AN IMPROVED LIFTING MACHINE APPLICABLE AS A FIRE-ESCAPE AND FOR REPAIRING AND DECORATING HOUSES AND OTHER BUILDINGS
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Beningfield at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th October
1867.
I, EDWARD BENINGFIELD, of Old Kent Road, in the County of Surrey, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED LIFTING
MACHINE APPLICABLE AS A FIRE-ESCAPE AND FOR REPAIRING AND DECORATING
HOUSES AND OTHER BUILDINGS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a machine of the following construction, that is
to say, I take three pieces of light metal tubing or tough light wood from
about 20 to 30 feet long, more or less, and binge or otherwise connect each
piece about midway of its entire length, so as to be capable of doubling up
when out of use, and of forming three entire long legs when undoubled for
use, forming in fact three long legs as a tripod stand. The upper end of each
leg is connected by a short hinged pin to a flat crown plate about 2 or 3 feet
across, more or less. This plate has three circular holes formed through it
equidistant from each other to receive the before-mentioned hinged pins,
which are capable of being turned freely in the said holes, the said pins being
loosely connected to the said crown plate on the upper side thereof, each by a
cotter or other suitable means. I also propose to adapt a spur or stop to the
upper part of each of the aforesaid legs, fitted with a pin taking into a hole in
the crown plate to keep the legs firmly connected to the said crown plate
when the legs are spread out at the bottom when the machine is in use as a

page_text: tripod stand. To the centre of the aforesaid crown plate I also connect a
swivel ring, upon which I hang a block or pulley, over which a wire rope or
chain passes, one end having a cage suspended therefrom to hold one or more
persons. I also form a hole through the centre of the bottom of the said
cage to pass a hose pipe through, so that when the machine is required to be
used as a fire-escape a fireman entering the cage can be lifted to any desired
height of a building on fire by means of a rope or chain passed over a pulley
in the crown plate of the machine, one end of the said rope being fixed to
the cage and the other end loose and reaching to the ground. The fireman
can carry a hose and thus direct a jet of water to any particular part of the
said building, or he can rescue the inmates of a house from any floor,
and placing them in the cage the cage may be lowered by persons below.
An important feature of novelty and usefulness in this machine consists in
the small space it occupies and the facility with which it can be taken up a
court or narrow passage, also the ease with which it can be raised, it being
simply necessary to lay the legs flat on the ground, two legs being extended
in one direction and the other leg in an opposite direction; two persons hold
the bottoms of the two legs whilst one or more persons push the bottom of
the other leg inwards, thus raising the legs as a tripod stand, and when
raised and the cage is connected thereto and a man raised therein, and
supposing two of the legs of the machine to be against the wall of a house,
by lifting up the third leg the cage may be brought close against any desired
window of the house, and ingress to the house be thus obtained. To adapt
this machine for repairing and decorating houses two such machines may
be used, and a plank or stage be suspended from the crown plate of each
machine. The planks or stage may be provided with handrails to afford
safety to the workmen.