IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CON- TAINING COMPRESSED OR LIQUEFIED GASES FOR THE SPEEDY EXTINGUISHING OF FIRES, INFLATION OF LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES, AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert May Caffall at the Office
•
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th May
1875.
I, ROBERT MAY CAFFALL, of Fleet Street, in the City of London, and
Alton, in the County of Hants, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CON-
TAINING COMPRESSED OR LIQUEFIED GASES FOR THE SPEEDY EXTINGUISHING OF FIRES,
INFLATION OF LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES, AND OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES," to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to apparatus by which carbonic acid gas or other
available gases can be used for extinguishing fire in houses, ships, and
other buildings or structures, also for the inflation of life-saving
appliances and other useful purposes.
For the purpose of my Invention I liquefy carbonic acid gas by any
suitable means, and charge vessels of metallic glass or other suitable
substances so as to fill them with the liquefied gas. To the vessels I fix a
nozzle with one or more taps or cocks, by preference I use two, one before
the other, so that in the case of a fire breaking out in a building, ship,
or other structure, near which one or more of my apparatus may be

page_text: placed, it is only necessary to turn the taps and throw the vessel into
the fire, when the free and rapid discharge of carbonic acid gas will
immediately extinguish the fire.
The apparatus can be arranged for extinguishing fires in a self-acting
manner, for example, I suspend from and by preference near to the
ceiling of a room a vessel charged with carbonic acid gas, one of the taps
having a small bar or lever of suitable length projecting from one side,
and hung at the other end by wire or other incombustible material, the
vessel is also suspended at or near the same level as the bar by any
number of strings of a combustible nature, which pass over a support,
and from thence radiate to different parts of the room, and are severally
secured in the most suitable position. The string, tape, or other
substance, is by preference impregnated with nitrate of potash or other.
suitable substance to render it readily combustible. Upon a fire breaking
out it would ignite one or more of the said strings or supports which
would rapidly burn along and communicate its fire to the united bands
supporting the vessel; the said bands would then break and let fall the
vessel, causing the tap connected with the lever or bar to turn and to
permit of the escape of the gas and thus extinguish the fire.
In using my apparatus on board ship the small vessels charged with
the carbonic acid gas could be kept in a secure place by the captain or
other responsible person or persons, and upon an alarm of fire the
apparatus could be thrown into that portion of the ship endangered (after
the tap has been turned on), and all openings such as doors or hatchways'
closed.
The gas would then effectually extinguish a fire in the hold or
other confined space in the ship.
In the case of arranging my Invention in large warehouses and other
buildings divided into apartments and floors, I fix say one of my vessels
in an accessible part of the building, say the watchman's room, and
connect therewith a number of pipes each leading to a separate floor or
department, where desired, a suitable appliance, electrical or otherwise, is
so arranged that upon a fire breaking out in any of the said floors or
departments instant notice is given to the person in charge of the
premises, at the same time noting the part of the building on fire. By
means of a key the said person could then turn a tap connected with the
pipe communicating with the said floor or department, which would at
once cause a stream of carbonic acid gas to be forced into the said floor
or department for so extinguishing the fire.

page_text: I cover the taps of my apparatus if required with glass or other
suitable covering, so that the tap cannot be turned without first breaking
or removing the said cover. The apparatus being portable can if desired
have a flexible tube attached to its nozzle, which could be inserted into
a room or place on fire through a very small opening, such as a keyhole,
and the stream of carbonic acid gas would be entirely under the control
of the person in charge of the apparatus.
My Invention offers a ready effectual and cheap means for the
extinguishing of fire in coal pits. The apparatus can be made of larger
size, and by regulating the size of the hole for its emission, the flow of
the carbonic acid gas can be maintained for a considerable length of
timé. Certain volatile and odorous substances can be admixed with
the carbonic acid gas so that should it by any possibility escape
accidentally its presence would be immediately detected.
By the use of my above Invention the enormous damage caused by
water in the putting out of fires is entirely avoided, and time and
expense are saved as a small charged vessel of about one inch in
diameter would 'be sufficient to put out a considerable fire in a large
room.
The apparatus when charged with liquefied gas is applicable for the
inflation of parachutes and other aerial appliances, also for life-saving
appliances generally, and the retention of liquefied gases for useful
purposes in art and manufacture.