IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTION OF CANNON AND IN PROJECTILES TO BE USED THEREWITH
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Vincent Wanostrocht, of 90, Great Tower Street,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONSTRUCTION OF CANNON AND IN PROJECTILES TO BE USED THEREWITH."-A
communication.
Sealed the 26th September 1854, and dated the 5th May 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Vincent Wanostrocht at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the .
5th May 1854.
I, VINCENT WANOSTROCHT, of 90, Great Tower Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF CANNON AND IN PROJECTILES TO BE USED THEREWITH" to be
as follows:-
This Invention consists, firstly, in forming a cannon with a double barrel
cast or forged in one piece, having two cylindrical bores for the discharge of
projectiles, which are parallel with each other, and occupy a position side by
side, but they are so arranged as to point in opposite directions, the breech end
of one being at the discharge end of the other; on the under side of the double
barrel a trunnion projects in a downward direction and passes into a sliding
block, which is capable of moving in a right line in a suitable frame; this

page_text: frame is sufficiently long to contain several masses of india-rubber or a series of
powerful spiral springs, which are for the purpose of preventing the recoil of
the cannon from causing any great movement of its bed or carriage. The
frame containing the sliding block has a trunnion projecting from each side of
it, which trunnions are fitted in the usual way to the gun carriage, so that the
gun can be elevated as required by the movement of the frame. The single
trunnion, before described, is placed midway between the two barrels, so that
whenever one of them is discharged, the reactive force on the gun causes it to
turn about half-way round, whereby each end of it is alternately presented for
charging and discharging; so that during the time that the cannon is being
pointed the loading of the other barrel takes place, whereby a continuous fire
may be kept up, each barrel being loaded and discharged alternately.
Secondly, my improvements in projectiles consist in forming a series of
dovetailed grooves on the sides of a cylindrical or partly cylindrical projectile.
Into these grooves are fitted projecting pieces, which fit into the rifle grooves
of the cannon. The bottom of the grooves in the projectile are inclined, so
that the further the pieces are driven into them, the more they project from the
surface of the projectile; by this means it is easily introduced into the gun and
forced home; the explosive force of the gunpowder acting on the ends of the
moveable pieces, before described, will force them forward in their respective
grooves, and cause them to fit closely to the interior of the gun; the same
effect may be produced by the action of the ramrod on the moveable pieces, or
by a combination of the two forces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Vincent Wanostrocht in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th November 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, VINCENT
WANOSTROCIIT, of 90, Great Tower Street, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Vincent Wanostrocht, Her special licence that I, the said Vincent

page_text: Wanostrocht, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Vincent Wanostrocht, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CANNON AND IN PROJECTILES TO BE USED THEREWITH,"
communicated to me from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Vincent Wanostrocht, 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 Vincent Waṇostrocht, do hereby
declare the. nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention consists, firstly, in forming a cannon with a double barrel
cast or forged in one piece, having two cylindrical bores for the discharge of
projectiles, which are parallel with each other, and occupy a position side by
side, but they are so arranged as to point in opposite directions, the breech end
of one being at the discharge end of the other; on the under side of the double
barrel a trunnion projects in a downward direction and passes into a sliding
block, which is capable of moving in a right line in a suitable frame; this
frame is sufficiently long to contain several masses of india-rubber or a series
of powerful spiral springs, which are for the purpose of preventing the recoil of
the cannon from causing any great movement of its bed or carriage. The
frame containing the sliding block has a trunnion projecting from each side of
it, which trunnions are fitted in the usual way to the gun carriage, so that the
gun can be elevated as required by the movement of the frame. The single
trunnion before described is placed midway between the two barrels, so that
whenever one of them is discharged, the reactive force on the gun causes it to
turn about half-way round, whereby each end of it is alternately presented for
charging and discharging; so that during the time that the cannon is being
pointed the loading of the other barrel takes place, and whereby a continuous
fire may be kept up, each barrel being loaded and discharged alternately.
Secondly, these improvements in projectiles consist in forming a series of
dovetailed grooves on the sides of a cylindrical or partly cylindrical projectile.

page_text: Into these grooves are fitted projecting pieces, which fit into the rifle grooves
of the cannon. The bottom of the grooves in the projectile are inclined, so
that the further the pieces are driven into them, the more they project from the
surface of the projectile; by this means it is easily introduced into the and
gun
forced home; the explosive force of the gunpowder acting on the ends of the
moveable pieces, before described, will force them forward in their respective
grooves, and cause them to fit closely to, the interior of the gun; the same
effect may be produced by the action of the ramrod on the moveable pieces, or
by a combination of the two forces.
And in order that the said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
;
-DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a section, and Figure 2 an end view, of the double cannon,
which is by preference cast in one. piece. a, a', are the cylindrical parts of
the two bores; the conical parts b, b', are lodgements for the cartridge, which
rests on the shoulders c, c, c², c¹. d, d, are chambers of expansion, left behind
the cartridge for the expansion of the gases, so as to give time for the complete
combustion of the powder before the ball is projected from the gun. e, el, are
the two vents, so placed as to fire the front part of the cartridge; f is an axis
or trunnion, projecting from the centre of the under part, of the gun, and by
which it is held in the frame, of which Figure 3 is a plan, Figure 4 an under
side view, and Figure 5 à side view. g is a circle or bearing of wrought iron,
from which project two, rods or guides h, which pass through holes in opposite
sides of the wooden frame j. On the rods h, h, are placed alternately metal
plates k, k, &c. and rings of vulcanized india-rubber 1, 1, &c., which absorb
the recoil of the gun. m, m', are two trunnions attached to the frame, by which
gun is elevated and depressed, the horizontal direction being obtained by
turning the axis f in the eye or bearing h. Figure 6 shows a side view, and
Figure 7 a back view, of the gun and frame mounted on the gun carriage. I
would here remark, that in working this gun it is evident that one bore can be
loaded while the other is being pointed, and thus time is saved; and when the
first barrel is discharged it will cause the gun to turn on the centre f, and thus,
bring the second barrel into position. Figure 8 shows an exterior view, and
Figures 9 and 10 show an end view and section, of a cylindrical projectile,
having dovetail grooves formed thereon, according to this Invention. a, a, are
moveable pieces which fit into the dovetail grooves b, b, and into the rifle
the

page_text: grooves formed in the barrel of the gun, the pieces a, a, being introduced into
the deepest end of the grooves at c, which is the end of the projectile presented
to the action of the explosive force. The grooves b, b, are gradually inclined
towards the front end of the projectile, so as to become less and less deep, by
which the pieces a, a, will be caused to project more from the surface of the
projectile the further they are forced along the grooves thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Vincent Wanostrocht, have hereunto set
•
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE.
V. WANOSTROCHT. (L.B.)