Improvements in or Connected with House Fixed Fire Escapes.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th June, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 11th Mar. 1389
Complete Specification Accepted, 13th Apr., 1889
Improvements in or Connected with House Fixed Fire Escapes.
I THOMAS WALTERS, of 77 Chenies Mews, Tottenham Court Road, Middlesex, Fire
Escape Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows.-
This invention relates to certain improvements in what are termed house fixed fire
escapes consisting of a foldable ladder which when out of action has the appearance
of a stack pipe but when expanded forms a ladder projecting at right angles to the
front of the house, down which ladder inmates can escape or by which inmates can
be rescued.
According to my invention, I make a channel iron socket with a broad web or
back plate to enable it to be attached to the exterior of a house by bolts The sides
of the channelled socket have holes in them for loose fitting bolts which carry one
end of treads or steps, the other end of the treads being carried in a similar manner
by a corresponding channelled socket but without the web plates
$
The upper part of this loose socket has a chain which passes over a pulley and a
weight as a counterbalance, the loose socket and treads slightly preponderating, so
that they have a tendency to fall outwards to form a ladder when released, the lower
part of said ladder terminating just above the facia board, if fitted to a house with a
shop below and if fitted to a private house, can be carried to within an easy distance
of the ground
The loose socket at some part of its length has a chain run through the wall into
one of the rooms, a ring or link on said chain being passed over a slip hook which
can be held and also the chain in a tight condition by a loop in connection with a
wire or other rope which may run from the lower to the upper part of the house,
either exposed or partly enclosed in a tube but capable of being acted upon by hand,
such as by an ordinary bell pull, all the rooms being so fitted that a pull from any
room on the wire will release the loop from the hook and allow the ladder to be free
o fall outwards.

page_text: The treads of the ladder which are flat to the foot have turned up ends which loosely
fit the socket plates said ends being rounded at one pait and square at another, so
that they move freely on the bolt pins for opening or closing but when open, the
square part of the ends abut against the socket plates and produce rigidity, the
breadth of the socket plate webs preventing oscillation
Fire Escapes of this construction can be fitted to the front or the back of a house
and where there are projections, such as cornices or mouldings, the channel iron can
be shaped to suit and instead of a single ladder so constructed being made to reach
from top to bottom of a house, there may be two, capable of being released at the
same time.
Dated this 9th day of June 1888.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Thomas Walters.

page_text: I, THOMAS WALTERS, of 77 Chenies Mews, Tottenham Court Road, Middlesex, Fire
Escape Manufacturer, 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 :—
This invention relates to certain improvements in what are termed house fixed
fire escapes consisting of a foldable ladder, which when out of action has the
appearance of a stack pipe but when expanded forms a ladder projecting at right
angles to the front of the house, down which ladder inmates can escape, or by which
inmates can be rescued.
According to my invention, I make a channel iron socket A (see sectional plan,
Figure 1) with a broad web or back plate B to enable it to be attached to the exterior
of a house by bolts, said bolts passing through wooden strips C
The sides of the
channelled socket have holes in them for loose fitting bolts which carry one end of
treads or steps D, see Figure 2, the other end of the treads being carried in a similar
manner by a corresponding channelled socket E but without the web plates.
The upper part of this loose socket E has a chain F which passes over pullies, see
Figures 3, 4, and 5, and a weight G as a counterbalance, the loose socket.E and
treads D slightly preponderating so that they have a tendency to fall outwards to form
a ladder when released, see Figure 4, the lower part of said ladder terminating just
above the facia board, if fitted to a house with a shop below and if fitted to a private
house can be carried to within an easy distance of the ground.
The chain F runs through the wall into one of the rooms, a ring or link H on said
chain being passed over a slip hook I which can be held and also the chain in a tight
condition by a loop J in connection with a wire or other rope K which may run from
the lower to the upper part of the house either exposed or partly enclosed in a tube
but capable of being acted upon by hand, such as by an ordinary bell pull, all the
rooms being so fitted that a pull from any room on the wire will release the loop J
from the hook I and allow the ladder to be free to fall outwards.
The treads D of the ladder which are flat to the foot are turned up at one end and
down at the other and loosely fit the socket plates A, E, said ends being rounded at
one part and square at another, so that they move freely on the bolt pins for opening
or closing but when open, the square part of the ends abut against the socket
plates A, E, and produce rigidity, the breadth of the socket plate webs preventing
oscillation.
Fire escapes of this construction can be fitted to the front or the back of a house
and where there are projections, such as cornices or mouldings the channel iron can be
shaped to suit and instead of a single ladder so constructed being made to reach
from top to bottom of a house, there may be two capable of being released at the
same time.
In order to ease the motion of the out falling socket E the weight G may be
arranged in several pieces, as at Figure 6, so that the strain of the socket E in falling

page_text: first lifts the weight G and when this has travelled a short distance it comes in
contact with and lifts the weight G and when these have gone a distance further
lifts the weight G2, the three weights counterbalancing the socket E and treads D.
The weight or weights may however be dispensed with and the chain be made to
slide between two powerful springs P, P, see Figure 7, and when the ring H comes
in contact with the springs the socket E has descended to its fullest extent.
Instead of using one chain F only an additional chain Q or it may by a bight be con-
nected to the chain F so that when the weight G and ring H are drawn down for
closing the ladder as indicated at Figures 2. 3 and 5. both ends of the socket E are
lifted simultaneously and assists in maintaining the parallel action throughout the
length of the socket E whatever be the length of said socket.
The chain Qoccupies a position marked R between the two strips of timber C and
the web B.
When the ladder A, D, E is lowered it projects at right angles to the front of the
house and from being placed close to window on say two or three floors the inmates
can escape from either of the floors but when the ladder A, D, E, is closed as indicated
at Figure 3 the treads D are enclosed between the sockets A and E and since the
side flanges of A and E abut against each other the apparatus has the appearance of
an ordinary square stack or ram water pipe and produces no disfigurement to a house
against which it is fixed
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my sand
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In connection with House fixed fire escapes consisting of a folding ladder of the
kind shown on the drawing, the appliances H, I, J, K to enable the ladder to be freed
for action by simply pulling the line K from any room of a house corresponding to
that at which the fire escape exists as described
2. As part of a House fixed Fire Escape the sockets A, E and the method of con-
connecting them to the "rungs" D as described and shown on the annexed
drawings.
3. In combination with the webbed socket A the rear timber strips C forming a
channel between them for the chain Q for enabling the bottom of the socket E to be
lifted simultaneously with the upper end by the chain F as described.
4. The particular formation of the ends of the "rungs" D so that each end forms
an abutment or stop against the sockets A, E, in conjunction with the sides of the
sockets A E when F is lowered and produces rigidity in the ladder while a person is
descending or ascending as set forth.
The 9th day of March-1889.