IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF EXTENSION LADDERS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Skinner, of the City of New York,
United States of America; but now residing at the Waverley Hotel,
King Street, Cheapside, in the City of London, for the Invention of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Skinner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st December 1873.
I, GEORGE SKINNER, of the City of New York, United States of
America, but now residing at the Waverley Hotel, King Street, Cheap-
side, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF EXTENSION LADDERS,”
to be as follows:
-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of self-supporting
extension ladders, suitable for use at fires for the rescuing of life and
property, and also for raising hose to any desired elevation for the
purpose of injecting streams of water into the upper rooms of high

page_text: buildings. The extension ladder may also be used for trimming the
branches of trees that have grown to a great altitude, and in general for
giving workmen a ready access to elevated portions of buildings.
The ladder is supported upon the axles of two pairs of wheels, which
are connected together by means of a wire rope or chain, the shortening
of which by winding it up on to a windlass barrel will contract the sup-
porting base of the ladder, and at the same time raise the ladder from a
horizontal position towards a vertical position.
Affixed to each of the wheel axles is a ring plate, and on to these fit
annular cap pieces, which together carry the whole weight of the ladder.
These cap pieces are secured to their respective axles and ring plates by
means of king bolts, which will allow of the running wheels being steered
while in transit, and also facilitate the turning of the ladder round a
street corner.
Secured to one of these annular cap pieces is a transverse bar, the
ends of which form trunnions to carry a rocking frame, which is com-
posed of two stout side bars and a tic rod at the extremity thereof.
Pendent from this tie rod are two bracket arms, which are secured by
bolts and tie rods to the main or lowest section of the ladder. This lowest
section is also affixed to the other annular cap piece by means of brackets,
and between the main ladder and the cap piece two capstan barrels aro
situated, the same being mounted in bracket bearings pendent from the
ladder foot. The lower one of these capstan barrels serves to wind up
the chain or wire rope that connects the two running wheel axles together,
and the other barrel serves to work the sliding ladder, which is sup-
ported on rollers carried by the main ladder. At the top of the main
ladder is a strap piece that serves to carry an adjustable sheave through
which passes a rope attached to the lower end of the sliding ladder. The
opposite ends of this rope are connected to the upper one of the capstan
barrels before mentioned in such a manner that while one end is being
wound on, the other end is being unwound from the barrel. Thus by
turning the barrel by a winch handle the rope will be caused to raise or
lower the sliding ladder as desired.
When the lower barrel is set in action to wind up the chain or rope
that connects together the axles of the two pairs of carrying wheels,
which form together the ladder truck, thc rocking frame and the main
ladder will be caused to rise simultaneously, and thus the ladder may be
lifted to any desired angle of inclination.

page_text: In order to maintain the ladder in its elevated position the barrel is
provided with a pawle and click, and to prevent the ladder from coming
down with a run when the click is disengaged a friction brake is pro-
vided, which will sufficiently retard the rotation of the barrel as to
prevent any damage occurring to the apparatus.
The main ladder I provide with tie rods, which will serve as hand rails
for the firemen using the ladder, and to bracket pieces on the upper end
of the second or sliding ladder I attach wire ropes, which I lead through
sheaves carried by brackets at the end of the main [ladder, and these
ropes I lead down to the foot of the slidding ladder, and secure them
thereto. In this way I not only provide the sliding ladder with a
sufficient substitute for a hand rail, but also self-acting guide ropes,
which will impart great stiffness to the ladder when in use.
When using the ladder the cap piece to which the main ladder is
attached is locked to prevent the ring plate to which it is bolted turning
and capizing the elevated ladder. A draught pole is attached to this
ring plate when the ladder is required to be moved from place to place,
and it is the bolt which locks the annular cap piece that is employed to
secure the draught pole. The action of this bolt is such that when used
to lock the pole it will be drawn clear of the cap piece, and thus leave
the ring plate frec to turn, and vice versa. When the bolt is withdrawn
from the pole the cap piece will by that act be locked, and thus provent
the possibility of danger arising from the omission to lock the cap
piecc.
In order to give the ladder an efficient lateral support when the same
is required I hang to the sides of the main ladder a pair of telescopic rods,
terminating in a claw or pointed end, and these rods I support by hooks
or catches at the side of the ladder when not required for uso. When
however their service is required they are simply to be dropped to the
ground and adjusted to any desired position.
In like manner I provide near the foot of the ladder transverse sliding
handles, which may be used to propel or guide the ladder truck, and
when jointed at their inner ends and pulled out to their extreme length
may be used as lateral struts to steady the ladder.
An additional ladder may be used in connection with the sliding
ladder by providing it with tie rods, which will admit of attachment to
the bracket pieces of that ladder.

