AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SAVING FROM DESTRUCTION BY FIRE PERSONS AND PROPERTY IN HOUSES, BUILDINGS, AND SHIPS, AND ALSO FOR VENTILATING SHIPS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Abraham Parker, of Billericay, in the County of
Essex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SAVING FROM
DESTRUCTION BY FIRE PERSONS AND PROPERTY IN HOUSES, BUILDINGS, AND
SHIPS, AND ALSO FOR VENTILATING SHIPS."-A communication from abroad
by James Partridge, of George and Bathurst Streets, in the City of
Sidney, and Colony of New South Wales, Galvanised Iron Worker.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by tho said Abraham Parker at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th May 1863.
I, ABRAHAM PARKER, of Billericay, in the County of Essex, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SAVING
FROM DESTRUCTION BY FIRE PERSONS AND PROPERTY IN HOUSES, BUILDINGS, AND
SHIPS, AND ALSO FOR VENTILATING SHIPS," being a communication to me from
abroad by James Partridge, of George and Bathurst Streets, in the City of
Sidney, and Colony of New South Wales, Galvanised Iron Worker, to be as
follows:-
For houses and buildings to lay on and fix in a suitable position gun barrel
or other tubing or piping varying in size as may be requisite according to the
size of the building, such tubing or piping to bend through the wall where
necessary, and to be carried up to the roof and along the tye beam to the king
post from one end of the roof to the other, such tubing or piping to be plain,

page_text: and stopped at the ends with screw stop ends. From this tubing or piping
branches of plain pipe are to proceed from the king post up the streets, and
from thence to branch off and be fixed to the purlins, which pipe is to be
perforated with three or four rows of holes in a zig-zag direction, being one
on each side, going from end to end of the roof, and each end of this pipe to
have perforated bends screwed to the same and brought across and connected
with the pipes opposite, which are also to be perforated. If the roof is small
one perforated pipe in the centre will be sufficient. In public buildings or
places of worship with galleries of one or more tiers pipes should descend
through the ceiling and turn round the cornice on the outside of the flowers
or centre pieces, and be perforated with three or four rows of holes, having two
or more inlets from the large pipe above. Branches of plain pipo are to be
connected with the main pipe in the roof, and to descend through the ceiling, and
be attached to perforated pipes fixed above the gallery on the ceiling. This pipe
may be classed as a member of the cornice or branded across to the outside of
the gallery, playing its water upon the body of the building or gallery, if any,
underneath, or both. The pipes for quenching the fire in the staircases should
be connected by branches with the pipe above, and be fixed on the wall above
the staircase and be perforated as before described; a small ring of perforated
tubing fixed on the ceiling with the water brought from above being sufficient
to thoroughly saturate a room in a few seconds, stop-cocks to be placed in the
different parts of the apparatus, so as to prevent a waste of water where it is
not required, but which cocks should always be left open in case of emergency;
force pumps should be fixed in a suitable position, and connected with the main
ascending pipe or tubing to force the water through it. Domestic water tanks
placed high in the building, worked by valves and connected with the plain
pipe in roof, may be made available for the supply of water to the perforated
pipes or tubing in the lower parts of the building; or the supply may be bad
from the public water main, which should be connected with the ascending
pipe on the wall, or wheresoever the same may be fixed. In ships or vessels
portable force and lift pumps will be required for the main decks to draw
water from the sea and force the same through gun barrel pipes or tubing of
two or three inches diameter (but varying according to the size of the vessel),
into smaller pipes or tubing perforated with three or four rows of holes, and
fixed from stem to stern of the ship in different lengths, one line being under
the centre of each deck, but to be bent round the masts and hatchways;
also to fix the same kind of perforated pipe along the underneath part of the
deck about two feet from each side of the vessel in different lengths, each
three lengths in a row to be connected with cross pieces of perforated pipe

