Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Aug.. 1888
Complete Specification Left, 12th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 14th Dec. 1888
COM
the Alarm.
I. THOMAS RALPH DOUSE, of 28 Clover Street, Chatham, Kent, Clothing Manu-
facturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is a system of apparatus electrically controlled for
checking or extinguishing fire at its inception and preventing its spread, at the same
time giving an alarm to the persons within the building, ship, or other place in
which the apparatus is fitted, the whole being put into operation automatically or by
hand.
For the purpose of my invention, I construct a vessel capable of withstanding a
pressure of at least 100 lbs to the square inch which is partially filled with liquid
consisting of an alkali and water and in the upper part of same a bottle containing
acid is fixed. Above the bottle and in communication with the outside of the vessel
is placed a tube fitted with a piston hammer and spring, the spring being compressed
in upper part of tube by the piston hammer, same being kept in place by means of an
electrically controlled catch or bolt. Instead of the hammer being actuated by a
spring, it may be weighted.
The outer end of the bolt is fitted with a soft iron crosspiece at a short distance from
an electro magnet, the magnet being connected by wires to a number of Leclanché or
other cells according to the power required, the circuit being controlled by means
of an ordinary circuit break actuated either automatically or by the hand.
The automatic contact is effected either by the contraction of a cord of animal
tissue, the expansion of a fluid, a fuseable metal, or by the expansion of air in a
corrugated diaphragm all being susceptible to heat. The electric circuit takes in a
number of bells when required to do so, in different parts of the building.
Should the fire spread, another contact is made, and a current of electricity is passed
through wires actuating and closing a valve (of similar construction to the spring
piston haminer) fitted to the gas meter thereby shutting off the gas from all parts
of the building.

page_text: The vessel is fitted to the upper part of a building or ceiling of a room and in the
event of fire, the heat contracts the cord of animal tissue, expands the fluid, fuses the
metal, or expands the air, thus forming the contact and completing the electrical
circuit, instantaneously releasing the spring hammer which smashes the bottle, the
contents of same mixing with the alkali in the vessel generates carbonic acid gas
that finds its way through syphon pipes into sprayers of special construction, and is
distributed all over the room, and being heavier than air, falls and smothers the fire
at its inception, at the same time bells are set ringing in all parts of the building
or other place, giving the inmates time to escape. Where required an electrical
connection may be made from the exterior or at a distance protected by a glass face,
so that in the event of fire breaking out, by breaking the glass, and pressing the
button the alarm is given, and the fire immediately suppressed.
D
قيم
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Electrically Controlled Apparatus for Checking, Extinguishing, and
Preventing the Spread of Fire, and for Simultaneously Giving
the Alarm.
I, THOMAS RALPH DOUSE, of 28 Clover Street, Chatham, Kent, Clothing Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
The object of this invention is a system of apparatus electrically controlled for
checking or extinguishing fire at its inception and preventing its spread, at the same
time giving an alarm to the persons within the building, ship, or other place in
which the apparatus is fitted, the whole being put into operation automatically, or by
hand.
The manner of carrying my invention into practice is shown on the annexed
drawings.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a cylindrical vessel A containing an alkali and
carrying within it hermetically enclosed a glass bottle B filled with an acid, which
when the bottle is broken by the impact or blow of the plunger C or otherwise causes
the two liquids to commingle and produce a gas of great power and fire subduing
properties which can escape by the pipes D, D, to spreaders E, E, for distribution into
a room in which the fire may have occured. The plunger C is within a tube F,
Figures 1 and 2, and is retained in its upward position and its spring G kept com-
pressed by a sliding plate H which holds the stem I of the plunger C by a couple of
pins of the stem resting on the plate H. The plate H acts as an armature and when
attracted to the magnetic coils J, J, Figure 3 by the strength of an electric current,
it brings an aperture directly under the pins of the stem I to enable the spring to
shoot the plunger C down the tube with great force and so break the bottle B.
Instead of the spring, a fulminate charge or detonator may be arranged for firing
electrically to act upon the plunger C sufficient to break the bottle or acid container B,
or the fulminate charge or the detonator arranged within the tube F would be sufficient
to break the acid bottle B when fired electrically.
The spreader E is of the shape shown at Figure 4 with the nozzle K going some
distance down it, an air chamber being formed in the upper part of the spreader E for
ensuring a spread of ure subduing gas through all the apertures of the spreader.
The cylinder A is preferably secured by its clips L to the ceiling or upper part of
the room or compartment and the magnetic coils by its wires a, a, lead to a battery,
the wires being broken at some part of the room and capable of being automatically or
otherwise connected for completing circuit.
When several of these apparatus Figure 1 are placed within a building
as at Figure 5, I arrange that the electric circuit may be completed auto-
matically, or by hand and this I effect and with a view of giving an alarm
through the building, I arrange a series of bells with the wires in parallel

page_text: order, the wires for controlling the magnets J, J, being in series so that all the bells
of the building are simultaneously rung while only the apparatus A in the room in
which the fire is present is released.
If this operation is to be conducted automatically, I arrange a thermometer tube M
in the upper part of each room or a box such as I show at Figure 6 or a strip of
catgut N, as at Figure 7 for putting the plates P, P, into contact for completing
circuit to cause the release of the plunger C.
If the apparatus Figure 6 be fitted the heated air within the room would enter the
box Qand the heat would cause air contained within the plates R to expand and so
bring contact points P, P, in touch to complete electrical circuit.
I also arrange, if in a building, a series of push buttons S, so that the occupant of
any room on discovering a fire can by pushing the button S ring all the bells in the
building and release the plunger C of the apparatus in the room in which the person
is, without releasing the plunger of any other apparatus fitted within the building.
In order that a night Watchman or a Policeman may operate any one apparatus
from outside the building, I provide a tablet of instructions, see Figure 8, which on
the breaking of a glass will enable the Watchman or Policeman to push in a button
correspondingly arranged with the room in which a fire may have been observed.
Many cases of fire have occured through an escape of gas and very often while a
fire is raging the gas is full on at the meter or that the pipes become destroyed by fire
and the gas assist the conflagration, I therefore in conjunction with my means or
apparatus arrange a couple of magnets U, U, see Figures 9 and 10, on the gas main,
and have in connection with the magnets an armature V which when not in action
holds a plunger W, so that gas passes freely through the main as indicated by the
arrows but so soon as the armature V is attracted by the magnet, the plunger W is
released for its lower end to fall upon a cushion X and shut off the passage of gas at
the main, the plunger W being held down upon the ring cushion X by a spring Y.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:
:-
1. The apparatus shown at Figures 1, 2 and 3 by which through an electric
current operated automatically or otherwise acting directly on a plunger or a detonator,
a bottle B can be broken and an acid be caused to mix with an alkali in the vessel A
and a gas generated which under pressure issues from the spreaders E, E, for subduing
a fire within a building in which said apparatus A is placed.
2. The several means described and the arrangement of appliances by which a
plunger C or a fulminate can be automatically or otherwise released electrically when
fitted in connection with a fire subduing gas forming apparatus as described with
reference to Figures 5, 6; 7 and 8 of the annexed drawings.
3. The arrangement of apparatus capable of being electrically released for shutting
off the main gas supply when said apparatus is used in conjunction with the apparatus
described for subduing fire in Buildings as described.
The 12th day of November 1888.
PREPA ay Of November 1800.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Thomas Ralph Douse.