IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTINGUISHING FIRE IN DWELLINGS, FACTORIES, AND OTHER BUILDINGS, AND IN SHIPS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Macbay, of Woolwich, in the County
of Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTINGUISHING
FIRE IN DWELLINGS, FACTORIES, AND OTHER BUILDINGS, AND IN
SHIPS."
Sealed the 22nd April 1858, and dated the 23rd October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Macbay
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 23rd October 1852.
I, WILLIAM MACBAY, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
EXTINGUISHING FIRE IN DWELLINGS, FACTORIES, AND OTHER BUILDINGS, AND
IN SHIPS," to be as follows:-
In order to extinguish fires in dwelling houses, government stores,
factories, or other buildings, I propose to fix iron or other pipes in the
roofs or other parts, so as to discharge a large body of water on the fire
at its commencement. For this purpose a main pipe is to be carried to
the top of the house or building, to be kept charged with water under
pressure, or, instead of having a main pipe, smaller pipes may be made
to communicate with a cistern or reservoir on or in the building,

page_text: whence water may be conveyed in manner herein-after described.
From the main pipe or cistern branch pipes are to be carried to the
different rooms or departments intended to be protected. These pipes
may branch off at right angles in any required direction along the ceil-
ing or under the floor, and may be hidden from sight. At the ends of
these branch pipes are caps or covers, made of gutta percha or other
similar material, or of fusible metal, so as to be easily melted by the
action of fire, and thus permit of the escape of the contained water.
The cap may be made ornamental in appearance, and serve as a patera
for dwelling houses. In the event of fire taking place in the room the
fusible metal or gutta percha cap would be melted almost immediately,
and thus the fire would receive a check from the discharge of water.
One main pipe may be made to serve two houses, or an arrangement
may be easily effected for charging the main pipe by means of water
from a fire engine, or
gases or other fire annihilating
vapours may be used in like manner. On ship board, where fires fre-
quently occur in the hold, this arrangement will be peculiarly useful.
The pipes for this purpose are arranged round the sides of the vessel
and attached to the force pumps. Steam, instead of water, may be used
in steam vessels as an extinguisher, being forced through these pipes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Macbay in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM MACBAY, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Macbay, Her special
licence that I, the said William Macbay, my executors, administra-

page_text: tors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Macbay, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
terin therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS.
IN EXTINGUISHING FIRE IN DWELLINGS, FACTORIES, AND OTHER BUILDINGS;
AND IN SHIPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said.
William Macbay, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,.
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the.
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar.
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, tho said William Macbay," do hereby.
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same.
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (that is to say):
⚫ The first part of my improvements relates to extinguishing fires in
dwelling houses, factories, public buildings, and other places. And the
following is a description of the mode I propose to effect this object:
For public buildings, factories, and other large edifices a main pipe of.
iron or other metal not easily fused, communicating with a cistern above,
or carried from the main water pipe in the street, should be fixed
therein in some convenient position, and, where practicable, this pipe
should be kept charged with water; from this main pipe any number.
of branch pipes of iron may be carried through the house or other place,..
either along the walls, or between the walls, or between the ceilings...
I prefer that one should be brought to each room or place.between the
joists, or within the ceiling, to the centre of the room, then spreading.
out with four arms or branches of two to three feet or more in length;
each end or termination forming a perforated nozzle projecting below..
the ceiling; over these ends or nozzles 'caps or covers are screwed ori
otherwise fastened over, made of gutta percha or other like materiál,+
or of lead or other easily fusible metal. I prefer that these branch I

page_text: pipes should be directed to an angle of the room or other place, and
one may come in the centre of the room, or in a long room one carried
longitudinally with arms on each side at right angles, the cap or covers
slightly projecting beyond the surface of the ceiling, and they may be
concealed or disguised as patera or other ornaments of a ceiling. Should
an accidental conflagration occur in such a room or place, the heat
thereof would quickly cause the gutta percha or fusible metal cap or
cover to melt, thereby releasing a volume of water, which, when under
pressure, would saturate the room or place and immediately quench the
fire, thereby confining it to that apartment alone. If a main pipe
cannot, be fixed or brought into the house or other place, a large pipe
may be attached to a cistern or reservoir and supply the branch pipes.
When a main pipe is used it will be convenient to have a union joint
and plug projecting from the exterior wall of the building, low down,
that communication may be made with the hose of a fire engine, so as
to be available in all ordinary cases where houses may not have a direct
force of water or supply from tank or reservoirs. Instead of water
carbonic acid gas might be forced through these pipes from an apparatus
generating that gas, and this will, as is well known, put out fire. My
improvements are intended to be applied to the same purpose of
extinguishing fire on ship board. For this purpose pipes of a suitablo
diameter, say an inch or more, are to be laid down along the sides or in
front of the "shelf," as technically called between the decks, and from
end to end, under the centre of the decks on each side of the fore and
after carling of a vessel, having a communication on each side of the
vessel with the force pump, that these pipes may be charged from the
sea or tank. These pipes with perforated projecting nozzles at suitable
distances, say a foot and a half or more, are fitted with caps or covers
of gutta percha or fusible metal. It is intended the sea connection
with the pump and pipes shall always be left prepared, so that in the
event of fire appearing in the hold or other part of the vessel it will
only be necessary to apply the pump at once, when the fire acting upon
the gutta percha or fusible metal will cause the whole force of water
to be directed to the locality of the fire, and extinguish it immediately.
In steam vessels steam may be forced through these pipes instead of

page_text: water, when fusible metal caps will be used over the nozzles, or carbonic
acid gas, if a generator of that gas is on board, may be applied in any
vessel, a connection by union joint plug being constructed on any deck
most convenient for the purpose. When pipes are attached to a house
for the purpose of carrying out my improved mode of extinguishing
fires they may be readily made subservient to domestic purposes.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and how it is to
be performed, I claim the improvements herein-before described for
extinguishing fires in dwellings, factorics, and other buildings, and in
ships, by means of pipes charged with water, steam, or carbonic acid
gas, having a number of projecting perforated nozzles with caps or
covers thereon made of gutta percha or fusible metal. In the case of
dwellings or public buildings the pipes being charged by cistern above,
by reservoir, or by main, or fire engine, or generator of gas; and in the
case of ships, by connection with the force pump or gas generator.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Macbay, have hercunto
set my hand and scal, this Twenty-third day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
WILLIAM MACBAY. (LS.)