Improvements in Means for Saving Life from Fire.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 30th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Saving Life from Fire.
I, ANDREW MOONEY, of 39 Duncan Terrace, Islington, in the County of
London, Clerk in Holy Orders, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The invention relates to means whereby a number of persons can be lowered
from a burning building in a very short time, and in the manipulation of which no
great amount of physical strength is required.
'
For this purpose I employ a multiple pulley block having, by preference, either
three or five pulleys, in which cases either two or three pulleys would be arranged
above either one or two pulleys according to the number of pulleys in the block.
The frame of the pulley block is provided with a hook or with an eye by which it
can be connected with any suitable article of furniture or with any convenient part
having sufficient strength. A rope is passed first over one of the upper pulleys,
then under the lower pulley, or under one of the lower pulleys, and then over
another upper pulley until it is passed above and below all the pulleys and finally
passes over the top of the last upper pulley; the pulleys are mounted syinmetrically
in the block or frame, so that the rope as it falls from the top of the first upper
pulley and from the top of the last upper pulley shall keep the pulley block in proper
position.
One end of the rope is provided with means for carrying a person or for securing
a person thereto, and the other end is held in the hand of the person being lowered
or of any other person superintending the lowering operation.
By the employment of a pulley block of the character above described sufficient
friction is put on the rope to enable a person to be lowered with very little power
applied to the free end of the rope.
Improvements in Means for Saving Life from Fire.
I, ANDREW MOONEY of 39 Duncan Terrace, Islington, in the County of
London, Clerk in Holy Orders, 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 :-
The invention relates to means whereby a number of persons can be lowered
from a burning building in a very short time and in the manipulation of which no
great amount of physical strength is required.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is an elevation of the complete apparatus,
Figure 2 is an elevation of the pulley block to a larger scale.

page_text: Figure 3 is a section on the line 3. 3 of Figure 2 and
Figures 4 and 5 are respectively a side view and an edge view of an open link to
facilitate the connection of the pulley block to an eye formed in a rope or to other
suitable holding means.
The pulley block shown in the drawings has only three pulleys but a pulley
block provided with five pulleys might be employed.
a is the body of the pulley block b. b are two upper pulleys and c is a lower
pulley.
a is an eye at the top of the body a by which the pulley block may be attached
to a chain or rope d or to other support by means of an open link e or in any other
convenient manner. f is a rope which is passed first over one of the upper pulleys b
then under the lower pulley e and then over the other pulley b. One end of such
rope is preferably provided with a knot or other stop to prevent its becoming
completely detached from the pulley block and the other end thereof is preferably
provided with a loop band f¹. The entire apparatus is kept within the building
when not in use but when required for use the pulley block is attached by the
link e and roped to any suitable fixture or article of furniture or otherwise and so
that the pulley block can be passed out of a window or other aperture; then to
lower a person from a burning building, such person can use the loop band as a
seat and by grasping the rope just above such loop band ¹ can steady himself in
an upright position while being lowered by some person manipulating the other
part of the rope. Or in the event of a person being too nervous to secure his or her
own vertical position by grasping the rope, a cord can be passed around his or her
body under the armpits and tied to the rope f or a loop in the rope may be made
for such purpose near to the loop band. Again a person may lower himself or
herself by sitting within the loop band and grasping the portion of rope
depending from the opposite side of the pulley block to that from which the end
carrying the loop band depends and by allowing the rope to slip through his or
her hand or by grasping and freeing such part of the rope alternately by each hand.
In case of necessity a bag or basket to hold a person being rescued, could be
used instead of the loop band and a guy rope may be attached to the loop baud or to
that end of the rope so as, if necessary, to draw the person being rescued from the
reach of fire below.
If desired the pulley block may be provided with three upper pulleys band two
lower pulleys c so as to put extra drag on the rope ƒ.
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 1
claim is :
1. The improved means for saving life from fire substantially as herein shown
and described.
2. In means for saving life from fire, the combination of a pulley block having
three or more pulleys, means for connecting said pulley block to any convenient
fixture or article, a rope passing around said pulleys and means attached to one
end of said rope to support a person to be rescued, substantially as herein described
and represented in the accompanying drawings.
Dated January 29th 1895.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.