Improvements in Fire-escape Apparatus.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 25th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fire-escape Apparatus.
I, GEORGE BRAY, of the Steam Wheel and Van Works, Deptford Green, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to fire-escape apparatus.
The main object of my said invention, is to provide an improved fire-escape
apparatus, having an extensible ladder adapted to swivel, or rotate, upon a turning
plate, or turntable, provided upon the frame of the truck, or trolley, to which it is
attached so that the said extensible ladder, can be conveniently turned in any
desired direction, without any necessity for turning or adjusting the said frame or
trolley.
My said invention comprises moreover various other improvements hereinafter
set forth.
In carrying my said invention into practice I provide a suitable carriage or
frame mounted upon wheels. I prefer to form the said frame with a front, or
fore part, or portion, and a hind, or rear part, or portion, connected to each
other by means of a back bone, somewhat similar to that of an ordinary bicycle.
I am thus enabled to employ much higher wheels than can be used with an
ordinary framing. The said front, or fore part, or portion, and hind, or rear part, or
portion, and backbone, or connecting piece, are preferably constructed of iron, steel,
or other suitable metal, and formed of such section as to be light and strong. Upon
the hind, or rear part, or portion, of the frame, or carriage, I provide a turning plate,
or turn table, the lower part, or portion, of which is fixed to the said frame, or
carriage. The upper part or portion of the said turning plate, or turntable, is
provided with brackets, either forming part of or firmly attached to the same; to these
brackets is pivoted at a suitable distance from its lower extremity, or foot, the first, or
lower section, of any suitable description of extensible fire-escape ladder. The said
extensible ladder is so arranged that when closed, one or more men by bearing upon
the lower extremity of the same can readily raise the said ladder from the frame or
carriage, or lower the said ladder upon its frame, or carriage.
The hereinbefore mentioned turning plate or turntable is raised high enough upon
the frame, or carriage to allow of the extensible ladder clearing the rear, or hind
wheels when turned or pivoted in a raised position. The extensible ladder can more-
over when in a raised position be turned or pivoted in any direction and to either side
of the truck, or trolley, without moving the latter.
To retain the latter at any desired height, independently of any extraneous support,
I provide at either, or both sides of the said ladder an extensible, or telescopic
connecting rod, between the ladder and the upper part or portion of the turning plate,
or turn-table. I prefer to form the said extensible, or telescopic, connecting rod or
rods of gas piping, or other suitable piping, and formed in two parts or portions, the
lower part or portion, of each connecting rod forming a socket, into which the upper
part, or portion, is arranged to slide when the ladder is lowered, and from which it
draws out when the said ladder is raised. The said lower part, or portion, moreover,
is provided with a spring catch adapted to engage in suitable holes, or notches, in the
upper part, or portion, and thus retain the same in any desired position, and prevent
the said rod from collapsing or telescoping. This spring catch is coupled by means of
a suitable connecting rod, to a bell-crank lever pivoted to a boss, or collar, upon the
pipe, and provided with a convenient cord, or handle, by means of which the said
lever can be actuated, so as to withdraw the above mentioned spring catch and thus
permit the connecting rod to collapse, or telescope and consequently the ladder

page_text: to be lowered upon the frame, or carriage. Any other suitable means however
may be employed for retaining the said extensible, or telescopic, connecting rod or
rods in an extended position, and permitting the same to collapse, or telescope when
desired.
In some cases instead of the above described extensible,.or.telescopic, connecting
rod or rods, I employ a connecting rod or rods constructed in the form of a lazy
tongs, and provided.with a screw, or other. suitable device for expanding, or
causing an extension lengthways of the same.
I provide moreover means for levelling the turning plate, or turntable, when the
truck, or trolley, of the apparatus is standing upon an incline. For this purpose
I prefer to connect, one side of the said turning plate, or turn-tablo, to the frame
of the apparatus, by means of a suitable hinge, or joint, or hinges, or joints, and
to provide the other or opposite side of the said turning plate, or turn-table, with
a screw adjustment, or other convenient device for raising or lowering the said
side of the turning plate, or turn-table. In order that the attendant or person
operating the said screw or other adjustment may know when the turning plate
or turn-table is level I attach to the latter a suitable plummet, and provide an
index upon the frame, or other convenient part of the apparatus.
Suitable props, or supports, are moreover sometimes provided which are normally
fastened, or hooked up, out of the way to the frame or carriage of the apparatus
but which can be let down or lowered so as to rest upon the ground when the
truck or trolley is in position, and the extensible ladder is to be employed, so as to
steady and render rigid the said frame, or carriage, and prevent the give of the
springs and other parts of the frame, or carriage, of the apparatus, when the said
extensible ladder is being raised.
