Improvements in Telescopes and Apparatus for Sighting Ordnance,
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 27th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 23rd June, 1900
'Improvements in Telescopes and Apparatus for Sighting Ordnance,
I, ANDREW AINSLIE COMMON, of 63, Eaton Rise, Ealing, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an apparatus for giving direction to the gun by means
of a telescope attached thereto; to the method of attachment; to the form of
the telescope; and to a means of adjusting telescope and apparatus accurately.
For the purpose of varying the direction of the gun in relation to the direction
of the telescope, I mount the telescope on a hinged plate capable of a move-
ment in altitude by a cam worked by a wheel and pinion or other suitable
means, by hand, to any desired position, determined by a scale, the zero of
which is found by a spirit level or other means, attached to a base plate, to
which the hinged plate is attached; this base plate is attached to the gun, or
to the carriage in which it slides (preferably the latter), and is provided with
a movement in azimuth. The movement of the hinged plate is given by a
cam mounted on a spindle, so as to swing the plate on the hinge, the distance
or degree of movement being marked on the wheel & pinion operating the
cani. Two or more cams may be mounted on this spindle, any one of which
may he brought into action by sliding along the spindle, or in, any other
suitable way, thus suiting the elevation of the gun for the ammunition used,
and for which the cam is designed.
This spindle can be operated by an arm attached to the fixed support of the
gun, in such a way that, for guns to be used on an elevation, it will act as an
automatic sighting apparatus, the cams being made so as to elevate the gun
the requisite amount, when the telescope points at the object aimed at.
In order to prevent shock to the gun-layer by the discharge of the gun,
and also that the telescope may be used at any convenient distance from the
gun, I attach the telescope and plate to another base plate by two or more
parallel bars, so that while the telescope is free to move in the line permitted
by these parallel bars, the base plates remain parallel. This second base plate may
be attached to the gun, or to the slide in which the gun works, or may be
simply brought into contact with a grooved surface into which the base plate
fits, being held in contact by hand or spring catches, which, in the case of
heavy guns, will allow the base plate to become detached, and the sighting
apparatus to drop away from the gun. Provision is also made for catching
it by light slings or supports, not affecting its movement when on the gun.
A telescope of the ordinary form, with cross wires, may be used, but I prefer
a binocular form, in which case the horizontal wire may be in one telescope,
and the vertical wire in the other, or cross wires in one telescope, and a thick
cross wire or coarse ring, or diamond sight, in the other. Or two telescopes
may be used, one of higher power than the other, for greater accuracy of
laying, the lower power telescope acting as a finder to the other. In this case,

page_text: one with a field of about 15° might be combined with another telescope having
a magnification of six or eight times, according to the requirements of the
case.
In the case of guns protected by a shield from direct fire, the parallel bars
will allow the telescope to be brought up close to the top or side of shield, &
the gun layer's head only is partly exposed. Entire protection from direct fire
can be obtained by making the telescope with two right-angle prisms, in the
well-known manner.
Where the telescope is supported on parallel bars, the usual india-rubber
shield to the eye end is sufficient protection to the gun layer, but in other cases
I make the tube carrying the eye-piece to slide freely in the telescope, & it
is kept to its proper place by a screwed nut, which determines the position of
test focus, a slight spring keeping the eye-piece up to this nut.
In the cases where such an apparatus can not be used for aiming at the
object it is intended to hit, as in the so-called vertical fire behind ramparts,
I provide a spirit level to the base plate for determining the elevation of the
gun, and a large movement in azimuth, in order that the telescope may be
pointed at any object at the side or behind, in order to determine, indirectly,
the azimuth of the gun at each laying.
For the purpose of adjusting the apparatus to the gun, I use a telescope
placed in the bore of the gun, the axis of which is made parallel to the axis
of the gun by suitable means. The frame carrying this telescope, being capable
of rotation in the bore,-allows for the adjustment to be made on a distant
objeet: the correctness of the gun telescope can then be determined by viewing
this distant object.
