An Improved Fire Escape, Applicable also to the Ventilation of Buildings and other Domestic Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1889
Specification Accepted, 13th Apr., 1889
An Improved Fire Escape, Applicable also to the Ventilation of
Buildings and other Domestic Purposes.
We, THOMAS OAKLEY, of 222 Deptford Lower Road, S.E. Engineer, and EUSTACE
SMITH, of 8 Wood Lane Uxbridge Road London N.W. Colliery Manager 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 :-
The object of our Invention is to provide a ready method of, and apparatus for,
affording egress to the inhabitants of the upper floors or stories of large buildings
when said building is on fire, or otherwise in danger of destruction; and also to so
arrange the several parts comprised in the apparatus according to our Invention, as to
serve for a ventilating shaft, and ready and convenient means for raising or lowering
goods from one floor of said building to another.
In order to fully explain the nature of our said Invention, reference may be had to
the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a longitudinal
section of the device or contrivance attached to the wall of a house or building, the
line A B upon the front elevational view Figure 2 indicating the line of section.
We employ a vertical shaft, of rectangular, or other suitable cross section, shewn
by A A Figure 1, attached to the outer wall of a building B, by means of bolts and
wall plates a a, or other equivalent method of attachment. Said vertical shaft A A
may be constructed of sheet iron, galvanized or corrugated iron, or may be built up of
ordinary brick or stone work. Suitable doorways, C, C₁C" are pierced through the
outer wall B to which the shaft A A is attached, so that said doorways may com-
municate directly with said shaft. Each door is preferably made of iron or steel plate
and is fitted within a similarly constructed frame, or said doors may be made of wood,
and lined or faced with sheet metal so as to resist the action of fire. A spring, or
other suitable contrivance is also provided in connection with said doors, so as to
ensure automatic closure, and prevent accidents, and yet to render these outlets easy
of access in cases of emergency.
We also prefer a simple bolt, bb1611 or bolts, for fastening the doors, in preference
to any form of lock, for the reason that the keys of the latter appliances are liable
to be mislaid, or to be out of reach when required to be used.

page_text: A suitable
We provide a ladder, consisting of a number of tranverse rings, c c, which, although
shewn fixed across the shaft A A parallel with, and near the back of said shaft, in the
two views, Figures 1 and 2, we may place upon either side thereof, when desirable.
We also provide a chair, with guards, D, which may be raised or lowered by means
of the blocks and tackle E E¹. This arrangement allows of the rescue of such
inmates of a burning building as may be physically unable to descend by means of the
ladder c c, and also serves the purpose of a lift for conveying goods and the like to or
from the upper stories or floors of the building upon ordinary occasions.
doorway F is formed at the lower part, or base of the shaft A A, communicating with
the open air, and admitting of the ingress or egress of persons using the lift or
ladder, and also affording a supply of air, which by the law of convection flows
upward in the direction of the arrows in a continuous current, due to the radiation
from the building, which in ordinary cases is maintained at a higher temperature
internally than that of the external air. Suitable sliding ventilators d d d are let
into the wall of the house upon each floor, in such a manner that the upper stratum
of air in said floors may be caused to flow into the shaft A. A when said ventilators
are open, and so ventilate the building by promoting a current of fresh air, which
enters by means of any crevice or opening to replace the vitiated air ejected into the
shaft. Suitable orifices or openings G are formed in the upper part of the shaft A A
to facilitate the process of ventilation.
The shaft A A also affords additional convenience in fixing gas, water or soil
pipes, as shewn by H, Figure 1, also electric light leads, or bell wires, these being
vertically arranged within the shaft A A so as to branch or diverge for supply or
connection to each floor of the building and yet not interfere with the proper manipu-
lation of the lift, D, or ladder c c.
The device or contrivance according to our invention as above described may
either be permanently erected to form a part of a new building or structure, or may
be separately constructed, and attached to any building without requiring much
alteration or fitting to render it efficient as a fire-escape or as a convenient lift,
ventilator and also serving to carry pipes, wires or the like to the different floors
where this is desirable.
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 ;-
A combined fire-escape and ventilating apparatus, comprising a vertical shaft A A,
Figures 1 and 2, ladder c c, lift D, E E', doors, C, CC and sliding venti-
lators d d d substantially as herein described, and shewn by the accompanying sheet
of drawings.