IMPROVE- MENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES
Year: 1884

page_text: I HENRY THOMAS BAILEY of 8 St. German's Place Blackheath in the County
of Kent, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES" to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in fire escapes.
My improved fire escape consists of a ring frame of metal carried upon jointed
arms which are to be firmly connected to the wall within the room to which the
fire escape is to be applied and at a short distance below the window sill. These
arms are so arranged as to admit of the metal ring being placed outside the
window and there firmly held in a horizontal position about on a level with the
window sill on which the jointed arms then take a bearing in order to support the
ring. To this ring there is attached a canvas tube sufficiently long to reach to the
ground; it is down through this tube that the person escaping from the window
passes. He is aided in doing so by an endless or other rope which extends
within the tube for its whole length and which passes also around a block or pulley
made fast within the room beneath the window sill.
When use is to be made of the apparatus the ring is placed outside the window
as already described the canvas tube is unfolded and its end is allowed to descend
to the ground, the end of the canvas tube, should be held by those below at a
convenient distance from the wall of the building.
The person descending attaches himself to one side of the endless rope and
lowers himself through the tube holding the rope in his hands. The strain on the
rope so held in the hand will not be great as the weight of the person will be
supported in great part by the friction of the rope in running over the window sill
and the edge of the metal ring. This strain may be further increased by the use
of a friction apparatus nounted upon the window sill and consisting of a nipping
lever beneath which the rope passes. Using this nipping lever to hold the rope a
person in the room can easily lower another without any aid from the person
descending simply checking the movement of the rope by the nipping lever as the
rope passes into and from the canvas tube.
The canvas tube is prepared with tungstate of soda to render it incombustible.
When the apparatus is out of use it folds away in a small space within the
room.
Dated this 12th dex of M100.L
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I HENRY THOMAS BAILEY of 8 St. German's Place Blackheath in the County
of Kent Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES" and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This Invention has for its object improvements in fire escapes.
My improved fire escape consists of a ring frame of metal carried upon jointed
arms which are to be firmly connected to the wall within the room to which the
fire escape is to be applied and at a short distance below the window sill. These
arms are so arranged as to admit of the metal ring being placed outside the
window and there firmly held in a horizontal position about on a level with the
window sill on which the jointed arms then take a bearing in order to support the
ring. To this ring there is attached a canvas tube sufficiently long to reach to the
ground, it is down through this tube that the person escaping from the window
passes. He is or may be aided in doing so by an endless or other rope which
extends within the tube for its whole length and which passes also around a block
or pulley made fast within the room beneath the window sill.
When use is to be made of the apparatus the ring is placed outside the window
as already described the canvas tube is unfolded and its end is allowed to descend
to the ground, the end of the canvas tube should be held by those below at a
convenient distance from the wall of the building.
The person deseending attaches himself to one side of the endless rope and
lowers himself through the tube holding the rope in his hands. The strain on the
rope so held in the hand will not be great as the weight of the person will be
supported in great part by the friction of the rope in running over the window
sill and the edge of the metal ring. This strain may be further increased by the
use of a friction apparatus mounted upon the window sill and consisting of a
nipping lever beneath which the rope passes. Using this nipping lever to hold the
rope a person in the room can easily lower another without any aid from the
person descending simply checking the movement of the rope by the nipping lever
as the rope passes into and from the canvas tube.
This running rope may however in most cases be dispensed with as it is easy to
descend the canvas tube without the aid of any rope.
When the apparatus is out of use it folds away in a small space within the
room.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 is a plan of the apparatus as it appears
when set up for use.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the frame as it appears when folded away out of
use; the canvas bag is not represented in this Figure to avoid confusion. Figure 4
shews to a smaller scale the lower end or mouth of the canvas bag where the
person descending is received.
The frame consists of a ring a fixed to the arms b b which for convenience of
folding away are jointed at b₁ b¹. When the apparatus is in use the arms b rest

page_text: on the window edge and so support the ring a c, c are links jointed to the inner
ends of the arms 6 and also to brackets & d, fixed within the room, e is a guard
which is fixed to the ring a to facilitate entrance into the tube. ff are strong rope
connections each capable of supporting nearly a ton which are made from this
guard to eyes fixed to the window frame to aid in sustaining the weight. I use.
wire rope for the connections f and arrange spring books at their ends to engage
with the fixed eyes. The side ropes f form a protection to persons entering the
tube. gg is the tube of strong canvas through which the descent is made, its
mouth is securely lashed to the ring a. This tube reaches to the ground; for
additional security I place bands of elastic fabric around the tube at intervals as
at gl g¹ to prevent in any case the descent being too rapid. At each of these
places the person going down by extending the elbows and knees, checks or stops
himself until a fresh start is voluntarily made. h is a rope passing down through
the tube also to aid the descent. h¹ is a pulley within the rooin around which this
rope passes. This rope may be provided with a loop at either end to pass over the
shoulders of a timid person.
In place of or in addition to the running rope h I employ a fixed rope passing
down through the tube and attached at its upper end to the ring a.
The bottom of the canvas bag is opened out to form a sheet which is held
distended to receive the person descending. To facilitate this a hand rope gå³ is
provided at each corner of the sheet and hand loops g³ at the sides.
i is the friction apparatus fixed upon the window ledge by means of which the
passage of the rope may be controlled during a descent by a person remaining
above.
The fire escape may be so arranged as to admit of its being moved when
necessary from room to room. In this case it is necessary to provide fixed
brackets dd with eyes in each of the rooms and to so form the joints connecting
the arms with these brackets that the joint pin may be readily inserted and
removed.
The canvas tube may be prepared with tungstate of soda or other wise chemically
prepared to render it incombustible or an asbestos fabric may be employed.
use.
Amongst the advantages of this fire escape are that it remains ever ready for
It occupies but a small space and can easily be concealed beneath a inuslin
covered dressing table. Its use is easy and involves no danger however uninstructed
or nervous the person.
Having thus 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 my improved fire escape substantially as herein described.
PALCO
HENRY THOMAS BAILEY.
Carpmael & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.