IMPROVE- MENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES APPLICABLE ALSO FOR VENTILATING BUILDINGS
Year: 1885

page_text: I ALFRED JESSE BLEW of Fawley Lodge Hythe near Southampton Hants
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES APPLICABLE ALSO FOR VENTILATING BUILDINGS" to be
as follows:
My Invention has for its object to provide convenient apparatus or means for
enabling persons to escape from burning buildings which apparatus may also serve
for ventilating purposes and consists in arranging on the exterior of a building in
close proximity to the windows or other places of exit a metal box frame or trunk
which may extend upwards from the ground to the uppermost window or other
exit or to the roof of the building. This frame box or trunk which may consist of
ornamental iron work is provided with openings at convenient distances apart so
as to form steps by which persons may ascend and descend.-In the interior of this
frame box or trunk is another frame or perforated plate or a number of plates
connected together by chains wire ropes or otherwise and so arranged as to cover
the openings in the outer frame box or trunk when not required to be used as
a ladder but capable of being moved into position to uncover the openings in the
said outer frame when it is required to use the same as a ladder or means of escape
from the building. The inner frame or plates may be actuated by means of a
windlass gearing or other suitable mechanism situated in any convenient part
of the building to which windlass or other apparatus is connected a chain or chains
or wire rope communicating with each apartment or floor of the building so that
the said inner frame or plates may be operated from any of the floors when it
is required to uncover the openings in the outer frame box or trunk.
In order to keep the frame cool in case of fire I purpose arranging on each side
of the box or trunk a tube or pipe similar to ordinary drain or stack pipes to the
lower end of one of which a hose pipe may be attached and water forced through
the pipe onto the top of the building from whence it may flow over the metal box
frame or trunk or it may be conducted down the pipe at the opposite side of the
frame.
The box frame or trunk may be made to communicate with the several apart-
ments of the building by suitable passages provided with valves or doors through
which vitiated air from the apartments may escape into the box frame or trunk
and by which fresh air may be admitted into the apartments.

page_text: Improvements in Fire Escapes, Applicable also for Ventilating
Buildings.
I, ALFRED JESSE BLEW of Fawley Lodge Hythe near Southampton Hants,
Gentleman 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 provide convenient apparatus or means for
enabling persons to escape from dwelling houses and other buildings when unable
to do so by the ordinary means in consequence of fire or for other reasons,
which apparatus may also serve for ventilating purposes and consists in arranging
on the exterior of a building in close proximity to the windows or other like places
of exit a frame trunk or structure which may extend upwards from the ground to
the uppermost window or other like exit or to the roof of the building. This frame
trunk or structure which may consist of ornamental iron work preferably coated
with fire resisting material, or which may be constructed of fire brick or other fire
resisting material cased or faced with wrought iron, is provided with openings at
convenient distances apart so as to form steps by which persons may ascend and
descend. In the interior of this frame trunk or structure is a perforated wrought
iron plate, or a number of plates connected together by chains wire ropes or other-
wise and so arranged as to cover the openings or some of the openings in the frame
trunk or structure when it is not required to be used as a ladder, but capable of
being moved into position to uncover the openings in the said frame or trunk when
it is required to use the same as a ladder or means of escape from the building.
The inner moveable, plate or plates, is or are connected by a chain or wire rope or
its equivalent to a Crab or Windlass or to other suitable mechanism situated in
any convenient part of the building for the purpose of raising the said plate or
plates into position for closing the openings in the trunk, in which position it is
maintained by means of a ratchet wheel and detent in connection with the wind-
lass, or with a pulley or drum over or around which the lifting chain or rope is
passed. To the outer end of the engaging detent is connected a rope which passes
through the floors of the building to the lowest apartment thereof if desired, so
that when it is desired to uncover the openings in the frame or trunk the said
detent may be disengaged from the ratchet wheel by hauling on the rope in any of
the apartments through which it passes and thus release the wrought iron plate or
plates which will then descend by its or their own gravity and uncover the openings
in the outer frame to admit of persons ascending and descending.
In order to keep the structure cool in case of fire I arrange on each side thereof
or in close proximity thereto, a tube or pipe to the lower end of one or both of
which a hose pipe or hose pipes may be attached and water forced through the said
pipe or pipes and through suitable passages leading therefrom into the several
apartments in the building, or on to the roof of the building from whence it may
flow over the structure and thus maintain it in a cool condition. One of the said
pipes may be utilized for conducting or conveying away rain water from the roof.

