AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING WAREHOUSES AND OTHER BUILDINGS AND SHIPS FROM FIRE, ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE PRESERVATION PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Stewart Wallace and Edward Tucker, both
of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, for the Invention of “AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING WAREHOUSES AND
OTHER BUILDINGS AND SHIPS FROM FIRE, ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE PRESERVATION
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Stewart Wallace
and Edward Tucker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 29th April 1874.
We, JOHN STEWART WALLACE and EDWARD TUCKER, both of Belfast,
in the County of Antrim, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING
WAREHOUSES AND OTHER BUILDINGS AND SHIPS FROM FIRE, ALSO APPLICABLE TO
THE PRESERVATION OF IRON SAFES AND SIMILAR RECEPTACLES AND THEIR CONTENTS,"
to be as follows:-

page_text: receptacles for valuable property, with means whereby upon the outbreak
of fire the same will be immediately extinguished by the automatic
action of the said apparatus under the effect of a slight rise of
temperature, that is to say, on the outbreak of fire the said apparatus
will immediately act without any attention from watchmen, firemen, or
any other attendants.
For the protection of a warehouse or other like building we carry our
Invention into practise as follows, that is to say:-We construct a pan
or vessel of tin or other suitable material in which we place bi-carbonate
of soda or other carbonate; and in another vessel or receptacle, preferably
of glass, we place dilute sulphuric or muriatic acid, or other acid which
in combining with the carbonate will generate carbonic acid gas. This
second vessel is placed over the carbonate in the first vessel, and above
it is a weight which is suspended from a ring secured to the ceiling or
other support by a pin, bar, bolt, or link of wax or other material fusible
at a temperature low enough to allow the action of the apparatus to take
place at the proper time. Or we may use a connection consisting of a
glass tube containing mercury or spirit which will expand by heat and
break the glass tube. When the temperature rises high enough to melt
the fusible ring, bolt, or link, the weight falls and fractures the vessel
containing the aforesaid acid, which is thereby mingled with the
carbonate; carbonic acid gas is then evolved and mixes with the
atmosphere, thereby immediately extinguishing the fire.
It is obvious that the positions of the acid and carbonate may be
reversed, and also that instead of having a vessel of glass or other like
substance for containing the acid or carbonate, and which has to be
broken by the fall of the weight to liberate its contents, we may place
the acid or carbonate in a vessel or receptacle of metal or other material
arranged to turn over on pivots, when the fusible connection melts, and
thereby ejects the acid or carbonate into the other vessel, or one vessel
may have a plug or stopper which will fall out, or may have a valve or
tap which turns or otherwise opens, and discharges the acid or carbonate
into the other vessel at the melting of the said fusible connection.
Instead of using a metal or material fusible at a low temperature we
may employ in all of the above described arrangements a cord or string
covered or saturated with a chemical substance or compound, such as
those applied to ordinary friction matches, and which will ignite at a

page_text: low temperature, and liberate a weight or otherwise effect the mixture
of the acid and carbonate. Or we may use a tube containing mercury
which in rising with the clevation of temperature will raise a piston that
will act on a weight or a valve or stopper, and thereby effect the
mixture of the acid and carbonate, in the manner above described.
In applying our Invention on board a ship or vessel, and also for
the protection of iron safes, and chests, and the like, we construct our
apparatus in substantially the same manner, modifying its form and
dimensions as may be required in each particular case.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Stewart Wallace and Edward Tucker in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
STEWART WALLACE and EDWARD TUCKER, both of Belfast, in the
County of Antrim, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Stewart Wallace and
Edward Tucker, Her special licence that we, the said John Stewart
Wallace and Edward Tucker, our executors, administrators, and assigns;.
or such others as we, the said John Stewart Wallace and Edward Tucker,
our 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,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING WAREHOUSES AND OTHER
BUILDINGS AND SHIPS FROM FIRE, ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE PRESERVATION OF IRON
SAFES AND SIMILAR RECEPTACLES AND THEIR CONTENTS," upon the condition.
(amongst others) that we, the said John Stewart Wallace and Edward
Tucker, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing,

page_text: under our, or their, or one of their hands 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 we, the said John Stewart Wallace and Edward
Tucker, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 accompanying Drawing forming a part of this Specification :-
Our said Invention relates to a method of protecting warehouses and
other buildings as well as ships and other floating structures and iron
safes, and similar receptacles for valuable property, by providing them
with means whereby upon the outbreak of fire within any portion of
them the same will be immediately extinguished by the automatic action
of apparatus herein described under the effect of a slight rise of
temperature, that is to say, on the outbreak of fire in the building or
structure in which it is placed, the said apparatus will immediately act
to extinguish the fire without any attention on the part of watchmen,
firemen, or other persons.
For the protection of a warehouse or other like building a very
convenient method of carrying our Invention into practice is illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of
an apparatus suspended from the ceiling of a warehouse; and Figures 2
and 3 are front and side views of a device for suspending the said
apparatus drawn to an enlarged scale; Figures 4 and 5 show other
forms of our said apparatus; but we wish it distinctly understood that
although this Drawing shows very convenient forms of apparatus for
effecting the object of our Invention under ordinary circumstances,
yet we do not limit ourselves to these or any other particular forms or
arrangements of apparatus or manner of supporting the same in the
room or house, or other place in which the said apparatus may be
applied.
In Figure 1 a is a pan or vessel of tin or other suitable material in
which we place bi-carbonate of soda or other carbonate; 6 is another
vessel or receptacle preferably of glass,.in which we place dilute sulphuric
or muriatic acid or other acid, which in combining with the carbonate

