Improvements in Apparatus for Facilitating the Loading of Guns.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1887
Complete Left, 20th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th July, 1888
[Communicated from abroa! by JEAN BAPTISTE GUSTATE ADOLPHE CANET, of 9.1.,
Avenue Malakoff, Paris, France.]
Improvements in Apparatus for Facilitating the Loading of Guns.
We, RICHARD COPLEY CHRISTIE, MANASSAH GLEDHILL, and HERBERT HANBURY
SMITH CARINGTON, all Directors of Sir Joseph Whitworth & Co., Limited, of Openshaw,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to apparatus for facilitating the loading of guns, and comprises
improvements in apparatus described in the specification of former Letters Patent
dated January 2nd A.D. 1884 No. 279, and in the provisional specification accom-
panying our application for Letters Patent, dated 1st July 1887, No. 9375.
The apparatus described in the said former specifications comprises a charge-carrier
whereby the ammunition can be raised into position Behind the breech in line with the
axis of the barrel, so that it can be ramined home by hand or by any suitable
mechanism.
The charge-carrier, according to the present invention, is provided with three
rollers, two of which, in the elevation of the said carrier, run in grooves or guide-
ways formed in vertical guide-bars arranged within the central tube through which
the ammunition is to be raised. These grooves or guide-ways are curved at or near
the upper end of the said tube, and, in some instances, unite to form a single inclined
guide-way.
The traction-chain is secured to the axle of one of the said rollers, or at a point in
line with the axis thereof, and is passed around suitable pulleys or grooved rollers;
motion is imparted to the said chain by means of a hydraulic ram placed upon the
movable upper portion of the carriage, or in the said central tube, or by other suitable
means.
When the charge-carrier has passed the bend or curve of the guide-ways, two of
the aforesaid rollers follow the inclined portion of the guide-way, the three rollers
then enter grooves formed in a strong slide which is movable between suitable
Guides.

page_text: When the rollers have arrived at the lower ends of the said grooves, the driving
chain acts upon a roller carried by the said slide, thus raising this slide and bringing
the charge-carrier to the desired position behind the breech of the gun. During this
movement, the charge-carrier is supported by means of a lever, the lower arm whereof
bears against a roller, which, during the ascent of the slide, causes the said lever to
turn upon or about its fulcrum or pivot.
To permit the descent of the charge-carrier, it is only necessary to open the
discharge passage of the hydraulic ram, when the said carrier will descend under the
action of gravity. To facilitate its descent in the oblique portion of the guide-way, a
return chain is attached to a hook on the charge-carrier and is arranged to be acted
upon either by a hydraulic ram or by a counter-weight.
In some instances, to prevent the movement of the said slide before the rollers of
the charge-carrier have arrived at the lower ends of the grooves therein, which move-
ment would take place if the weight of the said slide were less than that of the
charge-carrier, a lever is fixed below the said slide, which lever terminates at its lower
end in a catch or projection adapted to enter a notch or depression in the lower part
of the guide for the said slide; this catch holds down the slide until a roller on the
charge-carrier arrives at the lower end of one of the grooves in the slide and dis-
engages the said lever; the slide can then rise with the charge-carrier.
To prevent displacement of the charge-carrier during the ramming home of the
ammunition, and during the ascent and descent of the slide, a connecting rod is
sometimes coupled to the lever for holding down the slide and to a tappet pivotted to
the said slide. As soon as the charge-carrier has arrived at the lower ends of the
grooves in the slide and the aforesaid catch or projection has left the notch or
depression in the guide for the slide, the holding-down lever moves the said tappet
beneath one of the rollers on the charge-carrier and prevents any displacement of the
latter until the slide terminates its downward movement, and the said catch or pro-
jection again enters the notch or depression in the guide for the slide. Therefore,
when the apparatus is used on a ship or vessel, the said charge-carrier will not be
liable to displacement by the rolling motion of the said ship or vessel.
Dated this 12th low of July 1887
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buiklings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Specifications. In this central tube are arranged grooved ways or guides E E¹ for
directing the movements of the charge-carrier D, which is provided on each side with
three rollers a, b, c fitted to rotate upon pins or studs fixed in the said carrier, and
arranged to move along the said guides E E' as hereinafter described.