page_text: In order to provide for the discharge of columns of water at great
heights two or more lines of hose may be strapped to the ladders, and
raised with them into position, there being a surplus length of hose
coiled on suitable supports near the foot of the main ladder to permit of
the coupling up of the hose with the street main.
:
When using the ladder as a hoist and support for the hose it will be
necessary to provide against a recoil action due to the pressure of the
water within the hose. For this purpose I lead down a wire rope from
the top of the sliding ladder to the king bolt of the after part of the
truck, and firmly secure it thereto. The recoil will therefore be coun-
teracted by the dead weight of the truck, which will pull directly on to
the extended end of the ladder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Skinner in the Great Soal Patent Office on
the 30th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
SKINNER, of the City of New York, United States of America, but now
residing at the Waverley Hotel, King Street, Cheapside, in the City of
London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her-
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Skinner, Her special
licence that I, the said George Skinner, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Skinner, 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 thercin
expressed, should and lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF EXTENSION LADDERS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said George Skinner, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands

page_text: and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, 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, the said George Skinner, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of self-supporting
extension ladder suitable for usc at fires for the rescuing of life and
property, and also for raising hose to any desired elevation for the
purpose of injecting streams of water into the upper rooms of high
buildings. The extension ladder may also be used for trimming the
branches of trees that have grown to a great altitude, and in general for
giving workmen a ready access to clevated portions of buildings.
The ladder is supported upon a truck or carriage fitted with two pairs
of wheels, the axles of which are made capable of approaching to or
receding from each other by means of a wire rope or chain, the
shortening of which (by winding it up on to a windlass barrel) will
contract the supporting base of the ladder, and at the same time raise
-the ladder from a horizontal position towards a vertical position.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1, Sheet I., shows the improved
ladder packed for travelling, the carriage being at this time extended;
Fig. 2 is a front view of the ladder in a vertical position, with its struts.
or supports set for maintaining the ladder in that position.
Fig. 3, Sheet II., is a side elevation of the ladder; and Fig. 4.
illustrates the mode in which the ladder may be extended upwards
when desired.
A are the front wheels, and B the hind wheels of the carriage. The
axles of these wheels are carried by brackets attached to the under side
of their respective locking plates C, C¹. On to each of these locking.
plates fits a cap piece D, D', which together carry the whole weight of
the ladder. These cap- pieces are secured to their respective locking

page_text: plates by means of king bolts which will allow of one pair of running
wheels being locked while in transit, and also facilitate the turning of
the ladder round street corners. The cap piece D is shewn in plan on an
enlarged scale at Fig. 5, and Fig. 6 represents the cap piece and plate C
in edge view with their fittings applied thereto. Fig. 7 shows in plan
view the cap piece .D' and the parts in connection therewith.
Secured to the annular cap piece D' is a transverse bar D², the ends of
which form trunnions to carry a rocking frame E which is composed of
two stout side bars and a tie rod E' at the extremity thereof. Pendent
from this tie rod are two bracket arms E2 which are secured by bolts
and tie rods to the main or lowest section F of the ladder. This main
section is affixed near its foot to the annular cap piece D by a pair of
cast iron brackets G, and between the main ladder and the cap piece
two capstan barrels G₁ and G are situated, the same having their
bearings in the brackets G. Upon the capstan barrel G₁ is wound a
wire rope G* which is made fast to an arm D* projecting from the cap
piece D, and thus the two parts of the carriage are connected together.
The barrel G serves to work the sliding ladder F which bears against
At
antifriction rollers turning in brackets carried by the main ladder.
the top of the main ladder, (see Fig. 2), is a strap piece that serves to
carry an adjustable sheave H, through which passes a rope I attached at
its opposite ends to one of the rounds near the bottom of the sliding
ladder F¹, it being first laid around the capstan barrels G³. By turning
the barrel by a winch handle in cither direction the rope will be caused
to raise or lower the sliding ladder as desired.
When the barrel G¹ is set in action to wind up the chain or rope that
connects together the parts constituting as before explained the ladder
truck or carriage, the rocking frame E and main ladder F will be caused
to rise simultaneously, and thus the ladder may be lifted from the
horizontal position of Fig. 1.to any desired angle of inclination, as shewn
at Fig. 3.
In order to maintain the ladder in its elevated position the barrel G³ is
provided with a pawle and click, and to prevent the ladder from coming
down with a run when the click is disengaged a friction brake G³ is
provided which will sufficiently retard the rotation of the barrel as to
prevent any damage occurring to the apparatus.
The main ladder I provide with rods or wire ropes K, K, which extend

