IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ALARM AND WATER SUPPLY APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING CONFLAGRATIONS
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th January 1873.-A communication from abroad by Albert
Francis Johnson, of Parkville, Long Island, United States of
America.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ALARM AND WATER
SUPPLY APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING CONFLAGRATIONS," a communication, to be
as follows:
1
This Invention relates to extinguishing fires in cities and towns, and
preventing the occurrence of conflagrations therein, and consists, in
an automatic fire alarm of novel and peculiar construction which is
set in motion by the increased temperature of the building or apartment
in which a fire breaks out, and which through the medium of an
ordinary telegraph instrument and telegraph wires indicates at one or
more stations of the fire department the existence of such fire and
the exact locality thereof.

page_text: Secondly, in flic means whereby cach building, and if desired every
apartment of cach building, is provided with a supply of water and
appliances for distributing such water in the locality in which a fire is
indicated by the aforesaid instrument.
The two parts of this Invention together form effectual means for
extinguishing fires and preventing the spread of conflagrations, in as
much as the occurrence of a fire and its exact locality are instantly and
unerringly indicated at stations provided with apparatus for furnishing
a stream or streams of water which will be instantly brought to play
upon any fire that may break out in any building in the city or town.
And by this combination of the two parts of my Invention I obtain a
result which would not otherwise be practicable.
The first object of the said Invention I accomplish by means of an
apparatus placed in each building and consisting of a cam wheel which
is rotated by means of a spring coil, and is provided with a number of
bosses or inclines on its periphery. This apparatus operates the key of
a telegraph instrument of suitable construction, the latter having
connection by means of ordinary telegraph wires with one or more
stations of the fire department. The rotation of this wheel is
prevented, except when a fire breaks out, by means of a two ended lever,
one end of which acts as a pawl or detent, while to the other end of the
said lever is pivoted a plunger or piston fitted to move in a tube in
which is confined a column of mercury or other substance similarly
sensitive and expansible by heat. This tube is commonly placed within
a larger tube which communicates with each apartment of the building
and through which the heated air of the apartment wherein a fire
has broken out is conducted to the mercury. When this heated air
comes in contact with the vessel containing the mercury the latter
expands and raises the aforesaid piston, thus raising one end of the lever
and thereby releasing the cam wheel which then begins to rotato and
causes cach boss or projection on its periphery successively to come in
contact with the key of the telegraph instrument. As these projections
are of such number and are so placed upon the periphery of the wheel
as to cause the said key to give a certain number or a certain series
of numbers of strokes corresponding to the number of the street and
the number of the house in which the fire originates, the existence
of such fire and its exact locality are instantly and accurately made
known to the employees of the fire department.

page_text: In order that the object of the indications on the telegraph instrument,
namely, the instantaneous supply of water in the locality of the fire may
be obtained, I employ in combination with the aforesaid apparatus
stationary engines and pumps for forcing the water to the points whero
its application is required as indicated by the telegraph instruments.
Theso stationary engines with force pumps attached are placed at
distances of about one mile apart and in suitable positions with regard
to the said instruments, they are each intended to supply an area of
about one square mile through the medium of a series of pipes, provided
with valves so arranged that the flow of water may be forced into onc
of such pipes while it is cut off from the rest. Each of these pumps
ordinarily operates in connection with two main discharge pipes
emerging therefrom in opposite directions; connecting with each of
these discharge pipes are two primary distributing pipes, through which
the water is forced into a number of distributing pipes laid under the
several streets. To the last mentioned pipes, and to branch pipes are
connected upright pipes which pass vertically through the buildings to
and above the roof.
The last mentioned pipes are provided on those portions which come
immediately under the several ceilings, and also on the upper ends
above the roof, with sleeves having nozzles or short tubes set radially
therein, the said nozzles corresponding with perforations provided in the
pipe. These sleeves fit closely upon the pipes but are free to move
thereon, so that the nozzles may be brought opposite the perforations,
by which means the water may be discharged upon any particular
floor of the building, or cut off therefrom, as desired. These sleeves
and nozzles are or may be operated from the outside of the building by
means of wires and bell cranks connecting with knobs or handles, the
latter being secured in a metal box or other suitable receptacle and
numbered.
Ordinarily the several stationary pumps above mentioned are supplied
through suitable pipes from a main pipe which traverses the city and
forms a reservoir, and into which the water is pumped by a main engine
and pump, by means of which it is forced through the said main to the
level of the most elevated of the supply pipes. The main engine and
pump may be placed near the source of supply and should be in
duplicate, so that one at least may always be ready for immediate
action. The source whence I contemplate obtaining the supply is the

page_text: river or other water upon which the city or town is built, nearly all
large towns boing thus situated, consequently the supply is constant and
practically unlimited.
When a suitable local supply of water exists within the section or
area supplied by any one of the pumps, such pump may draw its supply 5
thence instead of from the main. I also contemplate the use of com-
pressed air for operating the stationary pumps, the air to be compressed
by the main engine and conducted through suitable pipes to the place
where it is required.