IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC FIRE ALARM APPARATUS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Cleather Gordon of the Langham Hotel in the
County of Middlesex for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC FIRE
ALARM APPARATUS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Cleather Gordon
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th January 1883.
WILLIAM CLEATHER GORDON of the Langham Hotel in the County of Middlesex,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC FIRE ALARM APPARATUS."
"
This Invention relates to improvements in electric fire alarm apparatus for hotels
and other large buildings or structures, and it has for its object to enable an alarm
of fire to be originated at any floor of a building, and the locality or floor from
which the alarm emanated to be indicated upon every other floor and the alarm to
be sounded simultaneously in various parts of the building so as to call the attention
of the fireman or other person in charge in whatever part of the building he may
happen to be and at same time convey immediate and precise information of the
whereabouts of the outbreak. It has further for its object to enable all the
indicators which have been so operated to be returned to their normal position
from any one of them as an intimation that the fireman or other person in charge
has heard and attended to the summons.
In carrying out the Invention, I provide upon every floor of the building and in
every convenient place, one or more indicatora tablenus, each baving as many
signalling apertures each provided with a signal disc as there are floors or parts of the
building at which an alarm of fire is to be localised, and upon every floor or other
part of a building I fix a push piece or other form of circuit closer in a prominent
position to enable any person to give an early alarm in case of need. And lastly,
in suitable parts of the building I provide any desired number of electric bells.
The electrical apparatus for actuating the above mentioned signalling indicators
and bells in the manner described, are of special arrangement and are as follows.
There are as many electrical circuits as there are signalling apertures in any one
indicator, the said circuits corresponding respectively to the different floors of the
building, and each circuit passes successively through the operating electro magnet
D

page_text: of the signal disc in every indicator which is appropriated to denote the particular
floor to which the circuit corresponds, and all these circuits are connected in
multiple are with the main leads from the poles of the battery or batteries.
Each circuit between, say the first indicator and its junction with the main
lead, is carried to any convenient point of the floor which the signal discs upon it
are appropriated to denote, and at this point it is broken and provided with a push
piece or other contact maker whereby the circuit may be closed through all the
indicators and the signal disc denoting that floor brought into view at its aperture
in each indicator. In the circuit of the main lead between tlio last indicator of the
series and say the negative polo of the battery, I interpose a number of electric
bells arranged in multiple arc.
In very large buildings, when it is desired to ring bells at opposite extremities of
the building, I prefer to use two batteries and two sets of electric bells in which
case I connect the positive poles of the batteries by a wire, and connect the one
main lead thereto, and branch the main lead from the negative poles at a point
between the last indicator and the two sets of bells, so that the current will divide
and pass through both sets of bells in returning to the negative poles of the two
batteries.
To enable all the signal discs which have been actuated to be returned to their
normal position by closing a circuit at any one of the indicators, each indicator is
provided with a set of reversing magnets, one for each signal disc, all these magnets
being arranged in series and connected at one end with the negative pole of the
battery whilst a wire from the other end is branched to a push piece or circuit
closer upon each indicator, a wire connected to the positive pole of the battery
being similarly branched to the said push pieces, so that on the circuit being
closed at any one of them, a current will be passed through the whole series of
reversing inagnets of all the indicators and will thus return any of the signal discs
which may have been previously thrown over, to their normal position.
The signal discs are carried by polarised needles pivoted so as to oscillate
between the pairs of actuating and reversing electro magnets.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Cleather Gordon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th July 1883.
WILLIAM CLEATHER GORDON of the Langham Hotel in the County of Middlesex
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC FIRE ALARM APPARATUS.'
