IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Scott, of Oxford Street, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES."
Sealed the 15th October 1867, and dated the 18th April 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Scott at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th April
1867.
I, JOHN SCOTT, of Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements which are applicable to fire
escapes of the character described in the Provisional Specification of an Inven-
tion for which a Patent is now being applied for by me, dated October 31st,
1866, No. 2816. In combination with my present improvements I employ
the portable frame or platform (fully described and constituting an important
feature of my previous improvements), which projects from the window and is
"fenced" both in front and at the sides.
In place of the machinery for winding up and down as described in the
Provisional Specification above referred to I substitute the following more
simple contrivance :-Round the opening through which persons are intended

page_text: to descend to the ground I fix a strong ring or frame of metal or other
suitable material, and to the said ring I firmly secure the mouth of a
long sack made of hemp, flax, jute, or other fibres either alone or combined,
and if desired interwoven with metal wire, such long sack forming the
channel through which persons or things are to be conveyed.
But one
of the peculiarities of this long sack is that it has openings at various intervals
in its length for the purpose of admitting light and air, as well as to give
foot hold and hand hold for the assistance of persons going up or down.
These openings may be either large or small, and of square, round, oblong,
or other convenient shape, and they may be formed by cutting away parts of
the sack and binding the edges of the open places with thread or twine, or
with metal eyelets, or leather, or other suitable material or appliance; or the
said openings may be made by first leaving a long strip entirely open from top
to bottom, or open at long intervals between top and bottom, and then crossing
the said open strip or strips with cords or chains, or with wood or metal staves,
or with network, so that the sack is not only always light and airy when in
use, but combines the advantages of both slide and ladder, and enables any
one to descend either slowly or quickly, and also to ascend if desired. Any
one may go down safely, as the sack bangs vertically, without any assistance
from others by using the said hand holes or foot holes, of whichever
description they may be, or the descent may be broken by pressing out the
arms and legs against the sides of the sack, but if there is any one below to
hold the sack out from the perpendicular persons may safely slide down with
still greater rapidity, and there is no risk of falling out or being hurt. I
provide also in escapes for very lofty houses openings large enough for a man
to pass through, so that he may if necessary get in and out to or from a window
lower than the one from which the apparatus is projected. Also, to provide
against the extreme case of flame issuing from a window or windows directly
under the one from which persons are about to escape, any one who is in the
street may pull the sack across or sideways at a safe and proper angle above
or away from the flame by means of a rope or chain of similar length to the
sack itself, and fixed to the bottom thereof, to be used as follows:-The person
desiring to escape must throw the rope or chain into the street beyond the
reach of the flames. The person below would then pull it tight, upon which
the person above would gradually let go the sack until it had stretebed out at
a safe angle from the building on fire, at which angle the person below could
readily hold it while the persons above safely slide down. The first 8 or 10
feet or more of the sack at the top end is made so as to resist fire for a con-

page_text: siderable time, either by saturation in suitable fire-resisting solutions, as is well
understood, or by an additional fire-resisting armour made of metal chain, or
by the weaving of metal wire into the texture of the cloth, or otherwise, and
strengthening the same also with ropes or strips of strong leather or other
suitable material. The long and partially open sack may also be used
independently of the frame or platform previously described if desired, and may
be held in position by any other suitable support. The sack when out of use
may be rolled up and stowed away into a comparatively small compass.
Another of my improvements consists in making the frame or fenced platform
before referred to more secure in its place by forming upon the inner side of
the arms which grip the window frame rows of strong iron teeth to bite the
woodwork or brickwork and form an effective holdfast. The frame or platform
described in the Provisional Specification before referred to may be considerably
reduced in weight and dimensions by the application of an arched entrance,
thus rendering it more available for small windows.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Scott in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SCOTT, of Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Scott, Her special licence that I, the said John Scott, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Scott, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Scott, 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 Inveu-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same

