IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANNON
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Coope Haddan, of Cannon Row, in the City
of Westminster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF CANNON."
Sealed the 1st February 1856, and dated the 14th August 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Coope Haddan at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th August 1855.
I, JOHN COOPE HADDAN, of Cannon Row, in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANNON " to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in lining the interior of old and of new cannon
with tubes, formed externally to fit the cannon, and internally with a rifled or
other bore, such tubes being either in .one piece, or in two or more pieces,
either longitudinally or transversely, or both.
The manner in which I believe this part of my Invention may be best per-
formed is to bore or plane out the interior of the body of the cannon of a
cylindrical or slightly tapering circular form, and to turn or plane the exterior
of the tubular lining to be inserted, which may be of wrought iron, or steel, or
brass, or gun metal, to a corresponding shape so that it may fit tightly withiu
the body of the cannon when it is heated and the lining is cool, and so that

page_text: I
the body of the cannon may shrink upon and hold the lining securely. And I
propose to keep the lining from becoming heated by filling it with cold water,
and causing a continuous current or change of the water if necessary.
intend that the interior of the lining should be bored, planed, or otherwise
shaped to the rifled or other form required previously to insertion in the body
of the cannon, and finished afterwards if necessary; but it may be executed
entirely after the lining is inserted, if it should be preferred. The lining may
also be further secured by tinning, brazing, or soldering, if preferred.
My Invention consists, secondly, in manufacturing or adapting cannon with
Y or other fittings to receive removeable telescopes or sighting tubes, with
cross wires or other arrangements for centering correctly, so that the said
telescopes or sighting tubes may be removed immediately before firing.
The manner in which I believe this part of my Invention may be best per-
formed is by fixing upon the exterior of the cannon, fittings similar to those in
use for holding the telescope of an ordinary Y level or theodolite, omitting the
straps which fix it down, but these may be used if it should be desired. It is
to be understood, however, that I purpose making such fittings in much stouter
form than on a level or theodolite.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Coope Haddan in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th February 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
COOPE HADDAN, of Cannon Row, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Coope Haddan, Her special licence that I, the said John
Coope Haddan, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Coope Haddan, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CANNON," upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that I, the said John Coope Haddan, 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 John Coope Haddan, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention consists, firstly, in lining the interior of old and of new
cannon with tubes, formed externally to fit the cannon, and internally with a
rifled or other bore, such tubes being either in one piece, or in two or more
pieces, either longitudinally or transversely, or both, and inserted or applied
after the body of the cannon has been cast.
One method of performing this part of my Invention is to bore or plane out
the interior of the body of the cannon of a cylindrical or slightly tapering
circular form, and to turn or plane the exterior of the tubular lining to be
inserted, which may be of wrought iron, or steel, or brass, or gun metal, to a
corresponding shape, so that it may fit tightly within the body of the cannon
when it is heated and the lining is cool, and so that the body of the cannon
may shrink upon and hold the lining securely. And in order to effect this
object the more satisfactorily, the lining may be kept from becoming heated by
filling it with cold water, and causing a continuous current or change of the
water if necessary.
The Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings explain an arrange-
ment for the purpose which will be found convenient; a representing the
lining, and 6 a tube supported within it, through which I keep up a constant
and copious supply of cold water, which passes away around such tube, and
between it and the lining, as denoted by the arrows. In order to aford a con-
venient exit for the water in the manner shewn, the lining should be somewhat
longer than the cannon, and, after the shrinking-on process, should be cut off
even with the muzzle. When this has been done, the lining may be still
further secured by screwing a few short screwed steel pins endways into the
muzzle, so as to cut half into the lining and half into the surrounding ring or
body of the cannon, as shewn at the Figure 3. This will counteract any ten-
dency of the lining to slip or turn round if not held in so tightly as might be
desired, while a longitudinal slip may be best prevented by making the lining
(externally) and the opening in the cannon of a tapering form, as above

