IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ESCAPES.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Hodson Bayley, of 42, Newington
Causeway, in the Borough of Southwark, in the County of Surrey,
Wheelwright and Contractor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FIRE-ESCAPES.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Hodson
Bayley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 16th February 1872.
I, EDWARD HODSON BAYLEY, of 42, Newington Causeway, in the
Borough of Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Wheelwright and
Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ESCAPES," to be as follows:-
:-
In order to strengthen the fly and other ladders that are usually
appended to the main ladder so that higher floors than the second floor
can be reached by the fireman in case of need, a peculiar method of
trussing is employed.

page_text: irons and the system of trussing as herein-before described effectually
guard the shoot from accident and rough usage.
In order to raise the fly ladder from its position of rest on the main
ladder, two separate levers, one to each upright and in connection with
suitable ropes, are usually employed; a so-called "quadrant" (properly
a semicircle) is fixed upon the main ladder concentric with the centre
of motion of each of the said levers.
According to this Invention the levers are not separate, and there is
no "quadrant" used. To connect the levers together a swinging crank
or cross head is used; this is formed of a U or ☐ with holes at the
extremities to receive crank pins at the ends of the levers, and with
an aperture at its lowest part to receive the eye of the single rope that
thus is made to work the two levers. By this means the levers never
get pulled unequally, as is often the case when the levers are separate,
and there is no "quadrant" to interfere with the working of the machine
or to get disengaged from the levers, and thus impede their action instead
of guiding and assisting them.
Another part of this Invention consists in the construction of a hinge,
with or without certain bolts, to connect an upper ladder to the fly
ladder to reach a still higher elevation than it is possible for the fly
ladder alone to command. This hinge consists of strong iron clips into
which the ends of the upright of each ladder are suitably stepped and
fastened; there are two hinges, one to each side or upright of the com-
pound ladder thus formed. The iron clips are hinged or jointed together
by knuckle pieces and a pin on the upper side of the ladder; a spring
bolt on the clip of one ladder may when the ladder is placed in position
shoot into a box staple on the other ladder, and thus by self-acting
means securely fasten them together as one. Besides the spring bolt
and box staple, or instead of it, there may be on each side of the
compound ladder a sliding bolt; the upper ladder is secured to the fly
ladder when in use by sliding the bolts partially over the fly ladder, and
securing each by a thumbscrew which passes through the bolt and
through the plate on the fly ladder. Modifications of this arrangement
may be made.
Another part of this Invention consists in a copper wirework or other
metallic shoot, which is used instead of canvas and netting or canvas
and gauze. This shoot is rigid, of a semicircular shape or nearly so in

page_text: cross section, and made in the ordinary way of wirework with meshes,
or interstices of rectangular or square form of about three-eighths of an
inch wide and of wire about No. 16, B. W. G. It reaches nearly from
the top to the bottom of the main ladder, and is secured thereto by
means of a selvidge, which may be thick wire or rod, which is itself
fastened to the upright of the ladder by means of staples, or in any
other suitable manner.
Preferably the wires or strips of the shoot are not soldered to the
thick wire, but in the case of the wire are jointed thereto by a twist
which passes once round the thick wire and then round itself one or two
turns, thus fixing the shoot by each of its transverse wires securely to
the thick wire. The thick wire may be of copper, or tinned iron, or iron
coated with copper, so as to have little or no galvanic action from the
contact of the transverse wire and from exposure to the weather. At
the bottom of this metallic shoot is a canvas bag or trough fitted with
springs, so as to break the shock of any person sliding down.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said
Edward Hodson Bayley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th September 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
HODSON BAYLEY, of Newington Causeway, in the Borough of Southwark,
in the County of Surrey, Wheelwright and Contractor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Hodson Bayley, Her special
licence that I, the said Edward Hodson Bayley, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Hodson
Bayley, 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 term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,

