Improvements in or connected with Fire-escapes, more especially intended for Domestic Use.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 22nd July, 1896-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Fire-escapes, more especially
intended for Domestic Use.
We, RICHARD JAMES SYMONS, of 3 Copeland Square, Doncaster Gate,
Rotherham, Joiner and Cabinet Maker, and JOSHUA SHAW WARD, of 2 James
Street, Rotherham, Schoolmaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows
-
Our invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes of the domestic kind and
intended to be used more particularly in hotels, asylums, private houses, schools
and the hike, In carrying out our invention we proceed in, or in about the
following manner. Between two metal checks (which may be of any suitable
shape but preferably in the form of a Roman cross) and held at a stable distance
apart by bolts or other suitable means, we provide a dium having grooves for a
On each
we hope on the like which is passed two, three, or more times around it.
side of the dium is a thick circular disc of metal and besides one of the discs 15 a
spur wheel. The drum, dises and spur wheel are all attached to an axle which
passes from side to side through the cheeks Enen eling each of the discs above
mentioned, we place a cucular strap or diag, which is expanded at the lower ends
into a flat plate furnished with a veitical slot, the upper end of each strap on drag
being prolonged and attached to a support, the ends of which beat in the two
checks already mentioned In the slots is a bolt or the like passing from one slot.
to the other and on which tuns a two-sheaved pulley of considerably less diameter
than the grooved dium above mentioned. Below the two-shenved pulley is another
two-sheaved pulley turning on a bolt on axle the ends of which bear in the two
cross-like cheeks. As already mentioned, the dium has a wire rope passed two or
more times around it, and the turns are prevented by any suitable means from
inding over one another The free end of the rope hanging down the left side of
the dium 18 crossed over and passed down the night side of one of the sheaves
on the upper two-sheaved pulley, and then crossed over and passed down the left
side of one of the two sheaves on the lower pulley, and finally out through a hole in
a plate extending, at the bottom of the cross, fiom one cheek to the other. The
other free end of the rope is passed in the reversed way around the second of the
sheaves on each pulley and finally out through a second hole in the lower plate
already mentioned. A pinion gears into the spur wheel alongside one end of
the drum, and the axle of the pinion extends from one cheek to the other, and is
finished at one end with a fly on the outside of the cheek and a spring click on
the inside of the cheek to regulate the speed of the descending person. The whole
apparatus when requel for use is suspended by the upper end of the cross to a
benm, cat-head or other support projecting from a window or other opening or from
a coping or any other convenient point of suspension.
In use a chair, seat, belt or hook for catching into a waist-belt is attached to
each of the free ends of the wire rope, and on a person going down in one chan or
the like, the other one will be diawn up empty, and on that descending, the other
will be raised, and so on.
ה
11005

page_text: Improvements in or connected with Fire-escapes, more especially
intended for Domestic Use.
We, RICHARD JAMES SYMONS, of 3 Copeland Square, Doncaster Gate,
Rotherham, Joiner and Cabinet Maker, and JOSHUA SHAW WARD, of 2 James
Street, Rotherham, Schoolmaster, 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 :-
Our invention clates to improvements in fire-escapes of the domestic kind and
intended to be used more particularly in hotels, asylums, private-houses schools
and the like.
In carrying out our invention we proceed in o in about the following manner,
making reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings in which Fig 1 is a half
sectional end elevation. Fig 2 a side elevation, and Fig. 3 a plan, similar letters
in each figure denoting the same paits
The greater part of the working parts of om invention are contained between
two Roman cross shaped frames a a', retained at a suitable distance apart by the
bolts, and the lower plate c, and provided at the top with a flat book for
suspending the escape from a bracket outside the window of the house on other
building from which it is proposed to use the escape
On a square rod e (the ends of which are hxed on a and a¹) are three metal
(preferably cast non) diums two of which are shown at f, f Fiee to evolve
1ound, is a cylinder g preferably made of brass. Attached to g by screws
is the drum having horizontal flutes or grooves ruuming across its face
To gale
also attached the brass "drags" oi ding wheels k and alongside and to one of
these "dings" is fastened the spur wheel. Chipping each diag & is a steel band m,
the upper end of each of which is attached by a thumb screw or the like n to the
cross bar o extending across the space between, and also capable of turning in, a
and a¹ To mare attached the hangers p between which is the grooved wooden
pulley uning on the spindle r, and below and running on spindle s is another
giooved pulley t Geating into spui wheel is a pinion a fastened to the spindle v.
