The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-03-31
A NOVEL FIRE ESCAPE.
Demonstration in Topeka Witnessed
by Many People Today.

Since the recent Copeland hotel dis
aster there has been much agitation
concerning more adequate protection IN
case of fire and more effective fire es-
capes. Ropes and cables Of all kinds
and sizes, knotted ropes and rope lad
ders have been suggested and state
| of escape to be placed in hotel rooms
but in a general way. There is no
specific kind of escape indicated.
| To women and children and many
men rope thrown from sixth story
window would offer very little aid IN
case of fire for 1t requires athletic train
| ing to descend such an escape hand over
hand Numerous devices have Deen
made to control the descent, called frlc-
ton devices and to be controlled by the
person on the rope but there lies the
difficulty. Few in the case of fire would
have the presence of mind to operate
one of the devices when beginning
descent of many stories with disastrous
result-better no escapes and trust to
the firemen than take the rope at full
speed.
! That no more lives were lost in the
Copeland fire is conceded to be little
short of miraculous and is due no doubt
| to the splendid efforts of the firemen.
Still had the Copeland been equipped
with the sort of fire escape demonstra-
ted at noon today from the sixth story
Iture could have been emptied of guests
lin five minutes.
Such an invention is the Davy Auto
matte Safety Fire Escape, invented,
demonstrated and sold by C. F. Davy
Iof Utica, New York.
Beginning at noon today and extend
ling over an hour or more of time Mr..
Davy conducted the demonstration be-
lfore a great crowd of spectators at the
corner of Kansas avenue and Seventh
street. Throwing cable from the sixth
window in full view of the street, Mr..
tDavy was seen to place the web loop
about his chest and throw himself care
llessly from the high building. His de-
lscent was gradual and he touched
nothing but the wall in coming down
land that only to keep him in the clear.
In order to show that novice at the
fire escape business could do just as
lwell, r. F. Nichols, engineer of the Ma
Itiona1 hotel building made two de-
lscents with perfect safety.
Then to further demonstrate the auto
lmatic safety of the escape Miss Cordie
Saunders, an operator in the hotel was
lseen to jump from the window and de-
scend amid the cheering of the crowds
below. Miss Saunders is a young girl
and weighs but SO pounds, still the de-
Twice carried her just as fast as 1t did
the men. It's perfectly safe and quite
an experience" said Miss Saunders. di-
lrectly afterwards. Yes. L was fright
Tened a little when / jumped out and
saw all the people away below me,
there, but I will do it again right now
if they want me to-
The device is simple and compact
being screwed above the window or
on the jam. 1t consists of cable
with a body loop at both ends. The
cable is passed over small Wheel
about six inches in diameter and
} brought close together at the bottom.
A cog wheel inside of the wheel acts
as a controller, running an expansion
brake which operates automatically
by centrifugal force. Hence when a
heavy weight is thrown upon the ca
bic the increased tendency for speed
in descent sets the brake tighter
against the wheel and this is proper
ltionatefy relieved >swhen a slighter
weight is upon the cable. BY this ar
= arrangement which is regulated to five
fleet per second, both Mr.. Davy weigh
ing 212 pounds and Miss Saunders
weighing but 9S, descended at pre-
le cisely the same rate and which would
IS be the same if three men had gotten
: onto the cable at the same time.
The cable is constructed of steel
. wires covered with a fire proof weave
e which gives it the appearance of a
IS unbreakable. A score of escapes
# were made from the National hotel
without the slightest mishap and the
demonstration was accorded to be a
lgreat success by all bystanders, as
well as the men interested in looking
up fire escapes.
The demonstration came here at
the Invitation of the state board of
health together with many others and
exhibited for that august body at the
Estate house yesterday. The hotel men
in desiring to comply with the new
law asked that the board of health
recommend a specific kind of escape
that they should not be liable for
any mishaps which might occur on
the escapes which they shall put in in
compliance with the law. No decisions
have been made on the exhibit yet.
The Davy system installed provides
one escape for every ten guests and
at that rate can empty a building in
five minutes from the time the cable
is thrown out of the window because
with loop at both ends when one
person has escaped he has drawn the
other end of the cable and a loop UP
to the window for another victim
The Illinois Hotel association has re-
commended that the Davy system be
installed in all the hotels of that
state after a careful examination OF
Iau kinds of escapes.
The strong point of the system
seems to be that no matter whether
a man, woman or child, weighing 200
100 or 80 pounds, whether insensible
or not just so they get into the loor
and out of the window. they are sure
to reach the ground in safety
REhR GAR FIR W0MFN