IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO GUN CARRIAGES AND PLATFORMS OR SLIDES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, of Lewisham, in
the County of Kent, Commander in the Royal Navy, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO GUN CARRIAGES AND PLATFORMS OR
SLIDES."
Sealed the 12th February 1867, and dated the 11th September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Anthony Edwards
Scott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,.
on the 11th September 1866.
I, ROBERT ANTHONY EDWARDS SCOTT, of Lewisham, in the County of Kent,
Commander in the Royal Navy, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO GUN CARRIAGES AND PLATFORMS OR
SLIDES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in placing baulks of wood or plates along the sides
of platforms or slides instead of along the centre, as at present, thereby leaving
the central part clear for the other appliances required to work the gun. By
this arrangement the frictional surfaces acted upon by the plates and arms,
levers, or other appliances suspended from the carriage may be increased to
any extent that is requisite for checking the gun's recoil with certainty
and ease.
Another improvement relates to the adaptation of a novel form of com-
pressor or apparatus which is brought into action by the recoil of the gun,
and which will to a certain extent counteract such recoil. The baulks,
plates, or wood along the sides of the slides or platforms are to have wedge-

page_text: shaped ends towards the front, and compression will result from the plates
and arms, levers, or other appliances suspended from the carriage running
into and along the inclined planes or wedge-shaped ends immediately after the
discharge of the gun, and thereby becoming tightened. A convenient mode
of adapting the compressor consists in the use of a right and left-handed screw
working in nuts fitted to the upper ends of the compressor levers. The nut
on the outside of the carriage is used for regulating the amount of compression
required, and a lever on the inner end of the screw connects it with a rocking
shaft on the bottom plate. One end of the rocking shaft projects out of the
carriage and carries a socket for a lever, while the other end works the clutch
in connection with the endless chain or other running in and out gear. A
further rod may be used to connect the rocking shaft with the lever of the
rear excentric roller, so as to cause the various operations of tightening and
slacking the compressor, of clutching and releasing the chain or other
running in and out gear, and raising the carriage on its rollers and lowering
it off them to take place simultaneously, thereby obviating the danger of
either of these operations being forgotten.
The Invention further consists in adapting the endless chain or other
running in and out gear to the centre of the slide to which alone it is to be
suspended or fixed. By this means only a single endless chain and set of gear
will be required.
The Invention further relates to a plan of reducing the jar or shook to
which metal gun carriages are exposed at every explosion of the charge. This
reduction of shock is effected by placing wood under the trunnions of the gun,
either for the brass or other bearings to rest upon or else for the trunnions
"themselves to rest upon without the interposition of metal or other bearings.
The wood is to be confined between two metal projections or supports from
the carriage, so as to prevent it from splitting.
Another improvement consists in interposing wood between the metal slide
and its front or rear rollers or other parts which rest upon the deck or upon
'racers. By these means the shock of the explosion will be greatly reduced
or counteracted, and thereby sudden and violent strains upon the deck or
framing of the ship will be prevented.
Although I have described the Invention as adapted to ship's guns, it will
be evident that it may with advantage be applied to the gun carriages or
platforms of floating or other batteries or land fortifications.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
ANTHONY EDWARDS SCOTT, of Lewisham, in the County of Kent, Commander
in the Royal Navy, send greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of September, in the year of our Lord,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, Her special licence that I, the
said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Anthony Edwards Sc.itt,
my executors,, administrators, and assigns, should at any time ngree 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 APPLICABLE TO
GUN CARRIAGES AND PLATFORMS OR SLIDES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, my executors or
administrators, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, 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 Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention consists in placing baulks of wood or iron plates along the
sides of platforms or slides instead of along the centre, as at present, thereby
leaving the central part clear for the other appliances required to work the gun.
By this arrangement the frictional surfaces acted upon by the plates and arms,
levers, or other appliances of the compressor suspended from the carriage may
be increased to any extent that is requisite for checking the gun's recoil with
certainty and ease.

