IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE."-
A communication from abroad by George Henry Felt, of the
City and State of New York, United States of America.
Scaled the 23rd July 1875, and dated the 18th February 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 18th February 1875.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ORDNANCE," to be as follows: -
This Invention which is applicable both to breech-loading and muzzle-
loading ordnance, relates to a novel construction and application of elastic
breech plug composed of vulcanized rubber or other suitable similar
elastic material combined with wrought iron or steel or other suitable

page_text: .
metal appliances for the purpose of securely closing the breech of a
cannon in the bore thereof, when the same is run entirely through the
cannon, said plug being so constructed, proportioned, and applied in
the bore of the cannon as to have sufficient frictional surface against the
metal surface of the bore of the breech, as to prevent the plug when
properly sorewed up from being blown out of or moved bodily in a
longitudinal direction in the breech when the charge of powder is
exploded therein.
This elastic plug may be adapted to a breech of uniform bore, or to
one the bore of which has varying diameters, the larger diameter being
in rear of the smaller. In adapting the Invention to this latter form of
breech a hollow rod or spindle is provided with a piston at one end
fitting loosely the smaller diameter of bore and faced with a steel disc.
At its opposite end this spindle is furnished with a screw thread to
receive a binding nut. Over this spindle fits another and similar
spindle but shorter in length, and also provided with a binding nut, and
between the pistons or heads of these two spindles an elastic packing is
inserted, the same being composed, say of a cylinder or cylinders of
vulcanized india-rubber. Upon this second spindle in rear of its piston
or head is placed a metal ring or washer of a diameter corresponding to
the larger diameter of the bore, and behind this ring is applied an
elastic cylinder or cylinders of vulcanized india-rubber, and in rear of
this packing a second ring or washer similar to the first is placed.
The breech of the cannon is threaded to receive a screw plug which
fits over the last-mentioned spindle, and forms an abutment for the
elastic plug when subjected to the back pressure resulting from the
explosion of the charge.
In applying the Invention the elastic plug is slipped into place and
the surrounding screw plug in rear thereof is screwed up tight into the
breech. The nuts on the ends of the spindles are then severally screwed
up until the elastic cylinders bind tightly against the bore. The cannon
having been charged (either at the breech or muzzle), the explosion is
effected by the insertion of a primer in the cannon through the bore of
the central spindle.
In some cases it is proposed to omit the screw plug abutment and to
rely solely on the resisting power of the elastic plug. When the bore is
of uniform diameter the plug must correspond therewith.

page_text: The elastic cylinders may conveniently be divided up to receive between
them loose rings or collars.
If thought desirable the bore of the breech may be formed with
annular corrugations which will offer an increased resistance to the back
movement of the elastic plug.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th August 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her
special licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE," being a communication to
me from abroad by George Henry Felt, of the City and State of New
York, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors or admini-
strators, 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.

page_text: .
tudinally in the bore when the plug is properly screwed therein, and
subjected to the explosion of the charge of powder in the cannon.
Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several Figures.
.
A represents the breech portion of a cannon having the bore running
entirely through it; B is a hollow cylindrical metallic spindle with a
screw thread on its rear or outer end, and a piston C on its front or inner
end, said piston fitting loosely in the bore of the cannon, and having a
steel face D; E is a nut engaging with the screw thread on the outer or
rear end of the spindle B; F is a small hole running through the centre
of the spindle B from end to end, through which the charge of powder
is ignited by a primer of any suitable kind; G is a cylindrical hollow
spindle with a screw thread on its rear end for engagement with the
nut L and a piston head H on its front end of the same diameter as the
piston C and face plate D, so as to loosely fit the bore of the cannon.
The spindle G surrounds the spindle B so as to move freely thereon; I is
a metallic ring surrounding the spindle G and fitting against the rear
side of the piston H and against the shoulder J in the bore. In this
form of application of the improvements from the shoulder J to the
extreme rear end of the breech of the cannon, the bore is enlarged and
of an uniform diameter; K is a ring similar to the ring I, surrounding
the spindle G about midway between the shoulder J and the rear end
of the breech, and fitting loosely in the enlarged portion of the bore.
The rings I and K both fit loosely on the spindle G so as to be easily
moved thereon; M is a hollow cylindrical wrought metal plug formed
with an external screw thread, for engagement with an internal thread
in the rear portion of the enlarged bore of the cannon and provided with
an angular head for turning it. The plug M surrounds the spindle G so
as to move freely thereon, and when screwed home its inner end bears
against the rear side of the ring K; N is a groove or recess formed
around the bore in front of the screw threads of the plug M for the
purpose of receiving any dirt which may be in the screw threads, and
may be forced out of the same when the plug is screwed home, thereby
preventing any clogging of the threads. O is a hollow cylinder or
cylinders of vulcanized rubber, or other similar elastic substance
surrounding and fitting closely on the spindle B between the rear side of
the piston C and the front side of the piston H, its exterior diameter
corresponding with the diameter of the bore, so that it may be freely
placed therein. P is a similar rubber cylinder or cylinders similar to O