This Invention relates to improvements in electric fire alarm apparatus for hotels
and other large buildings or structures and it has for its object to enable an alarm
of fire to be originated at any floor of a building, and the locality or floor from
which the alarm emanated to be indicated upon every other floor, and the alarm to
be sounded simultaneously in various parts of the building so as to call the
attention of the fireman or other person in charge in whatever part of the building
he may happen to be, and at same time convey immediate and precise information
of the whereabouts of the outbreak. It has further for its object to enable all the
indicators which have been so operated to be returned to their normal position
from any one of them as an intimation that the fireman or other person in charge
has heard and attended to the summons.
In order that the Invention may be better understood I will describe the same
with reference to the accompanying diagram.
In carrying out the Invention I provide on every floor of the building and in
any convenient place, one or more indicator tableaus A each having as many
signalling apertures and corresponding signal discs a as there are floors or parts of
the building at which an alarmn of fire is to be localised. In the example shown
there are supposed to be five floors, and there are consequently five indicators A
each having five signal discs a. And upon every floor or other part of a building
I fix a push pieco or other form of circuit closer B in a prominent position to
enable any person to give an early alarm in case of need. And lastly, in suitable
parts of the building I provide any desired number of electric bells C.
The electrical apparatus for actuating the above mentioned signalling indicators
and bells in the manner described are of special arrangement and are as follows:-
There are as many electrical circuits 1: 2. 3. 4. 5 as there are signal discs a in
any one indicator, the said circuits corresponding respectively to the different
floors of the building. Each circuit passes through the electro-magnet e of that
signal disc which denotes the particular floor to which the circuit corresponds the
circuit passing through the corresponding electro-magnet of all the indicators in
succession and all the circuits are connected in multiple arc with the main leads P
and N from the poles of the battery or batteries.
Each circuit between say its junction with the main lead P and the first
indicator is carried to any convenient point of the floor which the signal discs
upon said circuit are appropriated to denote, and at this point it is broken and
provided with a push piece B or other contact maker, whereby the circuit may be
closed for the purpose of bringing the signal discs denoting that floor into view
in all the indicators. In the circuit of the main lead N between the last indicator
of the series and the negative pole of the battery, I interpose a number of electric
bells C arranged in multiple are between the two parts N N' of the negative lead.
In very large buildings when it is desired to ring bells at opposite extremities
of the building, I prefer to use two batteries and duplicate the bells, push pieces
and circuits as shown in the diagram, the second set being indicated by the same
otters and figures with the addition of a X. In this case I connect the positive
oles of the batteries by a wire P¹ and connect the positive leads P P to the said
poles and branch the negative lead N at a point n between the last indicator and

page_text: the two sets of bells so that the current in returning to the negative poles of the
two batteries will divide and pass through both sets of bells, respectively arranged
as shown between the parts N N' and N* N 1x of the negative leads.
In the drawing the signal discs on the third floor circuit N° 4 are represented as
having been operated by a current whose course is indicated by the dotted line
and arrows on that circuit.
To enable all the signal discs which have been actuated to be returned to their
normal position by closing a circuit at any one of the indicators, each indicator is
provided with a set of reversing magnets F, one for each signal disc, all these
magnets being arranged in series on the same circuit f and connected at one end
with the lead from the negative pole of one of the batteries whilst a wire f* from
the other end is branched at f³ to push pieces or circuit closers G, one upon each
indicator; a wire g connected to the wire P' which connects the positive poles of
the battery being similarly branched at g¹ to the said push pieces, so that on the
circuit being closed at any one of them, a current will be passed through the whole
series of reversing magnets F of all the indicators and will thus return any of the
signal discs a which may have been previously thrown over, to their normal
position.
The signal discs are carried by polarised needles pivoted so as to oscillate between
the pairs of actuating and reversing electro-magnets e F.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is:—
The combination with electrical indicators arranged as described, of electrical
circuits passing through the same in the manner described, and of circuit closers
and electric bells arranged upon said circuits, all substantially as shown and
described for the purpose specified.
In Witness whereof I the said William Cleather Gordon have hereunto set
my hand and seal this third day of July, A.D. 1883.
W. C. GORDON (L.S.)