A New or Improved Fire Escape, suitable also for use as a Diving Ladder.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 19th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 3rd Dec., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Fire Escape, suitable also for use as a Diving
Ladder.
I, HORACE POTTEN, of Linden Cottage, West Worthing, in the County of
Sussex, Carpenter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to devices for descending from any height through air
or water, and consists of a device which is especially suitable for use in private
houses; though it can also be used as a combined diving ladder and shot line.
In its simplest form my invention consists of a ladder composed of rope, chain
or other flexible material, forming its sides, with rigid wood or other spokes or rungs,
which are attached to the sides in any convenient manner. When used as a fire
escape one end of the ladder is permanently fastened inside the house underneath,
or near, a window, in such manner that its loose end can be thrown out of the
window in case of emergency. if preferred a rope may be attached to the loose
end of the ladder, which rope being thrown out, the ladder can be pulled out by
any person standing below.
When it is required to lower invalids or children, a jack with ratchet and pawl
is fixed in the house for the purpose of gradually lowering the ladder, and in such
cases a hammock or the like may be attached to the ladder, so as to be easily
detachable. This is preferably done by means of safety hooks, which while
easily placed in position are prevented from slipping off the lower rung of the
ladder.
To prevent undue wear and tear of the ladder by being passed over the sharp
edges of the window sill or frame, a roller may be provided over which the
ladder can run.
When employed by divers for the purpose of descending through the water
the ladder is used for the same purpose and in the same manner as the ordinary
shot line. A weight is attached to its lower end for the purpose of causing it
to assume a vertical or approximately vertical position.
By the use of this apparatus accidents, which frequently occur from the life line
and air tube becoming fouled with the shot line, are avoided, as the diver can see
the lines and ladder sufficiently to enable him to disentangle them.
Dated this 1st day of February 1898
WILLIAM J. MUNDEN,
75, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
A New or Improved Fire Escape, suitable also for use as a Diving
Ladder.
I, HORACE POTTEN. of Linden Cottage, West Worthing, in the County of
Sussex, Carpenter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
Price 8d.1

page_text: the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:
This invention relates to devices for descending from any height through air
or water, and consists of a device which is especially suitable for use in private
houses; though it can also be used as a combined diving ladder and shot line.
In its simplest form my invention consists of a ladder composed of rope chain,
or other flexible material, forming its sides, with rigid wood or other rungs
which are attached to the sides in any convenient manner. When used as a fire
escape one end of the ladder is permanently fastened inside the house underneath
or near a window in such manner that its loose end can be thrown out of the
window in case of emergency. If preferred a rope may be attached to the loose
end of the ladder, which rope being thrown out, the ladder can be pulled out by
any person standing below.
When it is required to lower invalids or children a jack with ratchet and pawl
is fixed in the house for the purpose of gradually lowering the ladder and in such
cases a hammock or the like may be attached to the ladder so as to be easily
detachable. This is preferably done by means of safety hooks which while
easily placed in position are prevented from slipping off the lower rung of the
ladder.
To prevent undue wear and tear of the ladder by being passed over the sharp
edges of the window sill or frame a roller may be provided, over which the
ladder can run.
When employed by divers for the purpose of descending through the water
the ladder is used for the same purpose and in the same manner as the ordinary
shot line. A weight is attached to its lower end for the purpose of causing it
to assume a vertical or approximately vertical position.
By the use of this apparatus accidents which frequently occur from the life line
and air tube becoming fouled with the shot line, are avoided as the diver can see
the lines and ladder sufficiently to enable him to disentangle them.
In order that my invention may be fully understood and ascertained I append
drawings in which:-
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a ladder according to my invention in use with
diving apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale of part of the ladder with safety hooks.
Fig. 3 is a section of a wall and window sill shewing a ladder as thrown out.
Fig. 4 is the same with a roller.
Fig. 5 is the section of same with a jack, ladder and hammock or ambulance.
A indicates the hull of the vessel from which the diver descends, and B the
jack, or other device by which the ladder C is lowered: 1) is the weight which
causes the ladder to descend in an approximately vertical direction and retains
it in such position. The ladder which obviates the use of and serves the same
purpose as the ordinary shot line employed by divers is composed of flexible
sides of rope, cord or chain (the latter being shewn) and rigid wood or other
rungs which keep the flexible sides apart, and also serve to enable the diver to
ascend or descend when necessary.
It is well known that when the ordinary form of single shot line is employed
by divers especially when these descend a great depth, and where under currents
exist, it is almost impossible for the diver to avoid going round the shot ropes.
When this occurs many turns of the breast ropes and air pipe are taken round
the shot line, while considerable risk if not certainty of fouling the latter exists
resulting in many cases in accident.
As an example we may consider the case of a diver who has descended and left
the foot of the shot line until he has reached the end of the search or drift lines,
then after walking about for a few hours he becomes (as is frequently
the case) weak and faint, and returns to the foot of the shot line.
How then can he quickly and with certainty determine the direction
and number of turns he has taken ? The drift line does circle round