page_text: surrounding and fitting closely on the spindle G between the rings I
and K, its exterior diameter corresponding with the diameter of the
enlarged portion of the bore, so that it may be freely placed therein.
The cylindrical metal rings R in Figures 3 and 4 are made to slip loosely
over the spindle upon which they are placed, and are designed to divide
the rubber cylinders O and P, shewn in Figures 1 and 2 into two equal
parts for the purpose, when the plug is screwed in the breech, of more
effectually and equally pressing the rubber cylinders firmly in all parts
against the bore of the cannon, to more securely and thoroughly hold
the plug firm in its place when the charge of powder is exploded in
the cannon.
The breech plug when constructed, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2, is
inserted bodily into the chamber or rear end of the breech, until the
screw thread on the plug M engages with the internal threads when
said plug is screwed home, pressing the ring K against the rubber P,
and the ring I against the shoulder J with sufficient force to render the
rubber cylinder P quite compact in the bore of the cannon. When thus
screwed up a further force is applied to compress the cylinder P by
screwing up the nut L to any required degree of tightness, thus drawing
the piston H and ring I away from the shoulder J, and backwards
towards the ring K. The nut E is then screwed up to any required
degree of tightness so as to draw the spindle B with its piston C and face
plate D backwards, compressing the rubber cylinder or cylinders O
between the piston C and H to any required degree of pressure and
compactness against the bore of the cannon.
The charge of powder and shot being inserted in the cannon the
breech plug is pushed in and screwed up as before described, the piece
is then ready to be fired, which is done through the aperture F by means
of any suitable primer. When the charge is fired the nuts are loosened
and the breech plug is easily withdrawn. The gun may then be
recharged, the plug inserted and adjusted as before, and the operations
may thus be repeated indefinitely. Or a cannon thus constructed may
be loaded and fired as a muzzle-loader, without necessarily removing the
breech plug at each firing.
In the form and adaptation of the elastic breech plug to cannon, as
shewn in Figures 3 and 4, the bore in the breech of the cannon is
uniform in diameter from end to end, and the breech plug is uniform in
diameter with the bore of the cannon. The nut M of Figures 1 and 2 it

page_text: will be seen is dispensed with; in Figures 3 and 4 and the holding the
plug in the cannon is effected in this case wholly by the pressure and
tenacious hold of the exterior surfaces of the cylindrical rubber rings O
and P in contact with and hold on the surface of the bore of the cannon
when properly screwed up and compressed therein, and as acted upon
for further compression by the explosion of the charge of powder in the
cannon. The first effect of the explosion is to force back the spindle B
and piston C, and compress the rubber O with a force equal to the
pressure exerted on the piston C, which to that extent acts as an elastic
cushion to receive the first shock of the explosion, and thus lessen the
bursting strain upon the cannon, which force is instantly transmitted by
the piston head H to the rubber cylinder P, further compressing them;
also in the bore of the cannon by the force of the shock of the explosion,
thus jambing all the rubber cylinders into the bore with immense force
to give tenacious hold and pressure laterally on the bore, to hold the
plug firmly in its place and prevent its being blown out, which is the
result that is produced in practical operation and use, as demonstrated
to experts by actual frequent trials.
The cylindrical screw plug M, Figures 1 and 2, is designed simply as
a guard or protection to prevent the plug from being blown out in case
it is not (through accident or mistake) screwed up to the right tension
to hold by the rubber surface alone.
Cannon for forts, siege, navy, or artillery use, or mortars of any of the
usual styles can be altered to suit this system to be used either as breech
or muzzle loaders at a small cost, thus utilizing for the goverment a
large number of cannon otherwise condemned.
The essential part of this Invention is embodied and combined in the
principle of constructing a breech plug of metal appliances and elastic
rubber cylindrical rings of equal diameter, the length of each cylinder
formed, proportioned, and combined substantially as herein described,
so that when it is placed in the bore of a cannon at the breech and
expanded, there will be sufficient surface of rubber in contact with the
bore of the cannon at the pressure at which it acts thereon by being
screwed up therein, and further compressed by the force of the explosion
of the charge of powder to hold the plug firmly in the bore by the
friction of its rubber surfaces without necessarily requiring any other
appliances to effect that object.

page_text: Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements
in Ordnance," as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent
and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to
be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent, I
claim,―
First. The spindle G with piston head H, and nut L in combination
with the rubber cylinder or cylinders P, all combined with the spindle B,
rubber cylinder or cylinders O, nut E, and piston head C, constructed
and operated together with and in the bore of a cannon, substantially as
represented in the Drawings for the purpose herein-before described.
Second. The combination of the spindle G, rings. I and K, screw
plug M, and rubber cylinder P, made and operated together with and in
the rear end of a cannon, having an enlarged bore from the shoulder J,
substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
Third. A cannon made with corrugated surface for contact with the
rubber plug or any portion thereof to aid in holding the same in the
bore, substantially as shewn in Fig. 5.
Fourth. The combination, arrangement, and adaptation of cylindrical
rings made of vulcanized rubber or similar material of any number and
length required, divided by cylindrical metallic rings combined with
metal appliances for screwing up and compressing the rubber rings in
separate sections, to hold the compound plug thus made and adjusted to
the bore in the breech of a cannon from being blown out of the bore
when a charge of powder is exploded therein, substantially as herein
shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of August,.
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-