IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DOMESTIC FIRE ESCAPES
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I WILLIAM WARREN CLOWES of High Street Harrow in the County of
Middlesex Plumber. do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DOMESTIC FIRE ESCAPES and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
"
The object of my invention is to construct domestic fire escapes in such a manner
as to afford increased facilities for stowing the saine away in a small compass,
when not in use, and to make them light and portable, strong, serviceable, and
capable of being quickly placed in position and utilised when required.
In order that my said invention may be clearly understood reference is hereby
made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts.
My invention consists of a frame, of which Fig. 2 is a perspective view, extended,
but with the canvass removed, to shew its construction. This frame may be made
of ash wood, or of iron, or other suitable wood or metal, and is capable of being
folded up as shewn in the perspective view Fig. 3.
The canvass cover and shoot shewn in Fig. 1 are made to fold with the frame or
to be extended for use as shewn in that Figure.
Fig. 4 is a section of a portion of the wall of a house. a is the wall, b is the.
floor of the room, c is the window opening, d the window cill. When in use the
invention is placed as shewn in Fig. 4. The top bar g is made sufficiently long to.
prevent any possibility of the invention falling out through the window opening.
The square frame is held in position by the two stay ropes h¹ h². These ropes
pass through holes in the bar,g, and have knots to prevent their undue extension.
In cases where the invention is prepared for a window situate near the corner of
the room, the top bar g is constructed to suit the same; this modification being so
obvious any special description of such adaptations of the top rail is unnecessary.
Outside the canvass shoot a ladder i i formed of webbing is provided to enable
persons to ascend from the outside and enter the room to assist the escape of the
inmates.
When an aların of fire takes place, all that is required to be done is to open the
bottom sash of the window and place the escape in the opening, as shewn in
Fig. 4; unhook the ropes from the hooks (k Fig. 4) when the frame ŉ with the

page_text: shoot attached, will fall outwards clear of the window sill. The strap is then
unbuckled and the shoot falls as shewn in Fig. 1.
Holes mm are formed for handling the lower end of the shoot, to enable the
bystanders to steady the descent of the escaping persons, and an opening o is
formed to enable such persons to get quickly out of the shoot.
In order to afford an idea of the size and weight of a full sized fire escape, I
would observe that such a machine weighs between sixty and seventy pounds when
fitted with a shoot forty feet long. I make the top bar six feet long and the shoot
twenty one inches by nineteen inches.
When a person is descending in the shoot, the descent may be regulated by
merely extending the arms and thereby causing sufficient friction against the
canvas; and also by the bystanders drawing the lower end of the shoot away from
the house, and easing the descent by inclining the shoot at a considerable angle.
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 :-
The manufacture and use of fire escapes constructed fitted and arranged
substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn on the drawings.