CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED FOR ARRESTING THE PROGRESS OF AND EXTINGUISHING FIRE
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EBENEZER
TIMMIS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Third day of December, in the sixth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Ebenezer Timmis, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Ebenezer Timmis, my exors, adñors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Ebenezer Timis, my exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all Her said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of " CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS USED FOR ARRESTING THE PROGRESS OF AND EXTINGUISHING FIRE;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Ebenezer
Timmis, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled
in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters

page_text: Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Ebenezer Timmis, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say):-
My improvements consist of,-
First, an apparatus to be fixed between the roof and ceiling of buildings for
the purpose of saturating the timbers of the same with water in case of fire,
and thereby arresting the progress of the fire.
Secondly, of an arrangement of pipes so as to afford a quick and copious
supply of water at each story of a building in case of fire; and,
Thirdly, an improved ladder or fire escape to be used for the purpose of
gaining ready access to the various stories of a building in case of fire.
Figure 1 in the accompanying Drawings represents in elevation, Figure 2
in plan, Figure 3 the interior in plan, and Figure 4 in section, the apparatus
to be fixed between the roof and ceiling of buildings. a is the pipe conveying
the water from a force pump, the situation of which force pump will be here-
after described; b is a joint in the vertical part of the pipe, allowing it to
be moved in a horizontal plane; and b' is a joint in the horizontal portion of
the pipe which allows it to be moved in a vertical plane. c is the jet fixed at
the extremity of the pipe a. d is the base plate on which the whole apparatus
is supported. On the centre of the plate d is the hollow cylinder d', through
which the pipe a passes. e is a circular plate turning on the cylinder d', as an
axis. f is a bevilled toothed wheel affixed to the plate e. 9 is a dome covering
and protecting the joints of the pipe a, and the mechanism by which the
position of the pipe is changed. This dome has a slot g' through which the
jet passes, as seen in Figures 1 and 2. h is an axis fixed horizontally in the
side of the dome g. A bevilled toothed wheel i, working on the axis h, takes
into the bevilled toothed wheel f. j is an arm or lever affixed to the wheel i.
k is a connecting rod by which the arm j is connected with the upper and
moveable part of the pipe a. The dome g is supported on the plate e by the
anti-friction wheels 1, . The plate e is turned by a chain m¹, passing over
the pulleys m, m, (Figures 1 and 2,) and groove n; and the dome g is turned
by the chain o, which passes over the pulleys m¹ and groove o¹. The whole
apparatus is fixed in any convenient situation between the roof and ceiling of
the building. I prefer, however, a situation over the centre of the ceiling, the

page_text: pipe a being connected with a force pump, and the chains with the apparatus
herein-after described. The action of the apparatus herein-before described,
and represented in Figures 1 to 4, is as follows:-On turning the dome g by
means of the chain o, the slot g' may be brought into any vertical plane, the jet c
being carried with it, and by means of the chain m³, worked at the same time
as the chain o, the plate e will be turned, and the whole will be carried round in
a horizontal plane. The jet c may thus be pointed in any desired direction.
The apparatus by which the chains o and m' are moved is represented in
Figure 5. a is a board having at the top four loops or guides, b, b, b, b, and at-
the bottom a pulley or drum c. The chain m¹, by which the plate e is turned,
passes round the pulley c, and the chain o of the dome g passes round the
pulley d. The board is divided into a number of divisions, and the words
"right," "left," are painted on the board in such positions that the jet points
to the right or left when the index of the chain m¹ points to those words on
the board. The chain o is attached to the chain m¹ by the small cord or
chain . Its motion is thereby limited to the range necessary to elevate the jet
to a vertical or depress it to a horizontal position. When it is desired to turn
the whole apparatus, so as to turn the jet about in a horizontal plane, both the
chains m' and o must be moved together. For this purpose they may either be
joined together by a link or hook at any point, as at w, and the drum turned,
or they may be grasped together by the hands, and thus moved.
Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9 represent another of my improvements. It consists
of a ladder to be fixed on the outside of the building, to be used for the
purpose of readily reaching the various stories, and facilitating the removal.
of persons and property in case of fire. a, a, are plates of angle iron or plates
of iron bent at right angles. The plates are fixed to the wall of the building.
b, b, are a series of levers jointed to the bars a, a, at c, c, and having cross
bars d, d. The series of levers are connected by the bars e, e.
The cross
bars d, d, form the steps, and the bars e, e, the sides of the ladder.
ladder is not in use the bars e, e, are raised, and the levers b, b, turning on
their joints, the ladder lies flat in the angle iron, as seen at Figure 7. The
ladder may be secured in this position in any convenient manner. When about
to be used, the ladder is to be brought into the position shewn in Figures 6
and 9, in which position it is retained by the projections f, f, which arrest the
motion of the levers b, b, when they have assumed a horizontal position.
When the
Figure 8 represents one of the steps of the ladder, with a rail or support 9,
attached to it. A similar rail or support is attached to the steps near the level
of the windows of each story, so that the person standing on a lower step may
thus have his hands at liberty.

