IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES FOR BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Fischer Alexander Wilson, of Abingdon Street,
Westminster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES FOR
BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE."
Sealed the 2nd January 1866, and dated the 7th July 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Fischer Alexander Wilson
at the Office of tho Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on tho
7th July 1865.
I, FISCHER ALEXANDER WILSON; of Abingdon Street, Westminster, der
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CARRIAGES FOR BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object a carriage adapted more especially for the
piece of breech-loading ordnance described in the Specification of a former
Patent granted to me, and dated December 1st 1864, No. 2994. The carriage
consists of a platform mounted on four wheels with locking motion in front."
Underneath the platform are lockers with doors at the front and sliding
shelves for containing ammunition and also the spare barrels. On the top of
the platform I mount one or more of the guns described in my said former
Specification, preferring to mount three guns on a carriage. They aro
mounted lengthways of the carriage, and the trunnions of the centre' gun are
carried in a fork which swivels in a standard mounted directly on the plat-
form. The trunnions of the gun on either side are similarly carried; the
standard, however, is not fixed on the platform, but on a jointed' arm pivotted
at one end on the platform, and at the other carrying the standard for the

page_text: gun. There is a joint in this arm by which power is given to adjust the gun
in position as may be required for the correct action of the loading apparatus
herein-after described. By mounting the standards of the outer guns on
arms in this manner the guns can be placed close together for travelling, and
when required for action they can be moved out to a convenient distance the
one from the other, so that there may be room to work each gun freely.
The loading apparatus for each of the side guns consists of a vertical axis
with two arms upon it, on each arm is a slide with a cradle upon it fit for
holding the block or cylinder, or charge chambers, from the breech end of
the gun, and the cradle is also capable of rotating on the arm. When the
chamber of the gun is fired out and empty it is drawn back out of the gun
and is received into one of tho cradles, the cradle is then slid back on the
arm, and with the chamber in it is then turned round so as to expose the
mouths of the chambers to the rear for loading, and the cartridges are then
put into the chambers j meanwhile another block or cylinder, loaded or
with charges in the chambers, is introduced into the gun from the cradle on
the other arm, the arm being turned round on its axis to bring the cradle
opposite the breech end of the gun, and then by sliding forward the cradle
the chamber is introduced into its place in the gun. The vertical axes of
these loading arms I make hollow or tubular, so that they may serve as
sockets in which to fix a staff on which to show signals to an ammunition
waggon or temporary depôt of ammunition in rear of the guns.
The apparatus for loading the centre gun is somewhat different in so much
as the axis of the arms is horizontal in place of vertical. When receiving
and delivering the block or cylinder the arm is raised to a horizontal position.
There is, as before, a sliding cradle on 'each arm to hold the block or cylinder,
and the cradle is able to turn round on the arm to expose the mouths of the
chambers to the rear. The arms are made to slide on the axis lengthways
thereof, so that each may come into position when required. A rack and
pinion is provided to raise the arms with the loaded' cylinders, as otherwiso
the weight might be too great to be conveniently managed..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Fischer Alexander Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th Tonuary 1866

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Fischer Alexander Wilson, Her special licence that the said
Fischer Alexander Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Fischer Alexander Wilson, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES FOR BREECH-LOADING
ORDNANCE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Fischer
Alexander Wilson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly 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 Fischer Alexander Wilson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object a carriage adapted more especially for the
piece of breech-loading ordnance described in the Specification of a former
Patent granted to me, and dated December 1st 1864, No. 2994. The carriage
consists of a platform mounted on four wheels. Underneath the platform are
lockers with doors at the front and sliding shelves for containing ammunition
and also the spare barrels. On the top of the platform I mount one or more
of the guns described in my said former Specification, preferring to mount
three guns on a carriage. They are mounted lengthways of the carriage, and
the trunnions of the centre gun are carried in a fork which swivels in a
standard mounted directly on the platform. The trunnions of the gun on
either side are similarly carried; the standard, however, is not fixed on the
platform, but on a jointed arm pivotted at one end on the platform, and at
the other carrying the standard for the gun. There is a joint in this arm by
which power is given to adjust the gun in position, as may be required, for
the correct action of the loading apparatus herein-after described. By
mounting the standards of the outer guns on-arms in this manner the guns

