IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION WORKING HEAVY GUNS, AND APPLIANCES.CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, of Beckenham,
in the County of Kent, Captain in the Royal Navy, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Anthony
Edwards Scott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with his Petition, on the 17th June 1875.
I, ROBERT ANTHONY EDWARDS SCOTT, of Beckenham, in the County
of Kent, Captain in the Royal Navy, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF OR APPARATUS FOR
WORKING HEAVY GUNS, AND APPLIANCES.CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as
follows :—
For the purpose of working heavy guns or ordnance in ships or
batteries, hydraulics, toothed wheel, and other gearing worked by
hand labour has been used to raise and lower the slide carriage and
gun, and to bring the gun to or from a firing position, and likewise to

page_text: train and run the gun in or out or otherwise manœuvre or manipulate
the same, according to circumstances.
In the Specifications of my Patents, dated August 20th 1866, No. 3139,
November 19th 1867, No. 3278, and March 4th 1870, No. 647, I have
described various plans for effecting these objects. When the guns have 5
been very heavy hydraulic apparatus driven by steam or other motive
power has been used to work them.
By means of steam or other motive power a considerable amount of
hand labour can be dispensed with, but if the motive-power engine gets
out of order from any cause the gun is rendered useless for the time and 1
until the defect can be remedied.
The main object of the present Invention is to so construct and
arrange the gear that it can be driven either by a motive-power engino
or by hand power, so that should the motive-power engine get out of
order or fail through any cause the gun will not thereby be rendered 1
useless, but may be temporarily worked by hand labour, and the repair
of the motive-power engine be deferred to a convenient opportunity.
The gear may also be worked by hand for practising the crow, or other-
wise without the engine.
In the cases of revolving or fixed turrets, ships' decks, land or sea 2
batteries, I retain all my hydraulic lifting and running in and out gear,
also the turntable and other gear as at present arranged, leaving it still
capable of being worked by manual labour; but in addition I connect
it with steam, hydraulic, or other engine power, and thus by driving the
above by engine power I can lessen the time and labour required for 2
the various operations, and reduce the number of men employed in
working the guns. The connections of the steam or other motive-power
engine with the working gear would be by means of a clutch or other
simple connection, so that when it is desired or becomes necessary to
work the gear by hand the steam, hydraulic, or other power engine 3
could be readily disengaged from the working gear, which would then bo
actuated by hand labour, in accordance with the plans described under
my Patents above mentioned. The working of the guns would thus be
expeditiously carried on by engine power so long as that is available,
and the present mode of working the gear by hand, which has been 3
proved to be safe and reliable, would be always at hand as an auxiliary
should the motive-power engine fail.

page_text: In carrying out the present Invention I by preference place a simple
steam, hydraulic, or other engine between the two gun platforms of the
movable or fixed turret or battery, and at a convenient position connect
this engine with the pump spindles of the hydraulic rams, and with
the first motion shaft of the running in and out gear, or with the
training, the turntable, the traversing or other gear, which is required
to be actuated. If there be only one gun to be worked the engine may
be placed beneath the same, and will thus be more out of danger from
shot and splinters. In the case of using the direct action of a steam
engine the steam may be carried through the hollow pivot of the
revolving turret or through any suitable place into the fixed turret or
battery, or to any gun or guns.
In the case of the hydraulio engine I employ the ordinary piping to
carry the water at the requisite pressure for working the hydraulic
engine. The water is to be forced from a suitable reservoir, or it may
be drawn from the sea by simple steam pumps placed outside the turret,
от in any other convenient situation.
In special cases, and especially in land batteries, I employ an accumu-
lator to maintain the water pressure to work the guns in accordance
with the above description. The same machinery might also be
employed for dismounting the guns and for working the vent or breech
piece of heavy breech-loading guns.
A further improvement relating chiefly to the working of heavy guns
en barbette, whether in ships, gun vessels, or gun boats, or in revolving
or fixed turrets or floating batteries is as follows:-When the gun is
intended to fire over the side of a gun vessel or gun boat or over the
wall of an iron-plated or other battery the deck or the roof (if the gun
roofed in) must be suitably slotted.
is
The gun is mounted on the upper ends of two powerful arms or
brackets, which are pivotted either near their centres or towards their
lower ends upon suitable bearings or beams fixed in or across the turret,
battery, or turntable, or on blocks or beams in or fixed to the decks of
a ship, gun vessel, or gun boat.
In the firing position it is preferred to arrange the gun so that its
centre of gravity is forward of a vertical line passing through the
rotating centre of the arms, hence when fired the whole mass of the
gun has to be raised to the highest point of the are described, by