page_text: from the bracket arms E² to the brackets Es at the upper end of the
ladder, and serve as hand rails for the firemen using the ladder. To
bracket arms F on the upper end of the sliding ladder F¹ I also attach
wire ropes K' which I lead through sheaves carried by the bracket arms E*
at the end of the main ladder, and these ropes I lead down behind the
rounds of the main ladder and secure to a round near the foot of the
sliding ladder F¹. In this way I not only provide the sliding ladder with
a sufficient substitute for a hand rail, but also self-acting guy ropes which
will impart great stiffness to the ladder when in use.
When using the ladder the cap piece D to which the main ladder is
attached is locked to prevent the lock plate C, to which it is bolted,
turning and capsizing the clevated ladder. A draught pole L (Fig. 1)
is attached to this lock plate C when the ladder is required to be moved
from place to place, and it is the bolt which locks the annular cap piece
that is employed to secure the draught pole. This will be readily under-
stood by reference to Fig. 6, where M is a locking screw or bolt working
in a tapped socket carried by the frame N of the lock plate. Fitted to
the under side of the frame N is a strap piece N¹, which forms a socket
for the pole L. The rear end of this pole is pierced to receive the screw
bolt M, the length of which is so arranged that when it is raised for the
purpose of releasing the pole it will lock the parts C and D together,
and not until that is effected will the pole L be free to be removed. The
locking screw is fitted with a hand wheel to permit of its being readily
turned in either direction.
In order to give the ladder an efficient lateral support when the same
is required I hang to the sides of the main ladder a pair of telescopic
rods O, O, which may terminate in a claw or a pointed end, and these
rods I support by hooks or catches at the sides of the ladder when not
required for use, as shewn at Fig. 1. When however their service is
required they are simply to be dropped to the ground and adjusted to
any desired position:
In like manner I provide near the foot of the ladder transverse sliding
handles P, P, which may be used to propel or guide the ladder truck,
and when jointed at their inner ends, as shewn at Figures 2 and 3, and
pulled out to their extreme length, they may be used as lateral struts to
steady the ladder. The inner ends of these handles fit into transverse.
tubes P¹ secured by brackets to the back of the main ladder.

page_text: An additional ladder F³ (see Fig. 4) may be used in connection with
the sliding ladder F¹ by fitting the ladder F with sockets to receive the
foot of the ladder and providing the additional ladder with tie rods Q,
which will admit of attachment to the bracket arms F³.
In order to provide for the discharge of columns of water at great
heights lengths of hose R (see Fig. 2) may be strapped or hooked on to
the sliding ladder and raised therewith into position, there being a
surplus length of hose coiled on suitable supports near the foot of the
main ladder to permit of the coupling up of the hose with the street
main.
When using the ladder as a hoist and support for the hose it will be
necessary to provide against a recoil action due to the pressure of the
'water within the hose. For this purpose I lead down a wire rope S,
Fig. 3, from the top of the sliding ladder to the king bolt of the after
part of the truck, and firmly secure it thereto. The recoil will therefore:
be counteracted by the dead weight of the truck, which will pull directly
on to the extended end of the ladder.
To facilitate the steering of the carriage the lock plate O¹ is cast with
internal teeth (see Fig. 7), into which gears a pinion T, the axle of which
turns in a bearing provided for it in the cap piece D¹. This axle is :
squared to receive the socketted end of a rod T¹, which carries at its
upper end a hand wheel for turning the pinion and steering the carriage.
U is a detachable seat fitted into sockets secured to the main ladder, and
upon this seat the steersman sits while guiding the course of the carriage
as it is being drawn along or propelled through narrow streets. Before s
raising the ladder to its elevated position the seat U and steering rod and
wheel T must be removed, and likewise any loose ladders which may be
laid upon the carriage, five of which are indicated by V, V², V², V³, V*,

page_text: Thirdly. The means above described for raising and lowering the
sliding ladder.
Fourthly. The means above described for providing the sliding ladder
with guy ropes which while giving stiffness to the ladder will form an
efficient substitute for hand rails.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Skinner, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.