An Improved Apparatus for Facilitating the Escape of Persons from Burning Buildings.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Oct., 1890-Accepted, 1st Nov.. 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Facilitating the Escape of Persons from
Burning Buildings.
We, PEDER THORESEN, Sausage Maker, and PETER SVARSTAD, Merchant, both of
Sveloig, in the Kingdom of Norway, 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 :-
This invention relates to apparatus for facilitating the escape of persons from
burning buildings which apparatus can be used with or without a stationary hoisting
arrangement.
The apparatus consists of a long strip of canvas or other suitable fabric the sides of
which at the upper end are kept apart by a bar which by means of a clamping
device is secured to the window frame the lower end of the said strip being adapted
to be held by persons on the ground outside the building so as to keep it stretched
in an inclined position thereby forming a kind of shoot.
In order to enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe how it can
be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 represents the front elevation of part of a house shewing our improved
apparatus placed in position for use.
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same, and
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation drawn to an enlarged scale illustrating the means
whereby the fabric is secured to the window-frame.
The apparatus comprises two principal parts, viz., the hoisting apparatus which is
fastened to the house and the escape which kept in a suitable place where it shall
always be ready for use when required.
The hoisting apparatus consists of one or two pulleys a which are placed between
two windows in a suitable position below the eaves of the house, factory or other
building, and fastened if possible to the lower side of the eaves; otherwise they may
be secured to the wall.
the
Over the pulleys run wire-ropes the ends of which, when they are not used, are
fastened to the wall of the house at a convenient height from the ground. These
wire-ropes are only intended for hoisting larger ropes 6 over the pulleys a ;
person who is to fix the apparatus is hoisted by means of one rope and the apparatus
by means of the other rope.
The rescuing apparatus or escape consists of a long strip c of canvas or other
suitable material strengthened by cordage; the said material may be in one piece or
be made of several pieces connected together, each length of the material overlapping
the one below it so as to form an uninterrupted surface or shoot down which persons
can slide. In order that the shoot may be fixed to a window in case of fire, one end
thereof is fastened to an iron bar d, which by means of a fixed jaw e and a movable
jaw foperated by a nut g moving over a screw-thread on the bar d is secured to the
window frame. The bar d is supported while the apparatus is in use by chains h
and a ring i in which the rope b is fixed.
To facilitate the entry of persons into the shoot from the window the fabric of
which the shoot is composed is bowed or made to assume a trough-like shape by
means of a curved iron bar k and to enable the persons while sliding down to
regulate their speed, a rope l extending the length of the shoot is fixed to the ring i
in order that the persons who are being rescued from the fire may allow the rope I to
slide through their hands. To prevent persons when jumping out of the window
into the shoot from rolling out of it, the shoot is provided with a top covering which
for further security may be extended so that the shoot forms a kind of bag without a
bottom. The shoot is at the lower end provided with a handle m in order that it may

page_text: be kept stretched out in the required slanting position. As in case of fire it may be
necessary to place the shoot so that it extends away from a wall instead of along the
side of the same, the bar d should be provided with a hinge near the fixed jaw e.
In case of a fire occurring in a house to which our apparatus or escape is to be
applied the canvas shoot must as speedily as possible be brought from the place where
it is kept. A person is then hoisted by a rope fixed to one of the wire ropes and the
apparatus is hoisted afterwards and fixed by the said person to a window of the
storey from which the inhabitants are to be rescued. The shoot is unrolled during
the hoisting until the necessary length is obtained and it is then held at its lower end
by any persons willing to assist, who develop and stretch it until it forms an inclined
plane from the window; the persons in danger emerge through the window, place
themselves in the shoot, and taking hold of the guide rope slide down to the ground.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
(1.) An apparatus for facilitating the escape of persons from burning buildings
consisting of a hoisting apparatus permanently fixed to the building in combination
with a long shoot made of canvas or other suitable fabric kept in a suitable place and
provided or not with a guide rope and a partial or complete covering the said shoot
being adapted to be hoisted in case of fire and fixed to a window frame and reach in
an inclined position down to the ground and be there held substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing and for the purposes
specified.
(2.) The improved apparatus for facilitating the escape of persons from burning
buildings hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 1st day of October 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.