page_text: the centre of gravity about the point of rotation, and in doing so absorbs
the greater part of the force of recoil, leaving little more than the weight
of the gun to be dealt with during its descent. to the loading position.
Its descent into the loading position is controlled by hydraulic rams,
which are also used to force the gun back to the firing position. Steam,
gas, or caloric engine power may be used for this purpose.
The bydraulic rams are to be worked by suitable steam pumps, but
may also be worked by hand pumps, the latter being resorted to as an
auxiliary in case of the failure of the former. The direct action of steam
'may be substituted for the hydraulic power worked by steam.
The elevating gear is arranged so as to bring the gun into a horizontal
or any other suitable loading position and to restore it (when tho gun is
raised to the firing position) to the elevation it had previous to firing.
This may be effected either by simple gearing or by an hydraulic
arrangement. This mode of mounting is equally as applicable to land
defences as to ships.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Palent,
filed by the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 17th December 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT 2
ANTHONY EDWARDS SCOTT, of Beckenham, in the County of Kent,
Captain in the Royal Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, Her
special licence that I, the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, my exc-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert
Anthony Edwards Scott, 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

page_text: of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF OR APPARATUS
FOR WORKING HEAVY GUNS, AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH,” upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Anthony Edwards
Scott, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Robert Anthony Edwards Scott, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained 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) :-
For the purpose of working heavy guns or ordnance in ships or
batteries hydraulic toothed wheel and other gearing worked by hand
.labour has been used to raise and lower the slide carriage and gun, and
to bring the gun to or from a firing position, and likewise to train and
run the gun in or out, or otherwise manœuvre or manipulate the same
according to circumstances.
In the Specifications of my Patents dated August Twentieth One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, No. 2189; November Nineteenth
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, No. 3275; and March
Fourth One thousand eight hundred and seventy, No. 647, I described
various plans for effecting these objects. In the case of heavy guns
hydraulic apparatus driven by steam and water power has been used to
work them, and thus a great economy of hand labour has been effected.
If however the motive-power engine gets out of order from any cause the
gun is rendered useless for the time being and until the defect can be
remedied.
The main object of the present Invention is so to construct and
arrange the gear that it can be worked either by a motive-power engine
or by hand power, so that should the motive-power engine get out of
order or fail through any cause the gun will not thereby be rendered
useless, but may be temporarily worked by hand- labour, the repair of
the motive-power engine being deferred to a convenient opportunity.

page_text: .
The gear may also be worked by hand for practising the crew or other-
wise without the engine.
In the cases of rotating or fixed turrets, ships' deck, and land or sea
batteries I retain all my hydraulic lifting and running in and out gear,
also the turntable and other gear as at present arranged, leaving the
gear still capable of being worked by manual labour, but in addition I
connect it with steam, hydraulic, or other engine power, and thus I can
lessen the time and labour required for the various operations, and
reduce the number of men employed in working the guns. The con-
nections of the steam or other motive-power engine with the working 1
gear is effected by means of a clutch or its equivalent, so that when it is
desired or becomes necessary to work the gear by hand the steam,
hydraulic, or other power engine can be readily disengaged from the
working gear, leaving the same free to be actuated by hand labour,
in accordance with the plans described under my Patents above 1
mentioned.
In carrying out the first part of my Invention in connection with a .
two-gun battery I by preference place a simple steam, hydraulic, or
other engine between the two gun platforms of the movable or fixed
"turret or battery, and at a convenient position connect this engine with
the pump spindles of the hydraulic rams, and with the first motion shaft
of the running in and out gear, or with the training, the turntable, the
traversing, or other gear required to bo so actuated. If there be only
one gun to be worked the engine may be placed beneath the same, and
will thus be more out of danger from shot and splinters. In the case of 20
using the direct action of a steam engine the steam may be carried
through the hollow pivot of the rotating turret, or through any suitable
place into the fixed turret or battery, or to any gun or guns..
In the case of the hydraulic engine I employ the ordinary piping to
carry the water at the requisite pressure for working the hydraulic 8
engine. The water is to be forced from a suitable reservoir, or it may
be drawn from the sea by simple steam pumps placed outside the turret,
or in any other convenient situation.
In special cases, and especially in land batteries, I employ an accumu-

page_text: In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 shows a diagram plan of my
improved arrangement of gearing for working heavy guns by means of
steam power or by means of hand power, as found most convenient. In
this Figure the Invention is shown as applied to a rotating ship's turret,
3 but it also serves to illustrate the application of the Invention to a land
battery in which a water accumulator may be employed in the place of
a steam engine. Water with any requisite degree of pressure is forced
up a pipe in the hollow pivot of the turret, and passes along other pipes,
carrying the water in the directions marked by arrows.
To run the guns in or out the water is admitted to the hydraulic
engine E, which may be a "three cylinder Brotherhood engine." The
central shaft of this engine is connected through a clutch and pinion
with and works the gear G that has heretofore been worked by hand, it
being actuated by the handles H, H, H, when required. To raise the
carriage on the rear rollers, and also to elevate the gun, the water passes
along a telescopic pipe D to the jacks B and C. These jacks can also
be pumped by hand. To raise the gun on my compound muzzle
pivotting plan adopted in Her Majesty's service the water gaining
entrance through the same telescopic pipe D is forced direct into the
vertical rám A, or the levers O of the present hand gear pumps may be
geared to the mechanism actuated by the engine E. Suitable exhaust
pipes will be used to carry off the waste water.
In Fig. 1 I have also shown an hydraulic engine K connected with,
hand gear M for rotating the turret. The engine may be fed with water
from the same steam pump or pumps which work the engine E and
turret gear as already described. Should the engine K fail recourse can
be immediately had to the hand gear by the winch handle M.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that I can by the
above means easily apply steam and hydraulic power to work the turret
and other heavy guns now mounted upon the carriages constructed on
my principle, and thus greatly reduce the number of skilled or thoroughly
trained men at present required to work them, or I can, by the arrange:
ments above described, at once revert to the simple, safe, and efficient
system now used in Her Majesty's ships in the event of having to fight
our guns with the untrained crews which war would necessitateẻ thế
employment of.

