An Improved Fire Extinguisher.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 27th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 6th Sept., 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. .
An Improved Fire Extinguisher.
I HARRY BATEMAN of 31 Queen's Road St. Johns Wood Park in the County of
Middlesex Secretary to a Public Company do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Hand grenade fire extinguishers consisting of a more or less globular shaped vessel
of glass or other readily frangible material charged with a fire extinguishing solution
and provided with a contracted neck permanently sealed or closed are well known but
in order to bring the contained solution into direct contact with the burning material
it is necessary to throw the charged and sealed grenade onto the fire with sufficient
force to ensure its complete fracture no provision being made for the preliminary
unsealing or opening of the vessel for the free discharge of its contents alone onto the
fire. Another form of fire extinguisher consisting of an elongated vessel or closed tube
of metal or other non frangible material charged with the fire extinguishing solution
and provided with means for readily opening the same and allowing of the contents
being freely poured or discharged onto the fire has also been proposed but this form of
fire extinguisher is not adapted to be used as a hand grenade.
Now my invention has for its object a compound portable fire extinguisher adapted
for use either as a hand grenade to be broken by being thrown bodily onto the fire or
as a simple and convenient container adapted for being instantaneously unstoppered
when required for use and allowing of the contents being readily discharged or poured
therefrom over the fire. My improved fire extinguisher consists of a tubular shaped
vessel of glass or other readily frangible material permanently closed at one end and
fitted at the opposite end with a readily removeable stopper provided with an elastic
zone of rubber or other suitable elastic material by preference of a round or oval
011

page_text: section an internal annular recess being formed round the interior of the mouth of the
said tubular shaped frangible vessel for the reception of the said elastic zone. This
stopper may be left in the vessel when the latter is used as a hand grenade fire
extinguisher by being thrown onto and broken over the fire or the stopper may be
withdrawn at the moment of use either by the aid of cross arms formed on the pro-
jecting head thereof or by imparting a sudden downward pull to the vessel itself
whilst suspended from its stopper from a nail or like support passing through an
opening in the head of the stopper, the stopper being retained on the nail or support
whilst the opened or unstoppered vessel remains in the hand of the user ready for the
discharge of its contents alone onto the fire.
Dated this 27th day of October 1886.
EDWIN P. ALEXANDER, Fel. Inst. P.A.,
Applicant's Agent.
I HARRY BATEMAN of 31 Queens Road St. Johns Wood Park in the County of
Middlesex Secretary to a Public Company 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 an improved combined "Sprinkler" and "Grenade" Hand
Fire Extinguisher.
There are already in the market Hand "Grenade" fire Extinguishers consisting of
a more or less globular shaped vessel of glass or other readily frangible material
formed with a comparatively small or contracted neck permanently sealed or closed
after being charged with a fire extinguishing liquid or solution which can only be
conveniently brought into direct contact with the fire either by throwing the charged
"Grenade or vessel bodily onto the burning material with sufficient force to ensure
its complete fracture or in some cases by breaking the "grenade" in the hand at the
moment of throwing it, no provision being made in such "Grenades" for the prompt
unsealing or opening of the mouth of the vessel at the moment it is required for use
and such a Grenade
is practically useless as a Sprinkler for enabling its
"
contents to be sprinkled or poured onto the fire.
"
Another well known class of Hand fire Extinguisher consists of an elongated non
frangible closed tube of sheet metal charged with a fire Extinguishing liquid or solution
and capable of being opened when required for use either by tearing or wrenching off

