IM- PROVEMENTS IN CAMEL GUNS AND OTHER LIGHT ARTILLERY, WHICH IMPROVE- MENTS ARE AICO APPLICABLE TO PUNT GUNS' OR OTHER HEAVY FOWLING PIECES OR RIFLES."
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Dalziel Dougall, of No. 59, St. James's Street,
vv estminster, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN CAMEL GUNS AND OTHER LIGHT ARTILLERY, WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS ARE AICO APPLICABLE TO PUNT GUNS' OR OTHER HEAVY FOWLING
PIECES OR RIFLES."
vv estminster,
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of IM-
PROVEMENTS IN CAMEL GUNS' AND OTHER LIGHT ARTILLERY, WHICH IMPROVE-
f
HENTS ARE AICO APPLICABLE TO PUNT GUNS' OR OTHER HEAVY FOWLING
PIECES OR RIFLES."
Sealed the 5th April 1864, and dated the 8th October 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Dalziel Dougall
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 8th October 1863.
'
I, JAMES DALZIEL DOUGALL, of No. 59, St. James's Street, Westminster,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CAMEL GUNS' AND OTHER LIGHT ARTILLERY,
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO PUNT GUNS' OR OTHER HEAVY
FOWLING PIECES OR RIPLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention applies to guns known in warfare as "camel guns" or "wall
pieces," and such other light artillery as can be readily carried from place to
place as required, and fired from a tripod or other stand or from the top of
a wall or bank, and which are principally directed against the enemy's
artillerymen, the object of the Invention being to render such pieces capable
of being loaded at the breech and to prevent the inconvenience and danger
arising from the recoiling of the same, the Invention being also applicable to

page_text: punt guns" used in wild fowl shooting and to such other heavy fowling
pieces or rifles as are fired from a rest.
In carrying out this Invention I employ a solid breech piece hinged to the
breech end of the barrel so as to be capable of turning downwards (in order to
allow of charging the chamber which is bored out of the solid breech piece),
and of afterwards being raised up and secured in a line with the barrel for
firing.
The chamber may either be loaded with shot or shell and powder in a loose
state or with a suitable cartridge, and the breech piece may be provided with
a percussion lock and hammer for igniting the charge, or the piece may be
fired in any other convenient manner.
The breech piece is made of solid metal and sufficiently long to absorb the
force of the recoil. In order to effectually close the joint between the breech
picce and the breech end of the barrel and prevent the escape of gas, I make
the pin on which the breech piece is hinged excentric, and provide the same
with a handle or lever at one end (or one at each end) by means of which it
may be turned partially round, and I form an annular recess in front of the
breech piece and a corresponding projection at the rear end of the barrel, so
that upon raising up the breech piece on to a level with the barrel and
turning the excentric pin partially round the breech piece is drawn slightly
forward and forced firmly against the rear end of the barrel, the projection on
the latter entering the annular recess in the former, and making a tight and
firm joint.
The piece may be fired from a wall or bank or other rest, and requires no
abutment whatever, as the length and solidity of the breech piece absorbs the
force of the recoil, but I prefer to mount it on a tripod stand furnished with
a swivelling socket to embrace the barrel near the breech end so that the
barrel is capable of being set to any desired angle of elevation and pointed at
List with facility
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Dalziel Dougall in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
DALZIEL DOUGALL, of No. 59, St. James' Street, Westminster, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the 27th year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Dalziel Dougall, Her special license that I, the said James
Dalziel Dougall, executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said James Dalziel Dougall, my executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
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 CAMEL GUNS' AND OTHER LIGHT ARTILLERY, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO PUNT GUNS' OR OTHER HEAVY
FOWLING PIECES OR RIFLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said James Dalziel Dougall, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Dalziel Dougall, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, and on reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say:-
This Invention applies to guns known in warfare as "camel guns" or "wall
pieces," and such other light artillery as can be readily carried from place to
place as required, and fired from a tripod or other stand, or from the top of a
wall or bank, and are principally directed against the enemy's artillerymen,
the object of the Invention being to reuder such pieces capable of being loaded
at the breech, and to prevent the inconvenience and danger arising from the
recoiling of the same, the Invention being also applicable to "punt guns" used
in wild fowl shooting, and to such other heavy fowling pieces or rifles as are
fired from a rest.
In carrying out this Invention, I employ a solid breech piece binged to the
breech end of the barrel, so as to be capable of turning downwards (in order
to allow of charging the chamber which is bored out of the solid breech piece,)
and of afterwards being raise up and secured in a line with the barrel for
firing.
The chamber may either be loaded with shot or shell and powder in a loose

