APPLIANCES TO BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SIGHTS OF GUNS AND ORDNANCE
Year: 1884

page_text: and Ordnance.
I CHARLES AMBROSE MCEVOY of 18 Adam Street Adelphi in the County of
Middlesex Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
" APPLIANCES TO BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SIGHTS OF GUNS AND
ORDNANCE" (partly communicated to me from abroad by John Simpson Captain in
the Chilian Navy at present residing at Paris in the Republic of France) to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to appliances to be used in connection with the sights of
guns and ordnance.
In order that the fore sight may be clearly seen at night there is mounted upon
the gun close to the sight a small incandescent electric lamp.
The lamp is placed a little to one side of the line of sight and is screened so that
the light cannot be seen directly by the person laying the gun and it is or may be
also screened from the front so as not to be visible to the enemy.
This lamp receives a current from a primary or secondary battery when the
circuit is completed by the depression of a finger key or in like convenient manner.
Or the battery cell or cells may be carried in connection with the gun so that when
the gun is elevated for use the exciting liquid rans into the cell and the current is
generated; whereas when the gun is out of use and its muzzle is depressed the
liquid runs out of the cell, and the current ceases: Thus no waste of the elements
or liquid takes place until the gun is again required.
Or I provide a handle by means of which the battery cell may be changed in
position to cause the exciting liquid to pass into and out of contact with the
elements as required. Or by a handle and suitable connections I can lift the
elements out of the exciting liquid and replace them when required for use.
In place of an incandescent lamp a wire heated by the passage of the current
may be substituted or by other means as by causing an electric discharge to take
place between terminals in a vacuous enclosure a light sufficient for the purpose
may be obtained.

page_text: and Ordnance.
I, CHARLES AMBROSE M'EVOY of 18 Adam Street, Adelphi in the County of
Middlesex, Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(partly communicated to me from abroad by John Simpson, Captain in the Chilian
Navy at present residing at Paris in the Republic of France) and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
.
This Invention relates to appliances to be used in connection with the sights of
guns and ordnance.
In order that the fore sight may be clearly seen at night there is mounted upon
the gun close to the sight a small incandescent electric lamp.
The lamp is placed a little to one side of the line of sight and is screened so that
the light cannot be seen directly by the person laying the gun and it is or may be
also screened from the front so as not to be visible to the enemy.
This lamp receives a current from a primary or secondary battery when the
circuit is completed by the depression of a finger key or in like convenient
manner.
In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cannon mounted in a usual manner on a pivotted
slide and fitted in accordance with my invention.
a is the fore sight, b is a small incandescent lamp placed just to one side of the
line of sight, it is enclosed in a case or screen which allows a ray of light to emerge
and illumine the fore sight, c is a galvanic battery-when the gun is run out for
firing it closes the circuit of this battery and the light of the lamp then shines
on the fore sight although screened from the gunner who lays the gun.
recoil of the gun automatically opens the circuit as will be evident on inspection
of the Drawing.
The
Or the battery cell or cells may be carried in connection with the gun so that
when the gun is elevated for use the exciting liquid runs into the cell and the
current is generated; whereas when the gun is out of use and its muzzle is
depressed the liquid runs out of the cell, and the current ceases. Thus no waste of
the elements or liquid takes place until the gun is again required. Or I provide a
bandle by means of which the battery cell may be changed in position to cause the
exciting liquid to pass into and out of contact with the elements as required. Or
by a handle and suitable connections I can lift the elements out of the exciting
liquid and replace them when required for use.
In place of an incandescent lamp of the ordinary construction a lamp having a
wire heated by the passage of the current may be substituted or by other means as

page_text: by causing an electric discharge to take place between terminals in a vacuous
enclosure a light sufficient for the purpose may be obtained.
Figure 2 shows in plan a Nordenfelt machine gun-it has two fore sights d d
and these are both illumined by rays from the screened incandescent lamp e. f is a
key for turning the battery g on or off.
I would state that since I lodged my patent application I have been made aware
of a prior application N° 9196 in the year 1884 and the specification of this appli-
cation has since been published. I mke no claim to the invention which this
specification embraces by its claiming clauses. On the contrary my invention is
confined exclusively to guns and ordnance which are mounted upon carriages and
does not apply to fire arms.
My invention is further distinguished by the fact that the incandescent lamp
which I mount on the piece of ordnance is not employed by me in such manner as
to form an electric fore sight on the contrary it is placed out of the line of sight
and is screened from the gunner laying the gun. The incandescent lamp in my
arrangement remains itself invisible whilst it casts its ray upon the ordinary fore
sight which it renders so that in my arrangement the same foresight is used by
night and by day.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
(1) Appliances to be used in connection with guns and ordnance whereby the
ordinary fore sight is illumined by a ray from a screened electric lamp substantially
as described.
(2.) In combination with the said appliances the arrangements described for
causing the battery current to cease when the light is not required.
13°
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