IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUC- TION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MULTIPLE GUN CARRIAGES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas James Smith, of the Firm of Robertson,
Brooman, and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London,
Patent Agents, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUC-
TION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MULTIPLE GUN CARRIAGES."-A communication
from abroad by Lewis Wells Broadwell, of Vienna, in the Empire of
Austria.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas James Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 15th February 1871.
I, THOMAS JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and
Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MULTIPLE GUN CARRIAGES," to be
as follows:-
These improvements relate, firstly, to the construction of carriages
upon which multiple guns or mitrailleuses are to be mounted, whereby

page_text: therefore more efficient for action.
Secondly. To an arrangement of the bearing parts so that the guns
are better balanced upon them than heretofore.
Thirdly. To means or apparatus for maintaining an automatic right-
and-left movement of the barrels at will for wide horizontal firing.
And, fourthly. To an improved arrangement of shield for protecting
the gunners when in action, which shield also serves as a seat or scats
for the men when moving over the ground.
The axle or beam of the main frame, which is mounted upon wheels,
supports an angle and. plate iron frame to hold the trunnions of the
multiple gun, and to admit of the barrels being elevated or depressed by
a screw at the rear. The trunnion plate is pierced at or about its centre
for the reception of a pin or perch bolt, which is kept in place by passing
through a bottom plate fitted underneath; this plate is carried to the
rear, where it is provided with a slot or curved plate through which a
pin on the bottom of the breech picce or ring passes, the radius of the
curve being struck from the perch bolt, so that the barrels can be
directed laterally to the right or to the left as desired for divergent
firing, and without in any way interfering with the elevation for dis-
tance firing. This plate has a nose or projecting piece for supporting
a vertical pin or standard to which a spring clutch or disengaging
apparatus is fitted; the prongs or fork of the clutch take into a double
endless screw on the crank shaft, which determines the loading and
firing operations. By this means, when the clutch is engaged and the
crank shaft rotated, an automatic right-and-left motion of the barrels
take place, as well as the continuous loading and firing of the charges.
There is a tightening nut and disc on the end of the shaft, and the disc
is formed with a conical collar to take in a corresponding recess in the
screw; these when pressed together compel the two to partake of the
same movement, otherwise the screw is loose upon the shaft and remains
idle. By this means the gunner in charge can in an instant direct
the bullets in any direction right or left or straight ahead by simply
loosening the disc; or if the disc is left fastened a continuous right-and-
left motion continues so long as the shaft is turned. The fore end of
the gun or the frame is provided with a folding shield (bullet proof)
the flaps of which can be raised or lowered to form scats for the men

page_text: when travelling, or fixed in position by catch.hooks for action. Rails
or ribs are provided to serve as hand holds- or lifting pieces as. desired.
In lieu of the disc a rising and falling, lever, may be used, and the ends
of the screw may be shaped to alter the angle of the fork or. clutch for
5 reversing the stroke at the end of each travel..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas James. Smith. in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,.THOMAS
JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of
166, Fleet Street, in the City of London,, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of February,. in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight 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 Thomas James Smith,. Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas James Smith,.my executors,. adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas James Smith,
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 Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MULTIPLE GUN CARRIAGES (com-
municated to me from abroad by Lewis Wells Broadwell,. of Vienna,
in the Empire of Austria), upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Thomas James Smith, 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 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.
"

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas James Smith, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :—
These improvements relate, firstly, to the construction of carriages
upon which multiple guns or mitrailleuses are to be mounted, whereby
they are rendered lighter and stronger than those at present used and
therefore more efficient for action.
5
Secondly. To an arrangement of the bearing parts so that the guns 1
are better balanced upon them than heretofore.
Thirdly. To means or apparatus for maintaining an automatic right-
and-left movement of the barrels at will for wide horizontal firing.
And fourthly. To an improved arrangement of shield for protecting
the gunners when in action, which shield also serves as a seat or seats 1
⚫ for the men when moving over the ground.
The axle or beam of the main frame which is mounted upon wheels
supports an angle and plate iron frame to hold the trunnions of the
multiple gun, and to admit of the barrels being elevated or depressed
by a screw at the rear. The trunnion plate is pierced at or about its 2
⚫centre for the reception of a pin or perch bolt which is kept in place
by passing through a bottom plate fitted underneath. This plate is
carried to the rear, where it is provided with a curved slot or with a
curved plate through which a pin on the bottom of the breech piece
or ring passes, the radius of the curve being struck from the perch bolt 2
so that the barrels can be directed laterally to the right or to the left
´as desired for divergent firing and without in any way interfering with
the elevation for distance firing. This plate has a nose or projecting
piece for supporting a vertical pin or standard to which a spring clutch
or disengaging apparatus is fitted, the prongs or fork of the clutch take a
into a double endless screw on the crank shaft which determines the
loading and firing operations. By this means when the clutch is
engaged and the crank shaft rotated an automatic right-and-left motion
of the barrels takes place as well as the continuous loading and firing of
the charges. There is a tightening nut and disc on the end of the a
shaft, and the disc is formed with a conical collar to take in a corre-
sponding recess in the screw. These when pressed together compel the

page_text: two to partake of the same movement, otherwise the screw is loose
upon the shaft and remains idle. By this means the gunner in charge
can in an instant direct the bullets in any direction, right or left, or
straight ahead, by simply loosening the disc, or if the disc is left fastened
a continuous right-and-left motion continues so long as the shaft is
turned. The fore end of the gun or the frame is provided with a folding
shield (bullet proof), the flaps of which can be raised or lowered to form
seats for the men when travelling; or fixed in position by catch hooks,
for action. Rails or ribs are provided to serve as hand holds or lifting
pieces as desired. In lieu of the disc a rising and falling lever may be
used, and the ends of the screw may be shaped to alter the angle of
the fork or clutch for reversing the stroke at the end of each travel.
The Invention will be well understood by referring to the accom-
panying Drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a
mitrailleuse or multiple gun, with one of the wheels removed to show
the parts more clearly; Figure 2 is a transverse section of the gun
taken just in front of the axle and trunnions; Figure 3 is a detached
edge view of the shield; and Figure 4 are details of the traversing
mechanism. The same letters of reference apply to the same parts in
the several Figures as will be seen by the following :—
a is the axle which is mounted upon wheels b, b, for enabling the gun
to be moved from place to place. The axle has at its central part the
bearings d, d, of the trail e, composed of angle and plate iron f, g, for
supporting a socket or bed plate in which the trunnions i, i, of the
gun are held, the trunnions being part of a recessed strap j, through
which the perch bolt k passes to hold the gun in position as on a
pivot, the bolt also passing through a bracket m which rests upon
the strap j. Below the strap ja plate n is bolted, the after end o of
which is slotted for a pin p under the breech portion of the gun to slide
to and fro in when the automatic traversing motion is being trans-
mitted to it by the clutch a riding in the threads of the double endless
screw threaded collar r, the collar being on the spindle of the breech
block rotating mechanism, so that it partakes of the movement of the
crank handle 8. The rotation of the collar with the spindle is con-
trolled by a screw button t on the end of the spindle, the button having
a conical face to enable it when turned to approach the collar to bind
itself therewith by the nut u on-the extreme end of the spindle to hold

page_text: the muzzles of mitrailleuses or multiple guns and of retaining the barrels
at any angle horizontally.
Fourthly. I claim fitting shields to mitrailleuses or multiple guns
when parts of them are capable of being folded to form seats and foot
plates in the manner described and shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas James Smith, have hereunto
set my band and seal, this Fifteenth day of August One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-one.