IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR RAISING, REMOVING, TRANSPORTING, AND RE-FIXING MILITARY OR OTHER TARGETS OR MANTLETS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Douglas Monro Fyfe, of Maidenhead, in the County
of Berks, Adjutant of the 19th Regiment of Berks Volunteers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR
RAISING, REMOVING, TRANSPORTING, AND RE-FIXING MILITARY OR OTHER
TARGETS OR MANTLETS."
Sealed the 10th November 1863, and dated the 15th May 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Douglas Monro Fyfe
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th May 1863.
I, DOUGLAS MONRO FYFE, of Maidenhead, in the County of Berks,
Adjutant of the 19th Regiment of Berks Volunteers, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS
EMPLOYED FOR RAISING, REMOVING, TRANSPORTING, AND RE-FIXING MILITARY OR
OTHER TARGETS OR MANTLETS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obviate the difficulty, danger, and loss of
time incurred in raising, removing, transporting, 'and re-fixing heavy military or
other targets and mantlets. For this purpose I construct a carriage frame of
suitable strength, mounted on two or other suitable number of wheels with
shafts or other means of draught, and to the hinder part of this frame, the bed
or platform for supporting and carrying the target or mantlet is binged or
jointed in such manner as to be capable of being tilted or raised into a vertical-
position; and lowered-again-by suitable-mechanical-means. Upon-the-frame-of-

page_text: the carriage a shaft or axis is mounted and turns in suitable bearings, and on
this shaft or axis, one or more, toothed pinions (or it may be a worm wheel)
are fixed, the teeth of which engage with one or more toothed sectors fixed on
the under side of the moveable bed or platform of the carriage, one or both
ends of the axis of the pinions may be suitably formed for receiving the socket
of a winch handle, by turning which motion is given to the pinions and to
the toothed sectors, and by this means the moveable bed or platform of the
carriage will be raised from its horizontal into a vertical position against the
face of a target or mantlet, which is to be raised and removed. To the sides
and upper end of the moveable bed or platform, hooks, clips, or holdfasts are
attached, capable of being readily caused to embrace or partly embrace
the outer edges or flanges of the target or mantlet, so as to secure it firmly to
the bed or platform. When this is accomplished, motion is again imparted
to the axis, pinions, and toothed sectors, and the target or mantlet will thus be
raised upon the bed or platform, which is then caused to reassume its
horizontal position upon the frame of the carriage ready to be removed or
transported to any other desired site. Suitable brake apparatus may be applied
to the pinion axis, and to the wheels of the carriage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Douglas Monro Fyfe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DOUGLAS
MONRO FYFE, of Maidenhead, in the County of Berks, Adjutant of the 19th
Regiment of Berks Volunteers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Douglas Monro Fyfe, Her special licence, that I, the said Douglas
Monro Fyfe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Douglas Monro Fyfe, 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 THE MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR RAISING, REMOVING,

