A New or Improved Fire Escape, likewise Utilizable as a Transportable Scaffolding.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 30th May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Fire Escape, likewise Utilizable as a
Transportable Scaffolding.
I PAUL SCHULZ Paymaster in the Imperial Navy of No. 11 Luisenplatz
Berlin N.W. Germany do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what hanner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a new or improved fire escape which may be likewise
utilized as a transportable scaffolding for masons decorators, stone carvers and the
like, a sowing to its small dimensions and transportability it can be used and
set up within a very small space while having the great advantage that it can be
brought up to destination and be raised within about two or three minutes to
any required height by the mere turn of a crank handle and without any previous
preparation whatsoever.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a front view of the apparatus when not in use.
Fig. 2 is a top view and Fig. 3 a rear view of the same.
Fig. 4 is a section of the apparatus on line II of Fig. 2 showing the first stage of
the erection.
Fig. 5 shows the adaptation of the apparatus to a house front, Fig. 6 being a
rear view of Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a ladder showing the hinged connection of two
ladder sections.
Fig. 8 is a detail of the arrangement for horizontal adjustment.
The under frame a Figs. 1 and 2 is mounted on wheels and is provided throughout
the greater part of its length by two adjoining screw rods b b (Fig. 2) one half of
which is provided with a right handed screw thread while the other half has a left
Kanded thread.
Upon the rear end of the screw rods b b and outside the frame a are keyed
toothed wheels c gearing with the intermediate spur wheel d upon the axis of
which is mounted a crank handle f, so that when the spur wheel d is rotated the
two spindles 6 are turned by the aid of the wheels c in the same direction. On both
ends of the screw rods are fixed the nuts g Fig. 4 which are suitably secured to the
connecting pieces h and move on hinges between these connecting pieces and the
screw rods. These connecting pieces are joined to the lower ends of the side bars
of the ladder which are crossed half way through their length and are connected
by bolts passing through them so as to form a "lazy tongs" joint. The ends of
the connected pieces / carry rollers k (Figs. 1 & 3) moving towards the centre in
grooves formed in the longitudinal bars of the under frame a when the apparatus
is being erected by means of the handle f. The ends of the upper side bars of
the ladder are likewise connected together at the top by means of a cross piece
carrying the rollers m (Figs. 1, 3, 5, 6) at their extremities, upon which rollers,
bears a frame n provided along its two side bars with a longitudinal groove similar
to that of the lower frame a wherein move, when the crank handle is turned, the two
rollers m corresponding to the rollers k and running towards the centre of the frame
below the latter, while constantly supporting this frame in four points. To
prevent this frame slipping from the rollers m, its side bars are so connected with

page_text: the rollers as to be loosely surrounded by an angle iron m bearing on the four axes
of the rollers, in such a manner that when the apparatus is érected the rollers ma
still turn straight and continue to move towards the front of the frame.
The frame n is provided at both ends with seats for the men and in the middle
with a platform p surrounded by a depressible railing to receive rescued persons
and fire men, or workpeople when the apparatus is used for repairing buildings,
sign writing, painting and the like. In two diagonally opposite corners of the
platform p are trap doors allowing the ladder to be erected on one section so
that as this section is double it may be used for going up and down, without the
ascending person interfering with the descending person (Figs. 6 & 7). The
stability of the ladder is increased when erected by the fact that there are six sides
or bars to each two sections (Fig. 7) all of which are screwed to the connecting
pieces (Fig. 4) while four form in connection with the rounds the ladder proper;
and the remaining two placed at the sides of the ladder serve solely to consolidate
the corresponding sections of the apparatus and those hinged to the ends of the
side bars. The lower ends of the side bars i fixed to the connecting pieces h are
firmly secured by the nuts 9 on the screw rods b.
When the fire escape is in use, the vehicle is brought along the pavement in
front of the building (Figs. 5 & 6) and as the former usually slopes towards the
street, the frame a is set in an exactly horizontal position. This is obtained by
turning the hand wheels t mounted on the axes s (Fig. 8) until the spirit level r
arranged on the front and rear connecting pieces u indicates perfect horizontality.
