Improvements in Fire-extinguishing Apparatus.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Fire-extinguishing Apparatus.
We, FREDERICK BARKER HILL, of 27, Culmore Road, Peckham, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, and JAMES SINCLAIR, of 114, Cannon Street, in the City of
London, Fire 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 :-
Our invention relates to that kind or class of fire-extinguishing apparatus wherein
chemicals contained in a holder or receptacle are kept separate from one another
until the apparatus is required for extinguishing a fire, and are then allowed to
combine by the breakage of a bottle or bottles, thus causing the generation of gases
which, with the liquid contained in said receptacle, are forcibly expelled therefrom
through a discharge-nozzle.
One important object of our said invention is to prevent the carrying of the
apparatus in such a position that the liquid contained therein will flow to the upper
end of the holder or receptacle and thus permit the discharge of gas alone. For this
purpose, we provide a tilting handle, that is to say, a handle which is pivoted to the
holder or receptacle and is provided with a stop which limits the movement of the
said handle about its pivot, so that the apparatus can, if desired, be held in a vertical,
or nearly vertical position, but, when the said apparatus is suspended by the handle,
it will have a tendency to turn or swing upon its pivot and thus assume such a
position that the liquid contained in the holder or receptacle will remain in the
lower end thereof and will not uncover the inner end of the discharge-pipe.
In apparatus of the kind or class above mentioned, the bottles are usually broken
by means of a rod or piston so arranged that it can be forcibly depressed and thus
caused to strike and break the bottle. Now it has been found in practice that the
said rod or piston frequently fractures the top or upper portion of the bottle, leaving
the lower portion thereof intact, so that a quantity of the acid remains in the
unbroken lower portion of the bottle and the proper mixing of the chemicals is thus
prevented.
Our present invention comprises improvements whereby we obviate the above defect
and provide improved means for breaking the said bottle or bottles.
Our said invention, moreover, comprises other improvements hereinafter set
forth.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a front elevation, and
Figure 2 a side elevation, partly in vertical central section, of one form of our
improved fire-extinguisher.
Figure 3 is a side elevation partly in vertical central section, showing the position
of the apparatus when suspended freely by means of the tilting handle.
Figures 4 and 5 are vertical central sections illustrating modifications of our said
nvention.

page_text: A is the holder or receptacle for containing the fire-extinguishing liquid. B is the
delivery-nozzle, which is provided with a cock B' and is connected with an internal
pipe C extending to, or nearly to the bottom of the vessel or holder A.
D is a handle for carrying the apparatus; this handle is pivoted at D¹ to a
bracket D2 firmly secured to the holder or receptacle A, and is provided with a
stop D³, which, when the apparatus is held in the position shewn in figure 3, bears
against the said bracket, so that the apparatus can, if desired, be turned into a
vertical position. It will be seen, however, that the handle is free to move forward
about its pivot; therefore the holder or receptacle A cannot be turned into such a
position that the liquid contained therein will flow to the upper part of the said
holder or receptacle and thus uncover the inner end of the pipe Cand permit the
escape of gas alone through the same.
E is a perforated vessel which is supported in the upper end of the holder or
receptacle A and is designed to hold the bottle a for containing the acid. This
vessel is formed or provided with pins or pointed projections E¹ upon which the bottle
rests. F is the cover of the holder or receptacle A; through this cover is passed a
rod or push-piece G provided with a spiral spring G¹ which tends to retain it in its
highest position. A disc or washer G2 is provided upon the said rod G for the
purpose of tightly closing the aperture in which the rod works. By forcibly
depressing the rod G, the bottle a may be forced downward upon the points or
projections E¹ and thus broken at its lower end to permit the escape of the acid
into the holder or receptacle A. Immediately the said rod is released, it will be
moved upward by its spring G¹, and the aperture in which it works will be closed by
the washer G. The perforated vessel E, whilst permitting the flow of the acid into
the holder or receptacle A, prevents the falling into the same of broken glass.
The cover F consists of a disc having a circular groove or recess in which is placed
a ring or washer H of india-rubber or other suitable material. This washer is made
with a U-shaped or V-shaped annular groove in its underside; it fits into the socket A¹
at the top of the holder or receptacle A and bears against the bottom of the said
socket. A ring J is fitted to rotate upon a boss or projection F1 on the cover F and
is formed with notches J₁ by which it may be slid over the hooks A² (Figure 1)
formed on the upper end of the holder or receptacle A, so that the cover may be
dropped into its place in the socket A¹; then, by turning the ring J, it will be caused
to engage with the hooks A² and thus firmly retain the cover in its place. The
pressure of the gas and liquid in the holder or receptacle A, acting upon the washer H,
will force the edge of the same outwards against the sides of the socket A¹ and thus
ensure the tight closing of the holder or receptacle A.
In some instances, the bottle a is supported a short distance above the points or
projections E by means of a spiral spring E2 placed in the perforated vessel E as
shown in Figure 4. This spring will be compressed when the rod G is moved
downwards, thus permitting the bottle to come in contact with the points or
projections E'.
According to another modification of our invention, we fix in the holder or
receptacle A, a bridge K, Figure 5, provided with points or projections E¹
for the purpose of breaking the bottle at its lower end when the rod G
is depressed as above described. A spiral spring E2 is preferably arranged in
combination with this bridge for the purpose of supporting the bottle out of contact
with the points or projections E¹. To prevent the falling of the broken glass into
the holder or receptacle A, we provide below the bridge Ka perforated diaphragm L.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we wish it understood that
we claim :-
-
First. A fire-extinguishing apparatus having a tilting handle provided with a stop,
substantially as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Second. The provision, in a fire-extinguishing apparatus, of pins or pointed
projections upon, or in proximity to which the bottle containing the acid is supported

page_text: so that, when the said bottle is forcibly pressed against or caused to strike the said
pins or projections, it will be broken thereby at its lower end.
Third. The combination, with the said pins or pointed projections for breaking the
lower end of the bottle, of means for retaining in the upper part of the holder or
receptacle the pieces of the bottle when broken, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. The combination, with the holder or receptacle, of the perforated vessel
provided with the pins or pointed projections, with or without a spring for supporting
the bottle, all substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Fifth. The combination, with the holder or receptacle, of a cover provided with
means for retaining it in place on the said holder or receptacle and with a flexible
grooved washer the edge of which will be forced outward by the internal pressure,
substantially as set forth.
Sixth. The combination of parts comprising the disc provided with the flexible
grooved washer, the notched locking ring and the socket provided with the hooks,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Seventh. The improved fire-extinguishing apparatus constructed substantially as
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th day of April 1889.
F. B. HILL.
JAMES SINCLAIR.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicants.