An Improved Fire Escape.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Fire Escape.
I, HENRY SCHWANNECKE, of 1280 Pulton Avenue, New York City U.S.A.,
Doctor of Medicine 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 relates to an improvement in fire escapes, and has for its object to
provide a device of simple, durable, and economic construction, which may be.
placed at the side of the building without detracting from its appearance.
A further object of the invention is to provide an escape consisting, essentially,
of two chairs or balconies so connected that when one descends the other will
ascend; and another object of the invention is to provide the balconies with suitable
tracks and to construct cushions whereby the occupants of the balconies or chairs.
will sustain no shock when the said balconies reach the ground.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several
parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding
parts in all the views.
Fig. 1. is a front elevation of a portion of a building, illustrating the application
thereto of the escape.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken practically on the line 2, 2 of Fig. 1, and
Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken practically on the lines 3, 3. of Fig. 1.
:
At any desired point upon the building A two tubular standards 10 are erected,
the standards being placed in a vertical position, and said standards extend practically.
from the ground or bottom of the building to a point near the eaves or roof thereof.
Immediately over the upper ends of the tubular standards, a transverse or horizontal
tubular slideway 11 is located. The tubular slideway 11 may be connected at its
ends with the vertical tubular standards, or may be spaced some distance therefrom,
and the slideway 11 may be curved, or, as illustrated, its central portion may be
straight and its ends curved downward to meet the standards.
Preferably upon the inner face of each standard at or near the top a keeper 12
is constructed, and each standard at its lower end is provided with a hollow
base 13, while in the base of the standard springs 14 are located, the springs
being preferably coil or spiral springs, as indicated in Fig. 2.
In connection with the standards two chairs or balconies 15 are employed, of any
suitable or approved construction, one balcony or chair being adapted to slide in
each standard. To that end the standards are provided in their front faces with
vertical grooves 16, extending from the base to the top, and in cach standard a
bar 17 is located, said bars being adapted to slide in the standards and correspond
to them in cross-section. To these bars 17 the balconies are secured in any suitable
or approved manner, the attaching medium extending outwards through the slots 16
of the standards. The bars 17, carrying the chairs or balconies are preferably
reduced at their ends, as shewn at a and their reduced ends are encircled by
springs 18, having bearings upon shoulders formed by the reduction of the rods,
which springs have secured to their lower ends discs 19, the said discs being of a
diameter enabling them to enter the tubular base 13 of the standards, and the
reduced portions of the rods 17, carrying the chairs or balconies, are adapted to
enter and pass downward within the space inclosed by the springs 14.
Each chair or balcony is provided with a brake B, pivoted thereto. The brake
comprises an upper section 20, constituting a handle, and which extends upward
beyond the floor of the chair or balcony, and a lower section 21, extending below

page_text: the plane of the floor of the balcony, carrying at its lower end a shoe 22, and
the shoes of the brakes are normally kept in engagement with the standards
through the medium of a spring of any approved construction.
In operation one balcony or chair is normally located near the lower end of
one standard and the other balcony near the upper end of the opposite standard, at
which point the latter balcony is locked by the shoe of the brake entering the
keeper 12 of the standard, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, the chairs or balconies being
connected by a cable 23, which cable passes up through one of the standards and
through the upper elideway, the ends of the cable being attached to the upper
ends of the bars 17. In the event that persons desire to escape from the upper
portion of the building, they enter the upper chair or balcony and withdraw the
brake from connection with the keeper 12, whereupon the balcony or chair will
descend rapidly by gravity and the lower end of the bar to which the balcony is
attached will enter the base of the standard in which it slides, causing the disc 19
to engage with the top of the springs 14 in the base. The spring 18 will then
be compressed, preventing the rebound and the spring 14 will serve as a cushion,
preventing the occupants of the balcony from being injured.
It is apparent that the device is exceedingly simple, economic, and durable, and
it is also evident that as soon as one balcony reaches the ground the other balcony
connected therewith will be drawn upward and locked in a position to receive
persons desiring to descend. The cable in passing from the slideway is carried
over suitable pulleys 24, as shewn in Fig. 1.
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) In a fire escape, the combination, with two vertical tubular standards and a
tubular slideway located above said standards, of a bar held to slide in each
standard, chairs or balconies secured to said bars, one of which chairs or balconies
is normally located at the upper end of one standard and the other at the lower
end of the opposite standard, spring-pressed brakes attached to the chairs or
balconies, a cable connecting the rods to which the chairs or balconies are attached
and pressing through the slideway, and keepers attached to the upper portions of the
standards, as and for the purpose specified.
2) In a fire-escape, the combination, with tubular standards provided with
grooves in their front faces, a tubular base located at the lower end of each
standard, a tubular slideway located above the standards, and a spring located
within each base, of a bar held to slide in each standard, a cable connecting the
bars and passing through the slideway, the chair or balcony attached to each bar,
one of which chairs is normally located at the top of one standard and the other
near the bottom of the other standard, a spring coiled around an extension of each
of the sliding bars and adapted to enter the base of the standards, and discs attached
to the springs and adapted to engage with the springs in the base of the standards
as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 10th day of February 1902
HENRY SCHWANNECKE.