IMPROVE- MENTS IN GUN-CARRIAGES to be as follows:
Year: 1886

page_text: I, OWEN JONES, of 18 Southampton Street, Bloomsbury, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GUN-CARRIAGES to be as follows:-
"
My invention relates to carriages for machine or other light guns, and is chiefly
designed to provide for so constructing such carriages as to enable them to be
used either in the ordinary manner or as tripods, to ensure their rigidity, and to
facilitate their transport.
In carrying my said invention into practice, the central portion of the carriage,
upon which the gun is supported, is fixed or fitted upon a pipe or tube which I
term the axle-pipe, and through which the axle of the wheels is passed. To this
central portion the trail is firmly secured in any suitable manner. On each side of
the said central portion, a sleeve or tube is fitted upon the axle-pipe. These sleeves
or tubes are connected by bices with the trail, and serve to impart considerable
strength and rigidity to the carriage. On each end of the axle-pipe I fit a sleeve
or tube, to which is secured a solid or hollow rod provided at its extremity with a
foot-piece. These sleeves or tubes are capable of rotation on the axle-pipe to
permit the said legs to be turned into either of the positions hereinafter described,
and suitable means are provided for securing them in any desired position, and
also for securing the axle in the axle-pipe. The said legs, when turned downwards
and secured in a vertical, or nearly vertical, position, serve, in combination with
the trail, to form the tripod. When the carriage is to be used in the ordinary
manner, these legs are turned up and secured in a horizontal, or nearly horizontal,
position; moreover, when the said legs are in this position, they can be used for
transporting the carriage by hand, the wheels being removed, if desired. Or the
said legs can be turned so that they extend rearwardly and rest upon the ground,
they then serve to counteract the recoil of the gun and thus prevent backward
movement of the carriage when the gun is fired.
At the rear end of the trail, there is a foot-piece, through which a pipe or rod
can be passed to facilitate the drawing of the carriage by hand. The aforesaid
central portion is provided with a socket to receive this pipe or rod when it is
desired to transport the carriage by hand. In some cases, the trail is provided
with an eye whereby it may be connected with the hook of a limber.

page_text: All the parts of my gun-carriage are capable of being readily detached from each
other, to facilitate their transport, and connected with each other when desired;
and each piece is preferably made of such dimensions that it can be easily carried
by one or two men.
For
The construction of my carriage is somewhat modified in some cases.
example instead of passing a straight pipe or rod through the rear end of the trail,
I sometimes provide a yoke which can be readily attached to, or detached from
either the trail or the aforesaid central portion of the carriage. Moreover each leg
of the tripod is sometimes secured to a block which fits upon the axle-pipe, but the
axle, instead of passing through the said pipe is fitted into recesses or slots in the
said blocks and held therein in such a manner that it can be readily disengaged
therefrom.
In some cases, I make the legs of the tripod to serve also as braces for ensuring
the rigidity of the carriage, and secure them to the trail in place of the braces
above described.

page_text: J, OWEN JONES, of 18 Southampton Street, Bloomsbury, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to carriages for machine and other light guns.
The main object of my said invention is to provide a gun-carriage, which, while
possessing great strength and rigidity, can be very readily taken to pieces and put
together again, and the several parts of which will be of such weight and dimensions
that its transport can be easily effected.
My said invention is, moreover, designed to provide for the construction of a gun-
carriage in such a manner that the wheels can be readily removed and the other
parts so adjusted that they will form a tripod.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is a plan, partly in horizontal section, of one form of my improved
gun-carriage.
Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal central section of the said carriage, showing
in side elevation, a gun mounted thereon.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the said carriage converted into a tripod.
Figure 4 is a plan, partly in section, of another form or modification of my
improved gun-carriage.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the same, partly in vertical section on the line
x, x,. Figure 4.
Figures 6 and 7 are different views hereinafter described showing details of
construction.
and
Figure 8 is a plan of another form or modification of my improved gun-carriage,
Figure 9 is a side elevation of the same, partly in vertical section on the line
x', x', Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a vertical section on the line x2, x², Figure S, and
Figure 11 is an underside view, showing details of construction.
Figure 12 is a plan of another form or modification of my improved gun
carriage.
Figure 13 is a side elevation of the same, partly in vertical section on the line
3,3,Figure 12.
Figure 13a is a section on the line x, x, Figure 13, and
Figure 14 is a plan of the said carriage converted into a tripod.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
a is the axle; b, b are the wheels; c is the trail.
d is a pipe or tube, which is placed upon the axle and secured thereto in such a
manner that it can be casily disconnected and removed therefrom, and which fits
between the naves or hubs of the wheels. e is the stock or central portion upon
which the gun is mounted, and which is fitted upon the tube d and secured thereto
in such manner that it can be readily disconnected and removed therefrom. The

