IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES.
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clayton Mewburn, of 169, Fleet Street, in
the City of London, Patent Agent and Consulting Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES.-A communication
from abroad by Louis Gilquin and Henri Charles de Lacauve, both
of Lille, France.
caled the 2nd April 1874, and dated the 15th October 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clayton Mewburn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 15th October 1873.
I, JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent and Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES," to be
as follows:-
-
The fire escapes which form the subject of the present Invention
consist of two main parts, viz., a wagon or carriage and a ladder; there is
also a third part, viz., a safety sheet or canvas.

page_text: .
The wagon may be arranged to be drawn either by men or by horses,
and is furnished with a revolving platform, which will allow the ladder
to be moved in any direction, and is consequently capable of being
worked in the narrowest streets.
At the back of the wagon is a windlass which serves to raise the ladder,
and to place it in position on the platform.
The ladder is composed of four or other desired number of parts,
capable of being drawn out as extensions one of another by means of a
windlass fixed upon the first part of the ladder. Upon this windlass are
pulleys in which the ropes run, which serve to raise the 3 pieces of the
ladder. These pulleys rotate at pleasure loosely, one after the other, by
means of a simple key.
The way in which the escape is worked is very simple:-When it has
arrived in front of the house where help is required, the ladder placed
upright upon the side of the carriage moves back towards the head of :
the wagon a distance of about a yard or more, and is lowered in order to
place its feet in shoes and fittings fixed upon the platform. The ladder
having been lowered, two small wire ropes are fastened to the sides
thereof, the windlass is worked, the ladder rises and takes its usual
inclination. As soon as it arrives at this inclination two supports
become detached, and rest in shoes on the platform (towards the head of
the wagon). The ladder is then of the form of a double ladder, one side
of which would be longer than the other. The wire ropes having served
to raise the ladder are no longer necessary, and are detached. The
whole is in equilibrium on the platform, which, then being put in
motion, presents the ladder towards the openings or windows which it is
sought to reach. This first part of the ladder only reaches to about a
height of, say, 6'yards, but as before mentioned a windlass is fixed to
this first part. Two men can immediately raise the other parts of the
ladder, and thus reach to any height up to, say, 18 yards. from the
ground.
A few minutes are sufficient to bring and raise the apparatus, which
has the advantage of heine sonable of being uniend

page_text: Between the drawn-out ladder and the house some incombustible
canvas is hoisted to prevent the flames injuring the workers. This
canvas is carried on a roller, and is unwound as the ladder rises.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Clayton Mewburn in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th April 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent and Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant. unto me, the said John Clayton Mewburn, Her special licence
that I, the said John Clayton Mewburn, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Clayton
Mewburn, my executors, administrators, and assigns; should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES." (a communication from abroad by Louis
Gilquin and Henri Charles de Lacauve, both of Lille, France), upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Olayton Mewburn,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Olayton Mewburn, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: by the following statement thereof; reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :—
The fire escapes which form the subject of the present Invention
consist of two main parts, viz., a wagon or carriage and a ladder; there
is also a third part, a safety sheet or canvas.
The wagon may be arranged to be drawn either by men or by horses,
and is furnished with a revolving platform which allows of the ladder
being moved in any direction. The escape may consequently be made
use of in the narrowest streets.
The distinguishing features of novelty in this fire escape are the
revolving platform for allowing the ladder to be brought into the desired
position; the mode of raising the ladder and its several parts, and of
supporting it when raised; the safety sheet or canvas and, the mode of
hoisting it; and the great compactness of the apparatus when housed or
when being drawn through the streets.
The construction of the fire escape, and mode of working it will be
fully understood on reference to the annexed Drawings, which I now
proceed to describe.
Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations; Figure 3, a front elevation; and
Figure 4, a plan of a fire escape constructed according to this Invention.
In Figures 2 and 3 the ladder is shewn in the elevated position.
• A, A, is the wagon or carriage mounted on wheels B, B; C is the
platform, which is capable of being revolved on its axis; I, J, K, L, is
the ladder composed of 4 parts or lengths, as shewn (or it may be
composed of other desired number of parts), capable of being drawn out
as extensions one of another, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, by means of a
windlass M fixed upon the first length I. Upon the shaft of this
windlass are pulleys N, in which run the ropes which serve to raise the
three upper lengths J, K, L. These pulleys can be made to rotate
loosely, at pleasure, one after the other by means of a simple key. O is
a windlass at the back of the wagon to raise the ladder from the
horizontal position, as herein-after described.
When the escape is housed or is being drawn through the streets,
the ladder is placed in the position shewn in full lines in Figures 1
and 4.

page_text: .
When the escape arrives in front of the house where help is required,
the ladder is moved towards the head of the wagon a distance of about
a yard or more, up to the position indicated in Figure 1 by the dotted
lines 2, 2, and to enable it to be moved without difficulty the ladder is
provided with rollers P, P, which run on rails Q, Q. D, D, are stops to
limit the movement of the ladder on the rails. The feet of the ladder
are now above the shoes and fittings R upon the platform C. Two small
wire ropes S from the windlass O are now fastened to rods E at the sides
of the ladder, and the windlass being then worked the ladder rises and
takes its usual inclination, its feet resting in the shoes R. As soon as it
arrives at this inclination two supports T become detached, and rest in
shoes or supports U on the platform. The ladder is then of the form of
a double ladder, one side of which would be longer than the other: The
wire ropes S having served to raise the ladder are no longer necessary, and
may be detached therefrom. The whole being now in equilibrium on the
platform, the latter is moved a quarter round, as indicated by the dotted
lines 4, 4, (Figure 4), so as to present the ladder towards the openings or
windows which it is sought to reach. This first part of the ladder only
reaches to about a height of, say, 6 yards, but as before mentioned a
windlass M is fixed to this part, and two men can immediately raise the
other three parts J, K, L, which will make the escape reach to a height
of, say, 18 feet from the ground. The supports T may be capable of
being elongated so as to alter the inclination of the ladder as required.
V, Figure 2, is a roller carried by brackets on the supports T. Some
incombustible canvas W is wound round this roller, its outer end being
connected to the ladder, as shown, so that as the ladder rises this canvas
is hoisted between it and the house, thereby preventing the flames
injuring the workers.
A few minutes are sufficient to bring and raise the apparatus, which
has the advantage that it can be raised in streets which are not more
than three or four yards wide. Further, the dimensions of the apparatus
are small, since the wagon with its ladder can be housed in a space of
about 5 yards long, 5 feet wide, and 5 feet high..
The mode of attaching the several lengths of the ladder to each other,
so that they may be raised as herein-before described, is represented on a
larger scale in Figure 5.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, con-

page_text: structing fire escapes, substantially as herein-before described and
represented in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clayton Mewburn, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.