IMPROVEMENTS IN FORGING CANNON AND OTHER HEAVY ARTICLES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 100, Fleet Street, in the City of London, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FORGING CANNON AND OTHER HEAVY ARTICLES."
A communication from abroad by Alonzo Hitchcock, of Chicago, State
of Illinois, United States of America.
Sealed the 17th April 1863, and dated the 20th October 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
October 1862.
I, GEORGE HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 100,
Fleet Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FORGING CANNON AND OTHER HEAVY
ARTICLES," a communication from Alonzo Hitchcock, of Chicago, State of
Illinois, United States of America, to be as follows:―
In fagoting up large masses of wrought iron or steel for heavy cannon and
other large forgings, the material is often burned and always deteriorated in
parts by the heating and working of other parts, and for this reason it has
frequently been attempted to make cannon and mortars of hoeps and staves
combined togather in such a manner that they will present sufficient resistance
to answer the purpose intended without attempting to weld the component
parts of the mass togather. In some instances seperate rings or hoops have

page_text: been shrunk on a cylindrical core, and helices have also been first made of
a continuous bar, and then had their several convolutions welded togather
with as little exposure and heating as possible to form a perfect cylinder.
The object of my Invention is to make a cannon or other similar and
analagous forging by combining and welding rings or hoops in such a manner
that the fibres of the metal will be continuous and concentric with the axis,
and the welding of the rings togather consolidates the entire mass without
exposing it to the action of the heat, except at the points where the welding is
to be effected, and at the time only when it is necessary to heat the parts in
preparation for their junction. To effect this object the bottom of the forge
or welding furnace consists of an anvil block supported by the ram of a
hydrostatic press, which carries the forging, and is gradually lowered as the
rings of which it is composed are successively added and welded to the mass.
Over the movable top of the furnace is placed a steam hammar of sufficient
play or length of stroke to reach down into the forge when required.
Adjacent to the welding furnace, is another furnace; in which the detached
rings are seperately brought to a welding heat. In practicing and operating
my Invention the upper surface and portion of the forging on the anvil block
of the welding furnace and one of the rings in the adjacent furnace are brought
to a welding heat in the usual manner, the top of the welding furnace is then
removed, and the heated ring transposed from its own furnace and placed
upon the heated end of the forging, and the steam hammer is then lowered to
strike the blows necessary to complete the welding and consolidate the ring
with the forging without removing the latter from its furnace.. Having thus
increased the size of the forging by the addition of one of the rings, the hammer
is lifted and the top of the welding furnace replaced, and the ram of the
hydrostatic press is lowered sufficiently to present again only the upper surface
of the forging to the action of the blast or the welding furnace as before
described, while another ring is also being heated in, readiness to be welded to
the forging in a similar manner. And in this way the rings are successively
added to the forging, and the latter lowered from the fire until it has attained
sufficient length for the purpose required. By this system of construction a
cannon is composed of circular fibres disposed in the manner in which the
continuous rings have been formed, and these rings are successively welded
and consolidated togather, and removed from the action of the fire as the
cannon is gradually brought to its entire length, without exposing any part to
'the blast, except when necessary to weld it to the adjacent part entering into
the composition of the mass.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Haseltine in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th April 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 100, Fleet Street, in
the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
said George Haseltine, Her special licence that I, the said George Haseltine,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
George Haseltine, 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 of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FORGING CANNON AND OTHER HEAVY ARTICLES," a communi-
cation from abroad by Alonzo Hitchcock, of Chicago, State of Illinois,
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said George Haseltine, 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 George Haseltine, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings making a
part of this Specification:-
In fagoting up large masses of wrought iron or steel for heavy cannon and
other large forgings, the material is often burned and always deteriorated in
parts by the heating and working of other parts, and for this reason it has
frequently been attempted to make cannon and mortars of hoops and staves
combined together in such a manner that they will present sufficient resistance
to answer the purpose intended without attempting to weld the component

