Improvements in Pointing or Aiming Mechanism for Ordnance.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept.. 1889
Complete Specification Left, 23rd May, 1890--Accepted, 28th June, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by DIE ACTIEN GESELLSCHAFT GRUSONWERK, of
Magdeburg, Buchau, in the Empire of Germany.]
Improvements in Pointing or Aiming Mechanism for Ordnance.
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 to be as follows:-
The invention relates to pointing or aiming mechanism for ordnance.
The main object of the said invention is to provide improved pointing or aiming
mechanism for ordnance in which the lateral and vertical pointing or aiming of the
gun are obtained by means of a single lever.
The said invention is applied to a pivot gun-bearer adapted to turn upon vertical
journals in the following manner, that is to say-One of the two walls of the gun-
bearer is provided with a tail-piece or extension in which is formed an arc shaped
slot. In this slot, when the gun is turned upon its trunnions, is arranged to slide a
suitable stud or projection secured to the reinforce. The said stud or projection is
provided with a screw-thread on that part thereof which extends beyond the said slot
in the tail-piece or extension of the gun-bearer, and with a correspondingly screw-
threaded nut by tightening which the gun can be clamped at any angle of elevation.
Upon this nut is journalled, so as to have free play thereon, a lever, the front extremity
of which is provided with a spherically shaped enlargement fitting into a recess or
socket provided in the gun-bearer. This arrangement permits the said lever to be
used as a hammer for effecting the fine adjustment of the gun prior to applying the
brake.
The said lever also serves for pointing or aiming the gun in a lateral direction,
the gun-bearer being fixed when desired by means of a suitable brake-screw. The
said lever moreover is also provided with free play in a lateral direction so that it can
be used as a hammer.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pointing or Aiming Mechanism for Ordnance.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 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 pointing or aiming mechanism for ordnance.
The main object of the said invention is to provide for effecting the adjustment of
a gun both for vertical pointing or elevation and for horizontal pointing or training,
by means of a single lever. The said lever is preferably arranged as hereinafter
described so that it can also be utilized as a hammer for effecting the more accurate
adjustment of the gun, that is to say, for adjusting the gun either vertically or
horizontally through very small angles after it has been approximately adjusted by
pulling or pushing the said lever.

page_text: In the accompanying drawing, I have shown how the said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a plan, partly in horizontal section,
Figure 2 a side elevation, partly in vertical section, and
Figure 3 a rear elevation, also partly in vertical section, illustrating one form of
gun-mounting having my improvements applied thereto.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
A is the gun, which is arranged to turn about its trunnions A' in a suitable support
or gun-bearer B. This gun-bearer is provided with vertical trunnions B' and is fitted
to turn freely in suitable bearings (, provided with caps C¹, in a manner substantially
similar to that described in the Specification accompanying my application for Letters
Patent dated 16th August A.D. 1889, No. 12,968. The said gun-bearer B is provided,
at one side of the gun, with a tail-piece or extension B in which is formed an arc-
shaped slot B³, concentric with the trunnions of the gun. A stad or projection D on
the reinforce of the gun extends through the slot B3 and is arranged to slide freely
therein when the gun is turned about its trunnions. The stud or projection D is
provided with screw-threads on the part D' thereof which projects beyond the said
tail-piece or extension B2, and has fitted thereon a correspondingly screw-threaded nut
or socket E having a handle or lever E' for convenience of manipulating the same.
A washer E2 is, if desired, arranged between the said nut or socket and the tail-piece
or extension B².
F is a lever, one end of which is provided with a spherical enlargement F' arranged
to work freely in a socket B on the gun-bearer B so as to form a kind of universal-
joint. The other end of the said lever is provided with a taper hole F2, for the
reception of a lengthening piece F³, which may be removed while the gun is not in
use. The lever F is formed with an eye F through which extend the stud D and the
nut or socket E thereon. The internal diameter of the said eye F is made somewhat
larger than the external diameter of the said nut or socket E, and the width of the
said eye is somewhat less than the length of the corresponding part of the said nut or
socket, therefore a certain amount of play or movement of the lever F on the said nut
or socket both vertically and laterally is permitted, for the purpose hereinafter
specified. G is a clamping-screw for securing the gun-bearer B firmly in any
position into which it may be turned about its trunnions for the purpose of training
the gun.
On slackening the nut E, the gun may be turned about its trunnions A¹ by means
of the lever F for vertical pointing or elevation; and by again tightening the said
nut, the gun can be firmly secured at any desired angle of elevation. On slackening
the screw G, the gun-bearer B may be turned about its trunnions B¹ by means of the
said lever F.
It will therefore be seen that the lever F can be employed both for elevating and
for training the gun. Moreover the said lever having a certain amount of play or
free movement relatively to the nut or socket E both vertically and laterally, as above
stated, can be used as a hammer for effecting the more accurate adjustment of the
gun A in both directions prior to tightening the nut E and clamping-screw G, or
after the said nut and screw have been partially tightened.
It is evident that the construction of the gun-mounting can be somewhat modified
without departing from the nature of the said invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is :-
First The combination, with a gun arranged to turn about an axis in a suitable
support or bearer which is arranged to turn about an axis perpendicular to that of
the gun, of a lever so connected with the said gun and bearer that it will serve

page_text: for effecting both the vertical pointing or elevation and the horizontal pointing or
training of the gun.
Second-The combination, with a gun, of a lever whereby both the vertical pointing
or elevation and the horizontal pointing or training of the gun may be effected, and
which is so connected with the gun that it can be used as a hammer for effecting the
nore accurate adjustment thereof, as above specified.
Third-The gun and mounting having my improvements applied thereto, and con-
structed substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawing and
operating as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Dated this 23rd day of May 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.