IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRE
Year: 1884

page_text: We WILLIAM BRUCE DICK, of 101 Leadenhall Street, and JAMES SINCLAIR,
of 104 Leadenhall Street both in the City of London, Merchants do hereby declare
the nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING
FIRE" to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to apparatus for extinguishing fire by the utilization of
liquid charged with chemical substances suitable for the purpose, and is. chiefly
designed to provide certain improvements in the apparatus for which Letters
Patent were granted to William Bruce Dick the 30th day of January AD 1873
N° 362.
'
Our present improvements are, however, applicable to any apparatus of a similar
nature designed to be used for extinguishing fire by discharging chemically charged
liquids thereon, or therein..
It has been found in practice that a very considerable increase of useful effect is
produced when two streams of the chemically charged liquid are directed upon the
fire simultaneously, and it has therefore been the custom, in many cases, to use
two complete apparatus in order to obtain the two streams of liquid.
One object of our present invention is to obviate the necessity for using two
apparatus for this purpose and consists in providing a bifurcated tubular union
piece having three apertures viz one in a central position at the rear which is
provided with a female screw-thread to adapt it to be secured upon the discharge
pipe attached to the liquid chamber of the apparatus; and one at each end of the
two branches or arms, these ends being furnished with male screw-threads to
receive screw-threaded sleeves secured to the ends of flexible directing tubes, each
of which is provided at its other end with a nozzle through which the liquid is
discharged upon, or into, the fire in separate streams. We prefer to provide one of
the said nozzles with a cock or tap so that it may be closed whenever it is desired
to use the apparatus for discharging a single stream of the liquid; or this cock or
tap may, in some cases, be situated in one of the branches or arms of the bifurcated
union piece.
We do not confine ourselves to the use of two arms or branches only; that is to
say the said tubular union piece may, if desirable in any case, be made with three
or more branches so as to discharge simultaneously a greater number than two
streams of liquid, a corresponding number of flexible tubes and nozzles being used,
[Price G71

page_text: We also provide improved means for affording access to the liquid chamber, for
charging the same at the upper part thereof, in such a manner that all danger of
the closing or removable piece being forced out by any gas in the apparatus when
the said piece has been loosened for removal is avoided.
We effect this object by providing what is practically a double bayonet joint,
that is to say, we fix securely in the throat or opening at the top of the liquid
chamber an annular piece of brass or other suitable metal, at the lower part of
which, in a recess, there is a flat ring of leather upon which the lower edge of the
closing piece presses (when the apparatus is closed) and thus forms an air and gas
tight joint. Above the leather there is, a complete annular projecting ledge.
Above this ledge there are two other projecting pieces forming segments of a circle
and being situated opposite to each other; and at the top there are two similar
projecting segments also placed opposite to each other.
The latter or upper
segments are so situated that they are immediately over the spaces left between
the first named or lower segments, the latter being immediately beneath the spaces
leit between the upper segments. The closing piece which fits within the device
is of an inverted cup shape and has upon its periphery two projecting pieces or
wings each forming a segment of a circle, the length of the arc being such that
they can enter between the spaces above mentioned. Each of these wings is tapered
on its upper face so that they form inclined planes the lower segments in the
opening being also tapered correspondingly on their lower faces in such a manner
that when the said projections on the closing piece engage below the lower
segments in the opening, the turning of the closing piece in one direction causes
the base of the latter to be pressed tightly upon the leather, and the turning in the
opposite direction causes it to become separated therefrom. To remove the closing
piece entirely so that the liquid-chamber may be charged, the closing piece is
first turned so that the projecting segments thereon pass out of contact with the
lower segments in the opening and come opposite to, or coincide with, the spaces
between the same and any gas which may be in the chamber, commences to escape
and is unable (however much there may be) to force the closing piece out of the
opening for the reason that the upper segments are now above the segments of the
closing piece By continuing to turn the latter, these segments ride upon the upper
face of the lower segments and when they have reached a position immediately
below the spaces between the upper segments the closing piece may be entirely
removed, but long before this position is reached all gas will have escaped so that
there is no possible danger of the closing piece being blown out in the operation of
unfastening the same., When the chamber has been charged, the closing is effected
in the same manner, the operations being performed, however, in reverse directions.
The closing piece is furnished with suitable handles whereby it may be readily
Inanipulated for closing or opening the orifice.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
:
We, WILLIAM BRUCE DICK, of 101 Leadenhall Street, and JAMES SINCLAIR,
of 104 Leadenhall Street, both in the City of London, Merchants do hereby
declare the nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
EXTINGUISHING FIRE" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to bė
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
=
Our invention relates to apparatus for extinguishing fire by means of liquid
charged with chemical substances suitable for the purpose, and is chiefly designed..
to improve the apparatus described in the specification of former Letters Patent
granted to the said William Bruce Dick and dated the 30th day of January,
A.D. 1873, Nº 362.
Our present improvements, are, however, applicable to any similar apparatus
designed to be used for extinguishing fire by means of chemically charged liquids.
Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an apparatus with our present
improvements applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a plan of an annular piece, hereinafter described, fixed in the neck
of the liquid chamber.
Figure 3 is a section of the said piece on the line x, x, Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of part of the stopper.
Figures 2 to 4 inclusive are drawn to an enlarged scale.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
a is the cylindrical chamber for holding or containing the liquid, 6 is the glass
bottle for holding the chemical substances with which the said liquid is to be
charged when the apparatus is required for use, and c is the cock or valve for
controlling the discharge of the liquid from the apparatus.
It has been found in practice that a very considerable increase of useful effect is
produced when two streams of the chemically charged liquid are directed upon the
fire simultaneously; in many cases, therefore, two complete apparatus have been
used in order to obtain the two streams of liquid.
One object of our present invention is to provide for accomplishing this result by
means of a single apparatus. For this purpose we employ two or more discharge-
pipes, or one discharge pipe having two or more branches.
In the drawing, we have shown a bifurcated union-piece d, which is provided
with a female screw-thread to adapt it to be screwed upon the discharge pipe e of
the liquid-chamber a; the two branches or arms d, d, of this union-piece are
furnished with male screw-threads to receive the unions or couplings f¹ secured in
the ends of the flexible directing tubes. Each of these tubes is provided at its
free end with a nozzle g, and through these nozzles two separate streams of the
liquid can be discharged upon, or into, the fire.
We prefer to provide one of the said nozzles with a cock or tap h, which may be
closed, if it is desired to use the apparatus for discharging a single stream of the