page_text: neath the woodwork.
This Invention also consists in trussing the main ladder according to
the following plan:-The same general principle is employed in trussing
the main ladder as that set forth above to truss the fly and other ladders,
instead of separate struts on each upright employed to truss each
upright separately. The ropes or rods are connected to semicircular or
rectangular trussing irons that transversely connect the two uprights
underneath the shoot. The trussing irons are each furnished with side
stays to prevent them swaying in the direction of the length of the
ladder. Apertures, four in number, in the lower part of each trussing
iron receive the ropes or rods, and there are two or more trussing irons
placed at suitable distances from the extremities of the ladder. The
parallel trussing wires or rods pass through two of the apertures in the
trussing irons, and the extremities are attached to abutments or holdfasts
near the ends of the ladder, as before described. In the case of the
diagonal trusses one end of each wire rope or rod is fastened to the front
bar of the carriage; it passes through the apertures made for the purpose
in the trussing irons, and then crosses underneath the shoot to the
opposite side of the head iron to which it is securely fastened. Trussing
irons and the system of trussing, as herein-before described, effectually
guard the shoot from accident and rough usage.
In order to raise the fly ladder from its position of rest on the main
ladder, two separate levers, one to each upright, and in connection with
suitable ropes are usually employed, also a so-called "quadrant"
(properly a semicircle) is fixed upon the main ladder.concentric with
the centre of motion of each of the said levers.
According to this Invention the levers are not separate, and there is
no "quadrant" used. To connect the levers together a swinging crank
or cross head is used; this is formed of a U or ☐ with holes at the
extremities to receive crank pins at the ends of the levers, and with an
aperture at its lowest part to receive the eye of the single rope that
thus is made to work the two levers. By this means the levers never
get pulled unequally as is often the case when the levers are separate,
and there is no "quadrant" to interfere with the working of the
machine, or to get disengaged from the levers and thus impede their
action instead of guiding and assisting them.

page_text: Another part of this Invention consists in the construction of a hinge
with or without certain bolts to connect an upper ladder to the fly
ladder, to reach a still higher elevation than it is possible for the fly
ladder alone to command. This hinge consists of strong iron clips
into which the ends of the upright of each ladder are suitably stepped
and fastened; there are two hinges, one to cach side or upright of the
compound ladder thus formed. The iron clips are hinged or jointed
together by knuckle pieces and a pin on the upper side of the ladder;
a spring bolt on the clip of one ladder may, when the ladder is placed
in position, shoot into a box staple on the other ladder, and thus by
self-acting means securely fasten them together as one.
Besides the spring bolt and box staple or instead of it there may be
on each side of the compound ladder a sliding bolt; the upper ladder
is secured to the fly ladder, when in use, by sliding the bolts partially
over the fly ladder, and securing each by a thumbscrew which passes
through the bolt and through the plate on the fly ladder. Modifi-
cations of these arrangements may be made.
Another part of this Invention consists in a copper wirework or other
metallic shoot, which is used instead of canvas and netting or canvas
and gauze. This shoot is rigid, of a semicircular shape or nearly so in
cross section, and made in the ordinary way of wirework with meshes or
interstices of rectangular or square form, of about three-eighths of an
inch wide, and of wire about No. 16, B. W. G; it reaches nearly from
the top to the bottom of the main ladder, and is secured thereto by
means of a selvidge which may be thick wire or rod, which is itself
fastened to the upright of the ladder by means of staples, or in any
other suitable manner. Preferably the wires or strips of the shoot are
not soldered to the thick wire, but in the case of the wire are jointed
thereto by a twist which passes once round the thick wire, and then
round itself one or two turns, thus fixing the shoot by each of its
transverse wires securely to the thick wire. The thick wire may be of
copper, or tinned iron, or iron coated with copper, so as to have little
or no galvanic action from the contact of the transverse wire, and from
exposure to the weather. At the bottom of this metallic shoot is a
canvas bag or trough fitted with springs, so as to break the shock of
any person sliding down.

page_text: EDWARD HODSON BAYLEY. (L.S.)