IMPROVEMENTS. .IN HANGING, ARRANGING, AND OPERATING ORDNANCE
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex; and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of
Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman; for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS.
.IN HANGING, ARRANGING, AND OPERATING ORDNANCE."-A communication..
from abroad by John Ridgway, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk,
and State of Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sealed the 24th February 1863, and dated the 4th November 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION, left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
4th November 1862.
..j
on the
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HANGING, ARRANGING, AND OPERATING ORDNANCE," a com-
munication from abroad' by John Ridgway, of Boston, in the County
of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar mode, of hanging, arranging, and
operating ordnance, whereby the guns, can be readily pointed so as to fire
in any desired direction, being capable of adjustment to any vertical and,

page_text: horizontal angle, whilst provision is also made for rapid loading and discharging,
and for the complete protection of the gunners.
The essential feature of this Invention consists in hanging or arranging
any number of ordnance upon a suitable frame revolving in a vertical plane,
either by the aid of steam power or otherwise, in such manner that the guns
themselves with the frame shall travel through a portion or the whole cir-
cumference of a circle. This frame is further capable of revolving in a
horizontal plane, both of which revolutions may be effected separately or
together.
.
According to one mode of carrying out this Invention two circular plates
or wheels are used, placed parallel to each other, and at such a distance apart
as to receive between them the guns to be mounted. These guns may be
permanently fixed by their trunnions between the plates or wheels, or they
may be made to swivel upon horizontal axes or made to slide longitudinally
so as to, admit of their being run out through the port when, brought into
position. The two wheels, or plates are held together by suitable brasses, and
revolve in a vertical plane upon one common horizontal axis. The rotation
in a horizontal plane is provided for by supporting the entire mounting upon
an adjustable pivot or footstep, suitable gearing being employed for imparting
the rotatory motions to the apparatus. As applied, to a gunboat or ship the
upper portion of the wheels with a gun between them may be made to pro-
ject slightly above the deck being protected by a revolving shot-proof covering
shield or cupola having a port hole made in it. The rest of the apparatus
and guns is contained between decks where the operations of loading are
performed. In order to check the backward motion produced by the recoil
of the guns on firing one or more powerful breaks are applied to the sides or
peripheries of the wheels or plates containing the guns.
2021
) mini
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th May 1863.
tobus
3
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, -I, JOHN (
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex; and
of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman;
send greeting.
piig un

page_text: WHEREAS: Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing. date the. Fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS, IN HANGING, ARRANGING, AND OPERATING ORDNANCE," a communication
from abroad by John Ridgway, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State
of. Massachussetts, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or adminis
trators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, or under the
hand and seal of one of them, 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 John Henry Johnson, 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, .reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to. a peculiar mode of. hanging, arranging, and
operating ordnance, whereby the guns can be readily pointed so as to fire in
any desired direction, being capable of adjustment. to any vertical and hori-
zontal angle, whilst provision is also made for rapid loading and discharging,
and for the complete protection of the gunners.
The essential feature of this Invention consists in hanging or arranging any
number of ordnance upon a suitable frame revolving in a vertical plane either.
by the aid of steam power or otherwise in such manner that the guns them-
selves with the frame shall travel through a portion or the whole circum-
ference of a circle. This frame is further capable of revolving in a horizontal
plane, both of which revolutions may be effected separately or together.
According to one mode of carrying out this Invention, two circular plates

page_text: or wheels are used placed parallel to each other, and at such a distance apart
´as to receive between them the guns to be mounted. These guns may be per-
manently fixed by their trunnions between the plates or wheels, or they may be
made to swivel upon horizontal axes, or made to slide longitudinally, so as to
admit of their being run out through the port when brought into position.
The two wheels or plates are held together by suitable braces, and revolve in a
The rotation in a horizontal
vertical plane upon one common horizontal axis.
plane is provided for by supporting the entire mounting upon an adjustable
pivot or footstep, suitable gearing being employed for imparting the rotatory
motions to the apparatus. As applied to a gun boat or ship the upper portion
of the wheels with a gun between them may be made to project slightly above
the deck, being protected by a revolving shot-proof covering, shield, or cupola
having a port hole made in it. The rest of the apparatus and guns is con-
tained between decks where the operations of loading are performed.
order to check the backward motion produced by the recoil of the guns on
firing one or more powerful breaks are applied to the sides or peripheries of
the wheels or plates containing the guns.
In
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a longitudinal vertical section of the
improved mode or method of hanging, arranging, and operating ordnance;
Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same; Figure 3 is a plan
corresponding to Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a side elevation of the same,
showing the mechanism for working the guns.
A and B in the Drawings represent respectively the upper and lower decks
of any suitable vessel; in the upper deck A is made a circular opening, within
which is a hollow shallow metal cylinder C, having a projecting lip D, D,
upon its upper edge that bears or travels upon a rail on the top surface of the
deck A around the said opening. To the lower portion of the cylinder C two
parallel, vertical, or upright standards E, E, are secured and firmly held by
suitable braces, and which extend downwards nearly to the lower deck B.
A space is left between these standards for a purpose to be herein-after
referred tó. An opening is made in the bottom plate F of the cylinder C
extending diametrically across the same. In the space between these two
standards E; E, and in the opening in the plate F, and either. turning upon or

