Improvements in Fire Escape Ladders.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Fire Escape Ladders.
I, RICHARD SCHIAPLER, Director of Fire Brigade, of Fire Brigade Station,
Burgstrasse, Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a ladder mounted upon a suitable vehicle and with
self-contained means whereby the ladder may be erected, extended, rotated, and
adjusted in inclination at will, the means for accomplishing these various purposes
being operated by compressed gas or fluid, or by horse-power, or by hand.
The invention consists in certain novel features of construction hereinafter
fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the complete apparatus folded ready
for transportation.
Figure 2 is a view on a smaller scale representing the apparatus in an upright
position and ready to be extended and shifted to different positions for use.
Figure 3 is a view similar to that shown in Figure 2, in which the ladder is
shown extended and slightly inclined.
Figure 4 is a rear view of the apparatus, in which the ladder is shown shifted
to a position on one side of the vehicle.
Figure 5 is a detail view on an enlarged scale showing the construction of a
portion of the pipe system with one of the contained pistons through which the
ladder is extended by compressed gas or fluid, and also the rack and screw
device through which the ladder may be extended by hand.
Figure 6 is a section on the line 5-5, Figure 5, and
Figure 7 is a detail view of a portion of the hand elevating mechanism.
The vehicle comprises a suitable platform 1 with front wheels 2 and rear
wheels 3 said vehicle preferably being made with a curved underframe 4 to
permit the front axle to turn completely around. 5 is the draft tongue secured
in clips 6, 7, by means of a bolt 8 and adapted to be released by the removal of
bolt S. The tongue carries at its rear end a rope or cable 9 which is wound about
a windlass 10 supported beneath the vehicle by a frame 11 and by means of
which the tongue is adapted to do certain work to be hereinafter referred to; and
said tongue has a wheel 12 suspended therefrom upon which it may travel when
removed from the vehicle. The clips 6 and 7 are slotted on their lower sides as
shown at 6 in order that the rope or cable 9 may drop through the clips as the
tongue is drawn away by the horses in manipulating the apparatus by horse-
power, as will be hereinafter described.
The
The vehicle carries a cylinder or pressure receiver 13 surmounted by a revoluble
cap or turn-table 14, upon which is pivoted at 15, a carriage 16.
carriage 16 has pivoted to it at 17 telescoping pipe-sections 18, 18" 18", which
carry respectively ladder-sections 19, 20, 21, and the pipe sections are telescopic
in order that said ladder-sections may be extended one above the other to form a

page_text: continuous ladder. 22 represents a rope or cable connected to the lower or outer
pipe-section 18, and this rope is wound upon a drum 23 in order that the pipe-
sections may be erected at will: To maintain the efficiency of the pull imparted
from the drum 23 through the rope or cable 22 to the pipe-sections, I employ a
deflecting arm 24 hinged at 15 and having at its outer end a guide 25 through
which the rope or cable 22 passes. When the drum 23 is wound, the carriage 16
with the parts carried by it are moved to an erect position, after which the
carriage is fixed in said position by a bolt or pin passed through an eye 26 at
the lower or rear end of the carriage and an eye 27 on the tower-like receiver 13.
The carriage is thus rigidly secured in erect position, but the inclination of the
pipe-sections and consequently of the ladder-sections may then be adjusted at
pleasure by unwinding the drum 23.
The drum 23 may be operated either by hand-crank 28 or by means of a
winding-cord 29 connected at one end to small pulley 30 on the end of shaft 31
of the drum 23, the other end of which winding cord passes around a guide
pulley 32 to a piston rod 33 of a piston (not seen) in a cylinder 34 suitably mounted
upon and receiving pressure from the tower-like receiver or cylinder 13.
The drum 23, the eye 27 and the cylinder 34 are suspended from the
rotating cap or turntable 14 by means of hangers 35 and ring 36 so that these
parts necessarily rotate with said cap or turn-table and maintain constant operative
relation with the carriage 16 and with each other. 37 represents an outlet which
may be opened after communication between the receiver 13 and cylinder 34 has
been cut off, and the pressure in cylinder 34 therefore allowed to escape, and
the winding-cord 29 being thus released it permits the unwinding of drum 23
and the inclination of the pipe-sections can be thus changed or lowered entirely
at will.
In order to provide for operating the wheel 23 by horse-power, I employ a
winding-drum 38 which will take the winding-cord 29; the lower end of the
shaft of such winding-drum carries a gear-wheel 39 which meshes with the large
wheel 40 on the windlass 10 mounted on the frame 11 hereinbefore described.
With the parts connected as described and the bolt S removed, the horse may
be driven off a limited extent to impart rotation to the windlass 10 and the
operation will follow as described. Suitable ratchets may be employed for holding
the rotating parts to any position to which they may be adjusted.
Obviously, any desired number of telescoping pipe-sections may be employed.
I have shown three pipe-sections, and each of the inner ones 18, 18, carries
a piston 41 which works in the pipe surrounding it. The result is that when
pressure, either fluid or gas pressure, is introduced into the lower end of pipe-
section 18 through a flexible hose 42, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, the inner
pipe sections 18, 18", will be successively projected into the position shown in
Figure 3. The parts will remain in this position until the pressure is released,
which may be accomplished by cutting off communication with the receiver at 43
and then opening an escape cock 44 at the lower end of the outer pipe section 18.
As a further means for projecting or extending the ladder, each pipe section
is provided with screw threads 45 which work through a diaphragm 46 on the
end of the surrounding pipe section, which diaphragm also carries a nut 47
threaded to mesh with the screw threads 45. The screw threads engage with the
diaphragm 46 to prevent rotation of the pipe section which carries said screw-
threads, and the nut engages with said diaphragm by a flange 48 to prevent
longitudinal displacement of the nut. If therefore rotation is imparted to the
nut, the pipe section engaged by said nut is necessarily forced outward or inward.
according to the direction of rotation of the nut.. To impart such rotation to
the nut I employ a pinion 49 carried upon the end of the shaft 50 which is
journaled at 51 in one of the diaphragms, and this shaft is adapted to be
roiated by hand, through the medium of the bevel crank-gear 52 (see Figs. 1
and 7) meshing with the bevel-wheel 53 which is keyed upon the shaft 50. Or
said shaft may be rotated by horse-power by causing a pinion 54 on the inner

