Improvements in Fire Ladder Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 24th May. 1895-Accepted, 29th June, 1895
[Communicated from abroad by THE HORTON FIRE LADDER Co., LTD., of
Halifax, in the Province of Nova Scotia, in the Dominion of Canada.]
Improvements in Fire Ladder Apparatus.
I WILLIAM HUMPHREY WHEATLEY, of the Firm of Wheatley & Mackenzie,
Engineers and Patent Agents, of 40 Chancery Lane, in the County of London,
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 has for its object to improve the construction of fire-ladder
apparatus and to make it more efficient in use and to combine the practical
advantages of the ordinary hand ladder truck, a main extension ladder useful at
high buildings and a substantial water tower.
The invention is of the nature of an extending fireladder pivoted to a platform,
one end of which can be tilted to the ground, and also having turning and rocking
movements, the whole mounted on a truck of improved design.
The invention also includes a number of improvements in the details of fire ladder
apparatus.
Reference is made to the drawings which are annexed hereto in which
Fig. 1 shows a side view of the apparatus when not in use.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the ladder when elevated and the platform when tilted
to the ground an end view of the truck being shown.
Fig. 3 shows the tilting platform and its connections to the main ladder and
the raising mechanism of both main ladder and extension ladder.
Fig. 4, side view of rocking mechanism.
Fig. 5, plan of rocking mechanism.
Fig. 6, the brackets and rollers of the extension ladder in detail.
In the construction of my invention I prefer the following form:
Upon a wheeled truck whose side frames A are bent so as to provide a high and
firm support for the turntable B which is mounted thereon, the rocking platform C
and tilting platform D revolve and carry with them the main ladder E and
extension ladder F. The ladder when not in use or when being moved from place
to place is turned parallel to the truck but when in use is swung round at right
angles and elevated in that position.
The advantage of such a frame is that the space within it is clear for hand
ladders and other fireman's implements while at the same time being light and
strong. The hand ladders are as usual supported on rollers. On the frame is
mounted a brake mechanism H for the purpose of locking the wheels when the
apparatus is at rest as well as for braking purposes. It is operated by the bar H'
with the lorking bar H attached. The latter catches on the serrated segment H'
and holds the bar H'.
It can be worked either from the drivers seat by the foot or by the hand from
the ground. By thus locking the wheels the rigidity and stability of the truck is
greatly increased particularly when the tilting platform is tilted to the ground. At
the front and back of the side frames are the end supports J by which the ladder
and platform are held in place.
The upper part of the turntable has two trunnions K on which the rocking
platform is supported. Running through one of these trunnions is a shaft Lª

page_text: operated by a hand wheel L which by means of the gear M' M M³ the shafts M* M*
and the mitre gear M turns the sciew M' and moves the pivoted nut MB which
causes the rocking platform to rock by means of the projections C³ to which ever
side it is required.
The rocking platform C supports the tilting platform D by means of the
projecting bearings C¹ and the gudgeons D.
The tilting platform D is made with sides parallel for the greater part of their
length but branch outwards and ending in levelling jacks N with adjustable shoes
at the ground end.
The screws D by which the ladder is raised run parallel to the sides D and are
turned by bevel gearing D' and a crank shaft D' which is placed near the lower
end of the platform. The screw nuts D' which move on the screws D' are joined
to bars E which are connected with the ladder frame or to a shaft E supported
by the brace bars E to the side of the ladder or its extensions.
The connecting bars E³ are pivoted at both ends to their connections.
The main ladder is constructed with the side braces E¹ broader at the bottom
and narrowing towards the top till they join the sides of the ladder and in the
preferred form they are pivoted to the tilting platform near its shoes N by means
of the pivot extensions E and the transverse bar D.
The main ladder is provided with a windlass E for raising the fly or extension
ladder F which fits between the sides of the main ladder and is held in position by
metal brackets with rollers E as shown in detail in Fig. 6. These brackets hold
the fly ladder sufficiently far from the main ladder as not to interfere with its use
while the fly ladder is being raised.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:
The truck is drawn at right angles to the direction it is required to raise the
ladder and by means of the turntable the ladder and tilting platform are swung
round to the proper angle, the tilting platform is then tilted to the ground. The
shoes are then adjusted to the ground by means of the jacks and the wheels are
locked by the brake mechanism, the whole forming an extensive and firm base for
the ladder to be supported from.
The ladder is raised by the cranks applied to the shaft geared to the screws
through the movement of the nuts and connecting bars to any desired angle.
The fly ladder can be raised where the buildings are high by cranks applied to the
gear of the windlass.
In order to adjust the top of the ladder laterally the rocking mechanism and the
levelling jacks will be called into play. The rocking mechanism is controlled by
the handwheel at the rear end of the rocking platform and is easily manipulated
from the ground.
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. In a fire ladder apparatus, the combination of a bent frame, a turntable
mounted thereon supporting a rocking platform on which is pivoted a tilting
platform a main ladder with an extension ladder connected thereto as set forth.
2. In a fire ladder apparatus the combination of a bent frame, a turntable
mounted thereon supporting a rocking platform on which a tilting platform
is pivoted, a main ladder pivoted to the tilting platform and an extension
ladder and hand ladder supported between the bent sides of the frame as set
forth.
3. In a fire ladder apparatus the combination of a bent frame, a turntable
mounted thereon supporting a rocking platform pivoted to a tilting platform, a
main extension ladder pivoted thereto, and levelling devices at the ground end of
the tilting platform, as set forth.
4. In a fire ladder apparatus the combination of a bent frame a turntable
mounted thereon supporting a rocking platform, with mechanism for rocking it, on

page_text: which is pivoted a tilting platform with main extension ladder pivoted thereto as
set forth.
5. In a fire ladder apparatus, the combination of a bent frame, a turntable
mounted thereon, supporting a rocking platform on which a tilting platform is
pivoted, a main extension ladder pivoted thereto, and mechanism connecting the
ladder and the tilting platform for the purpose of raising and lowering the ladders
as set forth.
6. In a fire ladder apparatus, the combination of a bent frame, a turntable
mounted thereon supporting a rocking platform on which a tilting platform is
pivoted a main extension ladder pivoted thereto and side braces to the main ladder
expanding towards the base as set forth.
7. In a fire ladder apparatus, the combination of a bent frame, mounted on
wheels, a locking brake mechanism adapted to lock the wheels, a turntable
supporting a rocking platform on which a tilting platform is pivoted a main
extension ladder pivoted thereto as set forth.
8. The combination with a ladder supporting, turning, tilting and rocking
platform of screws, nuts, connecting rods, bevel gears and crank shaft adapted to
raise and lower the ladder as set forth.
9. The combination with a ladder supporting, turning, tilting and rocking
platform, of hand wheel, shafts, train of gear, bevel gears, screw, pivoted uut, and
trunnions adapted to rock the platform as set forth.
10. The combination with a ladder supporting, turning, rocking and tilting
platform, of adjusting jacks and shoes, adapted to adjust the ground end of the
platform and to laterally adjust the top of the ladder as set forth.
11. The combination with an extension ladder of brackets and rollers as set
forth.
12. The combination with a main ladder pivoted to a turning, tilting and rocking
platform, and an extension ladder, of mechanism adapted to raise and lower the
extension ladder.
Dated this 24th day of May 1805