The lower extremity or foot of the extensible ladder is preferably arranged so as
to allow a slight' clearance between it and the ground to allow for inequalities of the
latter, and is provided with any suitable means for obtaining a firm bearing or
footing. For this purpose I sometimes provide the lower extremity or foot of the
said ladder with a lever, suitably pivoted to the same and carrying at its lower end a
fork adapted to bear against the ground. The upper extremity of this lever is
arranged to work in a quadrant, and suitable means are provided for retaining it in
any desired position.
1 provide my improved fire escape apparatus with shafts, or a pole for a horse, or
horses. And I fit upon the axle of the front or fore carriage, or upon some other
convenient part of the apparatus, a reel or drum, carrying a rope, or chain, that
can be run out, when it is desired to haul the apparatus by means of men, instead
of horse power.
The support upon the front, or fore-carriage upon which the extensible ladder
rests, when lowered down upon the apparatus,. is arranged to form a tool chest.
A suitable seat is provided at each side of this support, and convenient steps for
mounting to the same." I attach moreover to the lower or other convenient part
of the fore-carriage, a reel, or drum, intended to carry a hose, and a suitable tool
box, or boxes.
In order that my improved fire-escape apparatus may be used either with a
four wheel truck, or trolley, or mounted upon two wheels only, I connect the hind,
or rear portion, of the carriage, of the apparatus to the hereinbefore described back-
bone or connecting piece by means of eyes, or sockets, and a suitable pin, or
bolt, so arranged that it can be operated by means of a hand. lever, or otherwise
so as to release the said hind, or rear portion of the carriage carrying the extensible
fire escape ladder, when desired, from the front, or fore portion, of the carriage
and thus form a two wheeled fire-escape apparatus. Any other convenient means
may be employed for expeditiously, and easily, releasing the hind, or rear portion,
of the carriage, from the front, or fore portion, of the same.
I provide moreover suitable means for raising the stays guy ropes or chains of
the apparatus comprising suitable connecting pieces provided with a knuckle joint
which permits of the said connecting pieces folding or closing upon one another

page_text: when the said stays are lowered. The lower connecting piece is moreover provided
with an extension or lever by means of which the said connecting pieces can be
opened out or brought into line with each other, thereby raising the said stays and
guy ropes or chains. I provide the above jointed connecting pieces and lever at
either or both sides of the apparatus. By means of this device I obviate the
necessity of a man or men having to mount upon the said apparatus in order to
raise or elevate the said stays and guy ropes or chains.
A fire escape apparatus having an extensible ladder constructed according to my
invention can be readily raised to any angle that may be required, and retained in
that position independently of any extraneous support, and having been extended
to the desired length can be turned or pivoted so as to bring its upper extremity
into any desired position, and a firm footing or bearing ensured between its lower
extremity or foot and the ground. I thus obviate the inconvenience to which
extensible fire-escape ladders as hitherto usually constructed are liable, that is to say,
the necessity of turning, or adjusting the truck or trolley carrying the said ladder
into a particular position in order to permit the upper extremity of the said
ladder, to come in contact, or into the proper position, relatively to any given
place, such as for example, a window in a building.
My improved fire-escape apparatus is moreover extremely light, and is therefore
easy to transport from place to place, and is capable of being employed at will,
either as a four wheeled, or a two wheeled apparatus, the change from one to the
other being easily, and expeditiously performed, the said apparatus is moreover strong,
and durable.
Although I have hereinbefore described a convenient, and advantageous, method
of carrying my said invention into practice, it is obvious, that I can somewhat
modify the construction of my improved fire-escape apparatus without departing
from the nature of my said invention.
Dated this 29th day of November 1888.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London; Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fire-escape Apparatus.
I, GEORGE BRAY of the Steam Wheel and Van Works, Deptford Green, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to fire-escape apparatus, and is designed to improve the
construction of the same.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a plan partly in horizontal section, and
Figure 2 a side elevation partly in vertical section showing one form of my
improved fire-escape apparatus.
Figures 3, 4 and 5, are different views showing details of construction hereinafter
described.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
A is the frame or carriage, B, B are the wheels thereof. Ĉ is an extensible
ladder.
