Improvements relating to Range-finding and Sighting Apparatus for Machine and other Guns.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1858
Complete Specification Accepted, 26th Oct. 1883
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Range-finding and Sighting Apparatus
for Machine and other Guns.
We, HARRY ANDREWS, of 25 New Road, Woolwich, in the County of Kent,
Engineer and JOHN ADAMS NORTON, Director and General Agent of the Gardner
Gun, Co., of 49 Curtain Road, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows :-
Our invention is designed to provide machine and other guns with means whereby
long or short ranges may be very accurately ascertained and defined.
For this purpose we employ a range-finding and sighting telescope which is pivoted.
or otherwise suitably secured to the frame or carriage of a gun or cannon, preferably
at one side thereof; and we provide mechanism whereby the said range-finding and
sighting telescope may be turned upon or about its pivot, and thus adjusted to suit
any desired range. This telescope is provided internally with a suitable graduated
scale for indicating the distance of objects, especially infantry and cavalry, from the
gun or cannon.
For sighting purposes, the telescope is provided with crossed wires, or preferably
crossed lines engraved or photographed upon a disc of glass and intersecting each
other in the centre thereof. The said crossed lines may if desired, be engraved or
photographed upon the same surface as the graduated scale of the range finder, the
horizontal line being then used as the base line of the range-finder as well as for
sighting purposes.
Our said invention is conveniently and advantageously carried into practice as
herein described, that is to say-The telescope is fitted at its forward end in an eye,
bearing, or universal joint pivoted or otherwise suitably attached to the gun frame or
carriage, and preferably in such a manner that the centre of the object glass of the
range-finding and sighting telescope is in a straight line with the centre of movement,
or is the centre of movement of the eye, bearing, or universal joint. The telescope is
fitted at its rear end in a bearing formed on, or attached to a segment of a worm-
wheel. This segment is fitted between suitable guides attached to the gun frame or
D

page_text: carriage and is arranged to move in an arc of a circle of which the axis or centre of
movement of the aforesaid pivoted eye, bearing, or universal joint is the centre.
A worm or endless screw fixed on a vertical shaft is geared with the said segment
and is provided with a hand wheel for actuating it in either direction to adjust the
said range-finding and sighting telescope for distance, elevation and depression.
The aforesaid segment is graduated to indicate the range and determine the correct
elevation or angle of fire. To provide for very accurate adjustment of the range-
finding and sighting telescope, we sometimes graduate the upper end of the shaft of
the aforesaid worm and thus form a kind of micrometer dial, scale, or Vernier.
We sometimes provide means for moving the range-finding and sighting telescope
about its forward universal joint, in a horizontal plane. Suitable gear and graduations
being attached to or forming part of the rear bearing and segment for ensuring
accurate lateral adjustment. Thus provision is made for effecting accurate adjust-
ments of the range-finding and sighting telescope for elevation, deflection or drift, so
that the gun or cannon may be made to shoot "dead true."
Suitable means are provided for adjusting the focus of the telescope and at the
same time preventing displacement of the range-finder and cross lines from their
horizontal and vertical positions. The body of the range-finding and sighting
telescope may be protected by an outer tube or casing of steel or other metal
secured to the front and rear bearings and space may be provided for any suitable
packing between the body of the telescope and the said outer tube or casing. The
object-glass may be protected by a steel or metal cap suitably shaped and fitted to the
front bearing.
Any suitable sight or sighting device is employed.
The telescope may be attached to the gun in such a manner as to be readily removable
therefrom and can be used separately therefrom like an ordinary telescope.
According to a modification of our invention we firmly attach the telescope to a
worm-wheel having geared therewith a worm or endless screw for turning it in
either directiou upon or about its axis or universal joint and thus adjusting the said
telescope.
The range finding and sighting telescope may however be otherwise attached to
the gun, or cannon in such a manner that it can be readily adjusted for the purpose
above specified.
Dated this 21st dow of Dasamban 1847
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: telescope A is in a straight line with the centre of movement, or is the centre of
movement of the said ball-and-socket joint. The telescope A is fitted at its rear end
in a block b, the turning of the same in the said block being prevented by means of a
set-screw. The block b is provided with grooves in which fit arms or projections c
formed on, or attached to a worm-wheel segment d. The said worm-wheel segment d
is fitted to slide in an are of a circle in a slot e formed in the bracket B', the centre of
the said are being the centre of the ball-and-socket joint a. A worm or endless screw f
is fixed on a vertical shaft g and geared with the said worm-wheel segment d. The
said shaft is provided with a hand-wheel for turning it in either direction to adjust
the telescope for distance, clevation and depression.
The block is, moreover, free to slide between the arms e and is provided with an
adjusting device similar to that above described, that is to say, the block b is formed
with teeth which are geared with a worm or endless screw fixed on a shaft provided
with a milled wheel c¹. By these means lateral adjustment of the telescope upon or
about the centre of the ball-and-socket joint a may be effected by moving the said
block b in either direction, to allow for drift or deviation of the projectile by the
action of the wind thereon.