For the purpose of determining the value of the cams for elevating the gun
for different ammunition, I make use of two vertical scales placed at some con-
venient distance in front, and which can be read by each telescope, in order to
determine the elevation of the gun in respect to the movement of the sighting
telescope, and, in a like manner, to determine the correctness of the cams used
for making the apparatus into an automatic sighting apparatus.
In this case, the height of the gun-platform above sea, and the trajectory
of the shot, being known, the variation in the direction of the gun & the
aiming telescope can be determined for different ranges by calculation, & the
shape of the cam can be made accordingly, and verified by reading the two
scales by the two telescopes.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Telescopes and Apparatus for Sighting Ordnance.
I, ANDREW AINSLIE COMMON, of 63, Eaton Rise, Ealing, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, 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:—
My invention relates to an apparatus for giving direction to the gun by means
of a telescope attached thereto, to the method of attachment, to the form of
the telescope, and to a means of adjusting telescope and apparatus accurately.
For the purpose of varying the direction of the gun in relation to the direction
of the telescope, I mount the telescope on a hinged plate capable of a move-
ment in altitude to any desired position, by means of a cam worked by a wheel

page_text: and pinion, or other suitable means, by hand. The desired position is deter-
mined by a scale, the zero of which is found by a spirit level, or other means
attached to a base plate, to which the hinged plate is attached. This base
plate is attached to the gun, or to the carriage in which it slides (preferably the
latter), and is provided with a movement in azimuth.
The cam for giving the movement to the hinged plate is mounted on a spindle,
and raises or lowers the plate on the hinge the distance or degree of movement
desired, which is marked on the wheel and pinion operating the cam.
Two
or more cams may be mounted on this spindle, any one of which may be brought
into action by sliding along the spindle, or in any other suitable way, thus
suiting the elevation of the gun for the ammunition used, and for which the cam
is designed.
This spindle can be operated by an arm attached to the fixed support of the
gun, in such a way that, for guns to be used on an elevation, it will act as an
automatic sighting apparatus, the cams being made so as to elevate the gun
the requisite amount when the telescope points at the object aimed at.
In order to prevent shock to the gun-layer by the discharge of the gun,
and also that the telescope may be used at any convenient distance from the
gun, I attach the telescope and plate to another base plate by two or more
parallel bars, so that while the telescope is free to move in the line permitted
by these parallel bars, the base plates remain parallel. This second base plate may
be attached to the gun, or to the slide in which the gun works, or may be
simply brought into contact with a grooved surface, into which the base plate
fits, being held in contact by hand or spring catches, which, in the case of
heavy guns, will allow the base plate to become detached, and the sighting
apparatus to drop away from the gun. Provision is also made for catching
it by light slings or suworts, not affecting its movement when on the gun.
A telescope of the ordinary form, with cross wires, may be used, but in case
a binocular is used, the horizontal wire may be in one telescope, and the vertical
wire in the other or cross wires in one telescope and a thick cross wire, or
coarse ring or diamond sight, in the other. Or two telescopes may be used,-
one of higher power than the other for greater accuracy of laying, the lower
power telescope acting as a finder to the other. In this case, one with a field
of about 150 might be combined with another telescope having a magnification
of six or eight times, according to the requirements of the case.
In the case of guns protected by a shield from direct fire, the parallel bars
will allow the telescope to be brought up close to the top or side of shield, and
the gun laver's head only is partly exposed. Entire protection from direct fire
can be obtained by making the telescope with two right-angle prisms, in the
well-known manner.
Where the telescope is supported on parallel bars, the usual india rubber
shield to the eye end is sufficient protection to the gun layer, but in other cases
I make the tube carrying the eye piece to slide freely in the telescope, and it
is kept to its proper place by a screwed nut, which determines the position of
test focus, a slight spring keeping the eye piece up to this nut.
