Improvements in Extension Ladders.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Extension Ladders.
I, SAMUEL TOMPKINS WAGGONER, of No. 543, St. Dominique Street, in the City of
Montreal, in the District of Montreal and Province of Quebec, Dominion
of Canada, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates, particularly, to extension ladders of the portable type and
it has for its object to provide a ladder that will embody means for automatically
locking the ladder in its extended state, the invention also consisting in so
constructing the ladder that any of the parts may be readily renewed at a very
small cost. It preferably consists of two main ladder sections constructed as usual
with side frame pieces connected together by rungs, the sides of one section being
adapted to fit and travel between the sides of the other section.
Upon these sides and preferably intermediate of the two uppermost rungs of the
outer section are secured, preferably, by bolts, a pair of brackets to receive the
diminished ends of a spindle having a pair of pawls rigidly mounted thereon,
the outer ends whereof are adapted to take under the rungs of and support the inner
ladder section.
A length of rope has one end passed through a screw-eye screwed into the
underside of the bottom rung of the outer ladder section.
This end of the rope is
knotted to hold it in the eye and the rope itself is taken upwardly to and over
a sheave carried by a cross piece secured by iron bracket pieces to the upper ladder
section near the upper end thereof. From this sheave the rope is taken to and
through a second eye carried by the lowermost rung of the outer ladder section
and thence to a third screw-eye, corresponding to the first mentioned screw-eye,
but carried upon the upper side of the same rung as said eye is carried, the other
end of the rope being also knotted after having been passed through the said
third eye.
A pair of iron guiding brackets are secured preferably by bolts to the inside
surfaces of the sides of the section and adjacent to, but below, the brackets while
the cross piece is adapted to serve the double purpose of providing a support for
the sheave and acting jointly with the rung adjacent thereto, of the ladder section,
to localize the pawls and maintain them in a position to automatically engage and
support the rung next above and at the same time enable the rungs of the ladder
section below them to displace them sufficiently to allow said ladder section to be
raised.
A short length of rope is connected at one end to one of the pawls a short
distance above the axis thereof, in order to provide a means to allow of the move-
ment of said pawls out of the line of travel of the rungs of the section, while said
section is being lowered.

page_text: The side bars of the ladders are reinforced and held against any chance of
splitting by lengths of wire let into them longitudinally along one edge and passing
over both ends.
Dated this 1st day of November 1897.
improvements in Extension Ladders.
I, SAMUEL TOMPKINS WAGGONER, of No. 543, St. Dominique Street, in the City of
Montreal, in the District of Montreal and Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada,
Manufacturer, 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 :-
My invention relates particularly to extension ladders of the portable type and it
has for its object to provide a ladder that will embody means for automatically
locking the ladder in its extended state, the invention also consisting in so
constructing the ladder that any of the parts may be readily renewed at very small cost
and while the main ladder portions may be constructed of exceedingly light material
they will be less liable to breakage than ladders have been heretofore.
For full comprehension of the invention, reference must be had to the
accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which like symbols
indicate the same parts and wherein,
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a ladder constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 a longitudinal vertical sectional view thereof taken on line 2, 2,
Figure 1 and
Figure 3 a transverse horizontal sectional view thereof taken on line 3, 3
Figure 1.
My improved ladder preferably consists of two main ladder sections 5 and 6
constructed as usual with side frame pieces 7, 7 and 8, 8 respectively connected
together by rungs 10, the sides 8, 8 of the section 6 being adapted to fit and travel
between the sides 7, 7 of the section 5.
Upon these sides 7, 7 and preferably intermediate of the two uppermost rungs of
the section 5, are secured by bolts 12, a pair of brackets 13, perforated as at 14 to
receive the diminished ends 15 of a spindle 16 having a pair of pawls 17 rigidly
mounted thereon and preferably weighted as at 27, the outer ends whereof
are adapted to take under the rungs of the ladder section 5 and support said
section.
A length of rope 18 has one end passed through a screw-eye 19, screwed into the
underside of the bottom rung of the ladder section 6. This end of the rope is knotted
to hold it in the eye and the rope itself is taken upwardly to and over a sheave 20,
carried by a cross piece 21; secured by iron bracket pieces 22, to the ladder section 5
near the upper end thereof. From this sheave 20, the rope is taken to and through
an eye 23, carried by the lowermost rung 8* of the ladder section 5, and thence to a
screw eye 24, corresponding to the screw eye 19, but carried
upon the
upper side
of the same rung as said eye 19 is carried, the other end of the rope being also
knotted after having passed through the said eye 24.
A pair of iron guiding brackets 25 are secured preferably by bolts 26 to the inside
surfaces of the sides 7, 7 of the section 5, and adjacent to, but below, the brackets 22,
while the cross piece 21 is adapted to serve the double purpose of providing a

