SAVING LIFE & PROPERTY, ALSO FOR OTHER USES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JAMES RICHARD REYNOLDS HAWKINS 52 High Street Chatham Kent,
England Oilmans Assistant do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
SAVING LIFE & PROPERTY, ALSO FOR OTHER USES to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of an Iron Ladder folding back upon itself at each step
forming a box like shape. One end is fastened securley to the floor of any room
in which it may be kept. When not in use as a Fire Escape it can be covered with
a lid and used as a table or any other piece of Furniture, which in case of emergency
can be lifted away from it and the end of ladder thrown out of window, when it
will be found invalueable for saving life & property.

page_text: I, JAMES RICHARD REYNOLDS HAWKINS of 52 High Street Chatham County of
Kent, England Oil and Colormans Manager and Valuer do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for SAVING LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM FIRE AND FOR
OTHER USES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my Invention is to construct Domestic Fire Escapes that shall
be at once light and portable, strong and durable, and which can be easily and
quickly removed from one room to another as occasion may arise, or be made a
fixture in any room at option of owner. In order that my said Invention may be
fully and clearly understood, refrence is hereby made to the accompanying
Drawings, in which similar letters of refrence indicate the respective parts. The
Invention consists of a folding ladder, constructed of Iron, Steel or other suitable
metal, which may be folded up at each step thus forming a box like shape, as
shewn in Fig. 3, which shews a portion of the Invention so folded.
A is the elevation. B the plan.
Fig. 1 is the front elevation of a house and shews the Invention fixed in position
and fully extended, ready for immediate use. Fig. 2 is a section of Fig. 1.
a. the
wall b. the floors. c. the window openings d. the window sills; the ladder e
is held in position by two slip hooks at the end of ladder which are hooked into
two eyebolts fixed securely in the wall beneath the window; there is also a safety-
chain provided at end of the ladder which may be hooked into an eyebolt in the
floor, or wall near the floor, by a similar slip hook to those at end of ladder;
this arrangment may be more clearly understood by refering to Fig. 4, which is
an enlargement of part of Fig. 2, a a being the slip hooks b b the eye bolts.
cc the safety chain. d the slip hook at end of chain. e the eyebolt to which
the latter is hooked; similar eyebolts may also be fixed in several rooms in a
house In order that should a fire occur the Invention may be easily taken to the
room most suitable for escape. In order to keep the ladder from the wall, or
lower windows, struts are introduced at certain parts of same, so arranged as to
fold up with the ladder and when it is unfolded they will fall into position and
project against the wall, over and each window, as shewn in Fig. 2. The action
of this is fully shewn in Fig. 4.
The ladder is constructed in such a manner that when unfolded it will be firm
and rigid as an ordinary ladder, and have no tendency whatever to sway or bend
towards the wall or lower windows, and which is effected in the following manner.
See Figs 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10 & 11.
Fig. 5 is a front and side elevation of a portion of the ladder.
Figs. 6. 7. 8. 9 are four side pieces, and Figs. 10 and eleven are two of the steps;
it will be seen that the side piece Fig. 6 has at the upper end a double key way
fitting on step Fig. 10 as shewn at a B. The side piece Fig. 7 has at the lower
end a round hole with a slot at the lower end. This also fits on Fig. 10, at a B

page_text: over Fig. 6 and is so arranged that when the ladder is unfolded the step drops into
the slot and becomes rigid. This method is adopted at every alternate step. At
the other end of side piece Fig. 7 there is a round hole fitting on step Fig. 11;
at this end there is also a pin as shewn in the Drawing. The side piece Fig. 8
which also fits on step Fig. 11 but under Fig. 7 has a similar round hole at the
lower end. The front lower corner of Fig. 8 is made square so that when open it
falls in contact with the stop pin (Fig. 7) and becomes rigid; the back corner is
rounded off to allow the pin to pass when the ladder is folded up. This method of
locking alternates with Figs. 6 & 7. The side piece Fig. 9 being one of those
which fall over the Window Sill, and therefore not requiring to be rigid, has
simply round holes at either end, fitting on Steps similar to Fig. 11; the ladder
can also be made entirely slack by using only side pieces Fig. 9 and Steps Fig. 11;
the steps on which the struts are placed have the shoulders at either end turned
back sufficiently far to admit of their being fitted on before the side pieces are
put on; this is clearly shewn in Fig. 5, the steps are covered with a non combustible
cloth as shewn at Fig. 10.
When an alarm of Fire occurs all that is necessary to be done is to first open
the window of the room in which the Invention may be kept fixed, then throw a
portion of the ladder out of the window when it will at once unfold itself by the
action of its own weight, see Figs. 1 & 2; but in cases where a fire might occur
in the room where the Invention may be kept all that is required to be done is to
unhook the Invention and carry it to another room. A Safety chain is provided
which will effectually prevent the Invention falling to the street below as might
occur in cases of extreme excitement.
In order to give an idea of the weight and strength of a full sized Fire Escape I
may say that one of thirty feet length would weigh from thirty five to forty
pounds, and would if necessary bear the weight of six grown persons with absolute
safety. Firemen can go up with hose, or to render assistance to the inmates. It
will also be found very useful in the army and navy, for use as a portable ladder,
for scaling walls or trenches, Ships Sides &c, and it is specially constructed for
Hotels, Mansions, and large Warehouses, as when the ladder is thrown from the
upper Window, persons on the lower floors can make good their escape by opening
their Window and stepping out on to the Escape. When folded up and not in use
they take up very little room for instance one thirty feet long would fold up to
one foot square, and about fifteen inches high.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The manufacture and use of a folding, portable ladder made of Iron, Steel or
other suitable Metal, constructed, fitted and arranged as hereinbefore described
and shewn in the accompanying Drawings, to be used as a domestic Fire Escape,
and for any other uses to which it may be applied.
JAMES RICHARD REYNOLDS HAWKINS.