IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUC- TION OF CANNON SHOT AND SHELL."TION OF CANNON SHOT AND SHELL
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Heseltine, of Harwich, in the County of
Essex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUC-
TION OF CANNON SHOT AND SHELL."
TION OF CANNON SHOT AND SHELL."
Sealed the 22nd May 1855, and dated the 7th December 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Heseltine at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th December 1854.
I, SAMUEL HESELTINE, of Harwich, in the County of Essex, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF CANNON, SHOT, AND SHELL," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a novel mode of constructing cannon, the
object being to enable cannon effectually to resist the action of large charges
of powder. To this end, I cast the cannon with a cylindrical periphery from
the trunnions to its rear end, and I shrink upon this part of the cast-iron
cannon a tube of wrought iron; and I likewise (when such is required)
shrink on rings of wrought iron to other parts of the cannon.
This Invention relates, secondly, to a mode of reducing the atmospheric
resistance to shots and shells during their propulsion through the air, and of

page_text: guiding them steadily in their flight. This I propose to effect by casting shot
or shells of a conical or oblong form, and of less diameter than the bore of the
gun from which they are to be fired, and bringing them up to the diameter of
the bore by means of ribs, lying parallel to the axis of the shot or shell, or
parallel to one another.
At the rear end of the shot or shell I apply a loose ring, washer, or filling
block, which bears against the hind end of the parallel ribs, and thus permits
of the full impact of the ignited powder upon the shot or shell. This ring,
washer, or block falls from the shot during its flight, and the shot then presents
a reduced diameter to the atmosphere.
The ribs, which form guides for the shot as it passes out of the gun, form
also guides, like the feathers of an arrow, for the shot during its flight. These
ribs may, if required, be slightly inclined, so as to impart a rotary motion to
the shot during its passage through the air. In some cases I propose to
make the shot of nearly the same diameter as the bore of the gun from
which it is to be fired, and to furnish it with guides or ribs at the rear to
steady its flight, as above explained. In this case the amount of resistance
presented by the atmosphere will remain unchanged.
SPECIFICATION n pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Heseltine in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th June 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL,
HESELTINE, of Harwich, in the County of Essex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date, the Seventh day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Samuel Heseltine, Her special license that I, the said Samuel
Heseltine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Samuel Heseltine, 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, SHOT, AND SHELL," upon the condition

page_text: (amongst others) that J, the said Samuel Heseltine, 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 Samuel Heseltine, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, 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 relates, firstly, to a novel mode of constructing cannon, the
object being to enable cannon effectually to resist the action of large charges
of powder. To this end, I cast the cannon with a cylindrical periphery, and I
shrink upon the greater portion of the cast-iron cylinder a tubular covering of
wrought iron, as shewn in the accompanying Drawing at Figures 1 and 2;
the former of which is a longitudinal section of my improved cannon, and the
latter a cross section, taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1. a, a, is the cast-iron
portion of the cannon; and b, c, d, and e are wrought-iron rings or tubes,
shrunk upon the cast iron to impart strength to the cannon. It will be seen
that the lateral strain, which is the chief strain upon the cannon during the
discharge thereof, will be resisted by the wrought iron, while the longitudinal
strain will be taken by the cast-iron cylinder a.
The trunnions c, c, are
forged in one piece with the ring or tube c. The advantages pertaining to
this peculiar construction of cannon are, first, that the strength or tenacity of
wrought iron will be imparted to the cannon without the defects that are likely
to arise from using a large mass of forged metal, as the forged rings or tubes
are in this instance of manageable thickness; and, second, the rigidity of the
cast iron will prevent the wrought metal from taking up, by reason of any
inequality in its resisting power, a permanent deformity, which would render
the cannon unserviceable.
This Invention relates, secondly, to a mode of reducing the atmospheric
resistance to shots and shells during their propulsion through the air. This
object I effect in the following manner:-I cast the body of the shots or shells
of an oval or oblong form, to obtain with a minimum diameter of body a
determinate weight of shot or capacity of shell, and on the body of the shot
or shell I form ribs, which lie parallel to the axis of the shot or shell, or
parallel to one another, for the purpose of increasing its diameter, and rendering
it suitable for being used in connection with that calibre of gun for which
its weight would render it suitable. At the rear end of the shot or shell I.

page_text: apply a loose ring, washer, or filling block, which bears against the hind end of
the parallel ribs, and will thus permit of the full force due to the amount of
powder employed being exerted upon the shot or shell. This ring, washer, or
block will, however, fall from the shot during its flight, and the shot will then
present a reduced diameter to the atmosphere.
Fig. 3 shews in side view a hollow oval shot cast with raised ribs or
feathers, according to the second part of my Invention; Fig. 4 is a cross
section; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the same, with a metal ring
and filling block attached thereto; Figs. 6 shew these parts detached. a, a,
is the body of the shot; and b, b, are the ribs, which lie parallel to the axis of
the shot, and serve to guide it and give it steadiness in its flight. A rebate is
made in the hinder part of the shot, against which the loose metal ring c is
placed. In the rear of this ring c, fitting like a cap upon the rear end of the
shot, is the filling piece d, which is made of wood, and provided at its forward
edge with a rebate for receiving a ring of hemp packing e. When, by the
expansive force of the ignited charge of powder, the filling piece d is pressed
into contact with the loose ring c, the packing e will be compressed, and it will
thus be caused to bind against the inner periphery of the cannon from
which the shot is being discharged, and thereby to a great extent prevent
windage.
Fig. 7 shews in side view, and Fig. 8 in cross section, and Fig. 9 in
longitudinal section, the Invention as applied to a hollow cylindrical shot with
a pointed end. In this example, the ribs b, for enlarging the sectional area of
the shot to a diameter corresponding to the gun from which it is intended to
be fired, are set slightly on the incline, or out of the line of the axis of the
shot, but parallel to each other; this is for the purpose of imparting an axial
motion to the shot during its flight. To prevent windage between the ribs, a
loose filling ring c, Fig. 9*, as in the former instance, is employed, the inner
periphery of the ring being made conical, to fit against a conical projection on
the rear end of the shot, but not so tight as to prevent it from falling away
from the shot soon after it has left the cannon.
Figures 10 shew a mode of applying the loose filling piece to an oval shot,
which is provided with ribs in its rear for steadying the flight of the shot.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
the Construction of Cannon, Shot, and Shell," 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,―
The manufacture of cannon by the combination of cast and wrought
metal, as above described.

page_text: Secondly, the mode of reducing the atmospheric resistance to shots and
shells during their flight through the air, as described.
And, thirdly, the use of loose rings or filling pieces, or their equivalent, for
ensuring the proper propulsive action of the ignited powder upon the shots
or shells to which they are applied.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Heseltine, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
SAM. HESELTINE. (L.S.)