AN IMPROVED METHOD. OF. AND APPARATUS FOR THE WORKING. OF BREECH-. LOADING GUNS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Jeremiah Murphy, of Lady's Well Brewery,
Cork, in the County of the City of Cork, Ireland, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED METHOD. OF. AND APPARATUS FOR THE WORKING. OF BREECH-.
LOADING GUNS."
Sealed. the 13th February 1866, and dated the 11th December 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Jeremiah Murphy.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
Ilth December 1865..
I, WILLIAM JEREMIAH MURPHY, of Lady's Well Brewery, Cork, in the
County of the City of Cork, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD. OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE WORKING
OF BREECH-LOADING GUNS," to be as follows:-
Instead of the usual method of opening and closing the breech in heavy
breech-loading guns or ordnance I propose that the gun be fitted with a
cylinder at the breech, the said cylinder to form part of the gun itself.
In this cylinder, I propose to place a solid piston or plunger to work up
and down by hydraulic pressure to be regulated by cocks or valves working
simultaneously, one letting off water at one side of the piston or plunger,
and the other letting it on at the opposite side; by these means an up-and-
down motion will be gained. I propose, also, that the head and shoulders-

page_text: of the solid piston on the up stroke fit tight into the barrel of the gun, so
as to close the breech effectually. Between the cylinder and the gun I
propose to form a chamber for the reception of the charge, which can be
introduced either above or below or through the side, as may be required.
When the plunger works up it will force the charge into the barrel, and
remain tight there until the shot is fired off; the cocks will then be opened
and the piston retire back again to wait for the next charge. Instead of
a vent hole I propose that a friction fuse be placed on the top of the head
of the plunger, which will be so arranged as to rub against the barrel of
the gun just before going home, and thus explode. I moreover wish to
suggest that on the back. stroke of the plunger it can be so arranged, if
thought desirable, that it will lift the charge into the chamber ready for the
up stroke of the piston or plunger. The pressure of the water being on
the back of the plunger when the gun is fired there will be no recoil as
the force of the explosion against the head of the plunger will be counter-
balanced by the pressure of the water on the broad end of the piston. I
also propose to lower and raise the gun so as to obtain the correct range
by means of a similar hydraulic piston and cylinder. I also propose to
swing the gun by means of a turning table worked by hydraulic cylinders.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Jeremiah Murphy in the Great Seal Patent Office
. on the 11th June 1866.
TÓ ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
JEREMIAH MURPHY, of Lady's Well Brewery, Cork, in the County of the
City of Cork, Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Jeremiah Murphy, Her special licence that I, the
said William Jeremiah Murphy, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Jeremiah Murphy, 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

page_text: and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS
FOR THE WORKING OF BREECH-LOADING GUNS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Jeremiah Murphy, 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 William Jeremiah Murphy, 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 in writing, and on reference to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, that is to say :-
Instead of the usual method of opening and closing the breech in heavy
breech-loading guns or ordnance I propose that the gun be fitted with a
cylinder at the breech, the said cylinder to form part of the gun itself. In
this cylinder I propose to place a solid piston or plunger to work up and
down by hydraulic pressure to be regulated by cocks or valves working
simultaneously, one letting off water at one side of the piston or plunger,
and the other letting it on at the opposite side; by these means an up-and-
down motion will be gained. I propose, also, that the head of the plunger
on the up stroke fit tight into the barrel of the gun, so as to close the
breech effectually. Between the cylinder and the gun I propose to form
a chamber for the reception of the charge, which can be introduced either
above or below or through the side, as may be required. When the
plunger works up it will force the charge into the barrel and remain tight
there until the shot is fired off; the cocks will then be opened, and the
piston retire back again to wait for the next charge. Instead of a vent
hole I propose that a friction fuze be placed on the top of the head of the
plunger, which will be so arranged as to rub against the barrel of the gun
just before going home, and thus explode, or the gun may be discharged
by any of the ordinary methods. On the back stroke of the plunger it
can be so arranged, if thought desirable, that it will lift the charge into the
chamber ready for the up stroke of the piston or plunger. The pressure
of the water being on the back of the plunger when the gun is fired there
will be no recoil, as the force of the explosion against the head of the
plunger will be counterbalanced by the pressure of the water on the broad

