Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 19th July, 1886.
Complete Left, 19th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 20th May, 188.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to transportable gun-carriages and is designed to provide for
shielding or protecting the gunner from an enemy's fire, whilst affording means for
readily training or pointing and firing the gun.
My improved gun-carriage is very advantageous for use in the construction of
temporary fortifications or entrenchments, as hereinafter set forth.
In carrying my said invention into practice I provide a casing preferably of cylin-
drical form, and a cover or shield therefor consisting of an armour-plate, that is to say,
a plate of steel or iron which is preferably of concavo-convex form. This cover or
shield is supported by rollers or other suitable means upon a circular rail so that it can
be readily turned upon or about its axis. The said rail is firmly connected with the
aforesaid casing to which are attached the axles of two wheels upon which the said
casing is mounted. The said casing is partly armour-plated and is provided with a
door through which the gunner can enter the same. The said casing is moreover
provided with a floor or platform. The cover or shield is formed with an embrasure
or aperture through which the barrel of the gun is passed. The bearings for the
trunnions of the gun are firmly connected with the armour-plate top or cover, which,
consequently, takes up the recoil.
The elevation or depression of the gun is effected by the aid of a worm and worm-
wheel operated by means of a hand-wheel. The lateral adjustment of the gun is
effected by turning the armour-plate top or cover upon or about its axis. For this
purpose rods or bars are connected with the said cover and with a seat for the gunner.
The gunner turns the armour-plate top or cover by pressing his feet against the floor
or platform and also by the pressure of his shoulders against one or more of the said

page_text: rods or bars, whilst sitting upon the said seat, consequently he does not require to use
his hands for traversing the gun. He can, therefore, work the gun with great
rapidity.
If great precision is required in the aiming of the gun, I provide means whereby
the aforesaid worm can be moved out of gear with the worm-wheel, and a pinion
on the shaft of the said worm brought into gear with a rack on the cover or shield,
so that the more accurate adjustment of the gun can be effected by turning the
aforesaid hand-wheel.
Suitable shafts or posts are attached to my gun-carriages to facilitate their transport
by horse or other animal power.
In the construction of temporary fortifications or entrenchments, my armour-plated
gun-carriages are used as follows, that is to say :-Assuming that a large number of
the said armour-plated gun-carriages are at disposal. They are transported to tho
place where they are to be used, and are arranged at suitable distances apart.
A breast-work of earth is then thrown up, which encloses or surrounds the casings
of the said carriages with the exception of the doors thereof, and leaves the covers or
shields of the carriages free to be turned as required. In this manner it is possible, in
the time which would be required for making a skirmishing trench, to erect a battery
of my armour-plated gun-carriages, and, when the position appears no longer tenable,
to break up the battery and carry away the guns.
If the fortification or entrenchment is to be of a less temporary character, the
earth-work can further be strengthened by masonry, or other means, whilst, inversely,
in cases where only infantry-fire is to be withstood, the casing does not require
protection, as it can be made of sheet metal sufficiently strong for the purpose.
It is evident, from the foregoing description, that one man can work the gun. For
supplying the ammunition another man is required, who sits at the entrance of the
casing and puts the cartridges in boxes which he suspends from a rail, so that they
are always easy of access for the gunner, the said boxes being provided with rollers
which run upon the said rail.
JL.1 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements relating to Gun-carriages.
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 this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to transportable gun-carriages and is designed to provide for
shielding or protecting the gunner from an enemy's fire, whilst enabling him to
readily train or point and fire the gun.
My improved gun-carriage is, moreover, very advantageous for use in the con-
struction of temporary fortifications or entrenchments, as hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawings, I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal central section, and,
Figure 2 a horizontal section of one form of my improved gun-carriage.
Figure 3 is a front elevation, partly in central transverse section.
Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the mode of transporting my improved
gun-carriage, and
Figure 5 is a perspective view, partly in vertical section, showing an entrenchment
formed with some of my gun-carriages.