page_text: support for the sheave 20 and acting jointly with the rung adjacent thereto of the
ladder section 6, to maintain the pawls 17 in a position to automatically engage and
support the rung next above and at the same time enable the rungs of the ladder
section 6 below them to displace such pawls allowing the ladder section 6 to be
raised, after which said pawls drop back to their normal position by gravitation.
A short length of rope 30 is connected at one end to one of the pawls 17 a short
distance above the axis thereof, in order to provide a means to allow of the movement
of said pawls out of the line of travel of the rungs of the section 6 while said section
is being lowered.
In order to enable the longitudinals of the ladder sections to be constructed of
material that is light in weight, such for instance as comparatively thin or narrow
wooden side pieces, I secure lengths of wire 40 at one end of each to the front
side of the side pieces near the upper ends thereof (as at 41) and stretch the lengths
over said upper ends, down the rear sides of the side pieces, under the lower ends
thereof and secure the other end of each length (as at 42) to the front side of said
side pieces a short distance up from the said lower end; while the side pieces are
preferably grooved, as at 43 on their front and rear sides to receive and conceal said
lengths of wire.
The manner in which I prefer to secure these lengths of wire in place, which is
preferably done before the parts of the ladder are fitted together, is to first attach
one end (say as at 41) and then spring the side of the ladder, stretch the wire over
the ends, attach the other end, (say as at 42) and then allow the ladder to assume
its normal condition when the wire will be stretched tightly into the groove.
It will be obvious that all of the parts of an extension ladder constructed
according to the foregoing are extremely simple to make and therefore easily and
cheaply replaced in case of breakage, also that the extension or shortening of the
ladder may be readily and speedily effected.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An extension ladder comprising a stationary ladder section and a sliding
ladder section, one or more pawls having their free ends weighted, pivotally
connected to the stationary ladder sections and adapted to automatically engage
the other ladder section and lock said ladder in its extended state; means for
displacing said pawls and means for extending said ladder for the purpose set
forth.
2. An extension ladder comprising a stationary ladder section and a sliding
ladder section, one or more pawls having their free ends weighted, pivotally
connected to said stationary ladder section and adapted to automatically engage
the rungs of the sliding ladder section, a length of rope connected to said pawl
at a point above the axis thereof, and means for extending said ladder, for the
purpose set forth.
3. An extension ladder comprising a stationary ladder section and a sliding
ladder section, one or more pawls having their free ends weighted pivotally
connected to said stationary ladder section and adapted to automatically engage
the rungs of the sliding ladder section, a length of rope connected to said pawl at
a point above the axis thereof; and a length of rope connected at one end to the
lowermost rung of the sliding ladder section and extending upwardly to and over
a sheave carried by said stationary ladder section near the upper end thereof and
thence around the lowermost rung of the stationary ladder section to the said
lowermost rung of the sliding ladder section to which the other end of the said rope
is connected, for the purpose set forth.
4. In combination with the solid wooden longitudinals of a ladder, a length of
wire secured at one end to the front edge of each longitudinal near one end thereof
stretched over said adjacent end and along the full length of the rear edge of said
longitudinal and over the opposite end thereof, and the other end of said length of

page_text: wire being secured to the said front edge of the longitudinal near the opposite end
thereof, for the purpose set forth.
5. In combination with the solid wooden longitudinals of a ladder, a length of
wire secured at one end to the front edge of each longitudinal near one end thereof
stretched over said adjacent end along the full length of the rear edge of said
longitudinal and over the opposite end thereof, and the other end of said length of
wire being secured to the said front edge of the longitudinal near the opposite
end thereof and such wire embedded in the longitudinal, for the purpose set
forth.
6. A wooden longitudinal having a length of wire extending along one edge bent 1
over the ends and embedded in the longitudinal and having its ends secured in same,
for the purpose set forth.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.