Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Nov., 1887
Specification Accepted, 13th Dec., 1887
[Communicated from abroad by PHILIP GENGEMBIE HUBERT, of No. 19, East 28th
Street, in the City of New York, State of New York, United States of America,
Architect.]
I PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings, Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent 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 :-
According to the ordinary method of storing furniture and other commodities or
materials in warehouses, the warehouses have been built as nearly fireproof as seems
possible, and have been divided up into small and large rooms, in which the furniture
of single individuals could be stored either alone or in community, placed in separate
piles. The furniture has had to be removed from the residences in suitable vans,
has then had to be unloaded from the vans at the warehouse, and placed in rooms or
piles, and the large amount of handling has entailed great damage by scratching and
breakage. When fire has occurred, either by spontaneous combustion or otherwise,
among the contents of such a warehouse, it has been impossible, owing to the com-
bustible nature of the material and the great amount of gas generated, to prevent
usually the entire destruction of the building and its contents, even though it may be
considered a fireproof structure.
The object of the present invention is to avoid the very large amount of handling
which has been necessary according to the old method of storage, and to thereby
prevent destruction of the furniture or goods and to maintain the furniture or goods
stored in such metal or fireproof cars, which are maintained in such communication
with the atmosphere that in case of the contents of any storage car becoming ignited
through spontaneous combustion or otherwise, the furniture or goods therein will be
burned as in a stove with a slow draught, and the ignition of other cars of goods
stored adjacent thereto, will be avoided.

page_text: To the above end, the invention consists in a storage warehouse having its walls
constructed to form series of flues, and having the floors or stories divided by fire-
proof partitions to form rooms or large cells or compartments, each of which commu-
nicates by an opening with a flue, in combination with metal or fireproof cars or
boxes, each of a size to enter a room or cell, and each having a throat or opening
which, when the car or box is in its room or cell, is in communication with the
opening to a flue. When a car or box is thus placed in communication with an
opening to a flue, its contents will, in case of fire occurring therein, burn as in a stove,
and with a slow draught, without injuring or destroying the goods stored adjacent
thereto, and also without injuring the building itself.
The invention further consists in the method of storing furniture and other mate-
rials, consisting in packing the articles or materials within a closed metal or fireproof
car or hox, and then maintaining the car or box in constant communication with a
flue or chimney. The storage cars or boxes, and the cells or rooms to receive them,
may be of any convenient size, so that the car or box will hold about an ordinary van
load of furniture. The rooms or cells may, with advantage, be about fourteen feet
long, about seven feet high, and six feet wide, and the storage cars or boxes may be
conveniently smaller to be readily run into them.
Furniture vans, as heretofore ordinarily constructed, have had the body, or van
proper, formed integral with the truck whereon it is supported, and after the furniture
has been packed in the van and brought from the residences, it has had to be unloaded
again at the warehouse. To avoid this repeated handling of the furniture, this
invention further consists in the combination with a warehouse having its floors
divided into rooms or compartments, of a closed van or car of a size to enter each of
said compartments, and provided with wheels for readily removing it from place to
place, and a truck whereon the van or car may be conveyed from a residence to the
warehouse, preparatory to lifting it bodily and placing it in position in a room or
compartiment.
The floors of the warehouse will usually be provided with tracks on which the car
or van may be wheeled lengthwise of the building, and transversely to its own length,
and other tracks whereon the van or car may be rolled into its cell or compartment,
and in order to provide for running the van or car along either of these tracks, the
van or car is provided with transverse axles or wheels, and also with longitudinal
axles, which may either be made an integral part of the structure of the van or car,
and raised or lowered so as to receive or be relieved of the weight of the van or car,
or which may be embodied in a truck adapted to be slid under the van or car, and to
receive the weight of the van or car when it is desired to move it in a direction
transverse to its length, as will be hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the lower portion of a
warehouse illustrating three stories thereof, and embodying the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section or sectional plan of a portion of the warehouse.-Fig. 3
is an end view of a car or van embodying this invention, and having longitudinal
axles which are embodied in a truck to be slipped under it, as hereinafter described.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section of a similar car or van, having its longitudinal axles
formed a part of the integral structure of the truck, and provided with gearing for
raising and lowering them, so as to bring the weight of the car upon them, or remove
it from them. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the car shown in Fig. 3, with its longitu-
dinal axles embodied in the truck. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the car or van shown
in Fig. 4 and Fig. 7 is an elevation showing one of the cars or vans as mounted
upon a horse truck, whereby it is carried to and from the residences.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2; it will be understood that the warehouse may be
built largely of brick, or may be constructed of any other material so as to render it
fireproof.
A, A¹ A designate all the floors of the warehouse which it has been thought
necessary to hero represent. The walls B are constructed so as to form series of
flues B, and the several stories or floors are divided by vertical fireproof partitions C,

