The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-19
Bremen Invent Ingenious Cover
 For Slide Pole
Covers Hole in Floor Until Alarm Rings in-Prevenfs
 Many Accidents

New Britain, Aug. 19.-Genius, fire good fortune. is no respecter of per sons or occupations. Ability in ens form or another is discovered in si- most all walks of life. This fact ts driven home by the invention by Cas- tain Michael Souney and Lieuten&st Thomas F. Higgins of Engine Cosn- pany No. of an automatic trap door which covers the openings in the foor where the firemen sleep and throuEh which hangs the pole for their quick passage to the ground floor when tke fire belll rings. Everyone that hos ever been in a firehouse has admiFsd that shiny pole that runs to the sleep ing quarters There is something about it that impeIs one to try ft just to see how it works. At the top there is an opening in the floor through which the men come shoot ing on the tap of the gong. Tn the majority of houses in the United States and presumably other countries this opening is uncovered all the time making it exceedingly dangerous for persons unaccustOmed to the locations there have been numerous accidents in which persons narrowly escaped broken bones by falling through the openings. Two accidents at Engine company No. 5 house set Captain Souney and Lieutenant Higgins to
 
 ment in a Hartford fire house and on Investigating realized that with a, few exceptions in the construction it was just such an arrangement as they desired
 Having procured their ideas they set to work in the basement of the fire house and after trying innun7er- able plans they finally hit on the one which has been put into use. The opening in the floor is now covered -T-f1 E and accidents. The trap is control led by thirty pound steee1 weight which is hidden in the wall. When their plans are completed this weight will be released automatically and rise five or si xfeeet in the air, giving the men plenty of room to slide down to the apparatus. At present the in- ventionS are in working order but their operation is controlled by hand. One of the slides is situated outside Captain Souney,s sleeping room. When an alarm sounds, the captain reaches out the door, pulls wire and the trap flies up. By the time he has his fire togs on the trap is well out of his way and gives him plenty of room to make the slide The other trap is situated at the front of the house and is controlled by the man sleep ing nearest to it. If an alarm comes in at night the man reaches out. gives the string pull, releases a
 
 Although the arrangement is work ing we'll in it's present form Cap tain Souney is not satisfied. He has asked the board of public safety tO install an electric switch to control the device. The switch can be con nected with the fire alarm wires and the moment the alarm sounds the contrfvance will work automatically. The captain feels certain that he will receive the assistance of the public safety commissioners. The invef1- ton is one that is sure to meet with the approval of all fire fighters as they realize it's worth as a guard against accidents. The plan, or one somewhat similar, . is used in fire headquarters in Mertden and in one of the Hartford engine houses. It Is simple and in it's simplicity lies It's worth. It cost the department prac- tically nothing as 1t was made by the captain and his able lieutenant dur ing leisure hours.