H.W. Chapman's Cast Iron Breech Loading Whaleman's Firearm
An iron whaling gun of an ingenious design and of an extremely rare type, this is known as a Cunningham and Cogan Shoulder Gun, who were manufacturers of this gun, but was actually invented and designed by Herbert W. Chapman of New Jersey, patented in 1877. This whaling firearm has Chapman's patent stamp on the inside of the breechblock, and it would fire a Cunningham and Cogan bomb lance. In Chapman's own words, "owning to the conditions under which weapons of this class are used, it is particularly desirable that they be of simple construction, of great strength and durability, and at the same time so arranged as to be readily handled."
This very rare entire gun, except the breechblock, was cast in a single iron piece. Later models would have a screw-on barrel of steel, making this one of the very first made, and it is marked "No. 166". The breechblock contains the firing pin, and is screw-hinged to swing open, exposing the breech to the bomb lance when the hammer is cocked. One of the last true innovations to change the whaling industry, these shoulder guns could be fired close to a rate of 10 per minute, without additional caps or powder, and was capable of being discharged wet or even underwater!
An impressive presence, the barrel is 13 inches long with two-cast reinforces immediately after the stock. The bomb lance itself would have a time-fuse ignited within by the gun and later ones would incorporate brass into the design of the bombs and shoulder guns to be used in the frozen climates.
Patent Stamped on the Breechblock: "NO. 166, H.W. CHAPMAN, PAT/D MAY 15, 1877, NEWARK NJ"