page_text: working heavy guns en barbette, whether in ships, gun vessels, or gun .
boats, or in rotating or fixed turrets or floating batteries.
When the gun is intended to fire over the side of a gun boat or gun
vessel, or over the wall of an iron plated or other battery, the deck or
the roof (if the gun is roofed in) must be suitably slotted.
The gun is mounted on the upper ends of two powerful arms or
brackets which are pivotted either near their centres or towards their
lower ends upon suitable bearings or beams fixed in or across the turret,
battery, or turntable, or on blocks or beams in or fixed to the decks of a
ship, gun vessel, or gun boat.
I so arrange the gun that in the firing position that its centre of
gravity is forward of a vertical line passing through the rotating centre
of motion of the rocking arms, hence when fired the whole mass of the
gun has to be raised to the highest point of the arc described by the
centre of gravity about the point of rotation, and in doing so the force 1
of the recoil will be to a great extent absorbed, leaving little more than
the weight of the gun to be dealt with during its descent to the loading
position. Its descent into the loading position is controlled by hydraulic
rams, which are also used to force the gun back to the firing position.
Steam, gas, or caloric engine power may be used for this purpose.
The hydraulic rams are to be worked by suitable steam pumps, but
may also be worked by hand pumps, the latter being resorted to as an
auxiliary in case of the failure of the former. The direct action of
steam may be substituted for the hydraulic power worked by steam.
The elevating gear is arranged so as to bring the gun into a horizontal 2
or any other suitable loading position, and to restore it (when the gun
is raised to the firing position) to the elevation it had previous to firing.
This may be effected either by simple gearing or by an hydraulic
arrangement.
In Fig. 2 I have shown my improved mode of mounting guns to fire &
over a parapet, and in this instance have arranged the gun on a
turntable. The brackets P which carry the gun are pivotted on the
turntable, and they are supported in their rear by being connected with
a pair of hydraulic rams Q, the cylinders of which are pivotted to the
turntable. When recoiling after firing it is seen that the gun must rise 8
through the space S, T, before it descends into the loading position.

page_text: This space may be made greater by throwing the gun more forward.
The force of recoil is further checked by the hydraulic rams Q, which
act as buffers and receive and sustain the weight of the descending gun.
When the gun is required to be raised to the firing position these rams
3 are set in action, and they then lift by a direct and sustained thrust the
brackets together with the gun into the dotted position of Fig. 2, at
which time the brackets will find an efficient vertical support on the
floor of the turntable, the brackets being provided with feet for that
purpose. The water which is used under pressure is derived from a
steam pump or pumps (or hand pump or pumps as auxiliary), and is
introduced to the rams through the trunnions of the fulcrum pivots.
The elevating and depressing are accomplished by an hydraulic
ram R, the plunger of which is pivotted to the rear end of the gun.
This ram oscillates on a hollow trunnion carried by the buffer blocks U,
5 and it communicates with the cistern into which the water from Q is
forced on recoil. The valves of the hydraulic apparatus are so arranged
that at the same time that water is being forced from Q a valve is
opened to permit of the water leaving R, thus allowing the rams to fall
that the gun may fall to the loading position.
). Water under pressure from the steam pump enables the breech of the
gun to be again raised, by being admitted through the lower trunnion
on which R rotates.
The buffer blocks V are faced with india-rubber or other elastic
padding, and receive the gun on its descent and bring it to rest in its
3 loading position.
It should be remarked that the mode of mounting guns described
with reference to Fig. 2, is equally applicable to land defences as to
ships.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
O in the Means of or Apparatus for Working Heavy Guns and Appliances
connected therewith," 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,-
First. The means above described with reference to Fig. 1, whereby
s. I am enabled to work heavy guns by means of steam or hydraulic-power-
through the gearing at present employed in Her Majesty's service for

page_text: working such guns by hand power without affecting the efficiency of
the hand gearing.
Secondly. The arrangement of mechanism described with reference
to Fig. 2, for working heavy guns and absording their recoil action.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Anthony Edwards Scott,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, the Seventeenth day of
December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-five.