A NEW or IMPROVED FIRE ESCAPE APPARATUS.
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by André Christophe at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 12th August 1876.
ANDRÉ CHRISTOPHE, of Bruxelles, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Mechanical
Engineer. "A NEW or IMPROVED FIRE ESCAPE APPARATUS.".
My Invention relates to an improved apparatus for enabling persons to escape
from buildings in case of fire, and it consists according to one modification of a
stationary portion and a moveablo portion arranged and combined together in the
manner herein-after described.
The stationary portion is composed of a pulley mounted on an axis between two
plates, terminating in a hook at each end, the upper one of which hooks serves to
suspend the apparatus to the cornice or other part of the building on fire, whilst the
other or lower hook serves to attach a cord connected to the moveable part of the
apparatus and destined to regulate the speed. This portion of the apparatus is
composed of a plate provided with, say four, five, or a greater number of pins
between all or some of which the cord for regulating the speed is passed by drawing
it in a zig-zag direction between the pins; the speed may be regulated at will by
pulling the cord tight, and thus increasing the friction.
A guide plate hinged to the apparatus enables the latter to be opened in order to
place the regulating cord in position, or to take it off from the pins, and also to
close it in for greater security by slipping the end of the plate under a nut or thumb-
scrow mounted on a screwed pin fixed to the apparatus, or formed in one with it.
This guide plate serves as an additional security for preventing the cord from
slipping off from the pins; the latter are moreover constructed of such a form that
the cord would not run off if the plate accidentally became displaced. A pulley
with a ratchet wheel is mounted upon a pin fixed upon the other side of the plate
forming the moveable part of the apparatus in connection with which ratchet wheel
works a pawl or detent which allows the wheel and pulley to rotate in one direction
only, and assist in preventing a too rapid descent as it is sufficient to pull the
regulating cord with the finger in order to arrest the descent instantaneously, whilst
its speed may be regulated by slackening it more or less.
When it is desired to stop at a given position it is simply requisite to take a few
turns with the cord round the nut or thumbscrew.
A. hole provided at the upper part of the apparatus serves to suspend it to a cord
by means of a hook provided at one end of the said cord. This cord is passed over
.

page_text: the pulley forming the stationary part of the apparatus, and the other end is
brought down to the ground, taking one turn. Upon the pulley connected to the
ratchet wheel, which is only free to turn when ascending, the friction in descending
thus serving to moderate the speed, the person suspended to the apparatus is
enabled to descend or ascend by pulling this cord in a suitable direction.
Another hole provided at the lower part of the apparatus serves to hook on to it
the person or persons to be let down by means of a suitable belt provided with a
hook. This belt may be made of strong cloth or webbing, and be buckled on in
front so as to surround the body and accomodate itself to its shape in order to
support a person without inconvenience.
This apparatus may be applied at any desired part of the suspended cord without
having to pass the end through first, as is indispensable in the case of all other
apparatus of a similar character.
By dispensing with the stationary pulley as well as the ratchet wheel, and
suspending the cord by means of a hook to any story of the burning building the
apparatus becomes more simple and less costly, but in this case it is available for
effecting descents only, and not both for descending and ascending as in the arrange-
ment first herein-before described.