page_text: Another of my improvements relates to the distribution of pipes in the
various stories of a building, for the purpose of supplying water in case of fire.
A pipe, connected with the force pump herein-before mentioned, is fixed to the
walls of the building, from bottom to top, and either within or without, or
both. On each story is an opening or openings, each closed by a stopcock.
These openings and stopcocks are placed in any situation where they may be
easily accessible from the inside of the room or lobby, or from without. In
case of fire in any story, it is only necessary to work the force pump, and
connect a length of hose with the openings and stopcocks in the story where
the fire exists, in order to have the means of applying water to the burning.
part. The force pump to be used for supplying the apparatus and arrangement
of pipes herein-before described with water may be of the ordinary con-
struction, and may be worked either by a lever handle or a rotary motion, as
may be considered most convenient. Its situation may be varied to suit the
particular arrangements of the building. I prefer a situation, however, on the
ground floor, and in a place easily accessible. The pump must be connected
with a reservoir of water supplied from any convenient source. The chains or
cords, in passing from the apparatus between the roof and ceiling to that.
represented in Figure 5, should pursue the nearest direction, and should be
so protected as effectually to defend them from injury.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood, that I do not
claim as my Invention the various parts of the apparatus and arrangements
herein-before described, separately considered, as many of them are, or may be,
in common use already. But I claim exclusive right to,―
First, an apparatus to be fixed between the ceiling and roof of buildings for
the purpose of saturating the timbers of such roof with water in case of fire, as
herein-before described.
Secondly, the arrangement of reservoir, force pump, and fixed pipes, for
conveying water to the different stories of buildings in case of fire, as herein-
before described.
Thirdly, the ladder or fire escape for gaining access to the various stories of
a building, and for facilitating the removal of persons or property in case of
fire, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ebenezer Timmis, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
EBENEZER (L.S.) TIMMIS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-seventh day of May,
in the year of our Lord 1843, the aforesaid Ebenezer Timmis came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the First day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-three.

page_text: DISCLAIMER AND MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATIONS proposed
to be entered by the said Ebenezer Timmis with the Clerk of Patents of
England, pursuant to an Act passed in the fifth and sixth years of the
reign of His late Majesty King William the Fourth, entitled "An Act
to amend the Law touching Letters Patent for Inventions."
[The words printed in Italic are written with red ink in the original.]
I, the said Ebenezer Timmis, did, in the Specification of my said l'atent,
describe my
said Invention to consist of "An Apparatus to be fixed between
the Roof and Ceiling of Buildings for the Purpose of Saturating the Timbers
" of the same with Water in case of Fire, and thereby Arresting the Progress
"of Fire;" and although I consider the most convenient method of applying
the said apparatus is to fix the same between the roof and ceiling of buildings,
yet it may be placed with advantage in other parts of buildings, for which
reason I am desirous to disclaim and do hereby disclaim all those words which
are ruled through with red ink, and to insert, and do hereby insert, in lieu of
the said words so disclaimed, all those words written with red ink in the copy
of my said Specification hereunder written.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this twenty-
fourth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
EBENEZER TIMMIS. (L.S.)

