Improvements in and connected with Self-contained Apparatus, Working Automatically or otherwise, for Fire Extinguishing.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 21st Nov., 1894-Accepted, 22nd Dec., 1894
PROVIDIŪNAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Self-contained Apparatus,
Working Automatically or otherwise, for Fire Extinguishing.
I, GEORGE ROSE Engineer Gowanlee, Bishopbriggs do hereby declare the
motive of the invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to improvements in fire engines or apparatus for extin-
guishing fires and has for its object to improve the construction and simplify the
arrangement of parts of such engines or apparatus.
Self contained fire engines or apparatus for extinguishing fires as heretofore
constructed have not been made self-acting & have always had a tap or valve to
turn on before the fire extinguishing fluids could escape.
Under this invention all necessity of turning tap or valve is entirely done away
with, although the fire engine or apparatus is intended to work automatically, it
may also have a seperate valve connection so as to enable the apparatus to be used
independant of the automatic arrangement when wanted the portable & self-
contained automatic fire extinguishing apparatus has preferably a cylindrical body
with concave & convex ends. Fitted on to the top of apparatus is an hand air
pump for the purpose of putting a pressure inside of apparatus, a filling hole &
screw plug also a pressure gauge & carrying handle, this handle is made cross
shape into the base of the handle is screwed or fitted a tube for the purpose of
emptying the water or extinguishing fluids in the apparatus, this tube goes down
inside of fire engine until it almost touches the bottom, this tube also communicates
with a passage in the body of the handle, this passage or channel continues to go
through the cross portion of the handle to one or both of these arms which forms
the carrying part of the handle. A tube with a spraying nozzle or sprinkler is
fitted, this sprinkler or spraying nozzle would be made to remain perfectly tight
under whatever pressure that was put or created by the hand pump, or otherwise
the tightness being insured by the valve in the spraying nozzle or sprinkler being
held down with soft solder cotton cord or any other suitable material so that a
fire taking place near the apparatus the heat would either melt the solder or
burn the cotton cord & thus relieve the escape valve in the spraying nozzle or
sprinkler, the moment the valve is relieved a powerful shower of water or fire
extinguishing fluids is cast about the burning building & so puts out the fire.
་
The apparatus can be made to throw a continuous stream for an hour or more
at a time & may have two handles that may have fitted on them spraying nozzles
or sprinklers.
Under a modification instead of using both handles for the spraying nozzles or
sprinklers an arm of each handle would be fitted with a seperate valve or tap with
hose pipe & director nozzle to enable the apparatus to be used on a fire by
some person that may have been present at the time the fire began instead of
using the handles a number of seperate branches may be fitted. For installation
a large tank or apparatus with a supply pipe taken from it having a number of
branches placed at suitable places each branch to be provided with sealed spraying
ozzle or sprinkler & also seperate valve & hose pipe with director nozzle, also
nstead of having a seperate valve or cock I, may use a combined handle & valve
f any suitable construction.
Instead of putting a pressure inside of apparatus by the use of the hand air
ump I create a pressure by using chemicals amongst the water the pressure

page_text: always remains in the apparatus till required. When chemicals are used in the
apparatus I prefer to line the body of apparatus with lead so as to withstand the
action of the acid.
The spraying nozzle or sprinklers would be fitted in this case in the same way
as already described or in other suitable manner.
Dated this 20th dox of February 1894.
Improvements in and connected with Self-contained Apparatus,
Working Automatically or otherwise, for Fire Extinguishing.
I, GEORGE ROSE of Gowanlee, Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow, Engineer, 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 improvements in fire engines or apparatus for extin-
guishing fires and has for its object to improve the construction and simplify the
arrangement of parts of such engines or apparatus.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon,
Fig. 1 is a part vertical section of a portable and self contained fire extinguishing
apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an automatically acting fire extinguishing
apparatus.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an extinguisher provided with an automatically
acting spraying nozzle and a hose pipe with director.
Fig. 4 shows the apparatus as fitted up in a warehouse.
Fig. 5 is a section and Fig. 6 a plan of a spraying nozzle or sprinkler.
:
The apparatus as illustrated at Fig. 1 consists of a cylindrical body a having
convex and concave ends b, c. Fitted in the top of the body is a hand pump d
for forcing air into the interior of the apparatus. e is water or other suitable
fluid. (shown at Fig. 2) is a filling plug and g a pressure gauge. The carrying
handle which consists of a casting of cross shape screwed into the top b, has two
channels or passages h¹, h² in it. The passage way h¹ communicates with a pipe i
The branch of the
which passes down nearly to the bottom of the body a.
handle has coupled to it a hose pipe j with a nozzle or director k at its end. is a
screw down valve, working in a stuffing box in the handle, for closing the passage
way h¹.
With this apparatus air is by means of the pump d forced into the tank a up to
a pressure of from say 30 to 60 lbs. per square inch. As the pressure is always in
the tank it is only necessary, in the case of an emergency, to open the valve
to enable a powerful jet of water to be delivered in any direction through the
nozzle k.
In the automatically acting apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2 the handle his
provided with two hollow lateral branches h², to which are secured two
pipes m, n having automatically acting sprinklers o on them. The passages h³, h
communicate with the passage h¹ (Fig. 1) in the handle. These sprinklers which
are illustrated to an enlarged scale at Figs. 5 and 6 consist of a base piece p into
which the pipe n (or m) is screwed. Screwed on the base piece is a cylindrical
shell 9 provided with a cover plate or the shell and cover may be made in one
piece. An openings, closed by a valve t, is made in the base p. A lever u which