page_text: with a horizontal transverse shaft G, as may be deemed best, are placed two
circular parallel vertical wheels or plates H, H, between which and to the
same are permanently attached by means of their trunnions, or in any other
suitable manner, the ordnance or guns I, I, of any desired number and of any
calibre. Placed over and entirely covering the metallic casing or cylinder C,
and forming a part thereof or permanently attached thereto is a shot-proof
metallic covering K, that can be made of a conical, hemispherical, or any other
shape, which will cause the shot striking the same to freely glance off there-
from. To the lower ends of the standards E, E, a worm wheel L in a
horizontal plane is permanently secured; and turns upon a central pivot or
pin M in the lower deck B. In gear with this worm wheel L is the worm N
on the horizontal shaft O, to which a rotary motion is imparted in any con-
venient manner by steam power or otherwise, and consequently the worm
wheel L, the casing or frame and the other portions attached thereto, as
described, can be rotated at pleasure in a horizontál plane. P is a vertical spur
wheel attached to the shaft G, or forming a part of one of the vertical wheels H,
with this spur wheel P a toothed pinion Q engages, and the said pinion Q by
means of the operating wheel or pulley R on its shaft S can be made to turn
at pleasure, and thus through the spur wheel P cause the rotation in a vertical
plane of the frame H for containing the guns around its axis, as is evident
without further description.
Thus it will be seen from the above description that a rotary motion in a
vertical plane is at pleasure imparted to the wheels or frame H, carrying the
guns. by means of which the guns are not only successively brought opposite'
the port hole in the shot-proof covering K, but are also conveyed in turn
below the upper deck of the vessel to the lower deck where they can be
safely loaded for another discharge after being again placed in opposition
with the port hole, as described. It is obvious that the rotation of the guns
in a vertical plane can take place at any and all times, whether the whole
apparatus is being revolved in a horizontal plane, as described, or not, thereby
securing a complete sweep of the whole horizon, the advantages of which need
not be more particularly specified. It is evident that instead of four guns
as represented being placed within the vertical frame H, a greater or less
number I may be used, and that the vertical frame or wheels H, can be made
of various shapes other than that described and represented, (as for instance
polygonal,) without varying. in any manner the essential features of this'
Invention, and that the improvements are adapted to land or stationary
defences, as well as to vessels or floating batteries. To prevent the backward

page_text: revolution of the gun frame H; by the recoil of the guns at the time of their
discharge a radial arm T is fitted to the shaft G, having projecting arms' u, u,
at its outer end, so that by means of one or more screw brake rods V, it can be
made to bear against and produce friction upon the side or sides of the frame H,
thus in a manner preventing its backward revolution, it being remarked that
a portion of the recoil in addition to that prevented by the said brake would
be overcome by the inertia of the ordnance itself. Instead of causing friction
upon the gun frame at only one point of its circumference it is evident that
in order to more effectually overcome the recoil of the guns when discharged
more than of the above described arrangement of breaking devices could
be used, thus producing as great an amount of friction as may be deemed
best to prevent the said recoil from acting upon the apparatus.
The pivot M, upon which the whole apparatus rests and turns as described
and represented.in the Drawings is so arranged that by screwing it up or
down in its socket on the deck B, the whole apparatus can be raised or lowered,
and thus the friction of the lip D of the casing or cylinder C upon the rail on the
deck A, will be decreased or increased at pleasure as is evident without further
description, and for a purpose readily apparent.. The guns it is evident instead
of being fastened directly to the vertical frame H, as described can be so
arranged as to allow of their being moved back and forth in the same, whereby
they can be made at the proper times to protrude from their porthole, and
that the guns can be so arranged as to be susceptible of separate elevation or
depression, and therefore in my claims I do not intend to limit myself in any
degree to the particular mode herein described of securing the guns in their
frame, as it admits of a great number of variations according to the purposes
or objects sought to be attained. The revolving frame in which the guns are
secured may be placed entirely within and covered by the turret or shot-proof
covering K, or the outer edge or rim of the said frame may be covered with
a protective covering as at h, provided with suitable port holes for the guns,
it can be arranged within the vessel so as to form a part of the turret itself
as represented in the Drawings. One surface of the circular gun frame H may
be graduated, and a suitable index being used therewith, the accurate sighting
of the gun to any desired angle of elevation or depression is secured.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-

page_text: 1st, the general system or mode of mounting, arranging, and operating
ordnance substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by the
Drawings.
2nd, the mounting of any number of guns in a frame capable of rota-
tion in a vertical plane through the entire circumference of a circle as herein-
before described.
3rd, the imparting of a horizontal circular motion to a frame carrying
ordnance, and rotating in a vertical plane as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of May, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-three.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.B.)