Sighting of Ordnance and for other Purposes.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1886.
Complete Left, 24th Nov., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 14th Jan., 1887.
[Communicated from abroad by KARL SCHNEIDER, of No. 183, New York Avenue,.
Jersey, New Jersey, United States of America, Machinist.]
Sighting of Ordnance and for other Purposes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a simple instrument whereby the distance.
of an object from any given point may be easily ascertained.
My improvements consist partly in the combination of a frame comprising an arm
provided with sighting instrumentalities, a support with which the frame is connected
by a universal joint directly under the axial centre of the said arm, a compass
arranged directly over the universal joint, and a second arm provided with sighting
instrumentalities and pivotally connected with the frame.
My improvements further partly consist in the combination of a frame comprising
an arm provided with sighting instrumentalitics, a support with which the frame is:
connected by a universal joint directly under the axial centre of said arm, a compass-
arranged directly over the universal joint, levels arranged at approximate right angles
to each other and supported upon the frame, and a second arm provided with sighting
instrumentalities, and pivotally connected with the frame.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Sighting of Ordnance and for other Purposes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Paient Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide a simple instrument whereby the distance
between objects may be easily ascertained.
My improvements consist partly in the combination of a frame comprising an arm
provided with sighting instrumentalities, a support with which the frame is connected
by a universal joint directly under the axial centre of the said arm a compass,
arranged directly over the universal joint, and a second arm provided with sighting
instrumentalities and pivottally connected with the frame.
My improvement further partly consist in the combination of a frame comprising
an arm provided with sighting instrumentalities, a support with which the frame is
connected by a universal joint, directly under the axial center of said arm, a compass
arranged directly over the universal joint, levels arranged at approximate right angles
to each other and supported upon the frame, and a second arm provided with sighting
instrumentalities and pivotally connected with the frame.
In the accompanying drawing Figure 1, is a top view of an instrument embodying
my improvements. Figure 2, is a side view of the same. Figure 3, is a transverse
section thereof. Figure 4 is a top view of an instrument of modified form embodying
my improvement. Figure 5 is a side view of the same. Figure 6 is a top view of a
cannon having mechanism embodying my improvement. Figure 7 is a rear end
view of the cannon and a sectional view of the principal part of its mechanism
which embodies my improvement, illustrated on a large scale. Figure 8 is a transverse
section of the principal part of the mechanism of the cannon which embodies my
improvement. Figure 9, is a top view of the mechanism which in Figure 7 is
illustrated as applied to the cannon. Figure 10 is a top view of a forward sight with
which the cannon is provided. Figure 11, is a side view of this sight. Similar
letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Referring first to Figures 1, 2, and 3, A designates a tripod or stand which may
be of any suitable construction. On it is mounted a pillar B which may be of any
appropriate metal. In the upper end of this pillar is a seat for a ball forming a
part of a pedestal C. The seat in the pillar corresponds to the part of the ball which
it accommodates hence the pedestal and pillar are connected by a ball and socket
joint. The pedestal may consequently be adjusted at any angle to the pillar, and may
also be rotated relatively to the pillar.
The upper end of the pillar is provided with a ring B³ which surrounds the upper
part of the ball C and screws into the pillar. This ring can be manipulated so as to
clamp the ball for the purpose of securing the pedestal in any position into which it
may be adjusted.

page_text: In order to get the ring over the ball ( the pedestal is made in two sections secured
together by a screw C².
D designates a frame consisting of two arms d' d² and cross pieces d³ d'. The
arm is affixed to the pedestal C. The arm has an arm E pivotally connected
to it by a screw e which also serves as a means whereby the arm E may be clamped
in position providing no other means are employed for that purpose.
The cross piece is made in the shape of an are of a circle which is concentric
with the pivot screw e on which the arm E is capable of swinging. It is marked.
with a scale and the arm E is provided with an index e¹ which will swing over the
scale when the arm E is adjusted.
The arm has standards at the ends constituting sighting instrumentalities.
The standard at the rear end has a peep hole and the standard at the forward end
has a vertical slot intersected vertically by a string. To sight an object the frame D
is turned till the peep hole, the string and the object to be sighted are in line,
whereupon the frame will be secured in position.
The arm E is provided at the ends with standards g¹g which like the standards
fare provided, the rear one with a peep hole and the front one with a vertical slot
intersected vertically by a string.
After the sighting is done with the arm as above described the arm E is adjusted
so that the same object will be sighted with it.
The arm E will preferably be adjusted by a micrometer screw G supported in an
oscillating bearing mounted on the arm and engaging with an oscillating nut ²
mounted on the arm E.