In the apparatus shown in Figures 1 to 5, the guides E E¹ extend vertically to, or
nearly to, the upper end of the tube where they are curved and merge into
horizontal or inclined guides F extending rearwardly from the said tube. Inclined
brackets or guides G are provided above the guides F for the purpose hereinafter
specified.
At the rear end of the guides F there is a strong slide I consisting of two bars or
cheeks united by a cross-bar or transom I* and fitted to slide up and down in vertical,
or nearly vertical guides J. The guides F are continued along this slide, that is to
say, the said slide has formed in it guides I' the lower ends of which, when the slide
is down, coincide. with the rear ends of the guides F and form a continuation of the
said guides as shown in Figure 5 and which are closed at their upper ends. The
said slide also has other guides 12 13 for the purposes hereinafter specified.
A lever L is pivoted at L to the transom 1* of the slide I. One arm of this lever
bears against a roller M carried by a bracket M¹ firmly attached to the turntable or
platform B. Its other arm is adapted to bear at its outer end against a surface D¹
on the underside of the carrier D for the purpose of supporting the said carrier as
hereinafter described.
The traction or elevating chains H are secured to the axles of the rollers a, or at
points in line with the axis thereof and are passed around grooved pulleys K, K on
the slide I and around grooved pulleys K2 on the frame J to which the guides J are
secured. The said chains then pass around grooved pulleys K³ on the turntable or
platform B and are connected with hydraulic rams or other suitable apparatus for
clevating the charge-carrier through the medium of the said chains. The chains H
pass over the pulleys K and under the pulleys K so that they will act to raise the
slide and carrier as hereinafter described. The hydraulic rams or other elevating
apparatus may be placed upon the movable upper portion or platform of the gun-
mounting. Grooved pulleys K are provided for guiding the chains H during the
raising and lowering of the charge-carrier in the tube C.
To facilitate the descent of the carrier in the inclined guides F, a return chain N
is coupled to hooks D2 on the charge-carrier and is passed around a guide-pulley N¹
carried by a bracket N2. This chain is arranged to be acted upon either by a
hydraulic ram or by a counter-weight, or by other convenient means. It is prefer-
ably attached to a short rod or bar N3 which rests in the hooks D² as shown, and
the bracket, N2 is formed with a notch or recess N₁ wherein the said rod or bar N³
will be left when the carrier descends in the tube C, so that, when the carrier is
again raised, the hooks D2 will lift the said rod or bar out of the said notch or recess.
The return chain N will, therefore, be automatically coupled to the hooks D2 at the
termination of the ascent of the charge-carrier within the tube C, and uncoupled or
released therefrom at the commencement of the descent of the said carrier within the
said tube.
a,
In the ascent and descent of the charge-carrier within the tube C, the rollers a
move in the guides E, and the rollers b, c move in. the guides E. When the said
carrier, in its ascent, has passed the bend or curve of the guides E, E', the rollers
move along the inclined guide F, the carrier, while the rollers are passing from the
guides E into the guides F, being supported on the brackets or guides G, by the
rollers c which pass from the guides E through apertures E*. When the carrier
arrives at or near the rear of the gun-mounting its rollers a, b, center the
guides I, I, I in the slide I, that is to say, the rollers a enter the guides 1, the
rollers & also enter the guides I and pass into the guides I2, and the rollers c enter
the guides I, all of these rollers moving in and along the said guides to the ends
thereof without moving the slide.
When the said rollers have arrived at the upper or closed ends of the said
guides I, I, I, the elevating chains H, acting upon the pulleys K¹ carried by the

page_text: slide I, raise the said slide and thereby bring the charge-carrier to the desired
position behind the breech of the gun, (where it is automatically locked by a bolt
or other suitable device) so that the ammunition may be rammed therein. During
the greater part of this movement, the charge-carrier is held or supported in the
slide I by means of the lever L, one arm whereof bears, as above stated against the
roller M which, at the commencement of the ascent of the slide, causes the said lever
to turn upon or about its fulcrum or pivot L', until its upper end bears against the
surface D of the said carrier.
To permit the descent of the charge-carrier, it is only necessary to open the
discharge or exhaust of the hydraulic ram and release or disengage the locking bolt
or other device, when the said carrier will descend, under the action of gravity, into
the required position for receiving another charge from the magazine.