The worn-wheel segment d is provided with graduated scales i, as shown in
Figure 2, to determine the correct elevation or angle of fire of the range. In order
to provide for more accurate adjustment of the range-finding and sighting telescope
than is practicable by means of the graduated scales i, we sometimes form on the
upper end of the shaft g a graduated scale j and thus provide a kind of micrometer
dial scale, or we otherwise suitably provide a Vernier scale on the segment. d and
block. The upper arm or projection c is also provided with a graduated scale k
(Figure 2) to facilitate correct lateral adjustment of the block b.
By the means above described, we provide for moving the range-finding and
sighting telescope about its forward. ball-and-socket joint a in vertical and horizontal
planes, and are thus enabled to accurately adjust the telescope for elevation, deflection
or drift, so that the gun or cannon may be made to shoot "dead true."
To facilitate the operation of ascertaining or determining the distance of infantry
or cavalry from the gun, we provide in the telescope graduated scales 1, 1, Figure 6,
the scale being for infantry and the scale for cavalry. We also provide crossed
lines m, m for sighting purposes. The said scales and lines may be engraved
or photographed upon a disc of glass placed in the focus of the eye-piece.
A novel and peculiar feature of this part of our invention is the employment of
the horizontal sighting line m as the base-line of the range-finder or range-finding
scale.
To provide for adjusting the focus of the telescope to suit any desired range, a
screw-threaded sleeve is fitted between collars n¹, n², upon the first tube of the
telescope, so that it is free to turn thereon. The said screw-threaded sleeve fits in a
corresponding female screw-thread in the second tube of the said telescope. Displace-
ment of the range-finding scales 1, Por of the crossed sighting lines m, m', whilst
the sleeve n is being screwed in or out, is prevented by a suitable feather upon the
first tube of the telescope fitting into a corresponding groove or keyway in the
second tube of the same. The telescope is, moreover, protected by an outer tube or
casing p of steel or other metal extending from the ball-and-socket joint a to the
block b, space being left, if desired, for any suitable packing between the body of the
said telescope and the said outer tube or casing p. The object-glass is protected by
a steel or other metal cap q provided with a handle and pivoted at r to the
bracket B.
When it is desired to use the telescope separate from the gun or cannon either
for sighting purposes or as an ordinary telescope, the set-screw is slackened and the
telescope withdrawn from the brackets B, B1 and tube or casing p.
It is obvious that our improved apparatus can be somewhat modified without
departing from the nature of our said invention, for instance, the telescope may be
otherwise attached to the gun in such a manner as to be readily removable therefrom
or adjustable thereon for the purposes above specified. The said telescope may be

page_text: firmly attached to a worm-wheel having geared therewith a worn or endless screw for
turning it in either direction upon or about a universal joint at its forward end, and
thus adjusting the said telescope. Or the said telescope may be provided with any
convenient description of joint instead of the ball-and-socket joint hereinbefore
described, that is to say, may be otherwise arranged to turn upon or about a forward
pivot or universal joint, for vertical or lateral adjustment or both. The range-finding
scale may; if desired, be dispensed with and sighting lines only used in the telescope.
The eye-piece of the telescope or the part to which it is attached is preferably made
so that it will yield and thus prevent injury to the person using the telescope, when the
gun recoils.
our said
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we wish it understood
that we do not claim generally or irrespectively of our improvements herein described
a telescope provided with crossed sighting lines or wires or with range-finding scales
as we are aware that telescopes provided with such devices have been described in the
specifications of former Letters Patent; but we are not aware that a telescope has
heretofore been devised or constructed with such devices arranged in combination with
each other as hereinbefore described. We are also aware that telescope-sights capable
of vertical and horizontal adjustment have been applied to machine or other guns; but
we are not aware that this result has ever been accomplished in the simple and efficient
manner herein before described, and we claim :-
First. A telescope wherein one or more range-finding scales are arranged in
combination with crossed sighting lines or wires, substantially as, and for the purposes,
set forth.
Second. A range-finding and sighting telescope wherein the horizontal sighting line
serves as the base of the range-finder.
Third. The combination, with a machine or other gun, of a range-finding and
sighting telescope which is adjustable upon or about a ball-and-socket or other
universal joint at its forward end, substantially as, and for the purposes, sut
forth.
Fourth. The combination, with a machine or other gun and a telescope pivoted or
jointed thereto at its forward end, of a worm-wheel segment and a worm or endless-
screw for effecting the vertical or the lateral or horizontal adjustment of the said
telescope, (with or without one or more graduated scales), substantially as, and for the
purposes, above specified.
Fifth. The provision of suitable means whereby the focus of the telescope may be
adjusted to suit any desired range without displacing the range-finding scales and
sighting lines or wires, substantially as described.
Sixth. The modification of our invention wherein we provide a micrometer or Vernier
scale on the shaft of the worm or endless screw, substantially as, and for the purpose,
set forth.
Seventh. The improved apparatus consisting of the parts constructed and combined
substantially as described witli reference to the accompanying drawings, for the purposes
above specified.