An Improved Fire Escape.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 20th Feb., 1897
An Improved Fire Escape.
I, FRANZ SCHERRER of Essen on the Ruhr Germany Architect, do hereby
declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to buildings, fitted with French windows opening outwardly
and in a vertical line one above another and its object is to fit such windows with
a series of ladders so that the opened (superposed) casements and ladders from
floor to floor of a building will together form a combination ladder or fire escape
which will reach from the highest storey of the building to the ground. And in
order that my said invention may be particularly described and ascertained
reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings in which similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a building fitted with suitable windows,
representing the windows open, to show their connection with the extended
ladders; the sash bars of the casements, and those of the various ladders, together
forming a ladder extending throughout the height of the building.
Figure 2 is a front view of Figure 1, showing the windows closed!
Figure 3 shows the lower portion of a window, drawn to an enlarged scale, as
seen from within the building, this window being shown provided with the
necessary appliances for holding the ladder, when the window is closed, and for
releasing the same automatically, when the window is opened, so that the ladders
may drop down by gravity from the casements.
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of Fig. 3, showing the appliances for opening all
the superposed windows of the different stories of a building as seen from the
inside of one storey, as well as the means which have for their object: to guide all
the opened casements into an exactly perpendicular position to the front of the
building, so that they may all be in the same plane one above the other.
Fig. 5 shows, on the same scale as Figs. 3 and 4, a section through the open
window of one of the stories of a building, with a portion of the ladder drawn
down out of the same open window, as well as a part of the lowered ladder of the
open window of the story immediately above the last mentioned one.
Figs. 6 to 17 show details of construction which will be hereinafter more
particularly referred to.
The window is supposed to be made of iron. The longitudinal ribs a, of the
outwardly opening casement. A, (see Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8) are formed, with
channel shaped longitudinal grooves, wherein the uprights 6 of a wrought iron
ladder B can slide. The uprights 6 are prevented from falling out of the grooves
in the longitudinal ribs a by the bars a', which are fixed to the upright bars a of
the window, at the same height as the horizontal bars a², and parallel with the
latter. The bars a' are ladder rounds, and serve for steps. for the feet without any
risk of damaging the window panes. The cross bars 6' of the ladder B, as.well as
the rounds a', and the cross bars of the windows A, are arranged at equal
distances one from the other, so as to correspond with each other when the ladder
is pushed home within the window sashes, and so as not obstruct the window
panes. The ladder B is prevented from falling down off the window by the
bolt C, which is arranged to be shot in the bottom bar A¹ of the window, as

page_text: clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 7; Fig. 6 being drawn to a larger scale than Fig. 3
shows the lower part of the window frame A with the bolt shot into the bottom
bar A, and Fig. 7 being a section on the line x, x, of Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is a section on the line y, y, of Fig. 6.
The bolt C is provided with snugs e projecting from the bottom bar A' (by the
aid of slots formed in the latter at suitable intervals) and engaging when the bolt
is shot, below the lower ends of the two side bars of the ladder B, thus preventing
the latter from sliding by gravity in the longitudinal rib a of the window flan.
But when, on the contrary, the bolt C is shot in the direction of the arrow I. Fig. 7,
the snugs are moved from under the ends of the upright b, the ladder drops down
into the position shown in Figs. I and 5.
To prevent the ladder B falling entirely away from the window A, the upper
ends of the side bars b are provided with knobs or projections 63, which engage the
lowermost bar a' of the window A (Fig. 5).
The above mentioned opening of the casements A, of all the superposed windows
of the several stories (three windows being shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, by way of
example) as well as the simultaneous withdrawal of the bolt C when the window
sash or casement is so far open as to be exactly perpendicular to the line of front
of the house, can be effected at each story by a person inside the house, or by a
person standing in the street outside the same house.
The functions of the weight G, the rod J, and the line or chain F, are as
follows:-
When the weight G is raised to the position shown in Figs. 2, 14, and 15, by the
chain F, the snug J1 (integral with the rod J) engages the underside of the
weight G, transversely to the slot G', as shown in Figs. 14 and 15, whereby
the weight G is sustained. On the rod J being turned upon its centre, and with
it the snug J, through an angle of 90 degrees, the weight G falls, by the entrance
of the snug J into the slot G³, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17. The rod J is thus
prevented from again being turned upon its longitudinal axis, until the weight G
is again raised by the chain F. The rod J may be turned, by means of a lever D,
from below, outside the building, (Figs. 1, 2, 14 and 16) or from within, from one
of the stories of the building, by pulling one of the rods E in the direction of the
arrow II. The weight G slides in a rectangular recess G2 to prevent its rotation.
