IM- PROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Baker at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th March
1869.
I, THOMAS BAKER, of No. 10, Duke Street, Brighton, in the County
of Sussex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IM-
PROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES," to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object improvements in portable fire escapes
which may be kept in the upper rooms and by which any one of the
inmates may upon the alarm of fire very speedily let him or herself
down, clearing all coping projections, and take two children or youths
down with them, or stop instantly at any one of the lower windows and
take one out, and in case he or she stops at the lower window and is
troubled to get the person out he can put in a white wedge that hangs
near his nose that will prevent him going down, thus enabling him to get
one out of the said lower window, then he can take hold of the ascending

page_text: rope
go
and take out the wedge with the other hand or mouth and down
with the other person safe and without the assistance of any one else.
My apparatus consists of a strong box, as shown upon Drawing, exact
size, with a large eye painted white, which hooks upon a bracket that
is previously fixed for the purpose only upon the top of the window;
inside this box works at top four wheels, in the centre works three
blocks with running wheels, and below that works four strong rollers,
one of which is cased with india-rubber inch thick, and those last
named forms three very strong breaks; in the bottom of this box is one
hole, the rope goes through and intersects with the workings named
above and comes down a second hole, and then through a small brass
running block which rides down with the straps, and the rope goes up
through a third hole, which end then fastens; the running block carries
with it a half circle brass rod about 8 inches long, to this is attached
the receiving straps, which are padded and will set out for any size
person; for quickness the fasteners are snap fastenings; the first who
descends takes this small box, which weighs about 13 pounds, pull
down the top sash and hang it upon the hook before mentioned, and
throw out the rope which is rolled so as to land well down, then lift up
the sash, sit upon the window sill, and put the straps on, one under him
and the other round him or her, just under the arm pits, take hold of
the rope and gradually go off the window sill and go down what speed
at will, and if twenty stone weight, 14 lb. to the stone, is upon it you
can instantly stop anywhere going down by slightly nipping the rope.
which puts on the breaks instantly. The rope is made from all pure
material and inch thick finish, the receiving straps can be pulled into
the room, so that an invalid or a person fainting can be put into them,
then lift her upon the sill of the window, pull the ascending rope tight
and push her off, so setting her or him down without hurting and as
easily as you like, either close to the building or 15 feet from it, should
it be requisite. The escape is completed by being provided with a ladder
rope, sides of an inch rope, and staves of wood with knobs at each
end of the first five staves from the top, which is hooked upon the
window sill; this enables the descender to get good hold lower down,
it wants no knobs as the ladder bounds off from the wall, this can be
used upon an emergency, the whole is made long enough to get from
the burning building 15 feet, if required, and it all goes into a neat box

page_text: 2 feet 6 high, 2 feet 3 long, and 1 foot 3 wide, and can be carried from
the front to back window by a lady. The master of house can let down
the whole family before leaving himself, or he can go down first and get
away from the building and let all his family down, either able bodied
or invalided by himself, and if required a volunteer can go up upon the
same straps by one pulling in the rope as fast as he goes up.