of NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS APPLICABLE FOR THE POINTING AND FIRING OF GUNS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, of Kensington, Middlesex for an
Invention of NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS APPLICABLE FOR THE POINTING
AND FIRING OF GUNS a communication to him from abroad by Amédée Bouilly,
of Saumur, France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert John Haddan at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th February 1883.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of Kensington, Middlesex, "NEW OR IMPROVED
APPARATUS APPLICABLE FOR THE POINTING AND FIRING OF GUNS," a communication
to me from abroad by Amédée Bouilly, of Saumur, France,
The apparatus constituting this invention comprises a bent glass tube attached
to the gun barrel near one of the trunnions, the front portion of the tube being
horizontal and filled with mercury, while the rear portion is bent upward and
contains a graduated scale. The space above the mercury is a vacuum.
A dial is attached to the rear portion of the gun barrel and connected with the
graduation of the mercury tube by metal wires. The hand of the dial is connected
with a battery and may be placed over any desired division of the dial, thereby
allowing the current to flow to the corresponding division of the mercury tube, the
horizontal part of which is connected with the other pole of the battery. The wire
leading from the pointer of the dial to the battery passes also to the fuze of the
gun. The gun is normally placed horizontal.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Herbert John Haddan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th August 1883.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of Kensington, Middlesex, "NEW OR IMPROVED
APPARATUS APPLICABLE FOR THE POINTING AND FIRING OF GUNS," a communication
to me from abroad by Amedée Bouilly, of Saumur, France.
This invention relates chiefly, to apparatus for automatically firing a gun as soon
as it has been placed at the desired angle. In describing the invention reference
will be had to the accompanying drawing, of which:
Fig. 1. illustrates the arrangement of the whole apparatus,
Fig. 2. a cross section of the disc e,
Fig. 3. a cross section of the tube a b c showing also the arrangement of the
contact points,
Fig. 4. a tube for fire arms of small calibre,
represents the axis of the gun placed horizontally,
the position of the gun after it has passed all the angles of aiming,
abc the tube of gutta percha, hardened and bent up at its rear end a b, and
filled at the lower end b c with mercury, while the upper part contains a vacuum.
d Contact point always covered with mercury and constantly connected with
one of the poles of the electric apparatus h.
1, 2, 3, Series of contact points in the tube, and successively covered with
mercury, if the gun is raised for pointing; these contact points are connected with
as many insulated points 1, 2, 3 . of the dial or disc c. Every point of this dial
is put in contact, when desired, with the handle. f, which is connected with the
pile h by a wire passing through a fuze, introduced into the gun for the purpose of
producing the ignition by means of an electric spark.
The dial e is chiefly inade of hard guttapercha and provided with metallic
plates each of which has a hole adapted to receive a pin fixed in the handle f
This handle rotates in the central hole of the dial, which hole has a metallic
collar connected by a wire with the pile h. For large cannons the tube a b c is
entirely of iron with great thickness of metal. The wall is perforated with
cylindrical holes to produce contact points for the conducting wires; the holes are
tapped at k, Fig. 3, for the reception of a screw plug. At the hole has the shape
of a truncated cone to admit an ivory piece m and a piece of hard cautchouc 7.
For lighter cannons the part of the tube provided with the contact points
contains alternate discs of wrought iron o and of cast iron n (Fig 4) The wrought
iron discs o carry the conducting wires. The discs are covered with paste of sêvre'
biscuit (pâte de biscuit de Sèvres) and are afterwards baked in suitable ovens.
CLAIM
The mercury tube rigidly attached to the gun-barrel and shaped and arranged so
as to establish a fixed relation between the height of the mercury-column and the
ungle at which the gun barrel is placed, and the utilization of the said mercury-
tube, by means of apparatus, substantially as described and illustrated.
In Witness whereof, I, the said Herbert John Haddan, have hereunto set my