The weight G (which, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4, 14, 15, 16 and 17, is
connected by the chains F, with the bolts a³ (Fig. 4) of all the casements A)
withdraws first by its own weight all the bolts a, and then turns the casements A
so as to open them to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 5.
The bolt C, which holds back the ladders B of every window located in the
corresponding casement, is connected at its rear end i.e. by the ring or staple o¹
(Figs. 6, 7 and 8) and by a chain c2 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) of suitable length, to a bolt c³,
which enters an attachment c fixed in the window recess (Fig. 4). Fig. 9 is a
front (enlarged) view of this attachment. The free end of the bolt e³ is provided
with adjustable lock nuts e, these nuts being so adjusted as to bear against the
attachment c before the casement A assumes, (in consequence of the opening action
of the weight G), its position at right angles to the front of the house, and to
prevent the further sliding of the bolt c in the collar c, in case a pull is imparted
to the chain cin direction of the arrow III, Fig. 9; the chain being pulled taut
by the further opening of the casements whereby the bolt C is pushed on to the
casement in the direction of the arrow I, Fig. 7, so that, as already described,
the ladders B of all the casements fall to the position shown in Figs. I to 5. The
casements thus form in combination, with the ladder B, a fire escape or continuous
ladder, extending from the uppermost floor in the building down to the ground.
The fire escape, constructed as above described, may, with some buildings have
two defects, namely: 1. The different casements A, with their ladders B, would not
in all cases be exactly perpendicular to the house front and hence come so
accurately above one another as to render an ascension and a descent along the
.same convenient; 2. The ladders hanging freely down would possibly be too loose,

page_text: and the lowermost round a' whereon the knobs & bear (Fig. 5) might be too weak
to carry a person with safety. To remedy these defects, I use the appliances
shown enlarged in side view and section in Figs. 10 and 11. The appliance in
Fig. 10 consists of an arm H, to the outer end of which is pivoted a lever,
carrying at its upper end a projection and a counterweight at its lower
extremity.
This arm H is fixed to the front wall of the house (Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5) near
each window, and in such a position that, as the casements A are thrown open they
pass over the projection f3 in the direction of the arrow IV, Fig. 10, and bear
against the plate of the arm H so as to make exactly an angle of 90° with the
front surface of the house. In this movement the casements obviously depress the
projections, so that the lever / with its counter-weight is caused to oscillate
outwards in the direction of the arrow IV, but at the same moment that the
casements come in contact with the plate A', they release the projection, where-
upou the lever returns under the action of the counterweight, in the direction
of the arrow V (Fig. 10), to its position of rest, the projection f³ being raised
again so that all the casements in the building are now placed between the
projections and the plates h' of the arm H, and thus will be exactly perpendicular
or at right angles to the front wall of the house, all being moreover in the same
plane. The oscillations of the lever f2 in the direction of the arrow V are limited
by the stop pin.
The device shown in Fig. 11 is simply a socket K, which (see Figs. 1, 2 and 5)
is fixed to the front wall of the house in such a manner that when the window flaps
are opened the upright sides of the ladders B which are nearest to the front wall
of the house, fall into these sockets so as to stand on their ends, and on the
bottom K of the said sockets (Fig. 11) this happening at the moment when the
ladder has fully fallen from the easements; the socket thus helping to carry
the weight of the persons ascending or descending the ladder and preventing the
ladder swinging to and fro.
Fig. 12 shows a further modification of the above described device, which differs
from the foregoing by the arrangement and position of the rod J, as well as by the
appliances provided for readily operating or assisting the window flaps, as they
are just being opened, i.e. after the release of the weight G.
