Year: 1886

page_text: I, EDWARD PUTTICK BLACKMUR of 14 Osborne Grove, Walthamstow in the
County of Essex, Hardware Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
3
This invention is designed to supply an apparatus which shall be an efficient
selfacting protector, against an outbreak of fire at night or when no one is present,
in Dwelling Houses, Offices, Warehouses, Theatres or shops and which can be so
arranged as to aların persons residing in other parts of the premises, or in adjoining
premises.
My apparatus consists of a glass Globe, Vase or Jar of pleasing external appear-
ance, which is suspended from the ceiling or from a bracket by a rope or string
made of plaited rush, straw or other inflammable substance, the said rope being if
desired allowed to descend below the Vase so as to trail on or near the ground and
be easily set fire by any flame in or about the room. The Vase contains divisions
or chambers, charged with the usual gases, or chemical substances capable of
forming gases when mixed together, which will extinguish fire in the manner now
generally known and adopted.
It also contains a spring alarum Bell, ready wound and held back only by the
resistance of a trigger stayed against a portion of the glass Vase.
The effect of this arrangement is that on a flame reaching the. rush rope the Vase
falls and breaks, the gases are released, and the alarum immediately goes off and
continues to ring until the spring runs down.
In addition a wire can be attached to the Vase communicating with the trigger
of another alarum, in a room above or at some distance, so as to cause that alarum
to go off also and awaken person's residing near or having charge of the premises.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
Patent Agent,
97, Newgate Street, London,

page_text: I, EDWARD PUTTICK BLACKMUR, of 14 Osborne Grove, Walthamstow, Hard-
ware Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
The danger to life and property from fire, seems to increase in corresponding
ratio with the advance of Nations in population and wealth.
This invention is designed to supply an effective apparatus of a simple and
inexpensive kind, which shall be an effecient selfacting protector against a sudden
or slow outbreak of fire at night, or by day, when no-one is present, and which
shall be adapted for use in Offices, Warehouses, Theatres, Shops, or dwelling houses,
and which can be so arranged as to diffuse fire-extinguishing gas or fluid at the
outbreak of the fire, as well as to give the alarm to persons residing in other parts
of the premises, or in adjoining premises, or to the police in the street outside, or
even to the Fire Brigade direct.
Although specially intended for unoccupied premises it would also be of great
advantage on board ships or in inhabited premises, because it enables any person
suddenly discovering a fire in his vicinity, to act powerfully and promptly in
trying to extinguish it by means of the fire-extinguishing Grenade, which can be
readily detached for this purpose while at the same time sounding the alarm and
thus summoning aid from a distance.
In addition to this protection from fire it can also be utilized as a protection
against burglars, as, if desired cords can be attached to sashes and doors in
such manner, that on, their being forced open, the cord shall pull a trigger or
release a spring in connection with the alarin and thus sound the bell and release
the signal of the apparatus.
My apparatus has three main functions, namely, to drop a fire Grenade to sound
an alarm, and to display a signal.
The latter function can be dispensed with when not required.
The apparatus consists firstly of a fragile globe or vase preferably of glass, con-
taining some of the well known chemical substances used for extinguishing fire,
and forming the fire extinguishing Grenade.
This Grenade can be suspended from the ceiling or from a bracket fixed to the
wall, or in any desired position.
:
It may be suspended from an ordinary cord or small chain, but it is important to
observe that some portion of the attachment must consist of a short length, or link,
composed of some cord or tape of special material, readily acted on by heat, and
caused thereby to give way at a temperature somewhere between 80 and 120
degrees.
This link of heat-sensitive paterial must be carefully prepared so as to give way
at once under the influence of flame or of a rapid increase of temperature.
It may be made of straw or rush plaited and dipped in tallow, wax, stearine or
some similar substance, or of any other heat sensitive material, or combination of
materials.