page_text: so as to form between them rooms or cells D, and from each room or cell D an
opening communicates with one of the flues B'.-Each of the cells or rooms D is
adapted to receive a storage van or car E, which is of a size to slide readily thereinto,
and is provided with wheels e running upon tracks or ways a, and in the inner end of
the storage van or car E, is an opening which communicates, through the flue opening b
of that room or cell, with one of the flues B'. There is here represented the car as
provided with a throat or nozzle e¹ entering a flue opening b, and thus being in constant
communication with the flue.
In addition to the cross tracks a upon which the cars or vans E may be run into
and out of their rooms or cells D, the building should have also longitudinal tracks a',
on which the cars or vans E may be run along in a direction transverse to their
length until they are brought opposite each to the coll or compartment D which is to
receive it.
In the rear end of each van or car is a door, E', as shown in Fig. 3, which is to
be opened when the van or car is to be filled with furniture or goods, and after filling,
is to be locked, and tho key retained by the owner. These vans or cars E may be of
plate metal, or of other metal or fireproof material, and when one of the filled vans
or cars is placed in communication with one of the flues, it there remains in constant
communication therewith, and in case of the contents igniting by spontaneous com-
bustion or otherwise, they are burned with a slow draught, as in a stove, and although
the contents of a single car or van is destroyed, the contents of adjoining cars or
boxes will not be injured, and neither will the building be injured.
Referring now to Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, two constructions have been illustrated
which may be employed in order to adapt the cars or vans E for running either upon
the tracks a', or upon tracks a, as may be desired. As before stated, the wheels e of
the cars or vans are upon transverse axles &, and run upon the tracks or rails and
in addition to the transverse axles, each car or van has longitudinal axles e on which
are wheels e*.
In the example of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 5 the longitudinal axles are
shown as embodied in a truck adapted to be slid under the van or car, but in Figs. 4
and 6, the longitudinal axles are represented as forming a part of the integral
structure of the car.-
r.-Referring first to Figs. 3 and 5, there is shown a truck composed
of upper and lower frames or platforms F F.-The upper frame is movable upward
and downward relatively to the lower frame, and has the straps or downwardly pro-
jecting guides which embrace the lower frame and are provided with outwardly
projecting pins"-Upon each side of the frame are levers G, which are fulcrummed
at g, and which support the pins upon their shorter arms, and on the adjacent ends
of these levers, which are at each side of the frame, bear cams g', which are upon a
shaft g² It will be understood that there is a cam gl at cach side of the truck, and
when the cams g' are depressed upon the levers G, by turning the shaft g2, the upper
frame will, through the levers G and the pins ", be lifted against the bottom of
the van or car, and the weight thereof will be taken off the transverse axles and
wheels e²e. The wheels e can then pass laterally across the tracks or rails a, and the
van or car may he rolled along the tracks a', lengthwise of the building, supported
upon the wheels et and the longitudinal axles e³.
In the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the car body E luas brackets or
hangers E projecting downward from its underside, and in which the axles e³ are
guided. Each axle e is supported near its opposite ends by levers G fulcrummed
at g, and the levers which support the opposite axles e³ project inwards, and have
their longer arms lying adjacent to each other.-g designates a cam shaft extending
lengthwise of the car, and on which are cams g¹ for acting upon the levers G, and in
this example of the invention, the cam shaft g² may be provided with a
wheel g³, with which engages a worm or screw g, upon a transverse shaft g.—When
the shaft g is turned, the cams g' force upward the inner arms of the levers G, and
by depressing the longitudinal axles es, bring them to bear upon the track rails a¹,
and lift the wheels e upon the transverse axles e clear of the track rails a.
worm
In Fig. 7 is represented how the van or car E is mounted upon an ordinary truck H,

page_text: to be conveyed to and from a residence, and this figure represents the axles e² and
wheels e as upon a truck F,which has a turntable connection, with the bottom of the
van or car, and which thus provides for wheeling the van or car in longitudinal or
transverse directions, according as the turntable is adjusted. It will be understood
that after the van or car is once filled at the residence, and there locked, it always
thereafter remains closed, and the owner retains the key, until such time as the van
or car is taken from the warehouse, and noved to the residence to be unloaded.-
Hence there is no repeated detailed handling of the furniture or other goods, but after
once being placed in the van or car, they are afterwards handled therein without any
re-packing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A storage warehouse having its walls constructed to form series of flues, and
having its floors or stories divided by fireproof partitions to form rooms or large
cells, each of which communicates by an opening with a flue, in combination with
metal or fireproof cars or boxes, each of a size to enter a room or cell, and each
having a throat or opening which, when the car or box is in its room or cell, is in
communication with the opening to a fluo; substantially as herein described.
2. The method of storing furniture and other combustible materials, consisting in
packing the articles or materials within a closed metal or fireproof car or box, and
then maintaining the car or box in constant communication with a flue or chimney,
substantially as herein described.
3. The combination with a warehonse having its floors divided into rooms or com-
partments, of a closed van or car of a size to enter each of said rooms or compartments,
and provided with wheels for readily moving it from place to place, and a truck
whereon the van or car may be conveyed from a residence to the warehouse, pre-
paratory to placing it in position in a room or compartment, substantially as herein
described.
4. The combination with a metal or fireproof car having a door in the back and for
closing it tightly, of transverse and longitudinal axles, both provided with wheels, and
on either of which the van or car may be supported according as it is desired to move
it lengthwise or widthwise, or a wheeled truck having a turntable connection, sub-
stantially as herein described.
Dated this oth daw of Novombas 1007
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.