US25929A - Improvement in cannon - Google Patents

Description

J. ADAMS. Muzzle-Loading Ordnance.

Nv-imm.

WITNESSES.

UNiTnD STATES PATENT FFICE. j

JOSEPH ADAIWIS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND B.

BARKER, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CANNON.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 25,929. dated October 25, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, .IosErH ADAMS, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cannon; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and complete description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being. had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure l is a side view. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 3 is a view of the breech-pin and ramrod, and Fig. 4. is a view of the cartridge and ball.

Like letters refer to like partsin the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in such a construction and arrangement of parts that the charge is drawn into the gun by means of a rod that works through the breech, and when discharged by the act of reloading, the bore of the gun is lled with water from a fountain at-` tached to the breech of the cannon, which not only serves to keep the gun clean, but also yto keep it cool, whereby a constant succession of discharges may be kept up for an indenite period of time without the metal becoming heated.

In Figs.. 1 and 2, A represents the barrel of the cannon. This may be made of gun-metal, and cast in the usual manner. The lining, which is made of steel or other-metal, is represented at B in Fig. 2. In order to introduce this lining the body of the cannon for about half its length from the breech forward to C is bored out about the sixteenth .of an inch larger than it is from C to the muzzle of the gun, leaving a shoulder at C, as seen in Fig. 2. The lining is accurately iitted to this, and as the gun is open at the breechthis lining is introduced at that end of the barrel and driven or pressed in until the enlarged portion meets the shoulder C, or the lining may be accurately formed and inserted intol the mold, and the fused metal cast around it. At about onethird of the distance from the shoulder C toward the breech, the bore of the steel lining is enlarged, as seen at D, this enlargement be` ing at the point where the ball would rest when the piece was charged. The object of this enlargement in the bore will be explained hereinafter. The breech-pin E is a little larger in. diameter than the steel lining, and is secured to the. breech by a strong screw-thread, which fits closely and accurately another thread `in the breech of the gun, the inner end of the pin E pressing hard against the breech end of the lining B. The breech pin is pierced throughout its whole length with a hole of much less diameter than the bore of the gun, that part situated within the barrel of the gun, as seen at F, being larger than in that part of the breech-pin that is external to the body of the gun. A metallic rod, G, of suflicient length to reach'to the muzzle of the gun iits snugly into this portion of the breech-pin, through which it can be drawn. The rod G is long enough to reach the whole length of the barrel, and the end that projects from the breech is furnished with a suitable handle, H, by which it is operated. That end which reaches to the muzzle of the gun is provided with a piston-head, I, the main body of whichis large enough to admit the end of the rod G. The diameter of this part of the piston is just equal to the bore F in the breech-pin, so that the body J will just fill the bore F. The head of the piston I is of the saine diameter of the bore of the gun, so that the shoulder of the pistonhead rests upon the inner end of the breechpin, when the rod G is drawn back out of the gun. 'Ihe piston therefore rests upon the shoulders formed by the bottom of the cavity F andthe end of the breech-pin, forming a tight joint with both; or the bore F may be of the same size of the bore of the gun, in which case the body of the piston would correspond. The end of the piston-head I projects a short distance beyond the muzzle of the gun, when the rod G is shoved in, as seen in Fig. 1, and is provided with a hole, a, in the end thereof, into which the stem e of the cartridge, Fig. 4, is inserted preparatory to charging the gun.

This cartridge is made in the followingnamed manner: A tube of thin tin-plate or other suitable substance is formed of a trifle Aless diameter than the bore of the gun, and

having sufficient length to hold the desired amount of powder for a charge. This tube is seen at K in Fig. 4. Each end of this tube is closed, with the exception of a small hole in lthe center of each, for the introduction of the stem e, which is attached to the base of the ball, as seen in Fig. 4. A thimble, z', made` 4the ball, so that the lips of the thimble (which is equivalent to the leather patch used upon rifle-balls) embrace the base of the ball at o, which -is about the thickness of the metal of which the thimble is composed, smaller than the ball at the largest part, there being thus a space between the base of the ball and the bottom of the thimble sufficient to allow the lip to pass over upon the largest portion of the ball whenever a slight pressure is caused to act upon the bottom of the thimble. This is accomplished at the instant the charge is ignited, while the ball is at rest in the cavity D,