In the cases where such an apparatus can not be used for aiming at the
object it is intended to hit, as in the so-called vertical fire behind ramparts,
I provide a spirit level to the base plate for determining the elevation of the
gun, and a large movement in azimuth, in order that the telescope may be
pointed at any object at the side or behind, in order to determine indirectly.
the azimuth of the gun at each laying.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side view, and

page_text: Fig. 7an end view, of an arrangement for connecting the sighting apparatus
to the gun, for use at a distance from the gun.
Fig. 8 is an external view of the telescope, and
Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section showing the details of construction.
Figs. 10 and 11 are diagrams showing an automatic adjustment for the
telescope, which is used in connection with Fig. 4.
Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, P is a base plate, to be attached to the gun
or gun slide. This plate P carries a plate H, hinged at I, to obtain the neces-
sary motion in altitude under the action of the cam K. This cam K is operated
by a worm 0, working the worm wheel N, secured to the shaft L, to which the
cam K is also attached. A wheel M shews, by figures on the rim, the amount
of movement to be given.
On this hinged plate H are mounted straps F, constituting with the plate H,
a telescope carrier. One of these straps is secured at E by a pin joint, and
the other, at E, by a clamping piece E³, to the plate H.
The telescope carrier FH is free to turn on the pin joint E,-under the
action of the worm G¹ on the rod G,-acting on the forward strap F, which
is provided with a toothed section G, which works in the clamping piece E³;
thus the necessary side motion can be given to the telescope and read off from
marks on the hinged plate H, on which F moves, by means of the pointer F.
A is the telescope, B being a nut working on a coarse thread cut upon the
main tube or tubes of the telescope. The tube (Fig. 9) carries the eye-pieces
and bears against this nut, being kept up to it by a slight spring C, which
permits of the tube being freely pushed into the body of telescope A. Dis
a shield of any soft material, to fit against the face of observer, so as to exclude
stray light from the eye. This telescope may, be a single, of the ordinary con-
struction, but I may use a binocular form, as indicated in dotted lines Fig. 3,
with a vertical cross wire in one telescope, and a horizontal cross wire in the
other. Or I may use two telescopes arranged as a binocular, as regards position,
but with different powers and fields of view, as shown on Fig. 4, one of these
being a low power telescope of about 2 diameters and 15° field, giving an image
as indicated at X, and furnished with two thick converging black bars a for
use at night; the other, a higher power telescope, of say 8 diameters, and a
field of view of 5°, provided with fine cross wires b, for more accurate pointing.
The cam K, which is composed of several cam surfaces (see Figs. 1, 2, and 3),
works against a roller J, Figs. 1 and 3, which can be brought to work against
either of the cam surfaces by the action of the screw J, which moves the
roller to any desired position. Its exact position is shewn by marks on the
fixed part, in which the screw works a sleeve J³ secured to the head J of the
screw, covering or exposing these marks as the screw is worked in or out.
In place of several cams, one cam with a smooth face, as if made of an
infinite number of cams, slightly differing, may be used, so that any desired
amount of elevation differing slightly from the normal may be given by the
same angular motion of the cam, and thus a slight change in the value of the
explosive may be corrected or allowed for, or, in the case of the automatic
arrangement about to be described, the rise and fall of the tide, when this would
affect the position of the object aimed at, might be allowed for.
Figs. 5 and 6 shew an arrangement for connecting the sighting apparatus
to the gun, or the gun slide, in such a way that it may be used at any desired
distance from the gun. The base P of the apparatus is connected with another
base plate by parallel rods or bars RR, which may be of any suitable shape
or material. The lower base Q is attached to the gun either by clips, bolts,
or springs, or preferably simple contact with a grooved part, so that after
sighting, the apparatus might be removed.
