A NEW MACHINE FOR EXTRI- CATING PERSONS FROM BUILDINGS ON FIRE, ALSO FOR THE MORE CERTAIN AND SPEEDY EXTINGUISHING OF FIRES, AND FOR FACILITATING THE ERECTION AND REPAIRS OF BUILDINGS, AND FOR OTHEB PURPOSES, WHICH MACHINE WOULD BE OF PUBLIC UTILITY AND ADVANTAGE
Year: 1786

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, JOHN
PAGE, of Gough Square, Fleet Street, London, Jeweller, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, by His Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at. Westminster,
the Twenty-second day of June, in the twenty-sixth year of His reign,
reciting that I, the said John Page, had humbly represented unto His said
Majesty that I had by great study invented, "A NEW MACHINE FOR EXTRI-
CATING PERSONS FROM BUILDINGS ON FIRE, ALSO FOR THE MORE CERTAIN AND SPEEDY
EXTINGUISHING OF FIRES, AND FOR FACILITATING THE ERECTION AND REPAIRS
OF BUILDINGS, AND FOR OTHEB PURPOSES, WHICH MACHINE WOULD BE OF PUBLIC
UTILITY AND ADVANTAGE;" and praying His Majesty to grant to me, my exors,
admiors, and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great
Britain, for the sole exercise of my said Invention within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years from the date
of the said Letters Patent, was graciously pleased to condescend to my request;
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if I, the said John
Page, should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in the
High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent,
and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly
cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the said Letters Patent,
relation being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Page, in compliance with the said
proviso in the said Letters Patent contained, do hereby describe and ascertain
the nature of my said Invention to be, as herein-before mentioned, a Machine
for the Purpose of Extricating Persons from Buildings on Fire, and for the
more Certain and Speedy Extinguishing of Fires, and for Facilitating the Erec-
tion and Repairs of Buildings, and for other Useful Purposes, Drawings of which
said machine, with proper references, are made in the margin of these Pre-
sents, and the different parts thereof and their names, and the manner in which
the same are applied, worked, and performed, are as follows, that is to say :-
The machine is made up of a combination of leavers (A), Figure the first,
which are joined two and two together in the center by a nut and screw or
rivet which serves as a fulcrum (B). The extremities of these levers are
united to each other by a nut, screw, or swivel (C). One end of the lower-
most leavers is placed on an axis, and has a bracket projecting from them, and
bears upon the axis for the purpose of giving the levers additional strength in
that part (D). There are four of these axises (E), Figure the second, placed
near the extremity of the floor of the machine (F), opposite to each other,
and which axises move on wheels (G). In each of these axises, near the
centre, are two holes (H), in one of the holes in each axis is fixed a nut or
box (I) with a screw nearly the length of the machine. The opposite ends
of these screws pass through the other holes in the opposite axis (K). At the
extreme parts of each screw is a bearing (L) placed in a socket fixed to or in
the side of the machine, two of the screws are placed across the centre of the
other two screws, at which place on each screw is fixed a small wheel (M).
These wheels are acted upon by an endless screw (N *) placed in a perpen-
dicular direction in the centre of the four wheels. At one extremity of this
endless screw is placed another wheel (O), Figure first and second, in an
horizontal position, and this wheel is acted upon by another endless screw (P).
The pivot or spindle of this screw passes through the sides of the machine, on
which pivot or spindle is placed a wench or handle (Q) at each end. There
are two supporters (R) fixed under the pivot or spindle of this screw near the
centre from the floor of the machine, for the purpose of keeping the screw
firm to the wheel. By the turning of the spindle all the screws are moved
round in a contrary direction to one another, by which circumstance the
axises are forced towards each other, and at the same time draw or carry with
them the extremity of the lower levers that are placed on their pivots, the
opposite ends of these levers (S) are consequently forced upwards, and they
being joined to the ends of the next levers act upon them in the same manner,
and those levers again on the next adjoining ones, and so on, by which means

page_text: the whole machine is put in motion and raises the gallery (T), Figure first
and sixth, up in a perpendicular direction. The gallery of this machine is
supported by the extremity of the four upper leavers, which have pivots (V)
fixed at the ends; on each of these pivots is fixed a small solid wheel (W),
these wheels move in a groove (X) fixed to the sides of the gallery, and serve
as a moving basis to the gallery. There is likewise a groove (Y) in a perpen-
dicular direction on each side of the gallery; into this groove part of the
fulcrum of the upper leaver goes for the purpose of keeping the gallery
steady both in its ascent and descent. There are folding doors (Z), Figure
the third, at the sides of the gallery, which, when open, a platform is let down
for the purpose of conveying and receiving persons from a building on fire
into the gallery. These doors have sliding bars (a) Figure the third, and the
platform a sliding floor (6) for the purpose of lengthening the passage from
the machine to the buildings on fire, if necessary. A covering or guard is to
be fixed over the top of the gallery and round its sides, of a coat of mail or
any other defensive materials, whenever this machine is applied to the scaling
of fortifications, viewing of armies, encampments, &c. There is likewise a
sliding ladder (c) Figure the fourth, to be occasionally used for different
purposes, to be placed at one or both sides of the gallery, one end of which
ladder is fixed to the bottom or side of the gallery, and the other placed on
the floor of the machine within or on the outside of the levers, and secured
to one of the axises by swivels or hinges; and as the gallery is forced up,
it draws the ladder out at full length up with it. The basis of this machine
is composed of a rack and wheel (d) Figure the first, one fixed at each
corner of the machine by a swivel (e) for the purpose of placing them in any
direction that may be found necessary. This machine is fixed in or upon a
wheel carriage (f) with shafts or handles for the more easy conveyance of it
from one place to another, and the whole may be made of wood, of iron or
any other metal, or wood and iron and other materials united.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Twenty-second day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
seven hundred and eighty-six.
Sealed & delivered, being first duly
stamped, in the presence of
GEO. ANDREE,
Of Staple Inn.
THO HEAWOOD,
JN° PAGE. (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-second day of July,
in the year of our Lord 1786, the aforesaid John Page came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according
to the tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-second day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and eighty-six.