The frame or carriage A is preferably constructed with a front or fore part and a
hind or rear part which are connected to each other by means of a connecting piece
or backbone A¹ somewhat similar to that of a velocipede. By this arrangement I am
enabled to employ wheels of much larger diameter than can be used with an ordinary
framing. The said front or fore part and hind or 'rear part and the backbone or

page_text: connecting piece are preferably constructed of iron, steel or other suitable metal and
formed of such transverse section as to be light and strong. Upon the hind or rear
part of the frame or carriage A I provide a turning-plate or turntable a the lower
part of which is secured to the said frame or carriage.
a¹, a are rollers supported upon axles provided upon straps a² firmly secured to the
upper part of the said turntable by bolts or other suitable fastenings. The rollers a¹
bear against the under side of the lower part of the said turntable and retain the
two parts together, whilst permitting their rotation relatively to each other. Upon
the upper part of the said turning-plate or turntable a are provided brackets a³
forming part of, or firmly attached to the same. To sockets a arranged to slide
freely upon the said brackets a³ is pivoted at a at a suitable distance from its lower
extremity or foot, the first or lower section of the extensible ladder C, which may be
of any well-known or suitable description. The said ladder, when lowered, rests upon
supports provided upon the front portion of the frame or carriage A, as shown by
the dotted lines in Figure 2, and the said ladder is so arranged that one or more men
can, by bearing upon the lower extremity thereof, readily raise the other extremity of
the said ladder from the said support. The ladder is so constructed and arranged that,
when raised, its lower end or heel will rest firmly upon the ground, thus ensuring
greater stability than it would have if resting on or against the frame or carriage.
Props or struts C¹ are provided so that, when the ladder is lowered from the position
shown in the drawing sufficiently to raise its heel from the ground, the said props
will rest upon the ground and serve to steady the ladder. The turning-plate or turn-
table is arranged at a sufficient height upon the rear frame or carriage A to permit
the ladder C to clear the rear or hind wheels B when the said ladder is turned about
its pivot whilst raised to, or nearly to its greatest angle of elevation. The ladder can
thus be turned in any direction and to either side of the truck or trolly without moving
the latter.
The
For retaining the ladder C at any desired angle of elevation independently of any
extraneous support, I provide at either or both sides thereof stays or supports c
which are pivoted at c to lugs d secured to the upper part of the turntable a.
upper extremities of these stays or supports are provided with hook-shaped teeth c²
and are passed through straps e upon the sides of the ladder C. When the said
ladder is in its elevated position one or other of the teeth c² on each of the said
stays or supports e engages with a catch or roller f, more clearly shown in Figure 3,
carried upon a spindle f¹ secured to the strap e. 9, 9 are springs for maintaining
the said teeth upon the stays or supports e in engagement with the said catches
or rollers.
To provide for disengaging the said teeth from the catches or
rollers when it is desired to lower the ladder C, I employ bell-crank-levers h
arranged to move freely upon the studs or spindles f¹. To the long arms of the
said bell-crank-levers are attached cords or chains which depend therefrom to
within a convenient distance from the ground. The short arms of the said bell-crank-
levers bear against flanges c³ upon the stays or supports c. By depressing the long
arms of the bell-crank-levers h by means of the cords or chains the short arms
thereof are caused to press against the flanges c³ and raise the stays or supports c so
as to disengage the teeth c² from the catches or rollers f and thus permit the lowering
of the ladder C, the said stays or supports, when the ladder is lowered, assuming the
position shown by dotted lines in Figure 2.
i is a screw-spindle which works in a correspondingly screw-threaded nut or
block pivoted to the rear part of the frame or carriage A. The lower extremity of
the said spindle i is journalled in a bearing j so that it is free to rotate therein but is
prevented from endwise movement. The bearing j is connected to the backbone A¹
by links and is preferably so arranged as to be readily removable therefrom for
the purpose hereinafter described. is a handle firmly fixed upon the upper extremity
of the spindle i and by means of which the latter may be operated for levelling the
turning-plate or turntable a when the truck or trolley of the apparatus is standing
upon an incline. In some instances, I connect the side of the said turning-plate or

page_text: turntable a opposite to the screw-threaded spindle i to the frame or carriage A by
means of one or more suitable hinges or other joints. In order that the attendant or
person operating the said screw or other adjustment may know when the turning-
plate or turntable is level, I sometimes attach to the latter a plummet and provide an
index upon the frame or carriage or other convenient part of the apparatus.
k, kare props or supports which are pivoted at ¹ to the frame A and which are
normally held in hooks 2 so as to be out of the way, but which can be let down or
lowered so as to rest upon the ground, when the truck or trolley is in position and
the extensible ladder is to be employed, and thus steady and render rigid the said
frame or carriage and prevent yielding of the springs and other parts of the apparatus
while the said extensible ladder is being raised..
I provide my improved fire-escape apparatus with shafts or with a pole'l for a horse
or horses. And I fit upon a suitable spindle connected to the axle of the front or
fore carriage or upon some other convenient part of the apparatus a reel or drum m
carrying a rope or chain n that can be run out, when it is desired to haul the apparatus
by manual instead of by horse power.
o is a tool chest, upon either or both sides whereof a suitable seat p is provided and
convenient steps p for mounting to the same. q is a footboard provided upon the rear
frame or carriage, for the attendants to stand upon, and q' is a footboard provided
upon the front or fore carriage for a like purpose: r, rare brakes, the operating
handle of which is within convenient reach of the said footboard g. I sometimes
attach to the lower or other convenient part of the fore-carriage a reel or drum
intended to carry a hose, and a suitable tool box or.boxes.
