The Topeka state journal., 1909-01-25
FIRE ESCAPES.
Colonel III. C. Whitley, Veteran
Hotel Proprietor,
Writes Of His Experience and
Methods.
HE USES ROPES.
ROPES.
Has a Simple Device He Says
Effective.
Girls Slide Down Ropes-Sen-
atOr Stannard Witness.

To the Editor of the State Journal.
read in the Journal of last Saturday
evening an article in regard to the use
of ropes as fire escapes. AS you per-
sonally know I have had at least 25
years experience in the hotel business
at Emporia. Besides this I have had
considerable experience in travelling
about and stopping at hotels. Therefore
my opportunity for seeing and conclud-
ing in regard to fire escapes has been
quite extensive. 1 have long viewed it
as a matter of much Importance and
given the subject much thought While
1t is not my place to comment or CEN
sure the action of your fire chief in
not enforcing the law in regard to
ropes in hotel rooms, 1 will say that
the argument used in the article
above referred to against rope fire es-
capes is quite misleading. / will not
enter into full details in regard to this
subject. The fire escape law seems to
have been a dead letter, not only in
hotels and upstairs assembly rooms
among the people generally, but in at
least some of the state institutions
The state normal school at Emporia, 1
believe to be the most i'll arranged
and dangerous place of assembly for
a considerable crowd of people that 1
know of. Now if the state has utterly
failed to give proper protection against
fire in its own institutions it would be
hardly fair to censure any particular
individual who has failed to carry out
the law that is so commonly violated.
Regards Rope Method Safe.
According tony best judgmenta a rope
escape from each window properly ar
ranged is one of the safest methods for
reaching the ground that has ever been
devised. A plain rope or knotted rope
instances, but a rope with belt at
tachment properly adjusted is in my
opinion the simplest, safest most com
plete and practical escape that can be
made.
When a person awakened from
sleep by an alarm of fire so far loses
his self control as to be unable to fas-
ten a belt about his body beneath his
arms, raise the window swing him
self out and slip gently to the ground, |
he is too far gone in the head to find |
his way through a hall filled with |
smoke to an outside fire escape. The |
halls are the first place to be filed |
with smoke. If man has presence |
of mind he might be able to crawl |
along the floor even while the smoke |
is dense overhead to a place of |
safety. For a number of years l have !
kept at my hotel in Emporia ropes
with belts attached that can in
stantly be made serNiceable~ by any |
person no matter how ignorant. The |
belt around his body he can get out |
of the window and glide to the ground !
with perfect safety.
Does Not Need Grasp Rope.
He does not have to grasp the rope |
with his hands. He simply goes down |
gently to the ground. He can go slow !
or fast as he desires. When L first |
placed these rope escapes in my hotel !
the dining room girls rooming in the |
third story in a spirit of fun and |
without any instructions as to the |
manipulation of the ropes, took turns
in gliding down to the ground from
I%fy- Il
down five times. I have given re-
peated exhibitions, one only a few
days ago in the presence of Senator
Stannard. These escapes have been
pronounced simple and safe by many
travelling men and others who have
seen them in operation. 1t is indeed |
the simplest and safest contrivance for
reaching the ground from a lofty
window that can conceive of. L have
no pecuniary interest in placing these
escapes before the public. simply
present facts for investigation of
those that wish to become ac-
quainted with them.
The idea that a half inch
Manila rope is not sufficiently strong,
when it will bear a test of thousand
pounds weight and even more if neces-
sary- Or that a rope can only be
used for an escape by grabbing hold
of 1t and depending upon the grip of
the hands to slide down. The fall of
tackel block that will pull up a ton
need not necessarily be more than 70
of an inch If it is of first class
Manila. While at sea for few years
1 learned the wonderful value of
ropes when properly used for landing
a man safely from the loft. A person
need not be a sailor or have any
knowledge of the tactics employed by
him to slip safely down a rope with
properly arranged belt attach
ment.
About Knotted Rope Escapes.
I understand that a bill is now be-
fore the legislature requiring a
knotted rope to be attached at each
hotel window, but if the gentleman
offering the bill will take the trouble
to examine any one of a number of
the devices now in use for slipping
down rope 1 am sure he will not
specially recommend a knotted rope
or an inch rope but a ha1f-inch or
Is inch Manila rope with a belt at
tachment.
What the sailors call a snatch or bite
could easily be put upon a wire clothes
line in such a manner to make it per-
fectly safe and easy to descend upon. |
The only difference would be the wire
would be more difficult to coil and handle.
BESIDES window escapes every hotel should !
be properly equipped with stairway exits
and last but not least a chemical fire
extingutsher on each fioor always ready
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