page_text: In my experiments hitherto. I have found twisted threads of guttapercha most
suitable, and I adopt guttapercha in some form, by preference for this purpose.
In place of a link, as before described, a loop of guttapercha may be attached
to the Grenade, and the Grenade can be suspended from the cord or chain by
this loop.
The cord or wire to which the grenade is attached is so connected by pullies to
a small lever or spring, that when the grenade falls, the lever or spring is released,
and the alarum set in action.
This action of the alarum can in ordinary cases, be most conveniently caused by
a common clock work movement actuated by a coiled spring or weight, but when
the alarum is required to work at some distance from the grenade, I employ by
preference a small electric battery of the sort used for bell work.
At the time that the alarum bell is being rung the signal marked "FIRE" is
released and falls from a vertical to a horizontal position. This can be accomplished
by a small spurwheel attached to the clock movement, on the points of which a
small chain is hooked, so that as the clock runs down, the chain is thrown off, and
the signal released, or the signal may be caused to fall by the action of an electric
current.
The signal can be placed in the street, and can be painted in luminous paint, so
as to attract the attention of the police or of passers by.
When the clock work is used a small tell tale is suspended shewing when the
movement requires to be wound up.
The apparatus can be attached to a small board so as to be hung on the wall of
any apartment, or the whole may be enclosed in a small box or case.
When several of the Fire Grenades are connected to one apparatus, indicators
are used, consisting of levers or springs, each bearing a distinguishing number, aud
so contrived as to act on the stop rod or checkbook which detains the apparatus
and thus remove the stop, or in the case of a battery being used, to form the
contact, and set the alarm in action.
The construction of these indicators is such that it is easy to see from what room
the fire has occurred.
When placed in position with the wires or cords ready, and the clockwork
wound up, strings of rush, tow, or some other rapidly burning substance can be
suspended from the grenade to the floor, so that in case of a fire occurring in the
lower part of the room, the flames may be speedily conducted to the apparatus.
It will be thus seen that on a fire occurring, either the flames ascending or the
heightened temperature of the room, will at once cause the grenade to fall, break,
and diffuse its contents, while the alarm will be sounded and the signal projected.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1. Shows a front view of the apparatus with the fire grenade in position.
Fig. 2. Shows the Fire Signal in position ready to fall on a fire occurring.
A. is the Fire-extinguishing Grenade.
B.
C.
"
33
D.
E.
F.
G.
»
"
"
"
Guttapercha Link.
small Bracket on which Grenade is hung.
Wire or Cord connecting the Grenade with the spring trigger E.
Spring Trigger held down by the weight of the Grenade.
Stop Rod or Check-hook, which when thrown up by the spring,
releases the lever G.
Small detent Lever held back by the check-hook, and in its turn
holding back the hammer of the bell attached to the clock
movement.

page_text: L. is the small projecting plate to conceal the Tell-tale when the clock
movement is wound up.
M.
N.
"
""
O. O. O.
"
P.
"
.
Spur wheel which releases the chain of the Fire Signal.
Chain connecting the Spur Wheel M: to the Fire Signal.
Pulley Wheels on which the chain or wires run.
Fire Signal.
1
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The use of Guttapercha, or some other heat-sensitive substance as an auto-
matic suspender for holding up a fire-extinguishing grenade as herein described.
2. The principle or system of suspending a fragile fire-extinguishing grenade,
so that it falls and breaks automatically, when the cord, link or loop holding it, is
acted on by fire or heat, and at the same time sounds an alarm, and when required
displays a signal as herein explained and set forth.
3. The additional safe guard of a tell-tale to call attention to the apparatus not
being set or wound up, as herein explained.
4. The employment. of spring or other indicators to be actuated by the fall of
the fire extinguishing grenade, and so arranged as to denote the number of the
room where the grenade has fallen, as herein described.
5. The entire combination of the various parts above described for the purposes
indicated as herein explained and set forth.
Dated this Twenty third day of October 1886.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
Patent Agent,
97, Newgate Street, E.C.