Improvements in the Construction of Ordnance and the Method of Loading the same.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July, 1889-Accepted, 14th Dec., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Ordnance and the Method of
Loading the same.
I, LOUIS GATHMANN of Corner Lake and Peoria Streets, Chicago, in the County of
Cook, and State of Illinois, one of the United States of America, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this 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 accompanying drawings and to the letters of
reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification
This invention relates to an improved device of constructing a cannon and of loading
the same, with the object in view of breaking and reducing the first violent shock of
concussion with the discharging of the gun, and of a slowly starting and gradually
accelerating propulsion of the projectile, so that quick explosives, such as nitro
glycerine, gun cotton, etc., may he employed with safety for charging the projectiles,
and it consists in interposing between the powder chamber and projectile, a body of
atmospheric air or other gases compressed and retained in suitable shells or cases,
which, with firing the cannon, will be first further compressed and thereby a slow
starting movement will be imparted to the projectile before the energy of the exploded
powder will be brought into full action.
The second improvement in this class of ordnance, consists of an obstructing ring
inserted between the powder chamber and the barrel of the cannon, thereby reducing
the size of the escape opening of the gases from the powder, the object being not to
allow the full pressure of the exploded powder to act all at once upon the projectile for
reducing the first shock or force, but to provide a gradual increase of the propelling
force, which also insures the safety of firing projectiles filled with quick explosives,
all as will be hereinafter more fully described and specifically claimed.
In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section through
the centre of a cannon embodying my improvements and loaded according to my
device, and with a cylindrical projectile, and Figure 2 represents a similar section of
part of the gun as loaded with a propeller winged torpedo.
Corresponding letters in the several figures of the drawings designate like parts.
A denotes the powder chamber, which is bored of larger diameter than the
barrel B to provide a shoulder a, is a ring, either made of a material that will
be partly destroyed by the discharge of the powder, such as paper-pulp for example,
or which will partly burn away, and thereby gradually increase the opening for
the discharge of the powder gases, such ring C being replaced by a new one with
each firing of the gun, but such ring C may also be made of metal, in which
case however, the openings therein must not be proportionally quite so small to
provide less obstruction for the escape of the powder gases. This ring C will
retard the force of the powder to spend its force more gradually upon the projectile.
D and E are two inetal sabots, cup-shaped at both sides, so as to be expanded by
the concussion of the powder for making air tight joints and thereby preventing the
escape of gases past such sabots. These cup shaped sabots D and E, I preferably fill
with paper pulp or asbestos for cushioning their ends, and between these two sabots, I
place a series of light ball shaped shells F, each filled with compressed air or gases,
and each provided with a small guage f, that will indicate the pressure of the air
therein, and G is the projectile, which may be a shell of any usual construction to be
filled with a quick explosive powder and with a time or concussion fuse.
With discharging the gun by igniting the powder in chamber A, the escape of the
gases of same through the opening in ring C, will first advance sabot D towards
sabot E, thereby compressing the shells F and the air or gases therein one upon the
other, thus providing an elastic cushion that will start the movement of sabot E and

page_text: of projectile G slowly, and then, as the air or gases imprisoned between sabots D and
E are compressed gradually to the same density as the gases of the exploded powder,
it will gradually increase the speed of the projectile, thus obviating heavy and sudden
concussions that are liable to bring about an explosion of quick explosives contained
in the projectile.
In place of a shell G, a torpedo H, having spiral wings to its tail end, may be thus
loaded into a cannon (as shown by figure 2) and fired.
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. The combination with a cannon. having a powder chamber larger in diameter
than the bore of the barrel, of a ring shouldering against the off-set at the front end of
said powder chamber, and having an opening smaller than the bore of the cannon,
substantially as set forth.
2. In a cannon, shells filled with compressed air and interposed between the powder
chamber and the projectile, substantially as set forth, for the purpose specified.
3. In a cannon, one or more shells filled with compressed air or gases, and interposed
between two sabots intermediate of the powder chamber and projectile, substantially
as set forth.
4. In a cannon, the combination of powder chamber A, ring (), air shells F,
projectile G, as set forth.
and
5. In a cannon, the combination of powder chamber A, ring C, sabots D and E, air
shells F, and projectile G, all substantially as set forth.
Dated this 29th day of July 1889.
LOUIS GATHMANN.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.