An Improved Roller Frame to Facilitate the Hoisting of Firemen's Hose and the like.
Year: 1887

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Roller Frame to Facilitate the Hoisting of Firemen's
Hose and the like.
I JOHN J. BRESNAN of the City County and state of New York, Fireman do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED ROLLER FRAME TO
FACILITATE THE HOISTING OF FIREMEN'S HOSE AND THE LIKE and in what manner is to
he performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Hitherto in the use of firemen's hose much difficulty has been experienced in
hoisting hose upon the roofs of buildings, or up to other elevations, to enable the
firemen to direct the stream to advantage. The usual method is to carry a hoisting or
roof line, up to the roof or other elevation, and then to let the line down and attach it
to the end of the hose, which is then drawn up by the line. The hoisting or
roof line, which is one of the permanent appliances of a fire-department station, is of a
sufficient length (usually from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet) to reach
the roofs of the highest buildings, and the hose, which is to be drawn up, must also
necessarily reach from the roof to the ground. Such a length of hose is very heavy, and
in hoisting it, it must necessarily be either lifted bodily up or else drawn over the
cornice of the roof. To sustain the strain which is thus put upon the hose a heavy
hoisting line must be used, (usually one inch in diameter) and owing to the weight of
the line and hose a number of men are required to draw up the hose, and considerable
time is necessarily consumed; and in dragging the hose over the cornice and in
contact with the window-sills and other projecting parts of the building it becomes
worn, and hence requires to be frequently replaced.
The object of this invention is to overcome these difficulties, and to facilitate the
hoisting of hose to elevated positions.
The invention consists in the portable hoist, which is hereinafter claimed, and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-
Fig. 1, is a view of the improved hoist, showing its application in drawing hose to
the roof of a building; Fig. 2, is a perspective, and Fig. 3, a front view, of the hoist.
This hoist consists of two parallel plates or side frames, A, A, each having a long
rm or branch, a, and a short arm or branch, b. These arms or branches, a, and b,
extend at substantially right angles to each other, and one of them, preferably the
TDi Q77

page_text: shorter one, is shaped to form a pointed hook, B, the hook pointing in the line of the
longer arm. The general shape of each plate or frame, it will be seen, is that of a
hook or grapnel. The two plates or frames are connected together by means of cross
bars or rods, C, C, which extend between the plates near the ends of the branches, a,
and b. Each of these rods is shouldered near each end, as at c, against which shoulders
the inner faces of the plates or frames rest, whereby the plates are held at a fixed
distance apart. The rods have screw-threaded ends, d, which extend through suitable
apertures in the plates or frames, and upon them outside of the plates, nuts, e, e, are
screwed to hold the plates or frames together. Extending between the two plates or
frames between the two branches, and near and on either side of the angle formed by
them, are two other rods or shafts, D, D, which are preferably shouldered and screw-
threaded, as in the case of the rods, C, C, and screwed to the plates or frames by
similar nuts, e, e.
These rods serve as shafts, upon which are rotatively mounted two
anti-friction cylinders or rollers, E, E. These cylinders or rollers are slightly, less in
length than the distance between the plates, A, A, so that they may freely rotate upon
the shafts. Each cylinder or roller is also slightly concaved upon its surface, having
its greatest diameter at the ends and its least diameter at the center. The cylinders or
rollers are made thus concave in order that the hose which is drawn over them may be
kept at the center and away from the side plates as much as possible. The side
plates, A, A, extend far enough beyond the surface of the cylinders to furnish
sufficient guides for the hose and to prevent it from slipping off from the cylinders,
and they are flared slightly outward in order to prevent the hose from coming in
contact with their edges.
To one of the rods, C, C,preferably the one between the long arms, a, a,—is
pivotally hung a swinging bail, F, to which is permanently attached a securing or
holding line, G, of, say, fifteen or twenty feet in length. The hoist itself may also
serve as a reel upon which the roof line is wound when not in use.
In using this hoist in the case of hoisting hose upon a roof, it is placed as shown in
Fig. 1.
The hoist is first carried upon the roof, and the roof-line unwound therefrom.
The hoist is then placed with the long arms upon the roof, and the short hooked arms
holding beneath the cornice. The securing line is then passed around some permanent
object upon the roof, and one end of the roof-line is then thrown to the ground, where
it is attached to the hose. The roof-line is then drawn up over the anti-friction
cylinders or rollers. When the hoist is in position on the roof, the cylinder or
roller mounted in the short arm extends out beyond the cornice, so that in drawing
up the hose it will swing free from the window-sills and other projections on the roof,
and the eylinder or roller mounted in the long arms being above the cornice, the hose
and roof-line are thereby prevented from coming in contact with the cornice or roof.
These cylinders or rollers thus serve to protect the hose and line from wear, and also
render it much easier to draw up the hose, so that only a few men are required to
manage the hose. At the same time a much lighter roof-line may be used, since there
is so much less strain upon it. The decreased weight of line, together with the
absence of the usual reel, fully counterbalances the weight of the hoist, so that no
additional burden is placed upon the firemen in the carrying of the hoist.
The connection of the securing line to the hoist is important, since it secures its
constant attachment thereto, and the line thus serves as a means for securing the hoist
in position whenever it is necessary to do so.
The use of the hoist in other positions will he obvious. When placed on a ladder
for drawing hose up thereon, the hooks, B, B, will be placed on one round of the
ladder with the long arms hanging down.
The hoist is preferably made entirely of metal, both for the sake of strength, and
to render it indestructible by fire. Two cylinders or rollers are used, since each may
thereby he comparatively small, and the two may include a large enough radius to
carry the hose clear beyond the cornice on both sides.
This hoist may be used equally well for hoisting other things beside hose, and will
be found convenient in hoisting fire-ladders as well as hose.

page_text: 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. In a portable hose hoist, two plates or frames connected together, in combina-
tion with a roller or rollers mounted between said plates or frames, said plates or
frames extending beyond the peripheries of said rollers, substantially as set forth.
2. As an improved article of manufacture, a portable hose hoist composed of two
parallel plates or frames connected together, each of said plates being formed of two
arins at an angle to each other, one of said arms being hooked, and two anti-friction
rollers rotatively mounted between said plates in the respective arms thereof on either
side of the angle formed between said arms, said side plates or frames extending
beyond the peripheries of said rollers, substantially as set forth.
3. In a hose hoist, two plates or frames connected together, in combination with
an anti-friction roller or rollers mounted between said plates, said plates or frames
extending beyond the peripheries of said rollers, and being flared outwards,
substantially as set forth.
4. In a portable hose hoist, two parallel plates or frames, each formed with two
arms at an angle to each other, one set of arms being hook-shaped, and a swinging
bail between the other set of arms, in combination with anti-friction rollers rotatively
mounted between said plates in said arms respectively, and a securing line attached to
said swinging bail, substantially as set forth.
5. In a portable hose hoist, two parallel plates or frames, each of which is formed
of two arms at an angle to each other, and two anti-friction rollers rotatively mounted
between said plates or frames in the respective arms thereof on either side of the angle
formed by said arms, said side plates or frames extending beyond the peripheries
of said rollers, in combination with cross bars or rods, C, C, extending between and
connecting said plates or frames at or near the outer ends of the two arms of each
plate or frame, and a line permanently attached to one of the said cross bars or rods,
substantially as set forth.
6. The use and employment of the hoist as a reel for winding the roof rope.