IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING CANNON AND IN CARTRIDGES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Jensen, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING CANNON
AND IN CARTRIDGES." A communication from Carl Christian Engström, of
Stockholm, Sweden, a Captain in the Royal Swedish Navy.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Jensen at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd August 1880.
PETER JENSEN, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING CANNON AND IN CARTRIDGES." A communication
from Carl Christian Engström, of Stockholm, Sweden, a Captain in the Royal
Swedish Navy.
The main object of this Invention is to construct a cannon of small calibre
suitable especially for protection against the approach of torpedo boats, or generally
for all purposes afloat and on shore where quick firing is wanted, with only a
couple of men for serving the said cannon.
The breech loading mechanism is applied to a gun formed with two upper and
two lower ears or lugs at the rear end, and is constructed as follows:-The breech
block is hinged to the two aforesaid lower lugs on the gun, and has a face for
forming joint with the rear end of the gun; it has a safety spring and bolt passing
through it. When the block is in the raised or closed position it is held by a
locking piece hinged to the upper lugs on the gun and having two lugs on its
right side; the hinge bolt is mounted very slightly eccentrically in the locking
piece for giving a gradually increasing pressure to the breech block face against
the gun. There is a key or lever mounted on the right end of the locking piece
hinge bolt, and formed with two lugs corresponding with the aforesaid two lugs on
the locking piece, one lug for the purpose of holding the locking piece in the locked
position, and the other lug for releasing it therefrom and raising it up out of the way.
The key has a catch spring, and a stop bolt actuated by a small handle lever
passes through it and engages with a lug on the side of the breech block; the
safety bolt passing through the breech block is pierced so as to embrace the striker,
and has on the left end a knob.
The striker can only be moved when the safety bolt is carried to the left, but
this is not done before the key stop presses against the same, and when the key

page_text: stop thus has released the striker the breech cannot be opened. When the key is
opened so far that the key stop is clear of the lug on the block the striker is
locked, and hence no shot can be fired until all is in complete order.
The hammer is hinged to the lower part of the breech block; the latter is pierced
for the central fire striker or needle, which is held back by a helical spring and
kept from turning by a washer. The extractors are arranged one on each side
in the rear of the bore, and are with their springs connected to the breech block.
The facility of extracting chiefly depends on the nature of the cartridge case;
although these may be made of the usual form, a more suitable one has been
devised for the aforesaid gun. This cartridge is a so called single one containing
both charge and projectile; the cast end or bottom of the case has four small holes
filled with lead, through which are driven the nails for fastening it to the projectile;
this fixture breaks at the firing; the cylindrical part of the case is made of layers
of card board and sail cloth glued together and lined with sheet brass; the end or
bottom is united thereto by a lock plate which is pressed or "spun
into a groove
turned in the bottom; the case is lapped round with cloth so that the case may
fit in the conical gun chamber. There are two percussion caps, one within the
other (or a single and more powerful one). These caps are fitted on a brass plug,
and the whole is put inside a dished copper cover fitted gas tight in a recess in the
bottom of casing.
"

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Peter Jensen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd February
1881.
PETER JENSEN, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING CANNON AND IN CARTRIDGES." A communication
from abroad by Carl Christian Engstrom, of Stockholm, Sweden, a Captain in thẻ
Royal Swedish Navy.
The main object of this Invention is to construct a cannon of small calibre
suitable especially for protection against the approach of torpedo boats, or generally-
for all purposes afloat and on shore where quick firing is wanted, with only a
couple of men for serving the said cannon.
The breech loading mechanism is applied to a gun formed with two upper and
two lower ears or lugs at the rear end, and is constructed as follows:-
And in order that this Invention be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same with reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side
elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of a gun constructed according to this Invention;
Figure 3 is a cross section through the barrel showing a form of rifling which,
among many others, may be adopted, but which is not new; Figure 4 is a side
elevation, and Figure 5 end view of the breech end drawn full size, and Figures 6
to 19 are full size details of the breech mechanism.
The breech block A is shown separately in side view in Figure 6, from the
opposite side in Figure 7, from the end in Figure S, and in vertical section in
Figure 9; it is hinged by a bolt B to the two aforesaid lower lugs A¹ on the gun,
and has a face for forming joint with the rear end of the gun; the hinge bolt B
has a washer b and screw c; the block A has a safety spring a and bolt M passing
through it. When the block A is in the raised or closed position it is held by a
locking piece H hinged to the upper lugs H₁ on the gun, and having two lugs
and on its right side; this locking piece H is shown separately in the side view,
Figure 11; plan, Figure 12; and end view Figure 13; the hinge bolt I is
mounted very slightly eccentrically in the locking piece H, as shown in Figure 11,
for giving a gradually increasing pressure to the breech block face against the gun;
the hinge bolt I is secured by washer m and screw n; there is a key or lever K
mounted on the right end of the locking piece hinge bolt I and secured in place
by the nut o; this key is shown separately in the side view, Figure 14, and end
view, Figure 15; it is formed with two lugs corresponding with the aforesaid two
lugs q, q, on the locking piece H, one lug ql for the purpose of holding the
locking piece H in the locked position against the corresponding lug ", and the
other lug q which comes against the lug ¹ for releasing the locking piece H
therefrom and raising it up out of the way.
The key K has a catch spring p and a stop bolt L, which is shown separately in
Figures 16, 17, 18, and 19, and is actuated by a small handle lever N working on
a fulcrum bolt t; it passes through a boss on the key K and engages with a lug x
on the side of the breech block A; the safety bolt M. passing through the breach
block is pierced so as to embrace the striker C, Figure 9, and has on the left end
a knob with pin 8. *
The striker is shown of a rectangular section; it can only be moved when the safety
bolt M is carried to the left, but this is not done before the key stop L presses
against the same, and when the key stop thus has released the safety bolt M the
breech cannot be opened. When the key K is opened so far that the key stop L
is clear of the lug X on the block the striker C is locked, and hence no shot can be
fired until all is in complete order. O is a bolt for fastening the elevator screw to
the gun.

