IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES AND LADDERS."
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Oswald Murry, of Woolwich, in the County of
Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES AND LADDERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Oswald Murry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th March 1877.
GEORGE OSWALD MURRY, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent.
MENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES AND LADDERS."
"IMPROVE-
My Invention relates to fire escapes and ladders, and consists in the employ-
ment of an extensible frame, constructed on the principle of the lazy tongs to
support the canvas tube or shoot of the escape, or the rungs of the ladder, as the
case may be.
The advantages of the Invention as applied to a fire escape are,-that the
apparatus is considerably lighter and less cumbrous than fire escapes of the common
construction, and may therefore be transported where required with greater case
and speed, which is of the utmost importance in cases of emergency, life being
frequently endangered and lost during the time required to convey the escape to
the locality of the fire. It is also less expensive to construct, and being capable of
contraction within a comparatively small space, it occupies less room when housed.
According to my Invention, the fire escape is constructed of two-jointed side
frames mounted on a wheeled base, the said side frame being composed of levers
jointed together on the principle of the lazy tongs. The side frames are braced
together by cross bars at certain of the joints of the levers, and a ladder is formed
for the firemen to ascend at the front side of the escape by jointed bars pivotted in
the cross bars, and jointed together at intermediate points on cross bars which unite
the two sets, and, together with the cross bars of the side frames, form the rounds of
the ladder. To certain other joints of these side frames are connected half loops
to carry the usual canvas bag or shoot at the rear side of the apparatus, for the
descent of the persons escaping.
The frames are so mounted on the base that when they are fully extended they
reach to the greatest height to which the escape is required to be elevated, and are
sufficiently inclined to admit of the escape being pitched against the wall of a
building in the usual way, provision being made for regulating the inclination of
the apparatus according to requirements.

page_text: The apparatus is elevated or lowered by means of a screw shaft mounted in the
base frame, and working through a nut which travels along it, and is fixed on a
cross bar fitted to slide in guides in the base frame, and which unites two of the
lowermost levers of the two side frames, the other two levers being jointed to the
base. In this way the side frames can be extended or contracted in the well-known
manner of lazy tongs, in order to elevate or lower the shoot which, when lowered,
collapses into a small space.
Without the canvas shoot the apparatus may be used as a ladder for building
and other purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said George Oswald Murry in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th October 1877.
GEORGE OSWALD MURRY, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent.
MENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES AND LADDERS."
"IMPROVE-
My Invention relates to fire escapes and ladders, and consists in the employment
of an extensible frame constructed on the principle of the lazy tongs, to support
the canvas tube or shoot of the escape, or the rungs of the ladder, or both, as the
case may be.
The advantages of the Invention as applied to a fire escape arc;that the
apparatus is considerably lighter and less cumbrous than fire escapes of the common
construction, and may therefore be transported where desired with greater caso and
speed, which is of the utmost importance in cases of emergency, life being frequently
endangered and lost during the time required to convey the escape to the locality
of the fire. It is also less expensive to construct, and being capable of contraction
within a comparatively small space it occupies less room when housed, and can be
passed through an ordinary doorway.
According to my Invention the fire escape is constructed of two jointed sido
frames mounted on a wheeled base, the said side frames being composed of levers
jointed together on the principle of the lazy tongs. These side frames aro braced
together by cross bars at certain of the joints of the levers, and a rigid ladder is
formed for the firemen to ascend at the front side of the escape. To certain other
joints of these side frames are connected half hoops to carry the usual canvas bag
or shoot at the rear side of the apparatus for the descent of the persons escaping.
The frames are so mounted on the base that when they are fully extended they
reach to the greatest height to which the escape is required to be elevated, and are
sufficiently inclined to admit of the escape being pitched against the wall of a
building in the usual way, provision being made for regulating the inclination of
the apparatus according to requirements.
The apparatus is clevated or lowered by means of a screw shaft, mounted in the
base and working through a nut which travels along it, and is fixed in a cross bar
fitted to slide in guides in the base. This cross bar unites two of the lowermost
levers of the side frames, the other two levers being jointed to the base, or
working in slides as the two before mentioned. In this way the side frames can be
extended or contracted in the well-known manner of lazy tongs, in order to elevato
or lower the shoot, which, when lowered, collapses into a small space. The fire
escape or ladder can also be raised and lowered by means of hydraulic, air pump,
or other mechanical contrivance.

page_text: Figure 4, which is drawn to a smaller scale, represents the fire escape in the raised
or extended position.
The base is constructed of two parts A, B, hinged together at the back end at C
to admit of the part B being raised at the front end, in order to incline-the escape
at the angle desired. D, D¹, are levers or bars jointed at E, F, G, in the well known
manner of lazy tongs to form the side frames, of which there are a pair braced
together by horizontal cross bars H at G, and if necessary at E and F, also to
ensure sufficient lateral rigidity when the apparatus is elevated. Ds are jointed
bars connecting the upper ends of the levers; I, are half hoops connected to the
joints of the levers D, DI, and fixed rigidly to the levers or bars D, so that when the
apparatus is fully extended they will be supported at right angles to the direction
of the canvas shoot K, which is attached to the top and bottom hoops. The
lowermost lever D is pivoted at L to the base B, and the lowermost levers D¹ are
connected to a cross bar M, whose ends are supported in sliding blocks N, fitted to
move in guides O in the base B. P is a screw shaft mounted longitudinally in tho
frame B in suitable bearings, and operated by a crank handlo Q. This scrow shaft
P passes through a corresponding female screw or nut R in the cross bar M, and by
turning the shaft the nut and cross bar are made to travel in one or other direction,
thereby extending or contracting the whole of the system of "lazy-tong" lovers com-
posing the side frames. S are curved arms keyed on a cross shaft T, mounted in A,
and operated by handle U, by means of which the base B may be raised at the
front end (as shown in Figure 2 and in dotted lines in Figure 4) to adjust the
inclination of the apparatus (or an clevating screw or any other convenient means
may be employed). The base is supported in its raised position by a set screw or
other device.
A ladder for the firemen to ascend is formed by jointed bars D³ pivoting at G on
the cross bars H, and jointed together at intermediate points on cross bars W which
unite the two sets, and together with the bars H form the rounds of the ladder,
which is shown in the collapsed and extended positions in Figures 1 and 4.
Instead of jointed bars D³, chains may be employed to sustain the intermediate
bars W.
Without the canvas shoot the apparatus might be used as a ladder for building
and other purposes.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. Constructing fire escapes and ladders, as herein shown and described, that is
to say, on the principle of the lazy tongs, so as to be capable of extension and con-
traction, as and for the purpose specified.
2ndly. The combination of a pair of "lazy-tong" frames mounted, connected,
and operated as described, with a tube or shoot to form a firo escape, as specified.
3rdly. The construction with the said pair of "lazy-tong" frames as described of
connecting and jointed bars to form a ladder, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Oswald Murry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand sight hundred and soventy-seven