Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1897-Accepted, 19th June, 1897
I, GEORGE WASHINGTON CLEVELAND, of Little Rock, Washington, U.S.A.,
Inventor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of fire escape commonly stored in hotels and
large buildings, aud which are adapted to be attached to fixed guides secured to the
walls.adjacent to the windows.
A fire escape, comprising this my present invention, consists of two rods of metal
extending vertically down the walls of a building on each side of the windows.
Near to the rods, at the top and the bottom thereof, are suitable grooved pulleys.
mounted upon brackets. A cord passes over each of the pulleys, and has a cage
suspended upon it between the guides or rods. The cage is provided with hangers.
to which the cord is attached. Clips, are secured to the sides of the cage and are
adapted to be readily applied to the guides. These clips have rollers jourualled in
them, so that when fastened, they will freely ride upon the guides even if they be
rough, caused by rust.
Dated this 11th day of August 1896.
PERCY R. J. WILLIS,
Agent for Applicant.
I, GEORGE WASHINGTON CLEVELAND, of Little Rock, Washington, U.S.A.,
Inventor, 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 :-
My invention relates to portable fire escapes adapted to be used in connection
with fixed guides attached to buildings, and has for its object to provide an improved
construction of car, a novel means for detachably connecting the car to the vertical
guides, and novel means. for suspending the said car from its hoisting cables,
whereby any danger of the car jamming on its guides will be obviated.
These objects I accomplish in the manner and by the means hereinafter described
and claimed; reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a building shewing my improved
device in position thereon ready for operation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the
same.
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are respectively, front, side, and top plan views of the car; and
Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the clasps for connecting the car to
the vertical fixed guides on the building.
Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views.
In the said drawings the reference numeral 1 denotes a building of any number
of stories in height, but two being shewn in the present instance.

page_text: Attached to the building and on each side of the vertical lines of the windows of
the same are the vertical rods or guides 2, parallel with each other and with the
building wall. At their tops, above the uppermost window they are preferably
turned in and securely attached to the building, while their lower ends are securely
fixed in the ground in any suitable manner. These guides are preferably round in
cross-area, though any other contour may be used if desired.
Attached to the building wall above the uppermost windows, and also near the
bottom of the building, are fixed the pairs of brackets 3, each carrying at its outer
end a grooved pulley 4 lying in a plane parallel with the building wall. These
pulleys are adapted to receive the car lifting cables 5, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2.
Referring now to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, it will be seen that the car 6 is open at its
side nearest the windows, and has passing transversely across its botton the metallic
strips 7 screwed thereto and terminating at either end in upwardly turned eyes 8,.
projecting beyond the bottom of the car, as shewn. Hangers 9 formed into loops 10
at their upper ends and with hooks 11 at their lower ends are adapted to be engaged
with the eyes 8 in the straps 7.
Securely mounted on the inner vertical end posts 12, of the car, near their upper
and lower ends, are a series of four clasps 13 projecting horizontally from either
side of the car and parallel with the building wall. These clasps as shewn in
detail in Fig. 6 cousist each of a shank 14 engaged at one end with its post 12, and
formed at its outer end into a half-socket 15 to which is hinged the other half-
socket 16, the two adapted to be retained together, preferably by a screw bolt 17
passing through the end of half socket 16 and into the shank 14.
The operation of my improved device will now be understood to be as follows:
Upon a fire breaking out in a building provided with the necessary rods or guides,
pulleys, and cables, the car, which may be located in the building or brought by
the fire company can be quickly adjusted on the rods or guides 2 by opening the
sockets of the clasp 13, closing them around said rods or guides, and then securing
them in their closed position by means of the screw bolts 17, as will be readily
understood. Now by attaching the ends of the cables 4 one to each loop 10 of the
hangers 9, said cables, passing up over the pulleys at the top of the building, and
then down again around the lower pulleys, will afford ready means for raising and
lowering said car and removing persons imprisoned on any of the floors of the
burning building.
By employing my improved form of hangers 9 and attaching the cables 5 to the
loops 10 thereof I provide for suspending the car from the centre and thus obviate
any danger of the clasps 13 jamming on the rods or guides 2 as would otherwise
probably occur and which would possibly oppose a fatal delay to the rescue of the
endangered persons.
By affording the easily attachable and detachable connection between the car
and the rods or guides 2 it will be obvious that a single car will be sufficient for a
building, or wheu carried by the fire company will do for all the buildings in that
company's patrol district.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1.) In a fire escape, the combination with a car, means for raising and lowering
the same, and vertical parallel rods or guides attached to the building wall in
proximity to the windows, of clasps carried by said car and adapted to detachably
engage with the rods or guides to steady said car in its ascent and descent said
rods or guides consisting each of a sbank, a fixed half-socket carried thereby, a
second half socked hinged to the fixed half-socket, and means for retaining the two
together in engagement with its vertical rod or guide, substantially as described.
(2.) In a fire escape, the combination with a car, pulleys on the building, cables
passing around said pulleys and attached to the car, and vertical parallel rods or
guides attached to the building wall in proximity to the windows, of clasps carried

page_text: by said car and adapted to detachably engage with the rods or guides, the same-
onsisting each of a shank, a fixed half socket carried thereby, a second half socket
hinged to the fixed half socket, and a screw bolt for detachably retaining the two.
together in engagement with its vertical rod or guide, substantially as described.
(3.) In a fire escape, the combination with a car, pulleys on the building,.
cables passing around said pulleys, vertical parallel rods or guides attached to the
building wall in proximity to the windows, and clasps carried by said car and
adapted to detachably engage with said rods or guides, of straps attached trans-
versely across the bottom of the car and terminating in the eyes, and hangers.
formed centrally into loops at their upper ends for engagement with the cables and
into hooks at their lower ends for engagement with said eyes on the straps-
substantially as described.
P. R. J. WILLIS,
Agent for Applicant..