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EBENEZER TIMMIS, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Third day of December, in the sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Ebenezer Timmis, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Ebenezer Timmis, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Ebenezer Timmis, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times:
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "Certain Improvements in Apparatus used
for Arresting the Progress of and Extinguishing Fire;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Ebenezer Timmis, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by
the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
Now KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Ebenezer Timmis, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
My improvements consist of,-
First, an apparatus to be fixed between the roof and ceiling, in any convenient
part or parts of buildings, for the purpose of saturating the timbers of the same
with water in case of fire, and thereby arresting the progress of the fire.
Secondly, of an arrangement of pipes so as to afford a quick and copious
supply of water at each story of a building in case of fire; and,
Thirdly, an improved ladder or fire escape, to be used for the purpose of
gaining ready access to the various stories of a building in case of fire.
Figure 1 in the accompanying Drawings represents in elevation, Figure 2
in plan, Figure 3 the interior in plan, and Figure 4 in section, the apparatus
to be fixed between-the-roof-und-ceiling in any convenient part or parts of
buildings, for the purpose of saturating the same with water in case of fire. . a is
part or parts of buildings, for the purpose of saturating the timbers of the same
with water in case of fire, and thereby arresting the progress of the fire.
Secondly, of an arrangement of pipes so as to afford a quick and copious
supply of water at each story of a building in case of fire; and,
Thirdly, an improved ladder or fire escape, to be used for the purpose of
gaining readly access to the various stories of a building in case of fire.
Figure 1 in the accompanying Drawings represents in elevation, Figure 2
in plan, Figure 3 the interior in plan, and Figure 4 in section, the apparatus
to be fixed between-the-roof-and-ceiling in any convenient part or parts of
buildings, for the purpose of saturating the same with water in case of fire. . a is

page_text: the pipe for conveying the water from a force pump, the situation of which
force pump will be hereafter described; 6 is a joint in the vertical part of the
pipe, allowing it to be moved in a horizontal plane; and b'is a joint in the
horizontal portion of the pipe which allows it to be moved in a vertical plane.
c is the jet fixed at the extremity of the pipe a. d is the base plate on which
the whole apparatus is supported. On the centre of the plate d is the hollow
cylinder d', through which the pipe a passes. e is a circular plate turning on
the cylinder d as an axis. f is a bevilled toothed wheel affixed to the plate e.
g is a dome covering and protecting the joints of the pipe a, and the mechanism
by which the position of the pipe is changed. This dome has a slot g¹ through
which the jet passes, as seen in Figures 1 and 2. h is an axis fixed hori-
zontally in the side of the dome g. A bevilled toothed wheel i, working on
the axis h, takes into the bevilled toothed wheel f. j is an arm or lever
affixed to the wheel i. k is a connecting rod by which the arm j is connected
with the upper and moveable part of the pipe a. The dome g is supported on
the plate e by the antifriction wheels 1, . The plate e is turned by a chain m³,
passing over the pullies m, m³, (Figures 1 and 2,) and groove n; and the
dome is turned by the chain o, which passes over the pullies m" and
groove s. The whole apparatus is fixed in any convenient situation between
the roof and ceiling-of-the-building. I prefer, however, a situation over the centre
of the ceiling, part or parts of a building, the pipe a being connected with
a force pump, and the chains with the apparatus herein-after described.
The action of the apparatus herein-before described, and represented in
Figures 1 to 4, is as follows:-On turning the dome g by means of the
chain o, the slot g¹ may be brought into any vertical plane, the jet c
being carried with it, and, by means of the chain m, worked at the same
time as the chain o, the plate e will be turned, and the whole will be
carried round in a horizontal plane. The jet c may thus be pointed in any
desired direction. The apparatus by which the chains o and m¹ are moved is
represented in Figure 5. a is a board having at the top four loops or guides,
b, b, b, b, and at the bottom a pulley or drum c. The chain m¹, by which the
plate e is turned, passes round the pulley c, and the chain o of the dome g
passes round the pulley d. The board is divided into a number of divisions,
and the words "right," "left," are painted on the board in such positions that
the jet points to the right or left when the index of the chain m¹ points to
those words on the board. The chain o is attached to the chain m¹ by the
small cord or chain a. Its motion is thereby limited to the range necessary to
elevate the jet to a vertical or depress it to a horizontal position. When it is
desired to turn the whole apparatus so as to turn the jet about in a horizontal

