IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING, POINTING, AND CHECKING THE RECOIL OF CANNON OR ORDNANCE
Year: 1865

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 APPARATUS FOR WORKING, POINTING, AND
CHECKING THE RECOIL OF CANNON OR ORDNANCE."- A communication from
abroad by John Ericsson, of the City of New York, in the United States
of America
Sealed the 16th February 1866, and dated the 7th November 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 7th November 1865.
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 APPARATUS FOR WORKING,
POINTING, AND CHECKING THE RECOIL OF CANNON OR ORDNANCE," to be as
follows:-
Much time is lost in the ordinary method of controlling by means of
friction the recoil of heavy guns in consequence of the time consumed in
tightening and relieving the compressors which produce the required friction.
Much danger is also incurred in working heavy guns on board of ship during bad
weather at sea, because the compressors must be relieved in order to roll the
gun out after being loaded. Any sudden lurch of the vessel while the com-

page_text: pressors are thus relieved renders the gun uncontrollable, and endangers the
lives of the gunners as well as the safety of the gun and carriage. Much
difficulty and danger is also experienced in training or pointing heavy guns on
board of ship, particularly during bad weather. The object of the present
Invention is to overcome these difficulties. In order to save the time lost in
tightening and relieving the present friction gear of gun carriages, a rotary
compressor kept under constant pressure is employed. It is composed of a
series of circular metallic discs, secured to an axle which passes through the
side frames of the gun carriage. This axle has attached to it pinions, the
teeth of which work into toothed racks bolted to the inside of the gun slides.
Between the metallic discs are inserted wooden discs fixed within a cylindrical
box made of brass or iron, and called a box wheel, the circumference of
which is provided with cogs. Into the box wheel gears & pinion, which by
means of suitable hand gear enables the gunners to run the gun in and out.
By means of this hand gear the box wheel may also be instantly locked, and
the movement of the gun carriage checked. The training or pointing the
gun is effected by means of a toothed rack attached to the slides on which
the gun carriage moves. This rack is actuated by a pinion attached to the
lower end of a vertical shaft, which the gunners can turn round by means of
winches and cog wheels.
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 7th May 1866.
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 Seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth 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, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward 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, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of

page_text: Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING, POINTING, AND CHECKING THE
RECOIL OF CANNON OR ORDNANCE," being a communication to me from abroad
by John Ericsson, of the City of New York, United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 per-
formed, 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 Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Much time is lost in the ordinary method of controlling by means of
friction the recoil of heavy guns in consequence of the time consumed in
tightening and relieving the compressors which produce the required friction.
Much danger is also incurred in working heavy guns on board of ship during
bad weather at sea, because the compressors must be relieved in order to roll
the gun out after being loaded. Any sudden lurch of the vessel while the
compressors are thus relieved renders the gun uncontrollable, and endangers
the lives of the gunners as well as the safety of the gun and carriage. Much
difficulty and danger is also experienced in training or pointing heavy guns on
board of ship, particularly during bad weather. The object of the present
Invention is to overcome these difficulties, and in order to save the time lost
in tightening and relieving the present friction gear of gun carriages, a rotary
compressor kept under constant pressure is employed. It is composed of a
series of circular metallic discs, secured to an axle which passes through the
side frames of the gun carriage. This axle has attached to it pinions, the
teeth of which work into toothed racks bolted to the inside of the gun slides.
Between the metallic discs are inserted wooden discs fixed within a cylindrical
box made of brass or iron, and called a box wheel, the circumference of which
is provided with cogs. Into the box wheel gears a pinion, which by means of
suitable hand gear enables the gunners to run the gun in and out. By means
of this band gear the box wheel may also be instantly locked, and the move-
ment of the gun carriage checked. The training or pointing the gun is
effected by means of a toothed rack attached to the slides on which the gun