In order that my improved fire-escape apparatus may be used either with a four
wheeled truck or trolly or mounted upon two wheels only, I connect the hind or rear
portion of the backbone or connecting piece A¹ which is secured to the rear carriage
or frame A to the front portion of the said backbone or connecting piece A¹ which is
secured to the fore-carriage by means of eyes s more clearly shown in Figure 4.
t, t are pins or bolts which pass through the said eyes s and are provided with hand
levers which are normally locked or held in position by catches t² pivoted to the
said backbone or connecting piece. On releasing the hand levers t' from the said
catches t2 the pins or bolts t may be withdrawn from the eyes s so as to release the
front part of the backbone or connecting piece A¹. To connect the links j and
bearing with the said backbone so that they can be readily disconnected therefrom
I provide a bolt or. pin u having a hand-lever u¹ more clearly shown in Figure 5.
The bolt or pin u passes through eyes or holes provided in the said links and in the
backbone or connecting piece A¹. To prevent the said bolt or pin from falling out
accidentally I provide a guard v against which the hand lever u normally bears.
Before the said bolt or pin can be withdrawn, the said hand lever has to be turned so
as to be free from the said guard v. The bolts or pins u, t, having been withdrawn
the hind or rear portion of the frame or carriage A carrying the ladder C can be
separated when desired from the front or fore portion of the said frame or carriage A
so as to form a two-wheeled fire-escape apparatus. Any other convenient means
however may be employed for easily and expeditiously releasing the hind or rear
portion of the frame or carriage A from the front or fore portion of the saine.
Instead of the props or struts C¹, the lower extremity or foot of the extensible
ladder C is sometimes provided with a lever suitably pivoted to the same and carrying
at its lower end a fork adapted to bear against the ground. The upper extremity of
this lever is arranged to work in a quadrant so that it may be adjusted according to
the angle of elevation of the ladder, and suitable means are provided for retaining the
said lever in any desired position.
A fire escape apparatus constructed as hereinbefore described can be readily raised
to any angle that may be required and retained in that position independently of any
extraneous support and having been extended to the desired length can be turned or
swivelled so as to bring its upper extremity into any desired position.
The said improved fire-escape apparatus is moreover extremely light and is therefore
easy to transport from place to place, and is strong and durable.

page_text: Instead of the stays or supports herein before described for retaining the extensible
ladder in a raised position, I sometimes employ one or more extensible or telescopic
connecting rods or supports between the ladder and the upper part of the turning
plate or turntable. I prefer to make the said extensible or telescopic connecting rods
or supports hollow, for example of gas piping or the like, and in two portions, the lower
portion of each connecting rod or support forming a socket into which the upper
portion is arranged to slide when the ladder is lowered and from which it draws out
when the said ladder is raised. The said lower portions moreover are provided with
spring catches adapted to engage in suitable holes or notches in the upper portions,
and thus retain the same in any desired position and prevent the said connecting rods
or supports from collapsing or telescoping. These spring catches are coupled in any
suitable manner to bell-crank-levers pivoted to bosses or collars upon the said
connecting rods or supports and provided with convenient cords or handles by means
of which the said levers can be actuated so as to withdraw the said spring catches and
thus permit the connecting rods or supports to collapse or telescope and consequently
the ladder to be lowered upon the frame or carriage.
In some instances I employ one or more connecting rods or supports constructed in
the form of a lazy-tongs and provided with a screw or other suitable device for
expanding or extending the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it understood
that I claim :-
First. A fire-escape apparatus provided with an extensible or other ladder which is
pivoted to a turning-plate or turntable mounted upon a frame or carriage and is so
arranged that, when raised, its lower end or heel, or a prop connected therewith, will
rest upon the ground, substantially as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Second. The combination, with an extensible or other ladder, of a turning-plate or
turntable, adjustable stays or supports and a screw or other device for levelling the
said turning-plate or turntable, substantially as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Third. The improved means for disconnecting the front or fore-part of the frame or
carriage from the rear or hind part thereof, substantially as, and for the purpose, above
specified.
Fourth. The improved carriage constructed substantially as hereinbefore described
for the purposes specified.
Fifth. The improved fire-escape apparatus constructed substantially as described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Sixth. The modification of my invention wherein extensible or telescopic connecting
rods or supports are employed between the ladder and the turntable, for the purpose
specified.
Dated this 24th day of September 1889.
Dated this 24th day of September 1889.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
G. BRAI.
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.