In this modification the rod J is not fixed outside the front of the house, but is
arranged inside, its advantage being that it is not accessible to unauthorized hands,
and it does not impair the appearance of the front of the house by the rod J, and
the lever and wires or chains connected therewith. The rod J. (Figs. 2 and 12) is
connected as before with the bolt a³, by means of a wire and chain F. But in this
case there is provided a second chain F¹ which branches off the chain F, and is
fixed to one end of a bell-crank lever F2, pivoted at w, so as to turn in a horizontal
plane, and bearing with its free arm (when the chain F is taut) against the frame
of the easement A to he opened, which opening is eventually effected by this lever,
but not before the chain F bas opened the bolt a', this taking place in consequence
of the special length of the chain F. The length of the arms of the bell crank
lever Fare so arranged that the pressure on the easement is readily exerted under
all circumstances, and is sufficient to open the casements at all times even should
the latter be somewhat hard to open. As soon as, in this arrangement, the
casement A is slightly opened by the bell crank-lever F2, the same casement will
forthwith automatically open to its full extent, this being the result of the arrange-
ment of the rising hinges, thus dispensing with the weight G for this purpose.
This weight can therefore have a limited travel whereby the opening of the flaps
is effected more quickly. To close the casements again, and bring back the whole
apparatus to its original position, the weight G is first raised, the rod J is turned
back into its original position, whereby the draw rods E are brought back into the
house wall; all the ladders B are now successively lifted and pushed back into
the casements A and the bolt C is shot back, while the windows are first closed
and finally locked by the bolt a the whole apparatus being henceforward ready to..

page_text: operate in the same manner as herein before set forth as soon as the rou
turned.
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
1. A fire escape or apparatus for saving life operating in connection with
casement or French windows, characterized by the arrangement of ladders B, the
upright sides of which are inserted within vertical ribs a of the casements A, in
such a manner that when these casements are opened the ladders are released, slide
by gravity outwardly, and downwardly from the casements, so as to form together
and with the iron rounds a' fixed to the casements A, a ladder extending from the
bottom to the top of the front of a building, substantially as hereinbefore describe
and illustrated by the drawings.
2. Appliances in connection with Claim 1, whereby the casements are connected
by wires, chains, and the like F, to a weight G, which is released by a rod J
extending along the front of the house in close proximity to the windows, this rod
being turned either from outside the buildings by means of a lever D fixed to the
rod near the ground, or from the inside of the house, and from either story, by
means of a handle E, operating the rod J, whereupon the weight G opens the
windows by its weight with the aid of the wires F, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings
3. Appliances in connection with Claim 1, whereby a bolt C can be shot into
the lower bar A of the frame of each window A below the uprights 6 of the
ladders B, this bolt being provided with projections e engaging under these uprights,
and connected by a chain e² of specific length with another bolt e, in such a manner
-that-at-the-instunt, when the window is ajar, or slightly open, the bolt strikes
against a fixed sleeve e and stretches the chain e, whereby-the-bolt C-is-shot_in
such a manner that its projections e release the ladders, thus allowing the latter to
drop down by gravity below the casements, substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the drawings.
4. Appliances in connection with Claims 1 and 3, wherein a locking nut e' is
adjustable on the free end of the bolt c³, for the purpose of effecting sooner or later
the locking of this bolt in the sleeve or attachment e, in which it can slide so as to
stretch the chain e', and thereby withdraw the bolt C likewise sooner or later
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
5. Appliances in connection with Claim 1, wherein an arm H arranged in front
of, the house, in close proximity to the windows, and provided with a bearing
plate as well as with a lever pivoted at f, having a projection, is so fixed
in position that the opening window A first depresses the projection, bears
afterwards against the plate and subsequently releases the said projection f³, so
that the latter is allowed to move upwards behind the casement window at the
moment when the window has turned sufficiently far to be perpendicular to the
front of the house, for the purpose of maintaining in an exactly similar and
corresponding position all the superposed open casement windows of the different
Hoors, so that they should all be placed in one plane, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings,
6. Appliances in connection with Claim 1 wherein sockets K are arranged in
the front wall of a building in such a manner that the lower ends of the uprights b
of the ladders B sliding below the casements, fall into these sockets, which thus
carry the weights bearing on the ladders, and prevent the latter from swinging to
and fro, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
7. Appliances in connection with Claim 1 wherein the rod J-is arranged inside
the building and the chain F is connected by means of a second chain F with a
bell crank lever F2 oscillating in a horizontal plane, and arranged in close proximity
to the window A, so that when the bolt. a3 is withdrawn, the chain F.stretches the
chain F', and turns the lever F, whereupon this lever bears, by means of its iree

page_text: arm, against the window A and starts opening the same, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings.
8. The improved fire escape, substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the drawings.
Dated 10th Combo 1000
GEO.
DOWNING,
8 Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent.