CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE AND IN CARTRIDGES THEREFOR
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, of 32, Essex
Street, Strand, London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE AND IN CARTRIDGES THEREFOR."-A communica-
tion from Charles Frederick Brown, of Warren, State of Rhode Island,
United States of America.
Sealed the 3rd November 1855, and dated the 28th May 1855.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux
Bellford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 28th May 1855, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
I, AUGUSTE EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 32, Essex Street, Strand,
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE AND IN CARTRIDGES THEREFOR," to be as
follows:-
The first part of this Invention relates to the construction of the carriages
for and method of mounting cannons and other ordnance in ships, forts, and
land and floating batteries. The object is to close the ports or embrasures
entirely all around the pieces, so as to prevent the entrance of the enemy's
shot or other projectiles; and also to prevent the smoke being driven back in
sufficient quantities to inconvenience the gunners and their attendants, but at
the same time to allow the direction of the piece to be varied to the same
extent as it can be when mounted in the usual way upon carriages of the

page_text: usual construction. In order to carry out the above feature of the Invention,
it is necessary to load at the breech of the piece, and to obtain greater
facility for loading at and effectually closing the breech than is had by any
of the methods in use.
The second part of the Invention consists in a new mode of constructing,
arranging, and operating a moveable breech.
The third part of the Invention relates to the construction of cartridges
for breech-loading ordnance. The case of the cartridge is to be made of tin
plate or other sheet metal. This part of the Invention consists in making
the ends of the case of hemispherical or other convex form. By giving them
this form, when the explosion takes place, they will be caused to expand
in such form and direction as to fill the bore of the piece tightly, and in a
great measure prevent windage both at the breech and around the ball or
projectile. This part of the Invention also consists in making a water
chamber in the rear end of the cartridge case. This chamber will be burst
by the explosion of the charge, and the water will serve at the same time
the
purposes of cooling the breech, and of preventing the escape of the fire
at the breech, and the consequent loss of forco.
Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawing is a vertical section of a gun and
carriage constructed according to the Invention, shewing also a section of part
of the deck and side of a floating battery, to illustrate the application of the
Invention. Fig. 2 is a view, shewing a horizontal section of the gun carriage
and part of the side of the battery, and a top view of the gun. Fig. 3 is a
view of the gun and carriage looking directly towards the breech. Similar
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several Figures.
The carriage of the gun consists of a frame A, of cast-iron or other metal,
made externally of spherical, spheroidal, or cylindrical form, or of any other
form partaking of the character of those figures. It is provided with two
pivots or journals a, a, to form a vertical axis upon which it is capable of
turning within the port or embrasure E in the side of the battery B, said
port or embrasure being of such form that the carriage A closes it, but turns
freely therein. The bearings b, b, for the pivots or journals are secured to the
side of the battery, one above and the other below the aforesaid opening
therein. The gun D passes through an opening C in the carriage A, and its
trunnions rest in horizontal bearings so made in the sides of the said opening,
that their axis intersects the axis of the carriage and stands at right angles
to the centre of the opening c, which opening should be of such form as to
allow the angle of the gun to be varied in a vertical direction as much as may
be desired to suit the altitude and distance of the object to be aimed at.

page_text: This opening may have a suitable space in the form of a narrow slit in the
upper part through which to take the sights, but otherwise the central part of
it may fit almost closely round the piece. Springs d, d, should be applied in
suitable cavities in rear of the trunnions, as shewn in Fig. 2, to receive the
force of the recoil when the discharge of the gun takes place. The gun is to
be inserted in the carriage from behind, suitable slots being made leading from
the back of the opening c to allow the trunnions to slide into their bearings.
These slots also serve to receive the springs d, d, which are confined in their
place by stopping up the backs of the slots with plugs e, e, which require to be
firmly secured by keying, bolting, or other means. Below the opening c there
is a tail piece m, attached rigidly to or cast with the carriage A, to receive the
screw f, by which the breech of the gun is raised and lowered to vary the
angle of the gun vertically. The sides or walls of the battery surrounding
the port or embrasure should not be thicker than is necessary for a proper
degree of strength, as too great a thickness would too much limit the horizontal
swinging movement of the gun, so that it will be well to construct that part
of plates of iron, which may be of sufficient thickness to be shot proof, without
interfering with the working of the gun, which may be made capable of
having a wider range than a gun mounted in any other way. The movable
breech of the gun consists of a disc C, having a perfectly flat smooth inner
surface, to fit up to a corresponding surface at the open rear end of the gun.
This disc is secured to a screw g, which works in a female screw formed
distance
within the solid metal below the bore. In this disc C, at a proper
from the centre, there is a hole h, which when the disc is turned to a proper
position comes opposite the bore of the gun to enable the charge to be inserted.
When the screw is screwed in to bring the breech tight up, the hole h stands
out of line with the bore, and leaves it closed, as shewn in Fig. 3, where the
bore is represented by a dotted circle n. In order to operate the movable
breech, its periphery is toothed to gear with a toothed pinion i, which is
secured to a screw j, which screws into a female screw in the solid metal
on the opposite side of the bore to the screw g; a flanch k is made
outside the pinion, either cast with the pinion or forged with the screw, to lap
closely over the edge of the breech, to assist in confining it when closed. The
pitch of the screws g and j should bear the same relation to each other as the
diameter of the pitch circles of the breech and the pinion, so that the breech
and pinion may have a corresponding movement. One of the screws g or j
must have a right-handed, and the other a left-handed thread. A crank is
applied to the pinion and its screw, by which to turn them by hand to operate
the breech. Two additional screws 7,7, and i³, 1, corresponding in size to i,

