Apparatus for Descending from Lofty Situations, such as from Buildings on Fire.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 2nd June, 1890-Accepted, 2nd Aug.,
1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Descending from Lofty Situations, such as from
Buildings on Fire.
I WILLIAM DAY of Pirton near Hitchin in the County of Hertford Tax Collector
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to apparatus for descending upon a line thrown from a lofty
situation such as from a window in a building on fire.
For this purpose 1 provide a metallic cable or other suitable line having at each
extremity a spring clasp by which it may be secured in a staple or screw eye
permanently provided in a convenient place for the purpose, or by which the cable or
line may be fastened to any convenient fixed object.
The cable or line is kept in readiness wound upon a light drum from which it
readily uncoils when the drum is thrown out after securing one end of the cable in
the manner above described.
Upon the cable or line are fitted in readiness any convenient number of staffs
hereinafter described to be used one by each of the persons desirous of descending
the line.
These staffs are constructed with a spiral groove making preferably one complete
turn throughout the length of the staff. In this spiral groove the cable or line
laid making one complete turn throughout the length of the staff so that it enters and
leaves the staff in the same straight line. At certain points the spiral groove is
bushed with metal to avoid wear and the cable or line is held in position in the spiral
groove by means of metallic rings placed in grooves one made near each extremity
of the staff. These rings have each an opening which may be made to coincide with
the spiral groove by rotating the ring for that purpose, allowing the cable or line to
be inserted in the spiral groove. When the ring has been turned in a position to
confine the cable or line in the groove a spring clip on the staff rises into the space
formed by the opening in the ring and the ring is thereby prevented from accidentally
turning into the position which would release the cable or line.
The staff is to be held by the hands of the person using it to descend the cable or
line but as a safeguard it is provided with two screw eyes by means of which and a
belt or other band the body may be safely connected with the staff independently of
holding on by the hands.
Such a staff will descend upon the cable or line with a velocity depending upon the
slackness of the cable or line thus by drawing the cable or line tightly a person below
may moderate the rate of, or may entirely arrest, the descent of a person attached to
the staff.
The first person descending in case of no assistance below should secure himself in
the belt or band attached to the staff, place his left arm round the staff, raise the
cable or line with his right hand so as to form a sling to sit in, then holding the cable
or line with one or both hands he can let it glide through as required to provide the
necessary tension to moderate the rate of, or entirely arrest, the descent of the staff as
he may require. Upon reaching the ground he should release himself by unfastening
the belt and run the staff to the extremity of the cable.
Holding the cable at this point he may assist others in descending by moderating
the speed of their descent and by directing them to a safe landing place which may
be at a considerable distance from the perpendicular in any convenient direction.
Every staff descending should be carried to the extremity of the cable or line in order
to be in readiness for the cable or line to be inverted for use again when all the staffs
in use have descended.
For convenience of reversing the line a pulley is employed with a clasp frame for

page_text: readily admitting the cable or line on to the pulley by means of which an operator
above may, after detaching the spring clasp from the staple or screw eye cause this
end of the cable or line to descend and the end having the staffs in position thereon
to remount and be secured by means of the spring clasp at the other extremity of the
cable or line in readiness for use again as before.
In order to enable persons below to guide the staffs during their ascent I provide
a guide line wound upon the light drum together with the cable and attached thereto
by the spring clasp at its extremity.
This guide line may be disconnected by a person above after the ascent of the staffs
and be thrown below to be again attached to the spring clasp at the lower extremity
of the cable for use again when reversing the cable as before.
Dated this 2nd day of September 1889.
AYRTON & THOMAS,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Descending from Lofty Situations, such as from
Buildings on Fire.
I, WILLIAM DAY of Pirton near Hitchin in the County of Hertford, Tax Collector
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:
This invention relates to apparatus for descending upon a line thrown from a lofty
situation such as from a window in a building on fire.
For this purpose I provide the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings in
all the Figures of which the same or similar parts are indicated by like letters of
reference.
