IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Nov., 1886.
Complete Left, 8th Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 13th Sept., 1887.
I JAMES CADOUX HUDSON, of 75 Upper Ground Street, Blackfriars Road, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to Improvements in the construction of Ladders and Fire
Escapes and has for its object a method of construction by which considerable strength
is gained in the structure with lightness and ease of manipulation and also when used
as a telescope escape adapts itself to the use of two, three or more ladders.
When constructing the ladder the sides are formed as girders. The top and bottom
flanges being of wood, or other material and of a square or other section these flanges
are united by struts or stays and strengthened by a lattice of strip iron, or trussed by
suitable ropes or rods.
Those two sides are united by means of struts and stays, by a lattice of strip iron,
or by trussing ropes or rods at the back side, the front having struts or stays which
form the stops of the ladder. Thus each ladder is formed of a box or hollow section,
and when making a telescope ladder of two or more lengths, one length can slide
within another. This construction is very strong in all directions and provides con-
tinuous guides for the sliding ladders and allows the raising ropes to be placed at the
back and free from the spokes by which the Fireman ascends.
The bottom or main ladder is the outer and largest one, the second sliding within
it, and the third within the second and so on. The top ladder need not be of a box
section, but can be made with plain sides and cross spokes.
These spokes I prefer to let into metal sockets which are connected to the sides by
means of screws or bolts thus the sides are not weakened by cutting a mortice for the
spokes and one spoke can be easily removed without disturbing the others.
Dated this 13th day of November 1886.

page_text: improvements in Fire Escapos.
1, JAMES CADOUX HUDSON, 75 Upper Ground Street Blackfriars London in the
County of Surrey Engineer 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:—
This Invention relates to Improvements in the construction of Ladders and Fire
Escapes and has for its object a method of construction by which considerable strength
is gained in the structure with lightness and ease of manipulation and also when used
as a telescope escape adapts itself to the use of two, three or more ladders.
When constructing the ladder the sides are formed as girders, the top and bottom
flanges being of wood or other material and of square or other section these flanges
are united by struts and stays and strengthened by a lattice of strip iron or trussed
by suitable ropes or rods. These two sides are united by means of struts and stays by
a lattice of strip iron or by trussing ropes or rods at the back side, the front having
struts or stays which form the steps of the ladder.
Thus cach ladder is formed of a box or hollow section and when making a telescope
ladder of two or more lengths one length can slide within another. This construction
is very strong in all directions and provides continuous guides for the sliding ladders,
and allows the raising ropes to be placed at the back and free from the spokes by
which the fireman ascends.
The bottom or main ladder is the outer and largest one, the second sliding within
it and the third within the second and so on. The top ladder need not be of a box
section but can be made with plain sides and cross spokes these spokes I prefer to let
into metal sockets which are connected to the sides by screws or bolts thus the sides
are not weakened by cutting a mortice for the spokes and one spoke can be easily
removed without disturbing the others.
My Invention is represented by the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1. is a
front elevation, and Fig. 2. a side elevation of part of three telescope ladders of which
the lower is the first ladder into which the second slides and the third into the
second.
Fig. 3 is a section of the first or main ladder.
Fig. 4 is a section of the second ladder.
Fig. 5 is a section of the third or top ladder.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged section thro' the three ladders when telescoped.
Fig.
7 is a front elevation of one of these ladders similar to Figs. 1 and 2 but with
a different mode of trussing.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation of same.
Fig. 9 shews a telescope escape on two wheels with ladders arranged in accordance
with Figs. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5 & 6 and with these ladders not extended.
Fig. 10 shews a similar escape with the ladders extended as in use.
Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts in the various views.

page_text: In Figs. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5 & 6 A is the first ladder B the second and C the third. The
ladder A is formed by making two sides, with top and bottom flanges of wood or
other material (a a) connected by struts (b. b.) and stiffened by a lattice of flat or
strip iron (c. c) these sides are connected at their upper flanges by bars (d. d.) which
form the steps of the ladder and at the back by similar bars (e. e.) the back being also
strengthened by lattice of flat or strip iron (f.f.) The section Fig. 3. shews the
ladder to be of box section. The second ladder is of similar construction but of
smaller dimensions so that it can slidejwithin A. and if three, four, or more ladders were
required, a similar mode of construction would be followed, the third ladder sliding
within the second, and the fourth within the third and so on. It is not always
necessary to make the top or smallest ladder with latticed sides but it can be made
with plain sides (g. g) united by the spokes (h. h) the ends of these spokes being
secured into metal shoes (i. i.) which shoes have flanges for securing to the sides by
bolts or screws this construction does away with cutting mortices in the sides (9.9.)
and allows any spoke to be removed if necessary without disturbing the others. In
Fig. 6 (. ) are the lifting ropes shown clear of the spokes (e. e.) and (h. h).
In Figs. 7 and 8 is shewn a ladder of similar section to Figs. 1 and 2 but with
trussing of wire rope or steel or iron rods (m. m.) which form girders of the sides, and
also strengthen the back of the ladder.
This form of ladder can be used for designs of telescope fire escapes other than
shewn in Figs. 9 & 10.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to bo performed, I declare that what I claim is—
First. The construction of sliding ladders of a box or hollow section, one ladder
sliding within another, with continuous bearing according to their overlap and having
the sides and back trussed and strengthened by means of lattice or steel wire or iron
trusses and stays as illustrated and described.
Second. The mode of attaching the spokes as shewn to the sides of top ladder by
means of metal shoes with flanges as illustrated and described.
Dated this 6th day of August 1887.