MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING ORDNANCE
Year: 1826

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
THOMAS HALAHAN, of York Street, Dublin, Lieutenant in the Royal
Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the
Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-second day of June, One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-six, in the seventh year of His
reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Halahan, His especial licence, that I, the said.
Thomas Halahan, my, exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as
T. the said Thomas Halahan, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
night make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick upon Tweed, my Invention of "MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR WORKING ORDNANCE;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Thomas Halahan, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in
His Majesty's, High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited. Letters

page_text: Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Thomas Ialahan, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
fully described and ascertained by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawing annexed (that is to say):
My Invention of machinery or apparatus for working ordnance con-
sists in the application of a spring or springs similar to the main spring
used in clocks and watches, for the purpose of running out the gun
after it has been fired and reloaded, and in apparatus for retaining the
gun in the position to which it recoils while loading. For the more
clearly elucidating my said Invention I will now describe the Drawing
hereunto annexed, which represents one method of carrying my In-
vention into effect, observing that similar letters of reference indicate
similar parts in each of the figures. a, the gun and carriage; b, the
raised way or form on which the gun is placed; in this form b, a
groove is cut to receive and allow the guide c on the carriage to slide
freely backwards and forwards. At the bottom of this guide c, is fixed
a cross bar d, which being broader than the groove prevents the gu
from being blown off the form b, by the recoil. e, the case, in which is
contained the spring, which case also serves as a drum for winding on
the chain or rope f, which is made fast to the cross bar d, and is for the
purpose of running out the gun, as will hereafter be more particularly
described in Figs. 2 and 4. g, is a racked bar extending the full length
of the groove cut in the raised way or form b, which prevents the gun
being run out 'til it is loaded. In Figs. 3, and 4, h is a lever which is
fixed to the side of the form b, by a screw or pin i. Fig. 3, is a plan
of the form b, shewing the groove which receives the guide c, and in
this Figure, as well as in Fig. 2, j represents a strong pin or stud
which is driven into the block which supports that end of the form b
and allows of the gun being pointed either to the right or left when
required. Having now described the various parts represented in the
Drawing, will proceed to explain the manner of their acting-In the
Figs. 1, 2, and 4, the gun is represented as having recoiled and retained
back (for the purpose of loading) by the racked bar g, having taken

page_text: hold of the cross bar d. Now it will be evident that by the recoil of
the gun the spring will have been unwound or extended in consequence
of the rope or chain (which is attached to the gun carriage) being
wound round the case, as before observed; and will, on the racked
bar g, being removed from the cross bar d, exert itself to regain its
former position, and thereby wind up the gun, or, as it is more
technically expressed, run out the gun. The removing of the racked
bar g, from the cross bar d, is effected by raising the lever h, which is
attached to the racked bar by means of a chain or cord k. 1, is a box
containing a spring, for the purpose of keeping the racked bar in a
proper position to catch and retain the cross bar when the gun recoils,
I have now described the various parts of the machinery which con-
stitute my Invention, and the manner of their acting, but I would have
it understood that my claim of Invention rests in the application of a
spring or springs, similar to the main spring used in clocks and watches,
for the purpose of running out the gun, and in the machinery or
apparatus for the purpose of retaining the gun in the position to which
it recoils.
In witness whereof I, the said Thomas Halahan, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
Inrolled the Twenty-second day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-six.