IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN THE DrozsaMET DO
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Weatherburn Dodds, of the Holmes Engine
and Railway Works, Rotherham, in the County of York, Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN THE
DrozsaMET DO
DE WORD MITRO
Sealed the 15th April 1856, and dated the 15th October 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Weatherburn
.Dodds at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 15th October 1855.
I, THOMAS WEATHERBURN DODDS, of the Holmes Engine and Railway
Works, Rotherham, in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE,
AND IN THE PROJECTILES TO BE USED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
These improvements consist, firstly, in the employment of a small barrel or
ram, formed of cast steel, or of wrought iron cast and afterwards converted
into steel, or any other suitable material (cast steel, however, being preferred),
bored or chambered out so as to receive the charge of powder.
The projectile to be employed is made with a hole or chamber in its base
to fit on the outside of the projector; instead of being placed inside the
projector. The barrel or ram is mounted in a strong wrought-iron socket
provided with trunnions for mounting and adjusting the piece, or a socket and

page_text: trunnions may be forged or cast in one piece with the cylinder or ram.
By these means many advantages are gained, as a much larger projectile
than is ordinarily in use may be employed with a projector of very small
weight, the projectile being thrown a much greater distance by a smaller
amount of powder, & the projector, by having the socket separate from the
cylinder or ram, is exceedingly portable, whilst if one part of the projector
becomes broken or injured the whole is not rendered useless.
Another part of my Invention consists in strengthening cast-iron mortars of
the ordinary construction by inserting a cast steel breech and lining into
them. This breech may be bored or chambered out to receive the charge or
not, as preferred.
The third part of my Invention consists in mounting ordinary. cannons and
mortars by making a cast or wrought iron socket or ring separate from the
barrel, and providing the said socket with suitable.trunnions, so that in the event
of one or both of the trunnions becoming broken (as frequently happens),
a new socket or ring and trunnions may easily be fitted thereto. It is evident
that the use of the ram. or cylinder and the peculiar form of the shot or pro-
jectile are equally applicable to small arms.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Weatherburn Dodds in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th April 1856.
1
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WEATHERBURN DODDS, of the Holmes Engine and Railway Works, Rotherham,
in the County of York, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, 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 Thomas Weatherburn Dodds, Her special license that I; the, said
Thomas Weatherburn Dodds, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others, as' I; the said .Thomas Weatherburn: Dodds, my, executors;
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others;
from time to time and at all times thereaftér 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 FIRE-ARMS..AND ORDNANCE;

page_text: '
AND IN THE PROJECTILES TO BE USED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I; the said Thomas Weatherburn Dodds, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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 Thomas Weatherburn Dodds, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My said Invention consists, firstly, in the employment of a small barrel or
ram, formed of cast steel, or of wrought iron cast and afterwards converted
into steel, or of any other suitable material (cast steel, however, being
preferred), bored or chambered out so as to receive the charge of powder.
According to one arrangement, the projectile to be employed is made with
a hole or chamber in its base to fit on the outside: of the projector, instead
of, being placed entirely inside the same. By another modification, a tail
is formed on the projectile, which tail fits into the bore of the projector,
whilst the main body or head of the projectile, which is made considerably
larger than the bore of the projector, remains outside the same. The
barrel or ram is mounted in a strong wrought-iron socket provided with
trunnions for mounting and adjusting the piece, or a socket and trunnions
may be forged or cast in one piece with the cylinder or ram. By these
means many advantages are gained, since a much larger projectile than
is ordinarily in use may be employed with a projector of very small weight,
the projectile being thrown a much greater distance by: a smaller amount of
powder, whilst the projector, by having the socket or trunnion piece separate
from the cylinder or ram, is exceedingly portable, and should one part of the
projector become broken: or. injured, the. whole is not rendered useless.
Another part of my. Invention consists in strengthening cast-iron mortars
of the ordinary construction by inserting a cast steel breech and lining into
them. This breech may be bored or chambered out to receive the charge or
not, as preferred.
The third part of my. Invention consists in mounting ordinary cannon and
mortars by making a cast or wrought iron socket or ring separate from the
barrel, and providing the said socket with suitable trunnions, so that in
the event of. one. or both of the trunnions, becoming broken (as frequently