page_text: a metal cover plate soldered onto one end of the tube, or by breaking off the protruding
end of a hollow glass cap or stopper to allow of the contents thereof being sprinkled or
poured onto the fire but this class of Hand Fire Extinguisher or "Sprinkler," as
bitberto constructed is not adapted for use as a Hand "Grenade" to be broken by
being thrown bodily onto the burning material. Morcover the requisite instantaneous
opening of the tube when closed by a cover plate soldered thereon, is liable to fail in
a sudden emergency leaving the tube in many cases only imperfectly opened.
Combined Tube and "Grenade" Hand Fire Extinguishers of glass or like frangible
material suitable for being thrown bodily onto the fire or for being held in the hand as
a "Sprinkler" are also sold in the market but these are closed by a removeable cover
of indiarubber which is not only liable to perish and also to become accidentally dis-
placed but affords no means of suspending the tube by its cover to admit of its being
opened by the mere action of a sudden downward pull on the suspended tube which
has consequently to be first detached from its nail or support and then opened by a
separate action.
Now my invention has for its object to improve and simplify the closure and at the
same time facilitate the ready opening at the moment when required for use of
combined "Sprinkler" and "Grenade" hand fire Extinguishers charged with a fire
extinguishing liquid and equally adapted for use either as a convenient container or
"Sprinkler" specially constructed for being instantaneously opened or unstoppered at
the moment of use in order to allow of its contents being readily "Sprinkled" or
poured therefrom over the fire the vessel being retained intact in the hands of the user
and capable of being re-charged and again stoppered for further use, or as a Hand
"Grenade" to be thrown bodily in its charged and sealed condition onto the fire so as
to be broken thereon.
My improved combined Tube and "Grenade" Hand Fire Extinguisher consists of a
readily frangible elongated or tubular shaped vessel of glass or other like frangible
material filled with any suitable fire extinguishing liquid or solution permanently
closed at one end and temporarily closed at the opposite end substantially in the
manner described in the Complete specification to my application No. 13784 A.D. 1886
of concurrent date herewith, that is to say closed by a tight closing but readily
removeable plug stopper provided with a cross or corkscrew handle and with an elastic
zone of rubber or other suitable material by preference of a round or oval section
which enters an internal annular recess formed round the interior of the slightly
contracted mouth of the said elongated or tubular shaped frangible vessel. This
stopper may be sealed or cemented over the top and is left in the vessel when the latter
is used as a Hand Grenade Fire Extinguisher that is to say thrown bodily onto and
broken over the fire but is free to be instantly withdrawn at the moment of use when
the extinguisher is employed as a Sprinkler" only either by the aid of the cross
handle formed thereon after the manner of drawing a cork with an ordinary corkscrew
or by imparting a sudden downward pull to the frangible tube itself whilst suspended
by the said stopper from a nail or like support passing through an opening in the head
of the stopper or in the cross handle thereof.
$
In the annexed drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation and partial vertical section of
my improved combined "Sprinkler" and "Grenade" Hand Fire Extinguisher and
Figure 2 is a modification of the cross handle on the stopper.
A is the elongated or tubular vessel or container for the fire extinguishing liquid or
solution-it is constructed of glass or like material so as to be readily frangible when
thrown onto a fire, is permanently closed at one end and temporarily closed at the
slightly contracted mouth or neck d by the tight fitting but readily removeable plug or
stopper a provided with a ring or zone 6 of rubber or other elastic material by prefer-
ence of circular or oval section which enters the annular recess c in the interior of the
neck and so forms a tight closure offering sufficient resistance to prevent accidental

page_text: displacement or withdrawal but not enough to prevent its instantaneous and complete
withdrawal by hand when required. This elastic ring or zone b may either be fixed
inside the recess c in the neck or in a circumferential groove round the body of the
stopper itself. In either case the stopper is provided with a cross handle e somewhat
similar to the handle of a cork screw to afford a firm hold for the fingers and facilitate
its withdrawal by hand as in the action of drawing a cork or by a sudden pull of the
vessel itself away from its stopper when suspended from a nail or support the cross
handle being specially formed with a central hole notch or bend at f to hang onto
the nail. The top of the stopper is by preference sunk slightly below the edge of the
neck and sealed by a layer of any suitable cement applied over it as shown in the
drawing.
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 improved combined "Sprinkler" and "Grenade" Hand Fire Extinguisher
consisting of an elongated or tubular shaped vessel of glass or other readily frangible
material charged with a fire extinguishing liquid and having a neck with an internal
annular recess in combination with a readily removeable cross handled plug stopper
fitting therein adapted to be hung onto a nail and an elastic ring or zone engaging
into a circumferential groove in the stopper and into the annular recess in the neck as
specified.
Dated this 27th day of July 1007