page_text: is-fulcrumed_at_bears against the projecting end t¹ of the valve and normally
presses said valve against its seat. The lever is beld in the normal position by
means of a cotton cord or a readily fusible metal wire w. x-are-small spraying
nozzles screwed into the cover r. If desired in some cases a wire w¹ (Fig. 5^)
may be soldered, by readily fusible solder to a bolt u which passes through a
lug on the shell 9 and is held in position by a jam nut w..
The arrangement is such that should a fire break out in the warehouse or room
in which the automatic extincteur is placed the heat generated would either melt
the fusible wire or the solder or burn the cotton cord and relieve the escape
valve whereupon a powerful shower of water or other fire extinguishing fluid in
the tank a would be thrown about in the manner illustrated at Fig. 2 and extinguish
or aid in extinguishing the fire.
If desired as shown at Fig. 3, the tank a may be provided with an automatically
acting sprinkler o and a hose pipe j with nozzle k for use, as shown, by any party
who may be in the burning building or apartment at the time of the fire.
The apparatus may be fitted up as an installation as shown at Fig. 4. In this
case a large tank a, in which water or other fire extinguishing fluid is kept con-
stantly under pressure by means of the pump d is placed in any suitable position.
From this tank a branch pipe a¹ or pipes, is led along the wall or other part of
the interior to which hose pipes y provided with cut off valves and with director
nozzles are attached. Branch pipes a leading to automatic sprinklers o on the
ceiling are also provided. The arrangement is such that, as will be seen, the
entire premises can be saturated by powerful streams from the sprinklers overhead
which would act automatically in case of a fire breaking out when the premises
were unoccupied, and, in the case of a fire during working hours, the hose pipes i
are placed handy for use. The tank a can be made of any desired capacity, and
may be charged with water from the main. In this case a valve would be provided
for cutting off connection with the main when desired.
This arrangement is very suitable for workshops, warehouses, etc.
Instead of using the valve handle h (Fig. 1) I may use any other well known
form of handle and in this case a separate valve or cock would be fitted on the
hose pipe branch.
I do not confine myself to the precise form of sprinkler shown as other well
known forms may be employed.
The tanks a may be provided with three or more branches having hose pipes
and (or) sprinklers if so desired.
The tank a should always be kept thoroughly air tight and be properly filled
with water or other suitable fluid and the air pressure should be kept at about
30 to 60 lbs. per square inch.
When properly attended to in this manner the apparatus is always ready
for use.
If desired the pump d may be adapted for pumping in water instead of air.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I consider novel and desire to claim is :-
1. A portable and self contained extincteur consisting of a tank partially filled
with water or other suitable fire extinguishing liquid which by means of a hand
pump can be kept always under pressure, said tank having a hose pipe connection
controlled by a valve or cock with or without the addition of an automatically
acting sprinkler, substantially as herein before described with reference to the
drawings annexed.
2. A self contained automatically acting extincteur consisting of a tank partially
filled with water or other suitable fire extinguishing liquid which by means of a
hand pump can always be kept under pressure said tank being provided with pipe
connections having automatically acting sprinklers thereon, substantially as
herein before described with reference to the drawings annexed.

page_text: 3. The installation arrangement of the device suitable for workshops, ware-
houses, etc. substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 4 of the
drawings annexed.
Dated this 20th day of November 1894.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.