page_text: state, or with a suitable cartridge, and the breech piece may be provided with
a percussion lock and hammer for igniting the charge, or the piece may be
fired in any other convenient manner.
The breech piece is made of solid metal, and sufficiently long to absorb the
force of the recoil. In order to effectually close the joint between the breech
piece and the breech end of the barrel, and prevent the
escape of gas, I fit the
pin on which the breech piece is hinged with an excentric, and provide the
same with a handle or lever at one end (or one at each end), by means
of which it may be turned partially round, and I form an annular recess in
front of the breech piece, and a corresponding projection at the rear end of
the barrel, so that upon raising up the breech piece on to a level with the
barrel, and turning the excentric pin partially round, the breech piece is
drawn slightly forward and forced firmly against the rear end of the barrel,
the projection on the latter entering the annular recess in the former, and
making a tight and firm joint. Instead of the excentric a toothed wheel or
segment may be fixed to the pin and a corresponding rack to the breech piece
to give the requisite locking and unlocking motion.
The piece may be fired from a wall or bank or other rest, and requires no
abutment whatever, as the length and solidity of the breech piece absorbs the
force of the recoil, but I prefer to mount it on a tripod stand furnished with a
swivelling socket to embrace the barrel about the centre, so that the barrel is
capable of being set to any desired angle of elevation, and pointed at any
object with facility. In some cases it may be mounted on a carriage, and
fitted with a screw or rack for elevating the barrel to the angle required.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for ". Improvements
in Camel Guns' and other Light Artillery, which Improvements are also
applicable to Punt Guns' or other Heavy Fowling Pieces or Rifles," I will
now proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be
or may be performed or carried into practical effect; and in order that the
same may be distinctly understood, I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures and
letters of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation
thereof, that is to say:-
"
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of one of my improved camel guns'
fitted on a tripod stand, and Figure 2 is a plan view of the same as seen from
above; these Figures are drawn to a scale of about two inches to a foot.
A, A, is the barrel fitted with swivelling socket B, B, supported on the
tripod C, C, so that any required elevation may be given to the piece at the
same time that it can be pointed laterally in any direction; D, D, is a handle

page_text: fixed on the end of a tightening screw, by means of which the piece is fixed
when adjusted; E, E, is the breech piece, and F, F, the locking lever.
The details of the arrangements of these parts will be best seen in the
enlarged views, Figures 3, 4, and 5, which are drawn about half the actual
size. Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the rear end of the barrel and
breech piece, the latter being shown as depressed, and Figure 4 is a similar view
with the breech piece raised and locked in a line with the barrel; Figure 5 is
an end view of the barrel.
Under the breech end of the barrel A, A, is a tongue a, a, in a recess in
which the excentric b, b, keyed upon the pin c, c, fits, by means of which
latter the breech piece E, E, is hinged to the tongue a, a. The chamber in
which the charge is placed is shown at d, d, and the annular recess in the
breech piece at e, e; f.f, is the projection on the rear end of the barrel which
fits therein; 9, 9, is the lever by means of which the pin c, c, with its
excentric b, b, is turned round.
On referring to Figure 4, it will be seen that upon turning the lever g, I,
over into the position represented by the dotted line h, h, the excentric b, b,
will be turned partly round, which will force the breech piece back into the
position drawn in dotted lines in that Figure; the recess e, e, will then be
clear of the projection f, f, at the same time that the projection i, i, on the
breech piece will be removed from the recess k, k, in the tongue a, a, and the
breech piece will fall down to any desired position or angle, as represented in
Figure 3, when it can be conveniently loaded, and on bringing it up again
into a line with the barrel, and turning the lever g, g, over to the rear, the
breech piece will be locked fast ready for firing. 1, 1, is a pin fixed in the
breach piece, and m, m, a notch cut in the tongue a, a, their working surfaces
being slightly inclined so as to wedge up the breech piece, and bring it into a
perfect line with the barrel before the projection f, f, enters the recess e, e.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
"Improvements in Camel Guns' and other Light Artillery, which improve-
ments are also applicable to Punt Guns' or other Heavy Fowling Pieces or
Rifles," together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I would remark, in conclusion, that
although, for the sake of illustration, I have merely shown one method of
applying my Invention, I do not intend to confine or restrict myself to the
particular form, dimensions, or details shown in the Drawings; but what I
claim as my Invention is, constructing the class of guns herein-before referred
to with a solid hinged breech piece and an excentric locking pin or other
equivalent in connection with an annular projection at the rear end of the

page_text: barrel, and a corresponding recess in the face of the breech piece (or the
reverse) substantially as and for the purposes above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Dalziel Dougall, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
JAMES DALZIEL DOUGALL. (L.S.)