page_text: "
liquid; in some cases, however, this cock or tap is fitted to one of the branches or
arms of the union-piece d, instead of to the nozzle.
We do not confine ourselves to the use of two discharge arms or branches; the
union-piece d is sometimes made with three or more branches, so as to discharge
simultaneously more than two streams of liquid, a corresponding number of flexible
tubes and nozzles being provided.
Another object of our present invention is to provide improved means for closing
the liquid-chamber, and affording access thereto for charging the same, in such a
manner as to obviate any liability of the closing piece or stopper to be forced out
by the pressure of gas in the apparatus, when the said piece has been loosened for
removal.
We effect this object by providing the device shewn in the accompanying drawing,
and constructed upon the principle of a double bayonet-joint, that is to say, an
annular piece i, of brass or other suitable metal, is firmly secured in the neck or
mouth of the liquid-chamber a. In the lower part of this annular piece is formed
a recess j, in which is placed a flat ring or washer of leather or similar material;
is the closing piece. or stopper, the lower edge of which presses upon the said
washer, when the apparatus is closed, and thus forms an air and gas tight joint.
Above the recess j, the piece i has an annular projecting ledge m, and above this
ledge there are two projecting pieces n forming segments of a circle and situated
opposite to each other. At the top of the piece i, there are two similar projecting
segments o also placed opposite to each other. These segments are situated
inimediately above the spaces between the segments n, as shown in Figure 2.
The closing piece or stopper is of an inverted cup-shape and has upon its
periphery two projecting pieces. or wings p forming segments of a circle and of such
length that they can pass downward through the spaces between the aforesaid
projecting segments on the piece i. Each of these wings or projections is tapered
so as to form an inclined plane, as shewn in Figure 4, and each of the segments n
is correspondingly tapered or inclined on its underside so that, when the said
projections p engage with the seginents n, the turning of the closing piece / in the
proper direction will cause the base or lower edge of the latter to be pressed tightly
upon the washer'k.
To remove the closing piece or stopper 7 entirely, so that the liquid-chamber may
be charged, the said stopper must first be turned until the projections p thereon are
immediately beneath, or coincide with, the spaces between the segments n. Any
gas which may be contained in the chamber a will then commence to escape, but,
even if the pressure thereof is sufficient to lift the stopper l, it will be prevented
from forcing the same out of the piece i, by the said projections coming into contact
with the segments o. After the stopper has been raised so as to bring the
projections pin contact with the segments o, the said stopper is turned in either
direction until the said projections are immediately beneath, or coincide with, the
spaces between the segments o; the said stopper can then be entirely removed or
lifted out, but, before this position is reached, sufficient gas will have escaped to
avoid all danger of the stopper being blown out in the operation of removing the
same. When the chamber a has been charged, the closing is effected in the reverse
manner to that above described.
The closing piece or stopper is furnished with suitable handles
be readily manipulated for closing or opening the chamber a..
whereby it may
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said.
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
.0:
.1
•
In an apparatus for extinguishing fire by means of chemically charged liquids -
First. The employment, in combination with a single liquid-chamber, of two
or more discharge pipes, or one discharge pipe, having two or more. branches,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.

page_text: Second. The above described improvements whereby we provide for securing the
stopper in the liquid-chamber and for permitting the removal of the said stopper
without the risk of its being forced out by any gas that may be contained in the
said chamber, substantially as set forth.
IL:. n 1
T
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.