page_text: carriage moves. This rack is actuated by a pinion attached to the lower end
of a vertical shaft, which the gunners can turn round by means of winches
and cog wheels.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the gun
carriage and slides; Fig. 2, a top view; and Fig. 3 is a cross section of the
same; Fig. 4 represents a sectional elevation, and Fig. 5 a top view of the
hand gear and mechanism by means of which the gun is trained or pointed;
Fig. 6 represents a side view of a
spring nipper, by which the check lever of
the gun carriage is held in proper position; Fig. 7 represents a front view of
the rotary compressor composed of the box wheel and friction plates by which
the recoil of the gun is checked.
A is the gun carriage, and B the slide or frame on which the carriage
moves; B¹ are rollers for supporting the hinder end of the frame; B" is a
pivot, round which the frame B turns; C, C, are toothed racks bolted to the
inside of the longitudinal pieces of the frame; and C¹ in Fig. 3 are guide
pieces attached to the under side of the gun carriage for the twofold purpose
of guiding the carriage and preventing it from jumping up from the slides
during the discharge of the gun; D is an axle revolving in bearings formed
in the sides of the gun carriage; and D₁ are pinions attached to the axle D,
and which pinions work into the toothed racks C attached to the slides B;
E is a box wheel, revolving freely on the axle D; F, F, are circular plates or
lises made of wrought iron, and prevented from turning on the axle D by
means of keys D", Fig. 3, but are allowed to slide longitudinally upon the
axle; G, G, are discs made of hard wood, inserted between the wrought-iron
‹lises, and prevented from turning within the box wheel by lugs E¹, which
project from the inside of the rim into the circumference of the said wooden
‹lises;
H is a loose plate of cast iron or brass, which covers the open end of
The box wheel, and retains the metallic and wooden discs within the body of
the wheel; H¹, H', are set screws, by which the loose plate H is pushed
into the wheel, thereby forcing the metallic and wooden discs close together
for the purpose of causing friction between the same.
I is a pinion geared into the box wheel E, and I an axle
side frame of the gun carriage and a suitable bracket.
pinion I is secured, also the cog wheel I"; K is a pinion geared into the cog
wheel I", and attached to the axle K', which like I' is supported by the
side of the gun carriage and a suitable bracket. To the axle K' are also
attached a cog wheel K" and a crank handle K; L is a lever handle,
supported on a fulcrum L', provided with a tooth on the under side which
fits the spaces between the cogs of the handle K; M is a spring nipper
In Figures 1 and 2
supported by the
To this axle the

page_text: (shewn detached at Fig. 6), which is attached to the side of the gun carriage
for retaining the lever handle L in an elevated position when required. N,
(Figures 4 and 5) is a horizontal axle, supported by bearings attached to a
hollow pedestal O, and operated by a crank handle N'; N is a toothed
pinion, attached to the horizontal axle N, to which toothed pinion is applied
a lever handle N, Fig. 5, with a tooth on the under side similar to that of
the crank handle L, and retained in an elevated position by means of a spring
nipper similar to that shewn at M; P is a vertical axle, supported by bearings
attached to the pedestal O; and P₁ is a conical cog wheel, secured to the
upper end of the vertical shaft or axle P, into which cog wheel is geared the
conical pinion P", attached to the horizontal axle N; P is a horizontal
pinion, mounted on the lower end of the vertical axle P; and Q is a toothed
rack composed of wrought iron, geared into and operated by the pinion P
This toothed rack is secured to the frame B, on which the gun carriage moves
by means of a pivot or hinge at Q. The extent of the field which the gun is
intended to sweep will determine the length of the toothed rack Q.
Having thus described the manner of constructing the various parts necessary
to carry out the improvements, I will now explain the manner of operating
the same.
The set screws H' should be tightened sufficiently to bring the
metallic and wooden discs of the rotary compressor in close contact. The
lever handle L should be lifted full up and the gun loaded. The gun carriage
and gun should next be rolled out by the gunners by means of the handle K™.
When full out the lever handle L should be let down, and the tooth on its
under side allowed to enter between the cogs of the small cog wheel K", in
order to lock the gear. After the discharge and recoil of the gun the same
operation as that described will be repeated, excepting the tightening of the
set screws of the rotary compressor, which when once adjusted will remain
unless increased charges of powder are employed, when the set screws should
receive additional tightening.
When operating the gun on board ship in a seaway a person should be
stationed ready to push down the lever handle L in order to lock the gear in
case the ship should take a sudden lurch, otherwise the weight of the gun
might overpower the gunners who are operating the crank handle K
When the gun is to be pointed the lever handle N should be lifted up and
the crank handle N' turned in the proper direction for pointing the
desired. When the gun is employed on board ship, and the desired direction
has been attained, and after the discharge of the gun, the lever handle N¹
should be let down, and the gear locked, in order to keep the slide frame in
a firm position during the succeeding nianipulation of the gun.
gun as

page_text: Having now described the Invention of "Improvements in Apparatus for
Working, Pointing, and Checking the Recoil of Cannon or Ordnance," as
communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and having explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to
me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,--
First, the use of a rotary compressor composed of a series of metallic discs
secured to a shaft provided with pinions, which pinions, by means of toothed
racks check the recoil of cannon, such metallic discs being contained within a
cog wheel, which revolves freely on the pinion shaft, and to which cog wheel
is secured a series of discs composed of wood or similar material inserted
between the metallic discs.
Second, I claim the use of the crank handle K, pinions I and K, and
cog wheel I", or their equivalents, for turning the box wheel E, which contains
the rotary compressor.
Third, I claim the use of the cog wheel K", the lever handle L, and spring
nipper M, or their equivalents, for stopping and relieving the box wheel E.
Fourth, I claim the toothed rack Q, pinions P and P", and cog wheel P,
or their equivalents, for changing the direction of the slide frame and pointing
the gun.
Lastly, I claim the lever handle N and the cog wheel N", or their
equivalents, for retaining the slide frame in any desired position.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Seventh day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight bundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.B.)