Improvements in the Method of Loading Ordnance.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 14th Dec., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of Loading Ordnance.
I, LOUIS GATHMANN of 246 West Lake Street, Chicago, 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:-
This invention relates to devices of constructing 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
accellerating propulsion of the projectile, so that quick explosives, such as nitro-
glycerine, gun-cotton, &c., may be employed with safety for charging the pro-
jectiles.
I have already described, in my application for a Patent of Great Britain, filed
July 29, 1889, No. 12038, an obstructing ring inserted between the powder chamber
and the barrel of the cannon, hearing against a shoulder in the expanded powder
chamber to be detained from being discharged with firing, thereby to reduce the
size of the escape opening of the gases from the powder, with the object of not
allowing the full pressure of the exploding powder to act all at once upon the
projectile, and to provide a gradual increase of the propelling force for the same.
1 have also described therein, the interposition between the powder chamber and
projectile of a body of atmospheric air or gases, compressed and retained in a
suitable cylindrical shell or casing, which air, 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.
My present improvement consists in the use of a body of carbonic acid gas
under high pressure, interposed between the powder chamber and projectile in
ball-shaped shells charged therewith, or between two sabots hermetically fitting
the bore of the cannon, and held from expanding by a rope, chain, or rod.
The object of the use of carbonic acid in preference to atmospheric air or other
gases, is, first, that this gas is not only non-combustible, but that it also prevents
combustion by excluding atmospheric air, whereby fire from the exploded powder
is prevented from coming into contact with the projectile and from thereby heating
the same, and secondly, that the moment the projectile leaves the cannon and
releases the carbonic acid gas from pressure, the same will expand and envelop
the projectile, at the same time generating an intense coldness from such expansion
that will counteract the heat from the powder blast following, so that the pro-
jectiles not exposed to heat can be made with much lighter shells.
In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of
part of a cannon arranged and loaded according to my device: Figure 2, an
elevation of the apparatus for charging the cushioning shells with carbonic acid;
and figure 3, a longitudinal section of part of a cannon arranged for charging the
carbonic acid into the bore of the cannon direct between two sabots.
Corresponding letters of reference in the several figures of the drawing designate
like parts.
A denotes the powder chamber of the cannon, bored larger in diameter than the
barrel B of the same, to provide a conical shoulder a. Cis a ring exteriorly cylin-
drical with a conical forward end to fit the bore and shoulder of the powder chamber,
and with an opening conically expanded from near its middle towards both ends.
This ring may be made of a material that will be partly destroyed from the discharge
of the powder behind it, such as paper pulp, or celluloid, which will partly burn
away, thereby gradually increasing the opening for the discharge of the powder

page_text: gases, in which case, such ring Cmust be replaced by a new one with each re-loading
of the cannon; but this ring C may also be made of metal to be removable. This
ring will retard the force of the powder to spend its force upon the projectile more
gradually. D and E are metal sabois, cup shaped in their rear ends, to expand by
the compression of the powder for making, as near as possible, air tight joints, and
thereby preventing the escape of gases past such sabots. The cup shape ends of
the sabots D and E, I preferably fill with paper-pulp or asbestos, and between these
two sabots, I place a series of light ball shaped shells F, as shown in figure 1, each
filled with compressed carbonic acid gas. G is the projectile, which may be à shell of
any usual construction to he filled with a quick explosive and with a percussion fuse
to explode with striking an object. The shells Fare filled from a liquid carbonic
acid receiver H, as furnished by the factory that manufactures the gas, and then, after
purifying, compresses the same into a liquified state and fills it into these receivers H,
each provided with a valve h, a pressure gauge, and a flexible pipe, which latter is
coupled to the nozzle of shell F in a suitable manner, and after the shell F is filled
to the desired pressure, indicated by gauge, a valve m in the nozzle of the shell Fis
closed, and the pipe is detached to be coupled with the next shell, &c. These
shells F, I either make of thin metal or of a strong air tight flexible material, in either
case to be broken by the concussion from the explosion of the powder behind it,
so that the carbonic acid gas will then fill the space between the two sabots D
and E.
Instead of using shells F, I also can fill the space between the two sabots D and E
with carbonic acid gas direct from the receiver H, in which case however, the sabots D
and E must fit hermetically into the bore of the cannon, and, for holding them
proper distance apart and preventing their spreading from the pressure of the gas,
these sabots must be coupled by a wire rope, chain or rod n, as shown in figure 3.
With this arrangement the space in the bore of the cannon between sabots D) and E,
must be charged after loading and before firing the cannon, for which purpose I bore
a socket in the side or top of the cannon in proper position, screw threading the same
for a plug O, provided with a handle p, and with a port q, which, in the inner end of
plug O, is in an eccentric position, and which, with turning the plug a partial
revolution, will meet the port r, that leads into the bore of the cannon. The end of
flexible pipe will be coupled with the outward end of plug O, to provide communi-
cation with receiver H, and then, by turning such plug O for the ports and to
communicate, carbonic acid gas is admitted from receiver H into the space between
sabots D and E of the bore of the cannon to the desired density, after which the
plug O is turned again to hold the gas from escaping.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The method of loading cannon by interposing a body of compressed carbonic
acid gas between the powder chamber and projectile, substantially as set forth for the
purpose specified.
2. The method of loading cannon by interposing a body of compressed carbonic
acid gas between two sabots intermediate of the powder chamber and projectile,
substantially as set forth for the purpose specified.
3. The method of loading cannon by interposing spherical shaped shells filled with
compressed carbonic acid gas between two sabots intermediate of the powder chamber
and projectile, substantially as and, for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 27th day of September 1889.
LOUIS GATHMANN.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.