Provision may also be made to support the parallel frame when the gun is
fired. When the base Q can be attached to the gun slide, such provision is

page_text: For the purpose of using this apparatus as an automatic sighting apparatus,
when the gun is used from an elevation and is of that type called quick-firing
(when the gun recoils in a slide supported on trunnions mounted so as to turn
round in a fixed vertical post), I duplicate the cam arrangement The addi-
tional cam K (see Fig. 4) I mount on a sleeve L' mounted on the spindle L,
which sleeve L works independently of the spindle L, which is operated by
hand. On this sleeve L' I mount a pinion S, which engages with a toothed
rack T, see the diagrams Figs. 10 and 11. This rack is attached to an arm U,
projecting from that part of the gun mounting which moves only in azimuth, the
apparatus being attached to the carriage in which the gun slides, which has
a motion in altitude only. The effect of this arrangement is shewn on Fig. 10,
where VV is a horizontal line, and the direction of the gun and telescope are
the same (point blank range), and on Fig. 11, where, in order to get the
telescope to point to an object on the horizon, supposing this to be within the
range of the gun, the movement in altitude of the gun, to get this range, brings
the telescope on the object.
The relation of the length of arm and rack to the size of pinion and shape
of cam can be made such as to suit any size of gun mounting or any elevation
of situation of the gun.
For the purpose of obtaining the greatest possible mechanical accuracy in
the fitting of the apparatus to the gun, I make use of a telescope fitted in the
bore of the gun, or accurately parallel thereto; this, in conjunction with the
telescope of the sighting apparatus, will give the direction of each accurately.
To use this arrangement, I erect, at some convenient distance, two vertical
scales, and one small horizontal scale.
is
The trajectories having been determined for the ammunition to be used, it
easy to determine if the cam or cams have the proper value, agreeing with
the scale on the disc of the sighting apparatus. Similarly, it is easy to test
the value of the automatic sighting arrangement for any determined height,
and the value of the movement of the wheel acting on the sloping faced cam,
for slight corrections, the horizontal scale checking the value of the azimuth
movement.
Referring now more particularly to Figs. 8 and 9, D¹ is a tube carrying the
object glass D. C¹ is a long collar screwed into the other end of tube A, and
having a coarse threaded screw, with nut B, through which the tube C carrying
the eye-piece is free to slide. A collar C is made on to the tube C, to receive
the thrust of the spiral spring C, which bears against the collar C. Tho
nut B turns on the screwed part of the long collar C, for the purpose of focus-
sing the telescope. When the focus is thus obtained, the eye-piece tube C is
free to slide into the main tube A. coming back to its first position when
released. Screwed on to the tube C is a collar C, having a soft shield D, pre-
ferably of india rubber, shaped to fit the face of the observer, and protect him
from the shock of discharge, and from wind, dust, and strong light. The other
end of this collar carries a tube fitting over the focussing nut B, and sliding
thereon, so as to exclude dust. This collar also holds in place the tube W,
which carries the first two lenses of the eye-piece, and slides in the tube C.
This tube W carries the lenses H and H³, and a collar K³, carrying the two
cross wires.
Having now 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:-
:
1. The means for carrying and adjusting a telescope used for sighting
ordnance, as herein described and shown with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4
of the accompanying drawings.
2. The means as herein shown and described with reference to Figs. 5, 6

page_text: and 7 of the drawings for enabling the sighting to be done at a distance from
the gun as set forth.
3. Mounting the tube carrying the eye-piece of the sighting telescope, so
that it will slide in the main tube, as herein shown and described with reference
to Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings, for the purpose set forth.
4. The means as herein shown and described with reference to Figs. 4, 10
and 11 for giving the required direction to the sighting telescope automatically
for the purpose set forth.
5. The use of a multiple cam in combination with a moveable bearing roller
so that the necessary slight correction can be given to the telescope to allow
for difference in the nature of the explosive used or for variations in the height
of the object as herein shown and described.
6. The use of a binocular telescope with the directing wires arranged as set
forth with reference to Fig. 8.
7. The use of a twin telescope of high and low powers as shown and described
with reference to Fig. 4 and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 24th day of December 1899.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.