Improvements in Fire-escapes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 5th May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 7th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1898
Improvements in Fire-escapes.
I, HADRIAN BAYLEY, of No. 42, Newington Causeway, in the County of Surrey,
Fire-escape Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes, especially to those of
the telescopic ladder type, and its object is to enable a fire-escape or the ladders
thereof to be tilted or lowered to any required angle with the ground or building
against which they may be erected, without necessitating the unskidding of the
wheels and moving the carriage portion of such escape; and my invention also
embraces the means employed in combination therewith, for effecting both the
extension of the ladders and the tilting of them to the required angle, by one
and the same crank spindle and pinion or equivalent mechanical device.
Hitherto it has been customary to fix the main ladder or the frame in which
it rests, rigidly and parallel upon the frame of the carriage, and in some instances
it has been rendered capable of sliding longitudinally to a limited extent upon the
said carriage-frame, and in yet another instance, the main ladder rests upon
a supplemental frame, interposed between itself and the carriage frame, upon
which it can slide and to which supplemental frame the main ladder is fixed
rigidly preferably at an angle with the carriage frame, and so, therefore, in neither
of the above mentioned instances has it been possible to alter the angle of the
ladders without unskidding the wheels and moving the whole escape bodily, which,
besides requiring the services of a number of men, takes an appreciable time to
effect and thus often causes serious delay.
This invention is designed with a view to remedy the above disadvantages and
consists in providing on each of the sides of the main ladder a slot or slotted
guide plate, in which move friction rollers, preferably two pairs, one pair being
mounted in suitable bearings attached to the back beam of the carriage frame,
the other pair mounted in bearings at the top ends of pivoted levers or connecting
links whose other or bottom ends are pivotted in bearings situated at or near the
front of the carriage frame, preferably of the front ends of the side beams of the
said frame.
The top of each of the aforesaid pivoted levers or links is provided with a hook
adapted to engage with a corresponding one fixed on the side of the main ladder
when the latter is tilted to its full extent, the object being to prevent the said
ladders from being tilted at too great an angle.
A double winch, situated preferably, between the two side bars of the levers
carries, on one roller or drum thereof, the ends of wire ropes, the other ends
of which are secured to the back beam of the carriage frame; the other roller
or drum carrying the rope or ropes which operate the ordinary ladder hoisting
tackle. Between the two drums of this double winch is fixed the crank spindle,

page_text: adapted, by means of a movable pinion or its equivalent, to gear with and operate
either drum as desired.
A long roller is also provided on the front beam of the carriage-frame to ease
the sliding motion of the main ladder upon the said frame.
The operation of my invention is as follows: Assuming the escape has been
already directed against a building and the wheels blocked or skidded; the pinion
on the crank spindle of the winch is put in gear with the drum carrying the wire
ropes attached to the carriage frame. On turning the winch the trolley frame and
ladders are caused to slide forwards,bodily, the ladders keeping substantially
parallel to the carriage frame until the rollers at the top ends of the pivoted levers
or connecting links meet with stop-blocks in the slotted guide plates on the sides
of the main ladder, when, by reason of the combined actions of the said blocks
and the continued winding of the winch, the pivoted links are gradually elevated
carrying the ladders with them, thus effecting the object of tilting the ladders
to any extent or angle desired without moving the carriage.
When the ladders have been thus tilted to their full extent the hooks on the
pivoted levers automatically engage with those on the .slotted guide plates and
so act as stops to prevent the tilting being continued further. Extra safety!
catches are also provided on the bottom of the main ladder which automatically
engage with others on the back of the carriage frame.
When the ladders have been thus tilted or lowered to the angle desired it is
only necessary to throw the pinion on the crank spindle into gear with the other
drum, that is, the one carrying the hoisting tackle, when the ladders will be
extended to the required height.
Suitable pawls and ratchets being provided on the winch, the latter may 'be
safely left unattended when necessary.
Improvements in Fire-escapes.
I, HADRIAN BAYLEY, of No. 42, Newington Causeway, in the County of Surrey,
Fire-escape Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes, especially to those of the
telescopic ladder type, and its object is to enable a fire-escape or the ladders thereof
to be either tilted or lowered to any required angle with the ground, or the building
against which they may be erected, without necessitating the unskidding of the
wheels and moving the carriage portion of the escape, as must be done with such
escapes as hitherto constructed; and my invention also embraces the means
employed in combination therewith for effecting both the extension of the ladders
and the tilting of them to the required angle, by one and the same crank spindle
and pinion or an equivalent mechanical device.
Hitherto it has been customary to fix the main ladder, or the frame in which it
rests, rigidly and parallel upon the frame of the carriage. In some instances
it has been rendered capable of sliding longitudinally to a limited extent upon
the said carriage-frame, and in yet another instance, the main ladder rests upon a
supplemental frame, interposed between itself and the carriage-frame, upon which
it can slide and to which supplemental frame the main ladder is fixed rigidly
preferably at an angle with the carriage frame, and so, therefore, in neither of the