The handle is now turned and imparts a rotary motion to the screw rods bb
which owing to their being furnished with right and left handed screw threads will
moves the nuts g g towards the middle, whereby the connecting pieces h are
likewise brought close together. But as the side bars are centrally connected
together after the manner of lazy tongs, and the bars of the lower section firmly
bear with their ends upon the said connecting pieces the turning of the crank
handle will raise the fire-escape into the position shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, so that
the platform p will come to be level with the parapet of the window of any
required floor when the side of the railing bearing against the building is dropped
down. In case there were ledges projecting from the front wall of a house and
preventing the fire escape from being brought close to the said wall, a plank w is
placed on the platform and on such ledges so as to form a direct communication
between the room and the platform p and through the trap doors g (Fig. 2) and
the ladder into the street. If the fire-escape is wanted for saving women, children,
invalids or bedridden persons they may be placed with their beds on the said
platform, the whole apparatus being lowered and collapsed by turning the handle
rearwardly (Fig. 1), and the persons being safely deposited in the street. For
buildings on fire the fire-men can stand on the platform p when the escape is in
the position shown in Fig. 1 and be lifted straight up without making use of the
ladder thereby effecting a considerable economy of time.
The apparatus can be set up everywhere even in the narrowest places, as the
room at disposal need only just be sufficient to allow the vehicle to stand thereon,
the escape being raised in a vertical direction and side space for manoeuvring not
being required as for the slant ladders hitherto used. When the apparatus is
used in large roomy spaces, the same can be stiffened by means of two ropes so as
to prevent it from oscillating in case the underframe a could not, owing to some
untoward circumstances, be adjusted in a horizontal direction. The rounds of the
ladder are arranged at suitable intervals, one round being omitted at the beginning.
of each section to allow the ascending person to pass conveniently over in order
to reach the following section without having to climb around the side bars
(Fig. 7). The apparatus can not only be used as a fire-escape but also as a
transportable scaffolding wherever required for cleaning buildings, walling in
chimneys, painting frontages &c., the material being either raised by the
platform or carried up the latter; in fact wherever required as a temporary
scaffolding to execute certain work at a great height, and wherever accessible.

page_text: 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. A fire-escape consisting of an underframe a carried on wheels and set in a
horizontal position within the connecting pieces u by the screw rods and the
wheel t with the aid of the spirit level v, the end frame carrying two screw rods bb
provided with a right handed and a left handed thread, which rods are turned by
the crank handle and the toothed wheels d cc, substantially as herein described
and shown.
2. In fire-escapes such as above clained, the use of three pairs of crossed side
bars i two of which carrying the rounds of the ladder while the other pair serves
to brace up the whole structure, the lower ends of these bars being fixed to the
cross pieces and brought close together by the nuts g g when the screw rods b are
turned, so that in consequence of the sections being jointed together after the
manner of lazy tongs, the apparatus is erected (Figs. 5, 6 and 7), the rollers k
moving in channels or grooves of the frame a, substantially as herein described and
shown.
3. In fire escapes such as above claimed the use of an upper frame n furnished
with channels wherein the rollers m run, connected by means of angle irons with
the axes of the rollers and carrying centrally a platform p provided with trap
doors g, this platform standing in a raised position above a ladder section for the
purpose of allowing people to go up and down the said ladder, while it is used to
descend in the street invalids and bedridden persons by unwinding the crank
handle, substantially as herein described and shown.
4. The arrangement in fire-escapes of the kind above claimed of a number of
ladder sections firmly hinged together at their ends (Fig. 7) and erected uniformly
to the desired height (Figs. 5 & 6) by turning the crank handle f, while they are
lowered by unwinding the said handle and are collapsed flatly one upon the other
(Fig. 1), substantially as herein described and shown.
Dated this 28th day of April 1896.
DE KATOW & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.