IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN CARRIAGES
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
THOMAS HOSKINS HOWELS, of Amelia Row, Landport, Portsea, in the
County of Hants, Gunner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,
by Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twelfth day of December, One thousand eight hundred and fifty,
in the fourteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Hoskins Howels,
my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial license, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Hoskins Howels, my
exors, adiiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Hoskins
Howels, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time-and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should' and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN CARRIAGES;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Thomas Hoskins Howels,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High

page_text: Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by
the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Thomas Hoskins Howels, do hereby declare that the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, are
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
For the purpose of mounting "broadside guns" (of any calibre or
weight) at present used in the Royal Navy without the aid of a slide.
Figure 1, is a side elevation of an eight-inch gun, length nine feet,
weight sixty-five hundredweight, mounted on Howels' patent carriage.
Figure 2, is a plan. Figure 3, shews the rear view, with the position
of the "rollers" when training the gun, muzzle to the right. Figure 4,
is also a rear view, with the position of the "rollers" detached, when
the gun is recoiling (after firing) on the "friction plates." A, A, are
the sides or brackets; B, rear axletree; C, levers for lifting the rear
of the carriage and thereby, bringing the rear trucks into action; D,
catch for levers when attached; E, catch for levers when detached;
F, spindle working in rear axle tree; G, rear trucks or rollers; H, bolt
for rear trucks or rollers; I, linch pin; K, friction plates; L, joint
on which the levers work.
In Figure 1, the lever is shewn in both positions, the lower as it is
when running the gun out or training it; the upper (in red) as it is
when the gun is recoiling; the black dotted lines in the spindle and
rear truck showing the former, the red dotted lines the latter. Figure
2, the right lever, is shewn as detached, the left as attached. Figure 3,
the rear end view with rear trucks in action, as when training the gun,
"muzzle to the right," thereby pointing out the decided advantages
they possess over the old pattern carriages when training, for the
spindles revolving freely in the rear axletrec are instantly brought to
the angle required to facilitate the training or running in or out

page_text: (whereas the trucks in the old pattern carriage impede the training),
and only require to be detached when firing with high charges or
weather guns when the ship has much heel, which is easily done by
numbers 3, and 4, when the gun is nearly laid for the object. After
the gun has recoiled on the friction. plates and is in the "loading
position," at the order, "Load," numbers 7, and 8, bear down on the
levers and force them under the catches, and the weight of the rear of
the gun will again be instantly thrown on the rear trucks ready for
running out at the order; should the levers, spindles, or rear trucks be
shot away, the carriage can be easily worked on the fore trucks and
and friction plates, using, if necessary, a roller handspike to assist in
running out, or a common axletrec and trucks substituted for the
present.
The advantages this carriage possesses over the present "slide and
carriage" are numerous. First, by abolishing the slides much room
is gained on the decks for "working ship," the gangways being quite
clear at all times, except when the gun is in for loading. Second, the
weight is reduced two-thirds, thereby enabling me to mount more guns
in the same space by putting the ports closer than could be done with
guns mounted on slides. Third, they are much easier "transported,"
they have less gear, tackling, &c. attached to them, and are less likely
to be disabled in action. Fourth, the expence of the patent carriage
is much less than that of the present slide carriage and deck fittings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Hoskins Howels, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of
February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-one
THOMAS HOSKINS (L.s.) HOWELS.
D AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-second day of
February, in the year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid Thomas Hoskins
Howels came before our said Lady the Queen, in Her Chancery, and
acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein

page_text: contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specifica-
tion aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made
for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One, thousand eight hundred and fifty-one..