page_text: the ordinary ladder hoisting tackle. Between the two drums of this double winch
is fixed the crank spindle o adapted by means of a movable pinion n or its
equivalent, to gear with and operate either drum as desired.
A long roller P is also provided on the front beam of the carriage-frame to case
the sliding motion of the main ladder upon the said frame.
The operation of my invention is as follows: Assuming the escape has been
already directed against a building and the wheels blocked or scotched; the
union n on the crank spindle o' of the winch is put in gear with the drum k
carrying the wire ropes attached to the carriage frame. On turning the winch
the trolley or lever-frame and ladders are caused to slide forwards bodily, the
ladders keeping substantially parallel to the carriage frame until the rollers b, b¹
at the top ends of the pivoted levers or connecting links c, e meet with stop-
blocks in the slotted guide plates a, a on the sides of the main ladder j, when,
by reason of the combined reaction of the said blocks and the continued winding
action of the winch, the pivoted links c, care gradually elevated, carrying the
ladders with them, thus effecting the object of tilting the ladders to any extent
or angle required without unscotching the wheels or moving the carriage.
When the ladders have been thus tilted to their full extent, the hooks h, h
on the pivoted levers c, c¹ automatically engage with those i, i on the slotted
guide plates a, a¹ and so act as stops to prevent the tilting being continued
further. Extra safety-catches r, rare also provided on the bottom of the main
ladder which automatically engage with others s, on the back of the carriage
frame.
When the ladders have been thus tilted or lowered to the angle desired it is
only necessary to throw the shifting pinion on the crank spindle into gear with
the other drum that is, the one carrying the hoisting tackle, when the ladders
will be extended to the required height by operating the winch as before.
Suitable pawls and ratchets being provided on the winch, the latter may be
safely left unattended when necessary.
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. A fire-escape the ladders of which are not fixed to the carriage frame but
are supported slidably adjustable thereon by means of rollers mounted in bearings
fixed to the said frame which ride in longitudinal slots provided in the sides of the
main ladder, substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated.
2. A fire-escape the ladders of which are supported slidably adjustable upon the
carriage frame by means of rollers mounted in bearings fixed to the said frame
which ride in longitudinal slots provided in the sides of the main ladder, the
carriage frame being also provided with link-levers pivoted at one end to the said
frame and having at their other end rollers or blocks which also ride in the slots
in the main ladder, substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated.
3. A fire-escape the ladders of which are supported slidably adjustable upon the
carriage frame by means of rollers mounted in bearings fixed to the said frame
which ride in longitudinal slots provided in the sides of the main ladder, the
carriage frame being also provided with link-levers pivoted at one end to the said
frame and having at their other end rollers or blocks which also ride in the slots
in the main ladder, a double winch mounted between the levers, and connected
to both the carriage frame and the ladders and which is worked by a movable
pinion adapted to be put in gear with either roller, by means of which from one
and the same crank the lever frame is drawn towards the carriage frame or the
ladders extended as desired, substantially as and for the purposes described and
as illustrated.
4. In a fire-escape, the combination with the carriage thereof, of a main ladder
having longitudinal slots in its sides; the lever-links pivotally connected at one

page_text: end to the carriage frame and at the other end to the main ladder by means of
rollers riding in the slots thereof; the double winch with movable pinions con-
nected to and operating both the raising to the required angle and extension of
the ladders, substantially as and for the purposes described and as illustrated.
5. A fire-escape constructed and operating substantially as herein described and
illustrated.
Dated the 7th day of March 1898.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.