page_text: The hammer E, Figures 1, 4, and 5, with firing cord h attached thereto is hinged
on a bolt F to the lower part of the breech block A; the latter is pierced for the
central fire striker or needle C, which is held back by a helical spring e and kept
from turning by a washer f which is held by a screw g. The screw ferrule D holds
the striker in place. The extractors G are arranged one on each side in the rear
of the bore, and are with their springs i, i, connected to the breech block A by
means of the screws ; the springs i serve to press the extractors against the rear
face of the gun.
"
The facility of extracting chiefly depends on the nature of the cartridge case;
although these may be made of the usual form a more suitable one has been devised
for the aforesaid gun; Figure 20 is a side view partly in section of the same, and
Figure 21 part end view. This cartridge is a so called single one containing both
charge and projectile; the cast end or bottom t of the case has four small holes m
filled with lead, through which are driven the nails for fastening it to the pro-
jectile;
this fixture breaks at the firing; the cylindrical part of the case is made of
layers of card board and sail cloth glued together, and lined with sheet brass; the
end or bottom is united thereto by a lock plate n which is pressed or 'spun'
"into
a groove turned in the bottom; the case is lapped round with cloth, say, two pieces
of same, v and w, as shown, so that the case may fit in the conical gun chamber.
There are two percussion caps o and p, one within the other (or a single and more.
powerful one). These caps are fitted on a brass plug 7, and the whole is put
inside a dished copper cover s fitted gas tight in a recess in the bottom t of casing.
The layers of card board and sail cloth should be glued together, so that when two
sail cloth layers happen to lie side by side they are not to be glued together,
and if the case would become very stiff because of the glue a sheet of paper may
be put between the layers of sail cloth, in order that the sail cloth may not become
too brittle so as to break when the shot is fired.
The mode of operation of the breech mechanism is as follows:-
For opening the breech with the right hand take hold of the key K and
handle N, and press against each other until the key stop L is drawn away from
the lug on the breech block A. The key K is then carried upward, when the
lug q' on the key meets the lug on the locking piece H. When the key is
carried further upward the locking piece H follows along with the key K until
both are arrested against the upper right lug on the gun. When the locking piece
is thus carried out of the way the breech block is free to drop down, turning on
its hinge bolt B. This dropping down of the breech block is accelerated by the
extractor springs. Both the lugs on the breech block between which the hammer E
works meet at last the lower edge of the gun, which in that is provided with a
leather packing cushion for softening the stock. When the breech block drops
down in that manner the extractors catch into the rear face of the cartridge case
and pull it out of the gun.
For closing the breech, the firing cord being always held in the left hand, the
second and third finger seizing the knob on the left hand side at the safety
bolt M, and in this way the breech block A is carried upward until it meets the
rear face of the gun. Then the end of the key K is seized with the right band and
brought down. The lug q" on the key then meets the lug on the locking
piece H, whereby the latter is carried down and embraces the upper end of the
breech block A. When the key K with the key stop L encounters the stud x on
the breech block the key is still more depressed, so that the key stop slips past the
stud x.
After the key stop has got clear of this stud it is by the key spring p
pressed against the safety bolt M, which is then carried to the left and then releases
the needle or striker. When the firing cord is then pulled the hammer drops
against the needle, knocking it against the explosive matter in the cartridge case,
thus firing the gun.
The safety spring a ought to be strong enough to carry the safety bolt M to the
right when the mechanism is opening, even if dust or dirt has accumulated round
the bolt. The key spring p should also be strong enough to get the better of the

page_text: safety spring even when it has its minimum effect, as the striker or needle will not
otherwise be released. The helical spring e of the striker or needle has to draw
the latter back, even if dirt has accumulated against it, in order that when the
hammer strikes the end of the needle the latter should always have a certain speed
before it hits the explosive matter in the cartridge case.
And having thus described and ascertained the nature of this Invention as
communicated to me, I declare that I claim,―
First. The combination of a hinged breech block, such as A, a hinged breech
block locking piece, such as H, and a key, such as K, all operating substantially as
described and shown.
Second. The safety bolt M arranged in combination with a key stop and with a
striker or needle, substantially as described and shown.
Third. The construction of the breech block A, as shown in the Drawing.
Fourth. The construction of the locking piece H, as shown in the Drawing.
Fifth. The construction of the key K with key stop, as shown in the Drawing.
Sixth. The cartridge case consisting of parts combined, substantially as described
and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Jensen, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-second day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
PETER JENSEN. (L.S.)