page_text: •
said stock or central portion e has a socket e¹, in which the trail c is firmly secured
in any suitable manner, so that it can be readily detached therefrom.
In the gun
shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, a sleeve or tubular piece f is fitted upon
the tube d on each side of the stock c. These sleeves are connected with the trail c
by ties or braces g which greatly increase the strength and rigidity of the carriage.
These ties or braces are so attached to the trail c that they can be readily discon-
nected therefrom and drawn off the tube d with the sleeves'f.
On each end of the tube d is fitted a sleeve or tubular piece / provided with a
socket, in which is secured a hollow rod i provided, at its outer extremity, with
a foot-piece. The sleeves h are fitted with a capability of rotation upon the tube d
to permit the adjustment of the rods i for the purposes hereinafter described.
Cottars 2 or other suitable means are provided for securing the sleeves h in any
desired position upon the tube d. The sleeves h and rods i can be readily discon-
nected and removed from the said tube' when it is desired to take the carriage to
pieces.
At the rear end of the trail c there is a foot-piece c¹, in which is secured a hollow
rod k for facilitating the movement of the carriage by hand. This rod can be
readily removed from the foot-piece c¹ and is adapted to fit (as shown in dotted
lines in Figure 1) into a socket e² formed for the purpose on the stock or central
portion e. When the said rod is secured in the socket e², it serves as a handle for
transporting the carriage by hand. If desired, the trail is provided with an eye
whereby it may be connected with the hook of a limber.
When the sleeves and rods i are secured in the positions shown in full lines in
Figures 1 and 2, the said rods serve as handles for transporting the carriage by
hand. By removing the wheels b and turning the rods i down into the position
shown in Figure 3, the carriage may be converted into a tripod, the rods i serving
as two of the legs and the trail c as the third leg of the said tripod. A further
advantage gained by the construction of the carriage as above described is that,
when the said carriage is used without removing the wheels, the rods i can be
turned into the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2, so that they will
counteract, or assist in counteracting, the recoil of the gun, and will effectually
prevent backward movement of the carriage when the gun is fired.
From the foregoing description it will be seen that my gun-carriage is composed
of several parts or sections which can be very readily connected with, or dis-
connected from, each other. Each or the said parts or sections is preferably made
of such weight and dimensions that it can be easily carried by one or two men.
If desired the axle is made in two parts; as shown, for example, in Figure 4, so
that a part thereof can be removed with each wheel from the tube d.
The different rods used in my gun-carriage may be either solid or hollow, but
I prefer to employ hollow rods or tubes.
In the form or modification of my gun-carriage shown in Figures 4 and 5, the
rods i, when not required for use as legs of the tripod, or as handles for trans-
porting the carriage, are made to serve as ties or braces for increasing the strength
and rigidity of the carriage. For this purpose, the said rods are screwed into
sockets in a block Zifitted with a capability of rotation upon the trail c and
provided with a cottar l'or other suitable means for firmly securing it thereon.
The foot pieces are so made that, when the rods i are screwed into the block I,
the said foot-pieces may be caused to enter dovetail grooves h³ in the sleeves h, or
may be withdrawn from the said grooves, by partially rotating the block in one
or the other direction upon the trail c. When the foot-pieces are thus with-
drawn from the grooves h, the rods i can be unscrewed from the block and
screwed into the sockets ' to serve as legs for the tripod or as handles for trans-
porting the carriage. The ties or braces g hereinbefore described are, in this case,
dispensed with.
Instead of passing a straight rod through the foot-piece c¹ of the trail c; I some-
times provide a yoke ¹ which can be advantageously used as a double handle, and
greatly facilitates the transport or movement of the carriage by hand,

