Broadside Marsilly Carriage. (Plan.)
DIRECTING BAR CARRIAGE
FOR
60 Pdr.
(With Circular Brake Compressor.)
The directing-bar carriage is a broadside-carriage which combines the compactness of broadside types with the advantages of pivoting and checking recoil by friction instead of breechings. The top carriage is similar in type to the Marsilly, differing only in its attachments. Instead of using an elevating-screw (which with breech-loaders of medium calibre is unsafe), elevation is secured by geared racks. A rack is secured to each side of the gun and travels in guides in a similar manner on both sides; whilst, however, there is a clamp to each rack, there is but one hand-wheel for elevating, on the right side of the carriage. Just in rear of the truck-axle, a heavy axle is secured in the brackets, carrying on its centre a large cogged wheel, and just inside the left bracket a friction-drum with a gun-metal friction-band worked by a lever outside the bracket. The lever is held in any desired position by a rack, thus regulating compression. A stationary double block is secured to the transom, and a single bolt to the rear of the bed-plate, for convenience in hooking a tackle. The directing-bar consists of a long I iron having a pivot-centre near each extremity and eye-bolts at each end for hooking training-tackles. A treble block fixed at its forward end serves with the double block on the carriage for reeving an out-tackle. Along the centre of the bar a metal rack is bolted, in which the cogged wheel of the carriage travels. About three quarters of the distance to the rear are secured two railroad buffers, which may be shifted or removed at will. The carriage rests with its trucks and chocks on deck; when running in and out the chocks may be lifted from the deck on a roller handspike, and in shifting from one port or pivot to another the carriage may be run over one of the pivot-centres and then lifted with the bar entirely clear of the deck.
Iron Pivot-Carriage and Slide
for 11-inch Smooth-Bore.
The carriage consists of two plate-iron brackets with one transom and two bottom plates connected by angle-irons to the brackets. The forward trucks are permanently in action, the rear ones being mounted on eccentric axles. At the rear of the brackets are loops for the in and out tackles, and secured to the rear bed-plate are loops for a preventer-breeching. Two projecting lips protrude from the forward bed-plate beyond the brackets, forming seats for a screw-compressor. The slide is made up of two heavy double T bars connected by bottom plates and rods. It is mounted on eccentric rollers, and both the forward and rear pivot-centres are in the bed-plates. The compressors (one on each side) are of the ordinary screw-press form, composed of a wrought-iron frame having a lip on its inner lower side which takes under the slide-bars, whilst a screw in the top of the frame seats on the projections of the carriage. This type of slide and carriage is going out of use.