US10174A - William ballabd - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BALLARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROTECTING-BULWARK FOR WAR VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 10,174, dated November 1, 1853.

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, VILLIAM BALLARD, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement for the Protection of Rifle-Batteries for Men of Var; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full description of the same.

The nature of my invention consists in attaching, by means of hinges, a series of shield boards to the inside of the rail of the .bulwarks, so as to be raised up in time of naval engagement as a protection to the rifle-men; and also in arranging a series of stanchions, and rails, along the line of the deck parallel with the bulwarks, and four to siX feet from them, for the support of the inner ends of the shield boards when raised up, the spaces between the stanchions being cased or paneled up by sliding panels, which may be taken down when not required for an engagement. But to describe my invention more particularly I will refer to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this schedule, the same let-ters of reference whenever they occur referring to the same parts.

Figure 1, is a side elevation of a man of war, showing the rifle ports, and la portion of the covering for the rifle battery. Fig. 2, is a. section of the hulk, through the line m, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detached View of the shield board, as attached to the bulwark and deck. Fig. 4L, is a` plan View of the deck of the hulk, divided at midships. Fig. 5, is a detached View of a part of the bulwark showing the post, and the deck showing the guide Way, for the panels.

Letter A, represents the hulk of a naval vessel having one tier of heavy guns, and a series of rifle ports B, B, &c., pierced through the bulwarks.

Letters C, C, &c., are a series of drop shield boards. These shield boards, are attached to the rail D, of the bulwarks, by a hinge, so that they may drop down close against the inside of the bulwarks to be out of the way when not used in an engagement.

Letters E, E, Smc., are a series of ports or stanchions. These stanchions are intended to be placed on the deck F, of the vessel, at about four feet more or less from the bulwarks. Upon the upper end of these ports is secured a rail G, so as to hold the ports together in a line parallel with the rail of the bulwarks, so that the inner edges of the shield boards may rest upon it, thereby protecting the rifle battery of sharp shooters fromthe tire of the sharp shooters in the enemys tops.

Letter H, is a sliding panel to form a back to the rifle battery box. These panels are made to slide in ways J, J, attached to the deck, and against the stanchions, so that the riflemen are completely protected from the small shot of an enemys ship during 4an engagement. The stanchions and back boards or panel pieces to the rifle battery box, are all made so as to be shifted, and as the shield board is hinged to the bulwark rail, so that it may be dropped down, the whole arrangement will be out of the way when the ship is not in action. These parts, and the precise mode of arranging the parts may be varied, but so long as the principle is preserved I consider it my invention.

Having now described my invent-ion I will proceed to state what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States.

What I claim therefore -is 1. The use of the shield board C, in combination with the bulwarks of a ship substantially as set forth.

2. I also claim the use of the stanchions E, rail G, and panels H, in combination with the deck of the vessel, and the shield board C, for the purposes and principle of construction and operation substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM BALLARD.

Vit-nesses ELIJAH PRATT, CHARLES L. BARRETT.

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