page_text: the shot line, but the turns are never so numerous as those of the breast
rope and air pipe, because owing to the strain of the drift line on the shot rope
causing the latter to bulge towards the diver, he does not actually circle round
the shot line, though he does round the weight which is attached to it. When
this occurs in dark places or muddy waters, the diver cannot see the turns, but
is obliged to depend upon feeling by his hands for the turn. And even if he has
cleared himself, yet the fouling may occur again during his ascent, causing a
considerable delay on his reaching the surface of the water.
Now where a ladder according to this invention is employed, he would be able
to ascertain the number of turns, and to take them out before ascending. This
facility would be most marked in the case of the chain ladder.
Briefly the advantages may be summed up as follows; The rope or chain
ladder will determine the direction in which the diver is facing; it will allow
him to rest during ascent, and descent; it can be used for other purposes, such
as ships bottom work, scaling purposes on shore &c.; being light it can be easily
and with facility stowed, shortened, lengthened and repaired.
The whole ladder or any portion thereof may be detached or replaced with ease
by the use of safety hooks of any suitable kind; such for instance as those shewn
at E in Fig. 2, ee being two hooks pivoted to the same link or to a rung c¹
and engaging the next link above it in opposite directions, being held together
by a shackle e which can be easily slipped and disconnected.
t
In Fig. is shewn a simple form of my invention as applied to a private fire
escape. Here G indicates the wall of a house. H the window frame, and I the
floor, one end of a flexible ladder (similar to that shewn in Figs. 1 and 2) E is either
attached directly to the floor or to a roller fixed to the same.
All that is necessary
in case of fire is for the free end of the ladder to be thrown out until it reaches
the ground, when a descent can be made either with or without a person holding
the lower end. In some cases a rope is attached to the lower end of the ladder.
and this being thrown out of the window, the ladder can be drawn out by any
person or persons standing below.
In Fig. 4 a roller g is shown attached to the outer and upper edge of the
window sill, for the purpose of preventing undue wear and tear of the ladder
when the latter is being lowered for use.
;
In Fig. 5 the ladder instead of having one end attached to the floor is fixed to
the barrel k of a jack K disposed on the floor inside the window. The barrel
spindle runs in bearings formed in frames and is turned by a handle
it shews ratchet wheel and pawl. By employing this device children or
invalids may be lowered safely and gently to the ground the ladder running over
rollers g and g for this purpose.
In such cases a hammock or other similar device L is attached to the free end
of the ladder E. This attachment is preferably made by safety hooks of the
description illustrated and described with reference to Fig. 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A device for enabling persons to descend from a height, consisting essentially
of a ladder composed of flexible sides and inflexible rungs, a weight being
attached to the lower end of the ladder for the purpose of retaining the same in
as po pas de midde ue
2. In apparatus for use in diving a ladder composed of flexible sides and
inflexible rungs, and having a weight attached to its lower end, substantially as
described and shown.
3. In apparatus for use as a fire escape, a ladder composed of flexible sides, and
inflexible rungs, the upper end of which is fixed near a window, inside a room
in such manner that the free end may be thrown out of the window so as to enable
a person to descend thereby, substantially as described and shewn.

page_text: 4. In apparatus for use as a fire escape, a ladder composed of flexible sides and
inflexible
rungs, the
upper end of which is fixed near a window, inside a room,
and having a rope, cord, or chain attached to its free end in such manner that it
can be thrown out and the ladder drawn out of the window to such a position
that a person can descend thereby, substantially as described and shewn.
5. In apparatus for use as a fire escape the combination of a ladder having
flexible sides, and inflexible rungs, a jack or hoist fixed near a window inside
a room to which one end of the ladder is attached, and a hammock or other similar
receptacle attached to the free end of the ladder for the purpose of enabling a child
or invalid to be lowered, substantially as described and shewn.
6. In apparatus for use as a fire escape a ladder composed of flexible sides
and inflexible rungs, the upper end of which is fixed near a window, inside a room,
in such manner that the free end may be thrown out of the window so as to enable
a person to descend thereby, and rollers upon the window sill, substantially as
described and shewn.
Dated this 10th day of at 1000
WILLIAM J. MUNDEN,
75, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.