page_text: mentioned, instead of cylindrical or uniform throughout the length, the largest
end being at the muzzle, so that the tendency of the firing will be to keep the
lining home in its place when the breech end of the lining is closed, as shewn
in the sectional views, Figures 4 and 5; the former Figure representing the
cast iron of the cannon solidly up to and against the closed end of the lining,
and the latter Figure representing the lining passing completely through the
cast iron.
When the lining is open at the breach end, whether it forms a
powder chamber, as shewn in the sectional view, Figure 6, or does not form
such chamber, but simply a passage for the ball, as shewn in the sectional
view, Figure 7, in either case any tendency to slip may be guarded against by
the lining being provided with a flange at the muzzle, screwed to the body
of the cannon, within a countersunk recess, as shewn in these Figures, and
in the end view, Figure 8. A similar plan may be adopted, if preferred, when
the breech end of the lining is closed. And instead of the external transverse
sectional form of the lining being circular; it may be elliptical, or formed with
swellings or curves, as shewn in the transverse sections, Figures 9 and 10
respectively, the body of the cannon being made to correspond, and in these
cases also a flange at the muzzle may be used with advantage.
In addition to the foregoing means of preventing any possible slip, a nut or
nuts screwed upon one end of the lining, or upon a tapering plug or bolt
passing through it, may be used in certain of the above cases, and either in
combination with such means, or any of them, or otherwise.
Figure 12 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 13 a (breech) end view, of
a cannon in which the lining is tapered externally, and inserted from the
muzzle (as before), and, passing completely through the breech, is held firmly
in its seat by means of the nut f, which is screwed on to the breech end of the
lining, and bears against the body of the cannon. Figure 14 is a longitudinal
section, and Figure 15 a (muzzle) end view, of a cannon, in further illustration
of this plan; the lining in this case being tapered externally (as before), but in
the reverse direction, requires to be inserted from the breech end, and is held
firmly in its seat by means of the nut f, which is screwed on to the muzzle end.
of the lining, and bears against the body of the cannon, either as shewn, or
within a countersunk recess. Figure 16 is a longitudinal section, illustrating
a modification of the case, exhibited at Figure 12, the solid end of the lining
there shewn being replaced by a tapering plug passing through a corresponding
hole in such lining (at the breech end), and terminating in a screw, on which
a nut and also an additional outside nut g fit, to hold the lining securely in
its seat. A tapering plug with a nut upon it may be used not only where the
lining passes completely through the breech end, as represented, but also in

page_text: cases where the lining does not extend so far, the hole through the casting at
the breech end being only sufficiently large for the reception of the plug
instead of the lining. In all cases where nuts are employed, it is intended that
they should be screwed on before the body of the cannon has completely
cooled in the shrinking-on process, and afterwards should be caulked down
or otherwise suitably fixed to prevent their becoming unscrewed. Tinning,
brazing, or soldering may also be employed in combination with any of the
plans or modifications of construction above described.
Another method of performing this part of my Invention is to screw in the
lining into the body of the cannon. The several means of fixing the lining
above described may be employed in pursuance of this method, so far as the
same are applicable hereto. The screwed surface of the lining need not.
extend along its whole, length, though it is preferred that it should do so.
When the lining is cylindrical in its interior, it should be made sufficiently
long to afford the requisite hold from the outside for turning it, and should
afterwards be cut off.
I consider that the substance. of the linings to be inserted within cannon
constructed in accordance with either of the methods above described should
be about one-eighth of their external diameter. Several modes in which I
manufacture such linings, and also a mode of giving to them the desired rifled
grooved or other bore, and which it is to be understood may be effected either
previously to or after the lining has been inserted and fixed in the body of
the cannon, or partly before and partly after it has been so inserted and fixed,)
are identical with those described and referred to in the Specification of a
former recent Invention of "Improvements in the manufacture of rifled and
other cannon," in accordance with which the lining (therein called the tube,
has the body of the cannon cast on to or around it, such Specification having
been filed in pursuance of Letters Patent granted to me, bearing date the
Eighth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five (No. 1795).
I construct the touch-holes for firing my improved cannon either in the
ordinary manner, as shewn in the Figures 7, 12, and 16, or, obliquely, and
opening to the centre of the back end of the powder chamber, as shewn in
Figures 4, 5, and 6, so as to leave the passage clear even in the event of any
shifting of the lining.
My Invention consists, secondly, in manufacturing or adapting cannon with
Yor other fittings to receive removeable telescopes or sighting tubes, with
cross wires or other arrangements for centering correctly, so that the said
telescopes or sighting tubes may be removed immediately before firing.
The manner in which this part of my Invention is to be performed is by

page_text: fixing upon the exterior of the cannon, fittings similar to those in use for
holding the telescope of an ordinary Y level or theodilite, omitting the straps
which fix it down, but these may be used if it should be desired. I make
such fittings, however, much stouter than on a level or theodolite, and in
some cases I cast them on to and in one piece with the body of the cannon;
but I much prefer to adapt or fix them thereto by means of stout rings or
clips encircling the body, and which may be formed of gun metal or wrought
iron, in two or more pieces screwed together, whereby all occasion for screwing
or making any hole in the body of the cannon is dispensed with. The rings,
of which a pair are to be employed, each carry one of the Y pieces fixed to or
formed upon them; and the Y picces, whether so fixed or formed, or whether
cast upon the body of the cannon itself, as before mentioned, may be situated
either directly over the top of the cannon and near to the breech, or in any
other convenient position.
The Figures delineated are drawn to a scale of about one-tenth of the actual
dimensions.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Coope Haddan, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six.