page_text: end of the piston, or the resistance may be given by closing the cock or
valve so as to prevent the escape of the water from the back of the piston.
I also propose to lower and raise the gun so as to obtain the correct range
by means of a similar hydraulic piston and cylinder. I also propose to
swing the gun by means of a turning table worked by hydraulic cylinders,
but the elevation and depression of the gun, as well as the swinging or
pointing thereof in a lateral direction, may be effected in any ordinary
suitable manner.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "An
Improved Method of and Apparatus for the Working of Breech-loading
Guns," I will now proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which
the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, and
in order that the same may be distinctly understood I have annexed
hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the
same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the
following explanation thereof, that is to say::-
In the annexed Drawing Figure 1 represents a vertical section taken
through about the centre line of a breech-loading gun, constructed
according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the same, as seen
from above; and Figure 3 is a horizontal section of the same.
a, a, is the barrel of the gun, the breech being bored out rather larger,
and fitted with a plunger b, b, having a conical fore-end c, c, which
effectually closes the breech end of the barrel when the plunger is in its
forward position as shown at Figures 1 and 3; d, d, is an opening through
which the cartridge is introduced, and placed in front of the plunger, when
the latter is withdrawn backwards (as shown at Figure 2). The plunger b, b,
is also provided with a head or piston e, e, working water-tight in a
cylinder ff, screwed on to the breech end of the gun, the plunger itself
working also water-tight through a cup-leather or other packing g,g. The
rear end of the cylinder ff, is closed by the breech block h, h, which is
screwed therein, and in which the plug i, i, works water-tight. k, k, l, l, are
two passages, the former leading to the fore end of the cylinder f, f,
in front of the piston e, e, and the latter leading to the rear end of the said
cylinder behind the said piston; m, m, is the passage through the rear end
of the breech block, to which a pipe is to be connected leading to the
hydraulic reservoir or head of water employed to give the pressure. The
'plug i, i (a longitudinal section of which is seen at Figure 4), is provided
with an escape opening n, n, passing in at the side and out at the bottom,

page_text: for allowing the water to run out of the cylinder f, f, and a groove o; o,
passing rather more than half round the body of the plug, for the purpose of
admitting water to the cylinder. The working of the gun is as follows:
The plug i, i, is turned by means of the handle p, p, into the position
shown at Figure 1. The water will then flow along the passage m, m,
round the plug i, i, by the groove o, o, and along the passage k, k, into
the cylinder, in front of the piston e, e, and force the plunger b, b, back
into the position shown in Figure 2, the water from behind the piston
escaping through the passage 1, 1, and opening n, n, in the plug i, i.
The cartridge is now placed in the breech through the opening d, d, and
the plug i, i, is turned into the position shown at Figure 3*, by which
means the water is admitted behind the piston e, e, thrusting it and the
plunger b, b (together with the cartridge) forwards until the conical fore
end c, c, effectually closes the breech. The charge may be now exploded
in any ordinary manner, the column of water between the passage m, m,
and the reservoir receiving the force of the recoil; but if the pressure of
the head of water should not be sufficient to resist the force of the
explosion the plug i, i, may be turned into the position shown at Figure 5,
which will entirely prevent the escape of the water from behind the
piston e, e, and thus form (as it were) a solid breech to receive the force
of the recoil. Figures 6 and 7 show a modification of the above, wherein
the position of the plug i, i, and of the passages k, k, and I, I, are somewhat
altered. Various other modifications might be made, for instance, valves
might be used instead of the plug i, i.
The gun is to be fitted with trunnions and mounted in a carriage in
any suitable manner, and it will readily be understood without further
description how the same principle of hydraulic pressure acting upon a
piston or plunger in a cylinder may be adapted to the raising of a heavy
charge previously to placing it in the gun, and to the raising and depressing
as well as to the lateral swinging and pointing of the gun itself, so that the
gun may be worked entirely by hydraulic pressure by the mere opening
and closing of a few cocks or valves. Where the supply of water is limited
the pressure may be obtained by pumping the water up into a tank at a
sufficient elevation above the gun to give the required pressure.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
"An Improved Method of and Apparatus for the Working of Breech-
loading Guns," together with the manner in which the same is to be or may
be performed or carried into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion

page_text: that I claim as my Invention the employment or adaptation of hydraulic
pressure to the working of breech-loading guns, substantially as herein-
before described and represented in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Jeremiah Murphy, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
WILLIAM J. MURPHY. (L.S.)