page_text: can be placed close together for travelling, and when required for action they
can be moved out to a convenient distance the one from the other, so that
there may be room to work each gun freely.
The loading apparatus for each of the side guns consists of a vertical axis
with two arms upon it, on each arm is a slide with a cradle upon it fit for
holding the block or cylinder, or, charge chambers, from the breech; end of
the gun, and the cradle is also capable of rotating on the arm. When the
chamber of the gun is fired out and empty it is drawn back out of the gun
and is received into one of the cradles, the cradle is then slid back on the
arın, and with the chamber in it is then turned round so as to expose the
mouths of the chambers to the rear for loading, and the cartridges are then
put into the chambers; meanwhile another block or cylinder, loaded or
with charges in the chambers, is introduced into the gun from the cradle on
the other arm, the arm being turned round on its axis to bring the cradle
opposite the breech end of the gun, and then by sliding forward the cradle
the chamber is introduced into its place in the gun. The vertical axes of
these loading arms I make hollow or tubular, so that they may serve as
sockets in which to fix a staff on which to show signals to an ammunition
waggon or temporary depôt of ammunition in rear of the guns,
The apparatus for loading the centre gun is somewhat different in so much
as the axis of the arms is horizontal in place of vertical. When receiving
and delivering the block or cylinder the arm is raised to a horizontal position.
There is, as before, a sliding cradle on each arm to hold the block or cylinder,
and the cradle is able to turn round on the arm to expose the mouths of the
chambers to the rear. The arms are made to slide on the axis lengthways
thereof, so that each may come into position when required. A rack and
pinion is provided to raise the arms with the loaded cylinders, as otherwise
the weight might be too great to be conveniently managed.
And 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
Figure 1 is a side view of a gun carriage constructed according to my
Invention with its guns mounted on it, and Figure 2 is a plan of the same
without the guns.
a, a, is the body of the carriage mounted on four wheels b, b, the leading
pair of which may have a locking motion; a', a', are doors on the carriage
body to give ready access to the interior, in which spare barrels and ammu-

page_text: 6,
nition are carried; c, c, c, are the guns, which may be similar in all respects
to the guns described in the. Specification of my 'former Patent 'already
referred to; d is a standard fixed to the platform or top of the body a, in it a
vertical hole is bored to receive a stem projecting downwards.from the fork
so that the fork is able to swivel. on the standard. In the forke are carried
trunnions f, formed on a ring f* bored' to 'fit accurately the barrel of the gun,
which passes through it; c* is a collar: fixed on the gun; and 9 is a spiral
spring interposed between the ring f* and the collar c*: When the gun
recoils on firing it slides through the ring f* until the spiral spring stops it
and returns it to its original position. The guns c' and c' on either side are
similarly mounted, and the parts connected with them are similarly lettered;
their standards, however (marked d*), are not fixed directly to the platform,
but to arms h, h, which are jointed at h', h, and centred on the platform at
h*, h*. By mounting the two guns at the sides on these arms facility is
given for arranging the guns close together for convenience in travelling, and
for separating them sufficiently to allow of their being properly served when
in action. The jointing of the arms h gives greater freedom of adjustment;
i, i, are supporting rails for sustaining the arms h; the outer one is perforated
at intervals, as is shown, to receive locking pins, which are passed through
the arms h and then enter the holes beneath, so as to lock the arms in any
required position.
The loading apparatus for each of the side guns consists of a vertical pin or
axis fixed to the body a; this, as before mentioned, may, if desired, be
made hollow to receive a flag staff; 1, 1, are arms turning on the pin or axis k;
these arms, as shown in the Drawings, are tubular and slotted, and each
contains a block or bolt which is able to slide within it, and is connected with
a plate in on the top of the arm; on this plate stands the cradle n, and it is
centred to it at n*, about which point the cradle is able to rotate. The
cradle is made to fit the block or cylinder of chambers belonging to the gun,
and when the gun requires re-loading the empty cradle is brought up into
position behind the gun by turning its arm and sliding it as required along
the arm, the gun being at this time so placed that the barrel passes vertically
over the axis k; the gunner then draws back the block or cylinder of cham-
bers out of the gun into the cradle, and it is immediately turned out of the
way to admit of the other cradle with a loaded block or cylinder being brought
up into position, and this being done the block or cylinder is pushed forward
out of the cradle into the gun. The empty block or cylinder is brought into
a convenient position for re-loading by turning its cradle on its centre n*. In
Figure 1 one only of the cradles belonging to the side gun is shown.

page_text: The loading: apparatus employed in connection with the centre gun is
somewhat different. A horizontal axis o is mounted on the platform of the
carriage, and the. arms p, p, are able to turn on and slide along this axis;
r, r, are cradles, like those marked n, they are centred at * to slides 8, s, on
the arms; t is a bar on which the arms p are supported, this bar is adjustable,
being connected with racks u, u, which gear with pinions v, v, on a horizontal
axis carried by the carriage; on this axis is also a worm-wheel gearing with
a worm w, so that by turning a handle on the axis of this worm the bar tis
raised or lowered.
'set
In witness whereof, I, the said Fischer Alexander Wilson, have hereunto
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
F. A. WILSON. (L.S.)