page_text: Another improvement relates to the adaptation of a self-acting compressor
or apparatus which is brought into action by the recoil of the gun. The
baulks or plates of wood along the sides of the slides or platforms are to have
wedge-shaped ends towards the front, and compression will result from the
plates and arms, levers, or other appliances suspended from the carriage
running into and along the inclined planes or wedge-shaped ends and
becoming tightened immediately after the discharge of the gun.
A convenient mode of adapting the compressor consists in the use of a
right and left handed screw working in uuts fitted to the upper ends of the
compressor levers. The nut on the outside of the carriage is used for regu-
lating the amount of compression required, and a lever on the inner end of
the screw connects it with a shaft; one end of the shaft projects out of the
carriage and carries a socket for a lever, while the other end works the clutch
in connection with the endless chain or other running in and out gear. A
further rod may be used to connect the sbaft with the lever or lever socket of
the rear excentric roller, so as to cause the various operations of tightening
and slackening the compression, of clutching and releasing the chain or other
running in and out gear, and raising the carriage on its rollers and lowering
it off them to take place simultaneously, thereby obviating the danger of
either of these operations being forgotten.
The Invention further consists in adapting the endless chain or other
running in and out gear to the centre of the slide to which alone it is to be
suspended or fixed; by this means only a single endless chain and set of gear
will be required.
The Invention further relates to a plan of reducing the jar or shock to
which metal gun carriages are exposed at every explosion of the charge.
This reduction of shock is effected by placing wood under the trunnions of the
gun, either for the brass or other bearings to rest upon or else for the trunnion
itself to rest upon without the interposition of metal or other bearings. The
wood is confined between two metal projections or supports from the carriage,
so as to prevent it from splitting.
Another improvement consists in interposing wood between the metal slide
and its front or rear rollers or other parts which rest upon the deck or upon
racers. By these means the shock of the explosion will be greatly reduced
or counteracted, and thereby sudden and violent strains upon the deck or
framing of the ship will be prevented.
Although I have described the Invention as adapted to ships' guns it will
be evident that it may with advantage be applied to floating or other batteries
or land fortifications.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is à sectional elevation of part of a
gun carriage and slide with my improved compressor, with other of my
improvements adapted thereto; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of one of the
side baulks; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of the gun carriage and
slide, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same.
The compressor is composed of two plates b, b, which are hinged to the
lower extremities of the levers a, a, and hang down on each side of the
long side baulks A. There is an inside plate c which is slotted, so as to
hang freely from and be supported by the bottom plate of the carriage, as
shewn in Fig. 1. The levers a, a, turn on the centre bolts y, y, which also
connect them securely to the brackets; motion is imparted to the levers a by
a right and left handed screw t (Fig. 8) which passes through holes in the
brackets; on the outside end of the screw t a circular nut p and plate r cast
in one piece are placed, as shown in Figures 4 and 5; the former is slotted so
as to rest between two projections of the lever head, and the latter is per-
forated with holes round its outer part, as shewn in Fig. 4, so as to enable it
to be keyed in any position to the lever a, as shewn; this constitutes the
adjusting part of the arrangement.. The inside end of the screw t is attached,
to one extremity of the lever, Fig. 1, the other end of which is secured to
the rod e, thus connecting it with the lever q which works the chain clutch f,
Figures 1 and 3; another rod o completes the connection of the compressor,.
chain clutch, and rear excentric roller pl. To the side of the slide, either.
inside or outside, or both, baulks of wood or metal d, or a combination of the
two, are attached, baving a free lateral motion, but firmly held longitudinally;
the sides of the slide are filled in with wood, and a sufficient taper is given to
the whole or any one of the foregoing parts to ensure perfect freedom in the
motion of the carriage compressor plates b, b, when the gun is run out, and,
yet ensure sufficient compression on recoil. The running in and out chain x.
is placed in the centre of the slide, as shewn in Figures 1 and 3, and may be.
worked at the rear as at present. On the under side of the bottom plate g
the fixed part g' of the clutch is attached (Figures 1 and 8), and immediately.
under it is the moveable part f; the extremities of the moveable piece fare
connected by means of the rods k, k, Fig. 3, with the crank and shaft i and h,
whicb, as before stated, is connected with the lever q, Fig. 1. The rear
excentric roller p' is worked by the ordinary excentric and socket p², Fig. 1,
which socket is connected by the rod o with the chain clutch and compressor
lever q. An auxiliary means of working the whole is provided at the outer
extremity of the shaft h, to which is attached a socket 4, Figures 3 and 4,
and a loose cam m acting with a stop joint in connection with the socket so as

page_text: to throw it out of action by striking the fixed stop n when the carriage is
run out.
The action of the compressor is as follows:-The carriage having been run
out and off its rollers the compressor plates hang freely between and on both
sides of the baulks, as shewn in Fig. 2. The moment the gun recoils the
compressors run up the inclines 1, 1, Fig. 2, and become jammed, and thus
retard the recoil of the gun. In order to run the gun out again the ends of
the levers are placed in the sockets p2 and 1, or in either of them, for the
purpose of forcing them down, by which means the rear excentric rollers are
brought into action and the chain will be clutched by the parts f and g'.
The compressor b, b, will be released through the action of the rear roller
excentrics before the carriage is raised. The combination of the levers acting
on the rear roller excentrics as well as the clutch crank shaft and the com-
pressor screw will make these operations simultaneous. The compressor
screw t acts on the compressor levers a, a, through the nuts in their upper
extremities, the outer nuts p being, as before stated, circular, but the inner
nuts are square to prevent them from turning. When the gun has been
run out the levers or bars which have been.shifted in the sockets are thrown.
upwards; by this means the rollers go out of action, the chain is released,
and the compressor screw is turned so as to bring the plates b, b, nearer
together and ready for the discharge of the gun. Should the compression be
insufficient the key s should be removed and the disc r turned a point or two
in the direction required, and the key replaced; if the compression is too.
great the same operation may be performed in the opposite direction.
The next improvement relates to the use of wood or other suitable material
as a buffer to absorb the first violence of the recoil, to which end the bracket
carrying the gun should be so formed as to admit of a cushion or bearing v,
Fig. 4, being placed so as to rest between the side plates and on the main
framework so as to receive the trunnions of the gun, which should rest in
this cushion, either with or without plates of metal intervening. As a modi-
fication of this wood may be placed under the ordinary metal bearings for the
purpose of deadening the shock of the explosion. Wood may also be placed
under the transom or that portion of the slide which rests upon rollers or
blocks; by this means the shock occasioned by the discharge of the gun will
be deadened or counteracted.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements applicable to Gun
Carriages and Platforms or Slides," and having explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent
as aforesaid.—

page_text: First, arranging the side baulks in the manner and for the purpose herein
set forth.
Second, I claim the self-acting compressor herein shewn and described.
Third, I claim adapting the endless chain or running in and out gear to
the centre of the slide, as shewn.
Fourth, I claim placing wood under the trunnions or bearings of the gun,
and also between the metal slide and the other parts which rest upon the
deck, for the purpose of counteracting or deadening the shock occasioned by
the discharge of the gun.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Eleventh day of Marcb, in tho
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
DART AT SCOT