When the sighting has been done the arm E will be at an angle to the arm d¹.
The degree of the angle of the inclination of these arms will indicate the distance of
the object sighted.
The scale on the cross piece d³ of the frame D may be made to indicate the distance
by the degree of the angle between the two arms or it may be marked so that the
distance may be read from it.
H designates a compass which is arranged upon the frame D concentrically with
the pedestal C. Adjacent to this compass are two spirit levels I' I' situated at about
right angles to each other and shown as attached to the case of the compass.
Those levels are useful because they provide for adjusting the frame D both'
longitudinally and laterally in a horizontal plane.
The compass is useful because it provides means whereby the adjustment of the
frame D into a true horizontal plane may be readily ascertained, into any desired
relation with a certain point of the compass. As for instance the relation of an object
whose distance is to be measured, but which is not clearly in view and consequently
difficult to find, may be sighted by means of adjusting the frame D at a certain angle
to an object which is more clearly discernible and whose relation to the object less
easily discerned is known.
The needle of the compass is supported ordinarily upon an upright pin that is
arranged within the pedestal C₁ so as to be capable of adjustment lengthwise thereof.
The pin is supported upon a shaft that extends transversely through the pedestal C¹
and is provided at one end with a handle whereby it may be turned and in the middle
with a groove form an eccentric or cam surface. The rod i rests upon the eccentric
or cam surface of the shaft, consequently by rotating the shaft the rod may be
raised or lowered. When it is raised it will support the compass needle, but when it
is lowered it will allow the compass needle to descend upon a hub like seat which is
formed upon the bottom of the compass case and then the needle will no longer.
vibrate. This is advantageous because after the frame D has once been set, with
reference to the compass it is undesirable that there should be any vibration of the
needle.
The instrument shown in Figures 4 and 5 is like the one which I have just described
except that instead of the sighting instrumentalities f¹¹g I employ telescopes
JJ. The telescope J₁ is supported in standards erected upon the arm d¹ of the
frame D and the telescope J2 is supported in similar standards erected upon the

page_text: swinging arm E. The telescopes have cross hairs. The frame D is first adjusted as
in the other instrument in order to sight an object whose distance is to be measured
with the telescope J¹ and after this has been done and the frame D fastened the
arm E is adjusted so that the object may be sighted with the telescope J².
Obviously the brackets for supporting the telescopes may be made open at the top
in order that a single telescope may be inserted first in the brackets of the arm a¹ and
afterwards in the brackets of the arm E.
I have shown a level connected with the telescope in the example of my improvement
last described.
Turning now to figures 6, 7, 8, 9 K designates a cannon having at the forward end
a transversely extending sight piece which is provided with a sight immediately
over the center of the cannon and another sight ² near the outer extremity of the
sight piece.
The rear portion of the cannon has other sights. These sights are arranged
to slide in a case L which is furnished with two screws that engage with the
sights in order that by rotating them these sights can be adjusted transversely
to the axis of the cannon. The case I is shown as fixed to and supported by an
upright shaft that fits in a socket provided at one side of the cannon. The case L
can by turning the shaft in its socket be adjusted at different angles relatively to
the axis of the cannon.
The sight is used in conjunction with the sight for sighting an object to be
fired at. It is adjusted in order that its position may be made suitable to the force
with which wind may be blowing in a direction transverse to the axis of the cannon
at the time for firing.
The sight is used in conjunction with the sight and is adjustable in order that
the object to be fired at may be sighted with it in conjunction with the sight. The
angle of the line which will intersect the sights relatively to a line intersecting
the sights will determine the distance of the object to be fired at.
A scale of any
desired character may be arranged to indicate the angles or the distances indicated by
the angles.
It will be seen that by my improvement I produce an instrument very simple in
construction and casy of operation whereby distance of objects may be obtained for
various purposes.
My improvement may be used in a surveyors level or leveling rod, or in a surveyors
transit.
Having thus 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:
First. The combination of a frame comprising an arm provided with sighting
instrumentalities, a support with which the frame is connected by a universal joint
directly under the axial center of the said arm, a compass arranged directly over the
universal joint, and a second arm provided with sighting instrumentalities and
pivotally connected with the frame substantially as specified.
Second. The combination of a frame comprising an arm provided with sighting
instrumentalities, a support with which the frame is connected by a universal joint
directly under the axial center of said arm, a compass arranged directly over the
universal joint, levels arranged at approximate right angles to each other and
supported upon the frame, and a second arm provided with sighting instrumentalities
and pivotally connected with the frame substantially as specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.