SMITH, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middle-
sex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ORDNANCE BATTERIES FOR LAND SERVICE," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to a locomotive iron-clad turret battery for
defensive or offensive use on land, and consists of a strong framework
mounted on low solid steel or iron wheels flanged so as to run on
ordinary railroads. The wheels are to be made sufficiently strong to
resist any shot likely to be discharged at them, and may be more or less
protected by armour plating. On this framework there is constructed a

page_text: turret or cupola similar to those in use in the navy, and capable of
being turned on a turntable connected with the framework by means
of a winch or winches. The turret or cupola is clad with armour
brought sufficiently low to protect the principal parts of the machine.
The armour is bolted on in the following manner:-First, an inner &
skin sufficient to resist musketry, small guns, and the fragments of
exploded bombs is fastened on over this, and for something more than
half the circumference of the turret there is fastened an additional coat
of armour, which is not of a uniform thickness, but decrcases from the
centre or front towards each side. In or near the centre or thickest 1
portion of this second coat of armour a port hole or port holes is or
are formed, through which the gun or guns with which the turret is
armed may be discharged. The guns are carried round with the armour
plating, so as to point in any direction by means of the turntable,
and when the turret engages in action the side which bears the double 1
coating is supposed to be turned towards the enemy's fire.
The turrets may be either constructed with a small locomotive engine
connected with the framework and placed under cover of the armour or
otherwise protected, or it may be moved by a separate locomotive. It
may be armed with either guns or mitrailleuses, or with both, and 2
would be also provided with loop holes for the use of rifles.
The guns may be mounted in any of the methods in use at present,
or may be mounted by a trunnion placed near the muzzlo. This plan
will decrease the size of the port holes without diminishing the possible
angles of inclination or declination.
The port holes may in addition be provided with mantlets, which by
simple mechanism may be opened and closed by the advance and recoil
of the guns:
The rails on which the turret is intended to engage may be sunk
below the level of the surface, so as to protect them from the action of 3
the opposing firc, and the locomotive may be provided with appliances
similar to a snow plough for the purpose of removing loose rubbish that
might retard or prevent the motion of the battery.
If preferred the armour coating may be fixed to the framework and
the gun only turned on the turntable.
2
3

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
Smith, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in thc County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Smith, Her special license that
I, the said John Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Smith, my executors, administrators,
or 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, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCOMOTIVE ORDNANCE
BATTERIES FOR LAND SERVICE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Smith, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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 John Smith, do hereby declare the
nature of my 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 accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to a, locomotive iron-clad turret battery for
defensive or offensive use on land, and consists of a strong framework
mounted on low solid steel or iron wheels flanged so as to run on
ordinary railroads. The wheels are to be made sufficiently strong to
resist any shot likely to be discharged at them, and may be more or less
protected by armour plating. On this framework there is constructed
a turret or cupola similar to those in use in the navy, and capable of

page_text: being turned on a turntable connected with the framework by means
of a winch or winches. The turret or cupola is clad with armour
brought sufficiently low to protect the principal parts of the machine.
The armour may be bolted on in the following manner:-First, an
inner skin sufficient to resist musketry, small guns, and the fragments
of exploded bombs, is fastened on over this, and for something more
than half circumference of the turret there is fastened an additional
coat of armour which is not of a uniform thickness but decreases
from the centre or front towards each side. In or near the centre
a thickest portion of this second coat of armour a port hole or port
holes is or are formed through which the gun or guns with which
the turret is armed may be discharged. The guns are carried round
with the armour plating so as to point in any direction by means of the
turntable, and when the turret engages in action the side which bears
the double coating is supposed to be turned towards the enemy's fire.
The turret may be either constructed with a small locomotive engine
connected with the framework and placed under cover of the armour or
otherwise protected, or it may be moved by a separate locomotive. It
may be armed with either guns or mitrailleuses or with both, and would
be also provided with loop holes for the use of rifles.
The guns may be mounted in any of the methods in use at present or
may be mounted by a trunnion placed near the muzzle. This plan will
decrease the size of the port holes without diminishing the possible
angles of inclination and declination.
The port holes may in addition be provided with mantlets which by
simple mechanism may be opened and closed by the advance and recoil
of the guns.
The rails on which the turret is intended to engage may be sunk
below the level of the surface so as to protect them from the action of
the opposing fire, and the locomotive may be provided with appliances
similar to a snow plough for the purpose of removing loose rubbish that
might retard or prevent the motion of the battery.
If preferred the armour coating may be fixed to the framework and
the gun only turned by the turntable.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of

page_text: Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a sectional elevation of my
locomotive iron-clad turret battery or cupola coupled to a locomotive
engine; Figure 2 is a corresponding sectional plan of the battery above
and below the platform detached, and Figure 3 represents a modo of
coupling together the battery and locomotive engine by means of a
bogie.
In
A is a strong under framework mounted on solid iron or steel wheels
B, B. Upon this framework there is mounted a turntable or revolving
platform C of metal and wood combined, the said platform being con-
structed so as to carry one or more heavy guns. This revolving platform
turns like the turntables at present in use on railways, and may be
put in motion by any simple mechanical arrangement as will be well
understood by a practical engineer. Upon this rotatory platform O I
construct the armour-plated turret or cupola D which encloses and
moves round with the gun a port E being left in the strongest or front
side of the turret through which the gun is pointed (see Figure 1.) The
armour plating on the sides and rear of the turret may be much thinner
than the front plates or that portion exposed to the fire of the enemy,
the thickness of the plating being increased towards the front, as shewn
clearly in Figure 2; K, K, represents a strong backing of teak upon
which the armour plating is secured in the well known manner.
order to protect the main framing A. and wheels of the locomotive turret
from shot I cause the armour plating in front of the turret to extend
nearly to the ground thereby forming a shield (see Figure 1) and if
desired the wheels may be further protected laterally by carrying the
main under framing well down on the outside thereof. Access can be
gained into the interior of the turret through a doorway in the rear of
the turret, and provision may be made for ventilation by having one
or more openings in the roof of the turret if necessary, provided with
fans worked by a small engine. This turret may be coupled by ordinary
coupling, as shown in Figure 1, with a locomotive engine which should
also be protected by armour plating and is constructed to run along the
rails of an ordinary railway, or in lieu of the ordinary coupling the
peculiar "bogie "coupling, shewn detached at Figure 3 may be employed,
but I do not claim neither do I confine or restrict myself to any mode
of coupling or connecting my peculiar locomotive turret or battery to
the engine.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the com-
bination of an armour-plated revolving gun turret or cupola with the
framework of a truck mounted on railway wheels protected from the
enemy's fire and running along an ordinary railway substantially as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Smith, have to this my Speci-
fication set my hand and scal, this 24th Twenty-fourth day of
October, One thousand cight hundred and seventy-one.
TNA SATTATT