In the modification of our invention illustrated in Figures 6 to 10, the slide I is
made with one guide I' on each side thereof, and these guides are adapted to receive
the rollers a, b. Moreover the guides E are extended upward above the guide F and
merge into horizontal or inclined guides Fl We employ, moreover, the means
hereinafter described for preventing upward movement of the slide I before the
rollers of the charge-carrier have arrived at the closed ends of the said grooves I',
which movement would take place if the weight of the said slide were sensibly less
than that of the charge-carrier, that is to say, we pivot to the said slide at L³, levers L
the upper ends of which extend to about the centre of the upper or closed ends of the
guides 1, and which are provided at their lower ends with hooks or catches I adapted
to engage with shoulders J3 at the lower ends of the guides J when the slide I is down.
These hooks or catches hold down the said slide L'until the rollers a on the charge-
carrier, arriving at the closed ends of the guides I, act upon the upper ends of the
said levers I and turn the said levers upon or about their pivots thereby automatically
disengaging the said hooks or catches L from the shoulders J³ and releasing the
slide which can then rise with the charge-carrier. It is obvious that other suitable
means may, if desired, be provided for this purpose.
To prevent displacement of the charge-carrier during the ramming home of the
ammunition and during the ascent and descent of the said carrier with the slide, we
provide an automatic locking device. For instance, a device consisting of connecting
rods coupled to the levers L and to arms or levers m pivoted at m to the said slide.
When the rollers a arrive at the closed ends of the guides in the slide and move
the levers L² to disengage their hooks or projections L' from the shoulders J³, the
said arms or levers mare moved so that their free or outer ends bear against the under-
side of the rollers & on the charge-carrier. In the upward and downward movement
of the slide, the lower ends of the levers L bear against the inner surface of the
guides J, so that the carrier will be held rigidly in place in the slide until the latter
terminates its downward movement, and the said hooks or projections LA again engage.
with the said shoulders J³ on the guides J. Therefore, when the apparatus is used at sea,
the said charge-carrier, while supported by the slide and its adjuncts, will not be liable
to displacement by the rolling or pitching of the ship or vessel. Moreover the carrier
cannot be moved out of the slide while the guides I do not coincide with the guides F.
We sometimes provide other suitable locking devices for this purpose.
It will be seen that the slide I is raised and lowered through the medium of the
chains H without the aid of connecting rods between the said chains and the charge-
carrier as described in our said former Specification No. 9375.
To adapt the invention herein described or that described in the said former
Specification No. 9375 for the loading of two guns mounted side by side on the same
rotating platform or turntable, wo duplicate the guides, elevating chains and other
parts, the charge-carrier for each gun being worked independently of the other charge-
carrier. Each gun can then be loaded and fired independently of the other gun.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
us by our foreign correspondent we wish it understood that in all cases we regard

page_text: cables or ropes as equivalents of the chains H for the purpose of our invention: we
further wish it understood that we do not now claim any of the devices or combinations
claimed or described in the former specifications hereinabove referred to except as
forming parts of or used in connection with our present improvements, but we
claim
First The arrangement, in combination with the charge-carrier, of the elovating
chain or chains attached thereto and passed around pulleys on the slide for raising and
lowering the same, and with or without the lever or levers for keeping the said charge-
carrier in place in the slide, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Second In combination with the vertical and rearward guides, the slide adapted to
receive the charge-carrier at the termination of its rearward movement and to complete
its guidance to the loading position and return it to the said guides under the control
of the elevating-chain or chains, without the aid of connecting rods such as are
described in our said former specification No. 9375.
Third The combination, with the slide, of means for preventing the upward move-
ment thereof until it is automatically released by the charge-carrier at the termination
of its rearward movement, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Fourth Providing the slide with an automatic locking device to prevent displace-
ment of the carrier therein for the purposes specified.
Fifth The combination, with the charge-carrier (operated as above described), of
the return chain for facilitating the descent of the said carrier through the horizontal
or inclined guides (with or without provision for its automatic release from and
re-engagement with the said chain) substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Sixth The improved charge-elevating apparatus consisting of the parts constructed
and combined substantially as described with reference to Figures to 5, or with
reference to Figures 6 to 10 of the drawings and operating as above specified.
Seventh-The adaptation of the apparatus to the independent working of two guns
relatively arranged as above described.
D
71- Al 1
*17000