page_text: plane, both the chains m' and o must be moved together. For this purposo
they may either be joined together by a link or hook at any point, as at w,
and the drum turned, or they may be grasped together by the hands, and thus
moved.
Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9 represent another of my improvements. It consists
of a ladder to be fixed on the outside of the building, to be used for the
purpose of readily reaching the various stories, and facilitating the removal of
persons and property in case of fire.
a, a, are plates of angle iron or iron
bent at right angles. The plates are fixed to the wall of the building. b, b,
are a series of levers jointed to the bars a, a, at c, c, and having cross bars
d, d. The series of levers are connected by the bars e, e. The cross bars d, d,
form the steps, and the bars e, e, the sides of the ladder. When the ladder is
not in use, the bars e, e, are raised, and the levers b, b, turning on their joints,.
the ladder lies flat in the angle iron, as seen at Figure 7. The ladder may be
secured in this position in any convenient manner. When about to be used,
the ladder is to be brought into the position shewn in Figures 6 and 9, in
which position it is retained by the projections f, f, which arrest the motion of
the levers b, b, when they have assumed a horizontal position.
:
Figure 8 represents one of the steps of the ladder with a rail or support g,
attached to it. A similar rail or support is attached to the steps near the
level of the windows of cach story, so that the person standing on a lower
step may thus have his hands at liberty.
Another of my improvements relates to the distribution of pipes in the
various stories of a building, for the purpose of supplying water in case of fire.
A pipe, connected with the force pump herein-before mentioned, is fixed to tho
walls of the building from bottom to top. On each story is an opening closed
by a stopcock; this opening and stopcock are placed in any situation where
they may be easily accessible from the inside of the room. In case of fire in
in any story, it is only necessary to work the force pump, and connect a length
of hose with the opening and stopcock in the story where the fire exists, in
order to have the means of applying water to the burning part. The force
pump to be used for supplying the apparatus and arrangement of pipes herein-
before described with water may be of the ordinary construction, and may be
worked either by a lever handle or a rotary motion, as may be considered most
convenient. Its situation may be varied to suit the particular arrangements of
the building. I prefer a situation, however, on the ground, and in a place
easily accessible. The pump must be connected with a reservoir of water from
any convenient source. The chains or cords in passing from the apparatus
between-the-roof-and-eeiling, represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, to that repre-

page_text: sented in Figure 5, should pursue the nearest direction, and should be so
protected as effectually to defend them from injury.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood, that I do not
claim as my Invention the various parts of the apparatus and arrangements
herein-before described, separately considered, as many of them are, or may be,
in common use already. But I claim exclusive right to,-
First, an apparatus to be fixed between the ceiling-and roof of buildings,-for
the purpose of saturating the timbers-of-such roof in any convenient part or parts
of buildings, for the purpose of saturating the same with water in case of fire,
as herein-before described.
Secondly, the arrangement of pipes for conveying water to the different
stories of buildings in case of fire, as herein-before described.
Thirdly, the ladder or fire escape for gaining access to the various stories of
a building, and for facilitating the removal of persons or property in case of
fire, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ebenezer Timis, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
To the Clerk of the Patents of England.
This is to certify that the above-named Ebenezer Timnis, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, has applied to me for leave to
enter with you the above-written Disclaimer & Memorandum of Alteration in
the Specification of a certain Invention, for which Letters Patent were granted
to him, dated at Westminster the Third day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-two; and on considering the said application, I directed
him to advertise the said Disclaimer & Memorandum of Alteration in the
London Gazette, and in the Times and Morning Chronicle Newspapers; and
such advertisements having been duly made, and no objection having been
made to the said application, I have accordingly granted leave to the said
Ebenezer Timmis to file his said Disclaimer & Memorandum of Alteration,
pursuant to the Statute passed in the fifth & sixth years of the reign of His
late Majesty King William the Fourth, entituled "An Act to amend the Law
touching Letters Patent for Inventions."

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of July, in
the year of our Lord 1843, the aforesaid Ebenezer Timmis came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Disclaimer
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
5 above written. And also the Disclaimer aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-three.