page_text: happens), a new socket or ring and trunnions may easily be fitted thereto.
It is evident that the use of the ram or cylinder and the peculiar form of
the shot or projectile are equally applicable to small arms.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a longitudinal section of one arrange-
ment of projector and projectile; Figure 2 is an elevation of the projector
unshotted; Figure 3 is a detached plan of the wrought-iron socket and
index plate for obtaining any required elevation of the projector; and Figure 4
is a front view of the index plate. A is the barrel of the projector, which is
bored out conically to form the powder chamber. A short shank or stem B
is forged or cast on to the breech end of the projector, and is fitted into the
wrought or cast iron socket C, which is made separate from the barrel, and is
fitted or formed with two trunnions D, D, (Fig. 8,) and an index or elevation
plate E. By this mode of forming the socket and trunnions separate and dis-
tinct from the projector, the breaking of the trunnions, which frequently occurs,
can be easily remedied, and the arm rendered fit for service again by simply
detaching its shank or stem B from the broken or damaged socket, and substi-
tuting a perfect one in its place. The exterior of the projector is made
cylindrical, and fits inside the socket or hollow tail or chamber F, F, of the
projectile G, the body of which is in all cases of a considerably larger
diameter than the base of the projector, and may be made either solid or
hollow, and of a round or conical form, as found most desirable.
sa
Figure 5 represents a section of another form of projector, shotted with a solid
spherical ball. In this modification, the powder chamber of the projector A is
bored in a succession of lengths of decreasing diameters towards the breech, as
is clearly shewn in the Drawing, in order to economise powder, by reducing the
powder chamber. The spherical solid shot or projectile G has a hole or chamber
made in its base, to fit over the short cylindrical end or muzzle of the projector,
which, in this arrangement, is tapered externally from the breech to within a
short distance from the muzzle, in order to strengthen the arm at the breech
end, where the greatest force of the explosion occurs. The same result is
obtained in Figure 1 by tapering the powder chamber, or bore towards the
breech. The projector, Figure 5, is represented as composed of wrought iron.
Figure 6 represents a sectional elevation of a similar. projector, with a parallel
bore, composed of cast wrought iron, and having a portion only of the shot or
projectile placed inside the arm. The body of the shot or projectile G.may be
either solid or hollow, and of any desired form, but is formed with a tail F at

page_text: its base, which may be made either solid or hollow, and fits into the interior of
the projector; the chamber or hollow of the tail when so constructed forms a
portion of the powder chamber.
In order to prevent undue windage, the inner end of the tail F may be
packed by placing a ring of lead, greased leather, or other suitable packing round
it, such packing fitting the bore nicely, and facilitating. the use of grooved or
rifled projectors, if it be found desirable to employ projectors of that descrip-
tion. When, however, the tail is made hollow, the packing may be dispensed
with, as the explosion of the powder therein will expand it sufficiently. to fill
the bore and prevent windage. This projector is capable not only of throwing
a tailed projectile with the tail fitted inside the bore, but also of throwing an
external projectile, as shewn at Figure 5.
Figure 7 represents a section of a spherical shell, having a hole or chamber
G' cast or bored in it, to fit over the muzzle of any of the projectors herein-
before described; and Figure 8 is a section of a conical shell with a hole. or.
chamber G' in its base, for the same purpose as that in Figure 7.. Although
I have only shewn the first projector as fitted with the socket or trunnion
piece G, I propose to apply it to both the modifications shown in Figures 5
and 6.
Figure 9 represents a sectional elevation of a mortar, adapted for throwing
a tailed shell or hollow shot, with the tail F placed inside the mortar; and
Figure 10 is a corresponding plan of the same, shewing the trunnions D, D,
which are here represented as being cast in one piece with the mortar, in the
ordinary manner.
Figure 11 represents an elevation of a mortar; and Figure 12 is a
plan of the same, fitted with a separate wrought-iron socket piece C and
trunnions D, D, as described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 5, and 6, a
stem or boss B being forged or cast on to the bottom or base of the mortar
to fit into the ring of the socket.
Figure 13 is a longitudinal section of a mortar fitted with my improved
cast-steel breech piece H; and Figure 14 is a plan of the same; both views
representing the socket or trunnion piece removed. I also apply steel linings
to cannon and mortars, for the purpose of strengthening the same. I propose
also applying a separate wrought or cast iron moveable trunnion piece to
5 ordinary cannon and mortars, so that when one or both of the trunnions
becomes damaged, a new socket or ring and trunnions may be easily fitted
thereto. It will be obvious to the practical man, that the use of the ram or
projector, and the peculiar form of the shot or projectile will be equally appli-
cable to small arms.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or, may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that, I do not confine or restrict
myself, to the precise details or arrangements which I have, had occasion
to:describe; or refer to; as many variations may be made, therefrom, without
deviating from the principles or main features of the said Invention; but what
I consider to be: novel; and; original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part, recited, Letters Patent, is, -
First, the application and use of a cylinder, or ram projector the bore of
which is of smaller, diameter than the diameter of the projectile, as herein-
before, described.
Second, the application and use of projectiles of a larger diameter than that
of the bore of the gun or mortar..
... Third, the fitting of cast-steel or cast-iron, breech pieces and linings to
cannon or mortars of the ordinary construction, or to those of my improved
construction, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, the said Thomas Weatherburn Dodds bath hereunto
"set his hand and seal, the Fourteenth day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six.