A is a cylindrical casing which is provided with a cover or shield B. This cover or
shield consists of an armour-plate, that is to say, a plate of steel or iron, which is
preferably of concavo-convex form. The said cover or shield is supported by means
of rollers 6 upon a circular rail C so that it can be readily turned upon or about
its axis. The said rail is firmly secured to the casing A, to which are attached the
axles d of two wheels D, upon which the said casing is mounted. The said casing is
partly armour-plated as shown at A¹, and is provided with a door E through which
the gunner can enter the same. The said casing is, moreover, provided with a floor
or platform F. The cover or shield B is formed with an embrasure or aperture B¹
through which projects the barrel G₁ of the gun G. 9, 9 are the trunnions of the
gun, which are mounted in bearings in a forked bent lever H pivotted at / to brackets /¹
firnily secured to the armour-plate top or cover B, which, consequently, takes up the
recoil. The gun also rests upon an india-rubber roller 62 attached to the shield B,
which roller forms the pivotal point of the gun.
The vertical arm of the lever H has formed or fixed thereon a portion h¹ of a worm-
wheel, with which is geared a worm I arranged to bo operated by means of a hand-
wheel I' to elevate and depress the gun. The lateral or horizontal adjustment of the
gun is effected by turning the armour-plate top or cover B upon or about its axis.
For this purpose, rods or bars K are connected with the said cover and with a seat L
for the gunner. The gunner, when sitting upon the said seat, can turn the armour-
plate top or cover in either direction by pressing his feet against the floor or
platform F and his shoulders against one or more of the said rods or bars K,

page_text: consequently he does not require to use his hands for effecting the lateral or horizontal
adjustment of the gun. He can, therefore, work the gun with great rapidity.
To enable the aiming of the gun to be effected with great precision, I sometimes so
construct the adjusting or pointing mechanism that the worm I can be moved out of
gear with the worm-wheel h¹, and a pinion I fixed on the shaft of the said worm can
be brought into gear with a rack M on the cover or shield B, so that the gun can be
more accurately adjusted by the turning of the hand-wheel I'
Suitable shafts or posts are attached to my gun-carriages to facilitate their
transport by horse or other animal power.
In the construction of temporary fortifications or entrenchments, my armour-plated
gun-carriages are used as follows, that is to say :-Assuming that a large number of
the said armour-plated gun-carriages are at disposal; they are transported to the place
whore they are to be used, and are arranged at suitable distances apart as at A, A in
Figure 5. A breast-work N of earth is then thrown up, which encloses or surrounds
the casings of the said carriages with the exception of the doors thereof, and leaves
the covers or shields of the carriages free to be turned as required. In this manner it
is possible, in the time which would be required for making a skirmishing trench, to
erect a battery of my armour-plated gun-carriages, and, when the position appears no
longer tenable, to break up the battery and carry away the guns.
If the fortification or entrenchment is to be of a less temporary character, the
earth-work can further be strengthened by masonry or other means, whilst inversely,
in cases where only infantry-fire is to be withstood, the casing does not require
protection, as it can be made of sheet metal sufficiently strong for the purpose.
It is evident from the foregoing description, that the gun can be readily worked
by one man. For supplying the ammunition, another man is required, who sits at
the entrance of the casing and puts the cartridges in boxes, such as that shown
at P, which boxes he suspends from a rail P' so that they are always easy of access
for the gunner, the said boxes being provided with rollers p which run upon the
said rail.
The construction of the gun-carriage may be somewhat modified, if desired,' without
departing from the nature of my invention. For instance, the gun may be suspended
from the cover or shield B in any other convenient manner. Moreover the seat and
its connections may be otherwise arranged for the purpose above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. A portable gun-carriage constructed with a casing for protecting the gunner
and with a cover or shield which is arranged to rotate upon the said casing and which
serves as a carrier for the gun, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Second. The combination, with the rotating cover or shield, of a seat connected
therewith substantially as hereinbefore described so that the gunner can turn the said
cover or shield without using his hands.
Third. The improved gun-carriage consisting of the parts constructed and combined
substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings for the
purposes specified.
Dated this 19th day of Anril 1887.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.