page_text: The trunk or structure may be made to communicate with the several apartments
of the building by suitable passages through which vitiated air from the apartments
may escape into the trunk and by which fresh air may be admitted into the
apartment.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures 1 and 2 represent respectively a front elevation and a vertical section of
the front wall of a dwellinghouse provided with my improved apparatus constructed
of metal according to my invention and the remaining Figures are details of the
apparatus drawn to an enlarged scale.
In carrying out my invention I build in the wall of a dwellinghouse or other
building or attach thereto by any suitable means the trunk A which may (as shewn)
be made in parts or lengths and the several lengths connected together by socket
joints as shewn in Figure 3 or by rivetting or otherwise, the said trunk being
constructed of any length required according to the height of the building to which
it is to be applied. Figure 4 is a front elevation of one of the lengths detached
and Figures 5 6 and 7 are respectively a side elevation a vertical section and a
horizontal section of the same Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11 are views of the top or
cap B of the trunk. The several lengths of the trunk may be fixed to the wall of
the building in any suitable way I have however shewn them provided with lugs
or ears b by which they may be fixed by strong studs or nails driven through holes
in the said lugs or ears into the brickwork.
On each side of the interior of the trunk A is a groove c in which grooves is fitted
to slide a perforated wrought iron plate D (a portion of which is shewn in per-
spective in Figure 12) the openings or perforations d in the said plate corresponding
in size to the openings a in the trunk A. so that when the openings d are opposite
the openings a steps are provided by which persons may ascend and descend
the trunk. The plate D is connected by a wire rope E or its equivalent to
a crab or windlass F which may be situated as shewn in Figure 2 in the
top floor of the building or it may be placed in the lowest apartment thereof
as shewn in Figure 13, or in the basement or any other suitable part of the
building. The rope E passes over or around a pulley G fitted to rotate in the
upper part of the trunk A and provided with ratchet teeth f with which a
detent H engages for the purpose of maintaining the plate D in its elevated
position with the solid parts between the openings d thereof, opposite the
openings a in the trunk, thus preventing persons ascending the trunk until the
plate D is moved so as to cause the openings thereof to come opposite the openings
in the trunk. To the outer end of the detent H. (which together with the ratchet
wheelf may if desired be arranged on the crab or windless F) is attached one end
of a rope I which passes down through the several floors of the buildings so as to
be accessible in any of the said floors, to be pulled for the purpose of disengaging
the detent from the ratchet wheel f and thereby allow the plate D to descend by
its own gravity so as to bring the openings therein opposite the openings in the
trunk A and form a ladder, by means of which persons, in the event of the building
catching fire, may safely descend from any of the floors of the building In order
to facilitate access to the ladder from the windows or other exits or openings in the
building the window cills may be made sufficiently long to extend to the side of the
trunk A, or a special platform may be built in or secured to the building just beneath
the windows or other exits to assist persons in obtaining access to the ladder.
On the exterior of each side of the trunk A is a tube or pipe g g' through which
water may be passed for the purpose of maintaining the trunk cool; for which
purpose I provide at the lower part of the pipe g a screwed nozzle h to which a
hoze pipe may be attached and water forced up through the said pipe onto the
roof of the building from whence it will flow over the trunk A, and thereby

page_text: prevent the said trunk from becoming unduly heated. The pipe g may also be
provided with other screwed nozzles i at suitable distances apart for the reception
of hose pipes, for directing streams of water through the windows or other
openings to the interior of the building. The pipe g¹ may if desired be also
provided with means for the attachment of hose pipes similar to the pipe g, or it
may be simply employed for conveying rain water from the roof of the building
-K are openings in the back of the trunk A communicating with the interior of
the building, through which openings vitiated air may pass from the interior of
the building into the trunk, other openings being provided if required for admitting
fresh air into the building and thus maintain the building perfectly ventilated.
Figure 13 is a modification illustrating an arrangement whereby in the event of
the building catching fire the plate D is caused to descend automatically by the
burning of the rope E by which it is held in its elevated position. This rope is
connected at one end to the plate D and passes thence over the pulleys G and
down through the several floors of the building to the lowest apartment or to the
basement, where its opposite end is connected to a crab or windlass F round which
it is wound so as to maintain the plate in its elevated position or the end of the
rope may be connected to a weight (or its equivalent) sufficiently heavy to maintain
the plate D elevated.
In the event of fire burning the rope E or should the said rope be otherwise
broken or divided the plate being relieved of its counterbalancing weight will
immediately descend, bringing the openings therein opposite the openings in the
trunk A thereby providing ready means to enable persons to escape from the
building should they be unable to do so by the ordinary exits. Should the rope
remain unbroken the plate D may be caused to descend by raising the rope in any
of the apartments through which it passes, so as to remove the weight thereof
from the plate.
Instead of the sliding plate D the openings a in the trunk A may be each fitted
with a separate hinged plate D as shewn in Figure 14 (or otherwise) the several
hinged plates being connected together by a rope or its equivalent so as to be all
operated simultaneously by either hauling on or by releasing the rope for the
purpose of uncovering the openings a in the trunk, in a similar manner herein-
before described for operating the sliding plate D. When the trunk or frame A is
made of metal I prefer to coat it with some suitable fire resisting material such for
example as what is known as "Asbestine" which is a substance well known and
extensively used in America for fire proofing buildings. I wish it to be understood
however that I do not confine myself to the use of metal in the construction of
the trunk as I may prefer to make it of bricks, artificial stone, concrete, fire proof
cement, or other suitable fire resisting material, and which may if desired be encased
or faced with metal-and the parts may also be tied together by metal bars or
rods which may constitute the steps of the ladder.
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
First. Apparatus or means for enabling persons to escape from dwellinghouses
and other buildings when prevented from doing so by the ordinary means the said
apparatus consisting of a frame or structure having openings therein constituting
a ladder or steps and provided with a sliding plate or its equivalent for closing the
openings in the frame or structure when not required to be used as a ladder
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by my drawings.
Second. In Fire escapes or ladders to be attached to buildings the combination
with the trunk or structure A and sliding plate or plates D or its or their
equivalent of a tube or tubes through which water may be forced substantially
in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by my
drawings.

page_text: Third. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts consti-
tuting apparatus or means for enabling persons to escape from buildings otherwise
than by the ordinary exit or exits the said apparatus being also applicable for
ventilating purposes substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.