page_text: .
will generate carbonic acid gas. This second vessel 6 is placed over the
carbonate in the vessel a which is preferable provided with lugs or
shelves a¹ for supporting it; above the vessel 6 is a weight c which is
suspended from a ring d secured to the ceiling or other support by a
link e of a metal or other material fusible at a temperature low enough
to ensure the required action of the apparatus at the proper time, that is
to say, at a moment immediately following the commencement of the
fire. Instead of this link we may use the connection illustrated in
Figures 2 and 3, which consists of a hook f supported in the link g by a
hollow bolt or pin h of metal, wax, or other substance fusible at a low
temperature. Or we may use a connection consisting of a glass tube
containing mercury or spirit which will expand when slightly warmed
sufficiently to break the glass tube. When the temperature rises high
enongh to melt the fusible ring bolt or link, or to break the glass tube,
the weight falls and fractures the vessel containing the aforesaid acid,
which is thereby mingled with the carbonate in the vessel a; carbonic
acid gas is then evolved and mixes with the atmosphere, thereby
immediately extinguishing the fire.
It is obvious that the positions of the acid and carbonate in the said
apparatus may be reversed, that is to say, the carbonate may be placed
in the upper vessel and the acid in the lower vessel, and instead of using
a vessel of glass or other like substance for containing the acid or
carbonate, and which has to be broken by the fall of a weight to liberate
its contents we may place the acid or carbonate in a vessel or receptacle
of metal or other material arranged to turn over on pivots when the
fusible connection melts, and thereby ejects the acid or carbonate into
the other vessel; or we may use the apparatus shewn in Figure 4, in
which the vessel h containing either the acid or carbonate is suspended
by the fusible link h³, the lower part of the said vessel being secured to
the chain i. The tray or pan a containing the other gas generating
substance may be supported by chains or wires j, as shewn, or may stand
on a shelf or bracket below the vessel h. When the fusible link /¹ melts
the vessel h being still held by the chain i tips or turns over and
discharges its contents into the pan a, thereby causing the instantaneous
evolution of the gas.
In Figure 5 k is a block formed of a gasmaking material, such as a
composition of charcoal and nitre, and with a recess ¹ for the recention

page_text: acid, say sulphuric acid or other suitable material, or instead of this
ball we may use a small anvil with a percussion or detonating cap or
friction fuse. The block may be placed in the vessel a, Figure 1, or
upon a shelf; e is a weight suspended by the fusible link ². The
recess is tipped with a mixture of chlorate of potash and sugar; when
the weight falls the globe or ball is broken and the acid or other
substance is liberated, and combining with the substance of the block /
causes the evolution of carbonic acid gas by the ignition of the said.
block. We may modify this device by providing the upper vessel with
a plug or stopper which will fall out; or it may have a valve or tap which.
turns or otherwise opens and discharges the acid or other ingredient on
the melting of the said fusible connection.
Instead of using a metal or material fusible at a low temperature we
may employ in all of the above described arrangements a cord or string
covered or saturated with a chemical substance or compound, such as
those applied to ordinary friction matches, and which will ignite at a
low temperature and liberate a weight or otherwise effect the mixture of
the acid and carbonate. Or we may use a tube containing mercury
which rising with a slight elevation of temperature will raise a piston
that will act on a weight or a valve, and thereby effect the mixture of
the acid and carbonate:
In applying our Invention on board a ship or vessel, and also for the
protection of iron safes and chests and the like, we employ apparatus
substantially the same as above described, modifying the form and
dimensions thereof as may be required in each particular case.
Having thus fully described our said Invention and shown how the
the same may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice,
we wish it understood that we claim,-
First. Protecting buildings, ships, iron safes, and other places and
receptacles from fire by apparatus which on the outbreak of fire will be
caused by the consequent elevation of the temperature to effect the
combination of the materials herein named or other suitable materials,
and thereby liberate or evolve carbonic acid gas.
Second. The employment of a connection or apparatus which by a
slight elevation of the surrounding temperature is fused, broken, or
otherwise caused to release a portion of the said apparatus, and thereby

page_text: effect the liberation or evolution of the carbonic acid gas as herein set
forth.
Third. An apparatus consisting of two vessels, as shewn in Figure 1 of
the Drawing, each of which vessels contains one of the materials or
ingredients required for generating the carbonic acid gas, and one of
which is suspended or supported above the other, and released and broken
or turned over, thereby mingling its contents with those of the other
vessel by the fusing or breaking of the connection whereby it is
suspended or supported as herein described.
Fourth. The modification of the said apparatus as illustrated in
Figure 4 of the Drawing, operating as herein set forth.
Fifth. The modification of our Invention, illustrated in Figure 5 of
the Drawing, operating as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Stewart Wallace and Edward
Tucker, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-
fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
W. ROB. LAKE,
JOHN STEWART WALLACE. (L.S.)
EDWARD TUCKER.
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
(L.S.)