page_text: 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 Scott, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention relates, first, to certain improvements which are applicable
to fire escapes of the character described in the Specification of an Invention
for which a Patent was granted to me, dated October 31st, 1866, No. 2816.
In combination with the first part of my present improvements I employ
the portable frame or platform a (fully described and constituting an important
feature of my previous improvements), which projects from the window and is
"fenced" both in front and at the sides.
In place of the machinery for winding up and down as described in the
Specification above referred to I substitute the following more simple con-
trivance, the nature of which will be readily understood by reference to
Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters
of reference marked thereon. Round the opening (which I prefer to be
circular) in the frame or platform a, through which persons are intended to
descend to the ground, I fix or support a strong ring or frame of metal or
other suitable material at a*, and to the said ring I firmly secure the mouth
of a long sack g made of hemp, flax, jute, or other fibres either alone or
combined, and if desired interwoven with metal wire, such long sack forming
the channel or means through or by which persons or things are to be conveyed;
but one of the peculiarities of this long sack 9 is that it has openings at
various intervals in its length for the purpose of admitting light and air as
well as to give foot hold and hand hole for the assistance of persons going
up or down. These openings may be either large or small, and of square,
round, oblong, or other convenient shapes, and they may be formed by cutting
away parts of the sack and binding the edges of the open places with thread
or twine, or with metal eyelets, or other suitable material or appliance;
or the said openings may be made by first leaving a long strip entirely open
from top to bottom or open at long intervals between top and bottom and
then crossing the said open strip or strips with cords or chains, or with wood
or metal staves (as shown at Figure 1 of the Drawing), or with network, so
that the sack g is not only light and airy when in use, but combines the
advantages of both slide and ladder, and enables any one to descend either
slowly or quickly, and also to ascend if desired. Any one may go down safely

page_text: as the sack bangs vertically without any assistance from others by using the
said hand holes or foot holes of whichever description they may be, or if
sliding down be preferred the descent may be broken by pressing out the
arms and legs against the sides of the sack, but if there is any one below to
hold the sack out from the perpendicular nervous persons may still more
safely slide down, and in any case there is no risk of falling out or being
hurt. I provide also in escapes for very lofty houses openings large enough
for a man to pass through, so that he may if necessary get in and out to or
from a window lower than the one from which the apparatus is projected. Also
to provide against the extreme case of flame issuing from a window or
windows directly under the one from which persons are about to escape,
any one who is in the street may pull the sack across or sideways at a safe
and suitable angle above or away from the flame by means of a rope or chain
of similar length to the sack itself, and fixed to the bottom thereof, to be used
as follows:-The person desiring to escape must throw the rope or chain
into the street beyond the reach of the flames. The person below would
then pull it tight, upon which the person above would gradually let go the
sack until it had stretched out at a safe angle from the building on fire, at
which angle the person below could readily hold it while the persons above
slide safely down. The first eight or ten feet or more of the top end of the
sack 9 may be made if desired so as to resist fire for a considerable time, either
by saturation in suitable fire-resisting solutions as is well understood or by an
additional fire-resisting armour made of metal chain, or by the weaving of
metal wire into the texture of the cloth, or otherwise, and strengthening the
same also with ropes or strips of strong leather or other suitable material.
The long and partially open sack g may also be used independently of the
frame or platform previously described if desired, and may be held in position
by any other suitable support; the sack when out of use may be rolled up
and stowed away into a comparatively small compass.
Another of my improvements consists in making the frame or fenced
platform a (before referred to) more secure in its place by forming upon
the minor side of the arm a¹, a', which grip the window frame, rows of strong
metal teeth (previously described in the Final Specification of the Patent
before referred to), which serve to bite the woodwork or brickwork, and thus
form an effective holdfast,
Another part of my present improvements consists in so constructing the
frame or fenced platform a described in the Specification before referred to
that it may be considerably reduced in weight and dimensions by the application

page_text: of an arched entrance A, as shown at Figure 4 of the Drawing hereunto
annexed, thus rendering it more available for small windows.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Scott, have hereunto set my band
and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
CHAS. J. GOOCH,
Clerk to Messrs. Tongue & Birkbeck,
34, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.
JNO. SCOTT. (L.S.).