9the inertia of the ball and the slight attachment of the stem to the piston-head being sufficient for this purpose. The ball being thus surrounded by the soft metallic patch, in passing into the riiied portion of the bore, which is situated between the cavity D and the muzzle of the gun, sufficiently impresses the metal of the thimbleinto the spiral grooves in the interior ofthe gun to communicate a spiral motion to the ball. XVhen the cartridge-stem e is inserted into the piston-head it is secured by a small wooden pin, a, inserted into the hole u. This pin has sufficient strength to draw the cartridge into the gun; but it is destroyed in the act of discharging, and offers no impediment to the exit ofthe ball. The tube K will usually remain in the barrel of the gun after the discharge; but in pushing the rod G forward to receive another charge, whatever may remain will be removed by being pushed out of barrel at its muzzle. The under side of the breech of the gun is provided with a sackfountain, L, of such dimensions as to be equal to three or four times the capacity of the bore of the gun. A tube, M, is inserted into the under side of the breech into the bore, so that a free communication exists between the interior of the sack and the bore 5 but this communication must be below the end of the piston, when the rod G is drawn out from the breech, so that all communication is cut off between the charge and the tube M. The tube M is surrounded by the sack L, which may be made of strong canvas or indiarubbercloth; or the tube may be connected with a fountain of water in any other way. In case the sack -fountain is used there must be a free communication between the interior of the tube and the sack. Now, it follows that if the rod G is pushed forward when the sack is filled with water, or the pipe M in connection with a fountain, the air will be expelled from the barrel by the piston I, and the water from the sack will rush in to supply the place, and when the rod is drawn back the water will again return to the sash. YThus at every movement of the rod and piston the bore of the gun is drenched with water, which keeps it both cool and clean.

This gun may be constructed with a solid breech, but having the hole for the rod G and the lateral opening for the ingress and egress of the water.

I am aware that the charge of a cannon has been introduced through the muzzle by a piston and rod passed through the breech, but unconnected with any means for cooling and cleaning, as herein set forth, and therefore I do not claim the rod and piston when used alone; but

I claim l. The use and application of a piston for the purpose of loading, cleaning, and cooling a cannon, the stem or rod G of which passes through the breech or rear end ofthe gun and is attached to a head or metallic piston, the circumference of which is equal to that of the bore ofthe cannon, and is made to iit the same exactly, and which piston-head when drawn back rests upon the main shoulder or substance ofthe breech at the point where the rod G connects therewith, and is of sufficient length to cover and serve as a Valve to close the lateral opening at the breech end of the cannon through which water is admitted to fill the bore ofthe gun when said piston is forced forward toward the muzzle, and which piston plays forward and backward the entire length of the bore of the gun, so as to protrude sufficiently at the muzzle when forced forward, thus carrying 4out any substance of the eX- haustcd cartridge after ring, and to which piston head or bulb the new cartridge is attached and drawn back to the breech or butt of the gun by the force applied to said rod, and in which condition the gun is loaded and ready to be again discharged.

2. The construction and'employment of a lateral opening from the main chamber or bore of the gun, either passing through the breech-pin or otherwise, at or near the rear end thereof, and where the same will be closed and covered by the piston-head when the same is fully drawn back into, (or by means of a tube or pipe connecting with a water sack or Vesseh) and by means of which arrangement water is admitted and drawn into the gun by the same force which carries the piston forwardto receive the charge at the muzzle, and is returned to the vessel again by the same force which carries in the charge, thus washing and cooling the gun at every discharge without -any other movement than that necessarily employed in the act of loading alone.

JOSEPH ADAMS. NTitnesses:

J. BRAINERD, NV. H. BURRIDGE.

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