To the pinion end of and outside a is attached a brass disc w having between it
and a the leather or other similar washer a Inside a and also attached to vis
another brass disc y having between it and a' the leather on the like washeı z
The spindle is prolonged through a' and threaded on v, and close to a' is a loose
"ribbed " biass disc A. Attached to vis the brass block B having notches in
which are pins c on which turn the ends D of the levers E having the adjustable
weights F, which can be set at any required part of E by the screw G or by any
other suitable means Fastened to 2, but adjustable and retainable at any position
thereon, is another brass block H to which are attached the spings I pressing on
the cursed ends J of the ends D of the levers E. The shorter the springs I, the
greater will be the pressure on the ends D, and vice versa.
The springs 1 may be
slotted so as to admit of varying the length by moving the block H (The parts B
to J form a governor to regulate the speed of the descent and may be replaced by
a "Ay"
or any other suitable regulator.) A rope on the like K is passed through
one of two holes L L' in the plate c, it then passes over one side of one of the
grooves it, thence to the opposite side of ore of the grooves in q. The rope is
then clossed over and passed several times round h, theu over the second groove
in (but on the opposite side to which it passed in the other groove). the rope is
then crossed over and passed over the other groove in t, and out through the other
of the holes L L to the one at which it was first entered.
To prevent the coils of rope en hover-riding one another, two quarter circum-
ferences of a ing M (of shaped cross-section) are attached to the upper paits

page_text: of each of the steel bands m. It will be seen therefore that one side of the
Lshaped quadrants will hang down between and separate the coils of the rope.
As a further prevention against over-tiding of the rope, we provide a projection o
upstanding from the cross bar N connecting the steel bands m m. A chan, seat,
belt, or hook for catching into a waist-belt or the like is attached to each of the
free ends of the rope, and on a person going down in our chair or the like, the
other one will be drawn up empty, and on that descending, the other will be
181sed and so on. When the weight is beating upon the pulley t then the ope
passing the pulley g, pulls the hangers p out of the perpendicular, which tightens
the steel bauds m m on the drag wheels k k The ends of O work in boles in a
and a sufficiently large to give a little play to allow the steel bands to work from
the perpendicular, thus to some extent retarding the rotation of the drum . At
the same time the spur wheel 1otates the pinion n and consequently the spindle v.
As the speed of a will gradually increase as the weight descends, the weighted
levers will fly out by centrifugal force (the "flying out" being controlled by the
springs 1). On the weights Flying out, they will draw the discs w and y against
a and a', and at the same time piess the ends D against the plate A and as the
leather or like washers and z 'allow a certain amount of lateral movement, the
rotation of vis retarded by the gupping of a and a¹ between w and A, and a' also
between y and A. On removal of the descending weight the springs I will return
the governo leveis F to their normal position. It is intended that the weights F
shall not fly out to such an extent, as to become perpendicular to the axis of v.
We do not restrict ourselves to the precise details, relative proportions, con-
figmation and disposition of parts, as described and illustrated, as any or all of them
may be varied without depaiting from the spuit of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what mauner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. In fire-escapes provided for and operating substantially as described in the
above specification and exemplified in the accompanying drawings, the "diags" k
and the parts co-operating thei ewith for retarding the speed of descent.
2. In fie-escapes provided for and operating substantially as described in the
above specification and exemplified in the accompanying diawings, the governing
of the speed of descent by the centrifugal action of the levers E in conjunction
with the parts co-operating therewith.
3. The combination of parts together forming and operating as a fire-escape,
substantially as described in the above specification, and exemplified in the accom-
pany ug drawings.
Dated this 21st day of July 1896.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23 Coleman Street, London, E.C, Agents for Applicants.