page_text: underneath the deck from side to side; the cross pieces to be connected
with the ends of each pipe at the side with easy bends of perforated pipe.
The top of the feed pipes should have a brass flange screwed to the deck to be
connected with pumps, which flange should also be provided with cap screw
to be attached when pumps are not required, such feed pipes branching off
with easy bend to the perforated pipes. The feed pipes which descend to the
lower deck or hold should be separate from those described above, but arranged,
perforated, and connected in the same way as those described between decks,
and to fit the same pumps so that upon the discovery of fire in the lower part
of the ship water may be brought to bear upon it without disturbing the
hatches or port-holes. The poop decks to be fitted in the same way, but with
one length of plain pipe passing through each row of cabins with a rose or
short piece of perforated pipe to each cabin branched on to the plain pipe with
perforated ends. The saloons to be fitted with one length of perforated pipe
passing up the centre of the underneath part of the ceiling or deck above.
For small vessels the centro perforated pipe may be dispensed with. For
vessels of deep draught some of the water may be sprung from the sea by
means of cocks or injections similar to those which are placed at the bottom
of steam ships. In order to use this apparatus for ventilating ships a branch
of pipe or tubing must be connected with each feed pipe on each side of the
vessel below the main deck, passing up through the same as near the bulwarks
as practicable, and connected with a flange screwed to the upper part of tho
main deck, and having screw caps. Into each of these flanges another pipo
or tube will be screwed, having a stop-cock in a convenient position to shut
off the water in case of fire, and having also a bend at the top, such pipe or
tube not to exceed in length the distance between the flanges and timber
head of the bulwarks.
The tubing or piping described in the foregoing Specification to be made of.
wucht iron or other hard malleable metal
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Abraham Parker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ABRAHAM
PARKER, of Billericay, in the County of Essex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by ler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Abraham Parker, Her special licence that I, the said Abraham
Parker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Abraham Parker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any timo agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SAVING FROM DESTRUCTION BY FIRE PERSONS AND
PROPERTY IN HOUSES, BUILDINGS, AND SHIPS, AND ALSO FOR VENTILATING SHIPS,"
a communication to me from abroad by James Partridge, of George and
Bathurst Streets, in the City of Sidney, and Colony of New South Wales,
Galvanized Iron Worker, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Abraham Parker, my exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describo
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
samo was to be performed, and causo the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Offico within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Abraham Parker, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say:-
For houses and buildings to lay on and fix in a suitable position gun barrel
or other tubing or piping varying in size as may be requisite according to the
sizo of the building, such tubing or piping to bend through the wall where
necessary, and to be carried up to the roof and along the tye beam to the
king post from one end of the roof to the other, such tubing or piping to
be plain and stopped at the ends with screw stop ends. From this tubing or
piping branches of plain pipe are to proceed from the king post up the struts,
and from thence to branch off and be fixed to the purlins, which pipe is to be
perforated with three or four rows of holes in a zig-zag direction, being one
on each side going from end to end of the roof, and each end of this pipe to
have perforated bends screwed to the same and brought across and connected
with the pipes opposite, which are also to be perforated. If the roof is small
one perforated pipe in the centre will be sufficient. In public buildings or
places of worship with galleries of one or more tiers pipes should descend
through the ceiling and turn round the cornice on the outside of the flowers

page_text: or centre picces, and be perforated with three or four rows of holes, having two
or more inlets from the large pipe above. Branches of plain pipe are to be
connected with the main pipe in the roof, and to descend through the ceiling,
and be attached to perforated pipes fixed above the gallery on the ceiling.
This pipe may be classed as a member of the cornice or branched across to the
outside of the gallery, playing its water upon the body of the building or
gallery, if any, underneath, or both. The pipes for quenching the fire in the
staircases should be connected by branches with the pipe above, and be fixed
on the wall above the staircase, and be perforated as before described; a
small ring of perforated tubing fixed on the ceiling with the water brought
from above being sufficient to thoroughly saturate a room in a few seconds,
stop-cocks to be placed in the different parts of the apparatus so as to prevent
a waste of water where it is not required, but which cocks should always be
left open in case of emergency; force pumps should be fixed in a suitable
position and connected with the main ascending pipe or tubing to force tho
water through it. Domestic water tanks placed high in the building, worked by
valves and connected with the plain pipe in roof, may be made available for
the supply of water to the perforated pipes or tubing in the lower parts
of the building; or the supply may be had from the public water main,
which should be connected with the ascending pipe on the wall, or where-
soever the same may be fixed. In ships or vessels portable force and
lift pumps will be required for the main decks to draw water from the
sea, and force the same through gun barrel pipes or tubing of two or three
inches diameter (but varying according to the size of the vessel), into smaller
pipes or tubing perforated with three or four rows of holes, and fixed from
stem to stern of the ship in different lengths, one line being under the centro
of each deck, but to be bent round the masts and hatchways; also to fix the
same kind of perforated pipe along the underneath part of the deck about two
feet from each side of the vessel in different lengths, each three lengths in a
row to be connected with cross pieces of perforated pipe underneath the deck
from side to side. The cross pieces to be connected with the ends of each
pipe at the side with easy bends of perforated pipe. The top of the feed pipes
should have a brass flange screwed to the deck to be connected with pumps,
which pumps which flange should also be provided with cap screw to be attached
when pumps are not required, such feed pipes branching off with easy bend to
the perforated pipes. The feed pipes which descend to the lower deck or hold
should be separate from those described above, but arranged, perforated, and
connected in the same way as those described between decks, and to fit the same
pumps so that upon the discovery of fire in the lower part of the ship water

page_text: may be brought to bear upon it without disturbing the hatches or port holes.
The poop decks to be fitted in the same way, but with one length of plain
pipe passing through each row of cabins, with a rose or short piece of perforated
pipe to each cabin branched on to the plain pipe with perforated ends. The
saloons to be fitted with one length of perforated pipe, passing up the centre
of the underneath part of the ceiling or deck above. For small vessels the
centre perforated pipe may be dispensed with. For vessels of deep draught some
of the water may be sprung from the sea by means of cocks or injections
similar to those which are placed at the bottom of steam ships. In order to
use this apparatus for ventilating ships, a branch of pipe or tubing must be
connected with each feed pipe on each side of the vessel below the main deck,
passing up through the same as near the bulwarks as practicable, and con-
nected with a flange screwed to tho upper part of the main deck and having
screw caps. Into each of these flanges another pipe or tube will be screwed,
having a stop-cock in a convenient position to shut off the water in case of
fire, and having also a bend at the top, such pipo or tube not to exceed in
length the distance between the flanges and timber head of the bulwarks.
The tubing or piping described in the foregoing Specification to be made of
wrought iron or other hard malleable metal.
In witness whereof, I, the said Abraham Parker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
ABRAHAM PARKER. (L.S.)