page_text: A
and with flanches ', ', may be applied, one on either side of the screwj, the
pinions gearing with and receiving motion from the breech, and the flauches
operating like the flanch k to confine the breech. Instead of the complete
disc, a toothed segment only may be employed to constitute the breech.
movable breech on this principle may be applied to ordnance mounted on
the common carriage. Ordnance that is now in use with the solid breech, and
that has been constructed for carriages of the usual kind, may be adapted to
this Invention by cutting off the breech of the piece and fitting a movable
breech just like that described, and constructing the swinging carriage A with
an opening c of suitable size to receive it, and with the bearings in the
said opening of proper size to receive the said trunnions. Although the
carriage A may be made of cylindrical or any circular form, it is preferable
to make it spherical or spheroidal, as that form will enable it to deflect a
ball or projectile striking it at almost any point.
Fig. 4 in the accompanying Drawing is a central longitudinal section of one
of the improved cartridges. Fig. 5 is a central section of the chamber of a
gun with the cartridge in the act of exploding. Similar letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in both these Figures. L is the case, of which o
is the front end, and p the rear end, both of hemispherical form. Ata short
distance from the rear end there is a partition 9, which divides it into two
parts r and s, the former of which is the powder chamber, and the latter the
water chamber. In the front end o there is an opening to insert the powder
into the chamber r, and in the rear end p another opening to fill the chambers
with water, the former opening being closed by a tight stopper t, and the
latter by another tight stopper u. A tube leads from through rear end p,
through the water chamber and the partition g into the middle of the powder
chambor to convey a fuse w to the centre of the charge, the said tube being
intended to be furnished at its outer end with a percussion priming, which
will be ignited by the shearing-off of its end by the closing of the brecch,
or the fuse may be ignited by any other convenient means.
The ball or other projectile j is put in the piece seperate from the cartridge,
and in order that the cartridge and projectile may be inserted easily, and the
ball may fit with sufficient tightness during the discharge, the chamber of the
piece should be slightly enlarged towards the breech. The explosion of
the cartridge drives one end towards the breech and the other towards the
projectile, and the convex end o will be driven against tho projectile with
such force, that before the latter has hardly started, the said end will have
been expanded laterally, so that it nearly forms a square corner all round the
bore, and the case L for a considerable distance from its front end will fit very

page_text: closely to the bore, so as to prevent windage around the projectile. The endp
will be driven back against the breech, and a similar lateral expansion will
take place, causing a considerable portion of the case from the rear end to
fit tightly enough to the bore, to prevent in a great measure any windage
I or escape of exploded powder taking place at the breech by reason of the
latter not being perfectly tight. The explosion of the charge after having
expanded the end of the case, as described, will burst the water chamber,
either by tearing the metal or melting the soldering of the case, and the
water being discharged will not only cool the breech, but if the breech
should not be tight it will be driven into the crevices, and thus prevent the
escape of the gas or exploded powder. When the breech of the piece is
opened after the discharge the water all runs out, unless the inclination of the
picce is such that it runs towards the muzzle.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describo
or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles cr main features of my said Invention; but what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention, is,-
First, mounting a cannon or any other piece of ordnance, substantially as
herein described, in a carriage A, of spherical, spheroidal, cylindrical, or other
circular form externally, which carriage is arranged to close the port or
embrasure through which the piece works, but to turn freely therein in a
horizontal or nearly horizontal direction, and which has an opening c within
it of suitable size and form to receive the gun, and to allow it the necessary
upward and downward swinging movement on its trunnions, whereby an
efficient protection is afforded against the entrance of the enemy's shot or
other projectiles, and the smoke of the piece is excluded, and at the same
time a desirable range in a lateral and vertical direction is maintained.
Second, a movable breech, composed of a disc C or segment, secured to
a screw pivot g, which screws into a fixed female screw at one side of the
bore, so that by simply turning the disc or segment it may be made to cover
the bore, and by the action of the screw will be drawn tight up to its place.
And in combination with this breech I claim the application of one or more
screws j, carrying pinions i gearing with teeth on the breech, and flanches k
overlapping the breech, for the purpose of confining the breech at that side of
the bore opposite to or on other sides than its own screw pivot g, substantially
as herein described.

page_text: Third, making the ends of a metal cartridge case of hemispherical or
other convex form, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Fourth, providing a water chamber s in the rear end of the cartridge
case, to be filled with water previously to the insertion of the cartridge in
the gun, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford
have hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of May,
Oue thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
A. E. LORADOUX BELLFORD.