page_text: When the said yoke is employed, I provide a rod which may be either solid or
hollow, and which is adapted to be secured in the socket e to facilitate the
transport of the carriage by hand. This rod is preferably made of such
dimensions that, when not in use, it may be placed within one of the rods i, as
shown in Figure 4. The said rod i is shown, in longitudinal section, in Figure 6,
and the rod is shown, in side elevation, in Figure 7.
In the modification of my invention shown in Figures 8 to 11, the axle a, instead
of passing through the tube d, is arranged beneath the said tube, which is parallel
with the said axle. Each rod is secured in a socket m¹ formed in a block m,
which is fitted with a capability of rotation upon the tube d. Each block m is split
at one side as shown in Figure 9 and is provided with a screw-bolt n and nut n¹,
whereby it may be clamped tightly upon the said tube. The axle a is fitted into
recesses or slots m² in the blocks m and is held therein by means of bars o pivotted
at o' to the blocks m. These bars are formed with recesses or cavities o' into which
fit the heads m² of the bolts n, so that the tightening of the nuts n¹ to clamp the
blocks m upon the tube d, will tightly lock the bars o in the position shown in
Figure 9, and lateral movement of the said bars when thus locked will be effectually
prevented. When the nuts n¹ are slackened to permit the turning of the rods i and
blocks m upon the tube d, the bars o are released so that they can be turned on
their pivots to permit the blocks m to be lifted from the axle; then, by turning the
rods and blocks m into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 9, the carriage
can be converted into a tripod.
In Figures 12 to 14, I have shown a modification of my invention wherein the
rods are secured to the sleeves h by means of unions or couplings p and the foot-
pieces fit into grooves or slots in the block . This block is made in two parts
which are fitted to slide upon the trail c and are secured thereon by means of a
cottar . This cottar, moreover, draws together the two parts of the block 7 and
clamps the foot-pieces tightly between them.
When this carriage is to be converted into a tripod, the wheels b are removed, the
cottar is slackened and the foot-pieces i¹ are disengaged from the block 1, the
rods and sleeves h are then turned into the position shown in Figure 14.
In either of the forms of construction above described, the rods or tubes may be
secured to the sleeves or blocks by screwing them therein, or by means of cottars, or
in any other convenient manner. Moreover, the details of construction may be
otherwise modified without departing from the nature of my invention.
In my improved carriage, the rods i serve several useful purposes, and it is obvious
that, when they are used in place of the ties or braces g, the carriage can be made
very light, as the employment of the said rods, in such case, does not add to the
weight thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. A gun-carriage which is so constructed that it is readily convertible into
a tripod and wherein the short legs of the tripod are adjustable so that they will
serve as handles for transporting the carriage.
Second. The employment, in a gun-carriage, of rods attached to sleeves or
tubular pieces which are fitted with a capability of rotation upon the axle or upon
a tube enclosing the same and are provided with means for securing them in
different positions thereon, for the purposes above specified.
Third. The combination, with the axle of a gun-carriage, of a tube enclosing the
same and having fitted and secured thereon sleeves or tubular pieces to which are
attached the trail and the rods that serve as legs or handles, substantially as, and
for the purposes, set forth.
Fourth. The combination, with the axle, the tube enclosing the same, and the
trail, of the ties or braces attached to the said trail and to sleeves fitted and secured
upon the said tube, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.

page_text: Fifth. The modification of my invention whereby I provide for utilizing the
short legs of the tripod as ties or braces for the carriage, substantially as, and for
the purposes, set forth.
Sixth. The combination, with the trail of my improved gun-carriage, of the
yoke or double handle fitted in the end of the said trail, substantially as, and for
the purpose, set forth.
Seventh. The modification of my invention which consists in mounting the
sleeves to which the trail, the legs or handles, and the ties or braces are attached,
upon a tube parallel with the axle and provided with means whereby it may be
readily connected there with or disconnected therefrom, for the purposes specified.
Eighth. The improved means, substantially as described with reference to
Figures 8 to 11 of the drawings, whereby I provide for simultaneously clamping
upon the main tube the block to which the leg or handle is attached, and locking
the bar which holds the axle in the said block, as, and for the purposes, specified.
Ninth. The improved gun-carriage consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially as described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, or to
Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7, or to Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11, or to Figures 12, 13, 13ª
and 14 of the drawings, for the purposes specified.
Dated this 4th day of November 1886.
OWEN JONES.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, Loudou,
Agents for the Applicant.