A MECHANICAL MOVEMENT APPLICABLE APPLI CABLE TO LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Bailey, of New Orleans, United States, and
of 17. Russell Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, 'Gun
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "A MECHANICAL MOVEMENT APPLICABLE
Scaled the 18th March 1859, and dated the 3rd December 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Bailey at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
December 1858..
I, THOMAS BAILEY, of New Orleans, United States, and of 17, Russell
Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "A MECHANICAL MOVEMENT APPLI
CABLE TO LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Juvention consists in the adaptation and application of a toothed wheel
or pinion on a travelling centre working between guides, and also working
between and in gear witli a pair of racks, one of which may be stationary, the
centre of the wheel changing its position or travelling in the same plane with
the guides as the wheel works in the teeth of the racks, such centre not being
fixed as usual.
When applied to the loading of fire-arms the moving rack is connected to
the rammer, the other rack being fixed and an operating lever fixed to the
wheel, which wheel is free to travel in the guides, and thereby on its revolution
in the racks to give a length of motion to the rammer equal to the distance
passed over by the wheel in its compound rotating and rectilinear motion.
And the arrangement is the same in principle when applied to breech-louding
fire-arms.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Bailey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BAILEY, of New Orleans, United States, and of 17, Russell Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Bailey, Her special license that I, the said Thomas Bailey, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Bailey, 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 "A MECHANICAL MOVEMENT APPLI
CABLE TO LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst
others), that I, the said Thomas Bailey, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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
mouths next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Bailey, do hereby declare the
nature of my said, Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of "A Mechanical Movement applicable to Loading Fire-arms
and other Purposes," consists in the adaptation and application of a toothed
wheel or pinion on a travelling centre working between guides, and also
working between and in gear with a pair of racks, one of which is stationary,
the centre of the wheel changing its position or travelling in the same plane
with the guides as the wheel works in the teeth of the racks, such centre not
being fixed as usual.
When applied to the loading of fire-arms the moving rack is connected to the
rammer, the other rack being fixed, and an operating lever fixed or connected
to the wheel, which wheel is free to travel in the guides and thereby on its

page_text: revolution in the racks, to give a length of motion to the rammer equalto the
distance passed over by the wheel in its compound rotating and rectilinear
motion.
And the arrangement is the same in principle when applied to breech.
loading fire-arms, and also to ordnance, and to other purposes, that is to say,
in all cases the required movement is effected by acting on the toothed wheel
or pinion on a travelling centre through the operating lever or other mecha.
nical equivalent.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed, by
reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which are represented different
modes of its application to the loading of fire-arms.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents the Invention applied to a loading rammer; Figs. 2
and 3 shew it as applied to the closing of the opening at the back part of the
breech of a breech-loading gun; Fig. 4 shews its application to the moving
of the barrel of a breech-loading gun; and Figs. 5 and 6 represent it as
applied to the wedge for breech-loading orduance. In all these several
Figures, the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
a is the toothed wheel or pinion cn the travelling centre; is the fixed
rack; c is the moving or sliding rack united or connected to the part of the
arm required to be moved; dis the operating lever fixed to the axis or travelling
centre of the toothed wheel or pinion a. On reference to Fig. 1 it will be
understood that by acting on the lever d, the toothed wheel or pinion a will be
caused to work in both racks and c, and will communicate to the loading
rammer c a motion compounded of the revolution of the wheel a in gear with
the racks and b, and the travelling of the wheel, carrying with it the rack c.
In Fig. 2, the sliding rack c is on the wedge c*, which is slidden vertically
into its position, in order to close the opening at the back part of the breech
where the charge has been introduced. The operating lever in this case is
the guard, one end of which is fixed to the axis of the toothed wheel or
pinion, and the other end is passed into a suitable catch in the stock; when
loading, it is drawn out from the said catch and used as an ordinary lever;
Fig. 3 is a transverse view of the breech, shewing the wedge. In Fig. 4 the
sliding rack c is on the barrel c, which is made to slide as required within a
tube or guide e, and the fixed rack is on a stationary frame f. In this case
there is a cam on the travelling axis of the wheel or pinion a, which by moving
the lever is brought into contact with the projecting end of the bolt h, so as

page_text: to turn the latter into the position shewn by dotted lines, and allow the pro-
jection i on the barrel to pass it when the barrel is slidden forwards, in order
to make an opening at the breech for the insertion of the charge, and the
bolt is brought back into its horizontal position, with its end resting against
the projection i, when the barrel is slidden home ready for the discharge of
the gun. In Fig. 5 the fixed rack b is on a part of the cannon, and the
sliding rack c ont he wedge c* for closing the breech ready for firing. In this
case the wedge c* is slidden into its required position by means of the lever d.
Fig. 6 is an end view of the cannon.
At Figs. 7 and 8 are shewn an improvement applicable to a cartridge,
in which is a metal cup, hollow at the back, so as to admit of its being filled
with grease. The cup being thus at the end of the cartridge, the grease will
become pressed out into the joint of the breech.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not
claim as of my Invention any particular mode of applying the above-described
mechanical movement to the loading of fire-arms, as the same may be varied;
but what I do claim is;-
First, the adaptation and application to such purpose of the toothed wheel
or pinion with a travelling axis or centre combined with the two racks and
worked by a lever, as described, or by other suitable means.
And, secondly, the same mechanical movement when applied to other
purposes.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Thomas Bailey, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Thirty-first day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
J. F. SWINBURN,
Birmingham,
Gun Maker.
THOMAS BAILEY. (L.S.)