page_text: parts of the mass together. In some instances separate rings or hoops have
been shrunk on a cylindrical core and helices also have been first made of a
continuous bar, and then had their several convolutions welded together with
as little exposure to heating as possible to form a perfect cylinder.
The object of my Invention is to make a cannon or other similar and
analogous forging by combining and welding rings or hoops in such a manner
that the fibres of the metal will be continuous and concentric with the axis,
and the welding of the rings together consolidates the entire mass without
exposing it to the action of the heat, except at the points where the welding
is to be effected, and at the time only when it is necessary to heat those parts
in preparation for their junction. To effect this object the bottom of the forge
or welding furnace consists of an anvil block supported by the ram of a hydro-
static press which carries the forging, and is gradually lowered, as the rings of
Over
which it is composed are successively added and welded to the mass.
the moveable top of the furnace is placed a steam hammer of sufficient play
or length of stroke to reach down into the forge when required. Adjacent to
the welding furnace is another furnace, in which the detached rings are
separately brought to a welding heat.
In practicing and operating my Invention, the upper surface and portion of
the forging on the anvil block of the welding furnace and one of the rings in
the adjacent furnace are brought to a welding heat in the usual manner; the
top of the welding furnace is then removed, and the heated ring transposed
from its own furnace and placed upon the heated end of the forging, and the
steam hammer is then lowered to strike the blows necessary to complete the
welding, and consolidate the ring with the forging, without removing the latter
from its furnace. Having thus increased the size of the forging by the addition
of one of the rings, the hammer is lifted and the top of the welding furnace
replaced, and the ram of the hydrostatic press is lowered sufficiently to present
again only the upper surface of the forging to the action of the blast of the
welding furnace, as before described, while another ring is also being heated
in readiness to be welded to the forging in a similar manner.
And in this
way the rings are successively added to the forging and the latter lowered from
the fire until it has attained sufficient length for the purpose desired. By this
system of construction the cannon is composed of circular fibres disposed in
the manner in which the continuous rings have been formed, and these rings
are successively welded and consolidated together and removed from the action
of the fire as the cannon is gradually brought to its entire length, without
exposing any part to the blast, except when necessary to weld it to the adjacent
part entering into the composition of the mass.

page_text: "And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
The pile a or mass which is being built for the purpose of forming a cannon
rests on the anvil blocks b, which are supported by the platen c and the ram d
of a hydrostatic cylinder e. The upper end of the pile projects through the
bottom of the reverberatory furnace f, of which the grate is shewn at g. Over
the pile, and the furnace is the steam hammer h, which has sufficient length of
stroke to reach through the opening i in the top of the furnace and down to
the top of the pile. The separate rings intended to be welded successively to
the pile are shewn at k in the furnace 7, which is constructed like the furnacef,
and furnished with a similar opening m at the top, and delivers into the same
fiue n, leading to the chimney. "The rings k are elevated into their furnace
through the bottom, when required, by means of the screw o. The action of
the furnaces is regulated in the ordinary manner by controlling the blast and
dampers, and the position of the loose fire-bricks p may be adjusted through
the usual openings in the sides of the furnaces to direct the impinging
currents upon the pile and rings, suitable means may also be used to
turn the forging when required for the purpose of regulating the application
of heat. When the top of the pile in one furnace and the upper ring in the
other have been brought to a welding heat, the blast and dampers are shut off,
the covers to the openings in the tops of the furnaces are removed, the ring
transposed to the top of the pile, and as many blows as may be necessary are
struck with the steam hammer to consolidate it with the mass. The hammer
is then withdrawn, the openings of the furnaces closed, the pile lowered by the
hydrostatic press until only its upper surface is exposed to the welding heat,
and the rings screwed up until the upper one is similarly exposed, and the
action of the furnace is then again resumed until the top of the pile and
another ring are again heated in readiness for welding.
The arrangement and construction of the various parts may be varied
without departing from the character of my Invention, but I prefer the system
which I have described and represented in the Drawing. The furnaces may
have separate combustion chambers, and the rings may be heated singly on
the floor of the furnace and removed through an opening in the side.
In practicing my Invention, it is advisable to throw a shovelfull of Frank-
linite ore in the grate occasionally, so that the vapor of the zine which enters
into its composition may combine with the sulphur and other volatile impu-
rities of the coal and prevent their imparing the iron. The openings through
the bottom of the furnaces for the passage of the pile and the rings should be
kept luted with clay, especially when only the natural draft of the chimney is

page_text: used. Both the rings and the top of the pile should be protected with borate
of soda or other similar flux. One of the sides of the rings should be slightly
dished or convex, so that when its convex side is placed on the flat end of the
pile, the scoria and oxide is squeezed to the exterior with the flux by the action.
of the hammer, and the welding of the fagot or pile is commenced at its
interior, and continued towards the periphery. The hammer should be so
heavy, or the rings so thin, that the entire mass of metal in a ring will be
moved by the force of the blow, so that ingots of cast steel moulded in the.
shape of rings may be welded and laminated by the same operation and
without intermediate manipulation. The platen or head of the press is pro-
vided with suitable guides, and the anvil blocks are left loose, so that they may
be removed on blocking up the pile for the purpose of making a forging equal
in length to the distance between the press and the bottom of the furnace.
I claim as my Invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the com-.
bination of the furnace, the hammer, and the hydrostatic press, or their
equivalents, substantially as described for the purpose specified.
I also claim the projection of a pile or fagot into a furnace through the
bottom, in the manner described.
And I also claim the employment of rings or ingots of cast steel direct from
the moulds in which they are cast for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto set my.
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.B.)