page_text: TRANSPORTING, AND RE-FIXING MILITARY OR OTHER TARGETS OR MANTLETS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that J, the said Douglas Monro Fyfe, 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 per-
formed, 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 Douglas Monro Fyfe, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
The object of this Invention is to obviate the difficulty, danger, and loss of
time incurred in raising, removing, transporting, and re-fixing heavy military
or other targets and mantlets. For this purpose I construct a carriage frame
of suitable strength, mounted on two or other suitable number of wheels with
shafts or other means of draught, and to the hinder part of this frame the bed
or platform for supporting and carrying the target or mantlet, is hinged or
jointed in such manner as to be capable of being tilted or raised into a vertical
position, and lowered again by suitable mechanical means. Upon the frame
of the carriage a shaft or axis is mounted, and turns in suitable bearings, and
on this shaft or axis one or more toothed pinions (or it may be a worm wheel)
are fixed, the teeth of which engage with one or more toothed sectors fixed on
the under side of the moveable bar or platform of the carriage. One or both
ends of the axis of the pinions may be suitably form.ed for receiving the socket
of a winch handle, by turning which motion is given to the pinions and to the
toothed sectors, and by this means the moveable bed or platform of the carriage
will be raised from its horizontal into a vertical position against the face of a
target or mantlet, which is to be raised and removed. To the sides and upper
end of the moveable bed or platform, hooks, clips, or holdfasts are attached,
capable of being readily caused to embrace or partly embrace the outer edges
or flanges of the target or mantlet, so as to secure it firmly to the bed or plat-
form. When this is accomplished, motion is again imparted to the axis,
pinions, and toothed sectors, and the target or mantlet will thus be raised upon
the bed or platform, which is then caused to reassume its horizontal position
upon the frame of the carriage ready to be removed or transported to any
other desired site. Suitable brake apparatus may be applied to the pinion,
axis, and to the wheels of the carriage.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, shows a plan; and Figure 2, a side elevation of a carriage, having
means or apparatus applied thereto, suitably arranged for being employed for
raising, removing, transporting, and re-fixing military or other targets or
mantlets, according to my Invention; a, a, is the frame or body of the carriage
mounted on the four wheels a', a', and having shafts a, a, or other suitable
means of draught; b, b, is a frame or platform which is attached by pin joints
at 61, 6', to the hind part of the frame a, upon which the shaft or axis c is
mounted and turns in bearings c¹, c. To the back or under side of the moveable
frame or platform 6 the toothed sector 63 is jointed or attached, the teeth of
which engage with the teeth of the pinion c, fixed on the axis c, upon one end
of which the worm wheel d is fixed, the teeth of which engage with the worm
e fixed on the axis e¹ turning in bearings e, fixed on the side or other part of
the frame or body of the carriage. The toothed sector ³ is supported and
guided at the back by a friction roller, carried by a fixed guide or bracket,
which is not shown in the Drawing. By turning the winch handle e³, fixed
on the end of the axis e³, motion is communicated to the axis c, the toothed
pinion c³ fixed thereon giving motion to the toothed sector 6; by which means
the frame or platform 6 can be moved into the vertical position shown at
Figure 2, and back again (with a target or mantlet attached thereto) into a
horizontal position, so as to rest and be supported upon the frame or body a of
the carriage, to be removed to and be deposited and refixed in any other desired
situation. In order to prevent the tilting up or overbalancing of the carriage,
when the target or mantlet is in the act of being raised, supports or props
capable of adjustment, attached to the carriage or otherwise, may be applied
to the hind part of the frame or body of the carriage to receive the strain.
Or a counterbalance lever or levers may be attached to the axis c or other
convenient part of the carriage extending to the fore part, the lever or levers
being attached by a strap or band to the horse, which is thus caused to act as
a counterbalance weight upon the lever or levers, to prevent the tilting up of
the carriage when the target or mantlet is being raised. To the fore part or
upper end of the moveable frame or platform b, a friction pulley (not shown
in the Drawing) may be attached, if desired, over which pulley a rope or chain
is passed, one end being attached to a drum or barrel mounted on the axis c
(or the drum and winch may be carried by a separate axis turning in suitable
bearings upon the carriage a). The other end of the rope or chain may be
.

page_text: readily attached when required to the target or mantlet, for the purpose of
hauling it up to the face of the moveable frame or platform b. When this
arrangement of apparatus is employed, the axis c is arranged to slide in its
bearings, in order to disengage the pinion c, whilst the axis c is employed as
a winch for hauling the target or mantlet up to the platform b, a toothed ratchet
wheel being also fixed on the axis c, having a pawl to hold the axis and drum
from running back, until released or allowed to do so. The frame or bed a of
the carriage may be furnished with springs as shown at a³, for the moveable
frame or platform 6 to rest upon, or other arrangements of springs may be
applied to the carriage a and platform 6, if desired. Screw clamps or other
convenient means may be employed for securing the targets or mantlets to the
moveable frame or platform 6, the precise nature of which I have not thought
it necessary to show in the Drawing, as this and other mechanical details
may be greatly varied without departing from the true character of my
Invention.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
carrying the same into practice, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the exact details herein described, so long as the peculiar
character of my Invention be retained; but what I claim is the arrangement
of apparatus whereby military or other targets or mantlets may be readily
raised, removed, and transported from one place to another, and refixed in
position as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Douglas Munro Fyfe, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane.
D. M. FYFE. (L.S.)