Figure 1 is a plan of a staff.
Figure 2 is a portion of the same showing the spring fastening in plan.
Figure 3 is a drum upon which the cable and guide line are wound.
Figure 4 is a front view and
Figure 5 an end view of the spring clip pulley.
Figure 6 is a view of the cable and spring clasps.
Figure 7 is a plan of the gap-ring employed at the extremities of the staff.
I provide a metallic cable or other suitable line having at each extremity a spring
clasp B by which it may be secured in a staple or screw eye permanently provided in
a convenient place for the purpose, or by which the cable or line may be fastened to
any convenient fixed object.
The cable or line is kept in readiness wound upon a light drum (from which it
readily uncoils when the drum is thrown out after securing one end of the cable in
the manner above described.
Upon the cable or line A are fitted in readiness any convenient number of staffs D
hereinafter described to be used one by each of the persons desirous of descending
the line.
The staff D is constructed with a spiral groove E making preferably one complete
turn throughout the length of the staff. In this spiral groove E the cable or line A
is laid making one complete turn throughout the length of the staff D so that it
enters and leaves the staff in the same straight line.
The cable or line A is held in position in the spiral groove E by means of gap-
rings placed in grooves G made one near each extremity of the staff.
These gap-rings F have each an opening which may be made to coincide with the
spiral groove E by rotating the gap-ring for that purpose, allowing the cable or
line A to be inserted in the spiral groove E. When the gap-ring F has been turned
in a position to confine the cable or line A in the spiral groove E a spring bar H on
the staff D rises into the space formed by the opening in the gap-ring F and it is

page_text: thereby prevented from accidentally turning into the position which would release
the cable.
The staff D is to be held by the hands of the person using it to descend the cable
or line but as a safe-guard it is provided with two screw eyes J. by means of which
and a belt K or other band, the body may be safely connected with the staff D
independently of holding on by the hands.
The staff Ď will descend upon the cable or line with a velocity depending upon the
slackness of the cable or line; thus by drawing the cable or line tightly a person
below may moderate the rate of or may entirely arrest the descent of a person
attached to the staff D.
The first person descending in case of no assistance below should secure himself
in the belt or band K attached to the staff D, place his left arm round the staff D,
raise the cable or line with his right hand so as to form a sling to sit in, then holding
the cable or line with one or both hands he can let it glide through as required to
provide the necessary tension to moderate the rate of or entirely arrest the descent
of the staff as he may require. Upon reaching the ground he should release
himself by unfastening the belt K and run the staff D to the extremity of the cable.
Then holding the cable at this point he may assist others in descending by moderating
the speed of their descent and by directing them to a safe landing place which may
be at a considerable distance from the perpendicular in any convenient direction.
Every staff descending should be carried to the extremity of the cable or line in
order to be in readiness for the cable or line to be inverted for use again when all
the staffs in use have descended. For convenience of reversing the cable or line a
pulley L is employed having a spring clip M for readily admitting the cable or line
on to the pulley by means of which an operator above may cause the end of the
cable or line having the staffs in position thereon to remount, to be secured by the
spring clasp B releasing and lowering the end previously so secured and thus provide
the apparatus in readiness for use again as before.
In order to enable persons below to guide the staffs during their ascent I
provide a guide line wound upon the light drum C together with the cable and
attached thereto by the spring clasp at its extremity. This guide line may be
disconnected by a person above after the ascent of the staffs and be thrown below
to be again attached to the spring clasp B at the lower extremity of the cable for
use again when reversing the cable as before.
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. In apparatus to be employed as a fire-escape the staff D having a spiral
groove E and gap-rings F engaging with spring bars H substantially as and for the
purpose described.
2. The combination of the cable A having spring clasps B at each extremity,
the light launching drum C, the staff D and the cable inverting pulley L
constituting fire escaping apparatus substantially as described and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1890.
AIRION & THOMAS,
Agents for the Applicant.