page_text: end of said shaft adjacent to the lower end of the outer pipe section 18 to engage
with a corresponding wheel 55 on the platform of the vehicle when the carriage
and pipe sections are brought into erect position, and then imparting rotation
to the pinion 53 from the windlass 10 through the medium of large wheel 40 and
a wheel 56 which meshes with said large wheel 40 and which is on the same shaft
with the wheel 55. In order that the shaft 50 with its gear wheel 49 may be
made to successively rotate the pinion 47 and the pinion 47", said shaft may slide
longitudinally in the bevel gear 53 and pinion 54 while being fixed against relative
rotation in said parts, and said shaft carries a cylindrical rack 57 which is
engaged by a pinion 58 carried on the outer pipe section and rotated by a
crank 59. By this means when the inner section 18 of the pipe sections has been
extended, the pinion 49 may be shifted through the pinion 58, rack 57 and
shaft 50 until said pinion 49 engages with the lower nut 47" on the outer end of
the lower or outer pipe section, and the second or intermediate pipe section 18"
may then be extended. The pitch of the screw threads 45 and of the threads
in the nuts 47 are such that the parts will remain in any position to which they
may be adjusted.
60 represents a prop or support hinged at 61 to the outer pipe section and
adapted to rest upon the platform of the vehicle when the parts are in position
for transportation.
By employing two different hinging points 15 and 17 the work is greatly
facilitated, the stability of the apparatus is increased, and the length over all
is reduced when the apparatus is in position for transportation.
It is not intended that the various devices for operating the apparatus shall
be mere alternative appendages as it may be convenient and desirable to have in
one apparatus a number of different means for manipulating. While the fluid
or liquid pressure is preferable to horse-power, it might be necessary to use the
apparatus repeatedly without; opportunity intervening for renewing pressure
within the receiver 13, and it would then be necessary to use the horse-power.
Moreover, while horse-power is preferable to and quicker than manipulation-by
hand, it might be necessary to use the apparatus when horse-power is not avail-
able and in that event the hand power would have to be used.
T
1
C
1
1000
1, RICHARD SCHAPLER, Director of Fire Brigade, of Fire Brigade Station,
Burgstrasse, Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the Empire of Germany, 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 a ladder mounted upon a suitable vehicle and with
self-contained means whereby the ladder may be erected, extended, rotated, and
adjusted in inclination at will, the means for accomplishing these various purposes
being operated by compressed gas or fluid, or by horse-power, or by hand.
The invention consists in certain novel features of construction hereinafter
fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings filed with the Provisional Specification.

page_text: Fig. represents a side elevation of the complete apparatus folded ready
for transportation.
Fig. 2.is a view on a smaller scale representing the apparatus in an upright
position and ready to be extended and shifted to different positions for use.
Figure 3 is a view similar to that shown in Figure 2, in which the ladder is
shown extended and slightly inclined.
Figure 4 is a rear view of the apparatus, in which the ladder is shown shifted
to a position on one side of the vehicle.
Figure 5 is a detail view on an enlarged scale showing the construction of a
portion of the pipe system with one of the contained pistons through which the
ladder is extended by compressed gas or fluid, and also the rack and screw
device through which the ladder may be extended by hand.
Figure 6 is a section on the line 5-5, Figure 5, and
Figure 7 is a detail view of a portion of the hand elevating niechanism.
The vehicle comprises a suitable platform 1 with front wheels 2 and rear
wheels 3 said vehicle preferably being made with a curved underframe 4 to
permit the front axle to turn completely around. is the draft tongue secured
in clips 6, 7, by means of a bolt S and adapted to be released by the removal of
bolt S. The tongue carries at its rear end a rope or cable 9 which is wound about
a windlass 10 supported beneath the vehicle by a frame 11 and by means of
which the tongue is adapted to do certain work to be hereinafter referred to; and
said tongue has a wheel 12 suspended therefrom upon which it may travel when
removed from the vehicle. The clips 6 and 7 are slotted on their lower sides as
shown at 6 in order that the rope or cable 9 may drop through the clips as the
tongue is drawn away by the horses in manipulating the apparatus by horse-
power, as will be hereinafter described.
The
The vehicle carries a cylinder or pressure receiver 13 surmounted by a revoluble
cap or turn-table 14, upon which is pivoted at 15, a carriage 16.
carriage 16 has pivoted to it at 17 telescoping pipe-sections 18, 18" 18", which
carry respectively ladder-sections 19, 20, 21, and the pipe sections are telescopic
in order that said ladder-sections may be extended one above the other to form a
continuous ladder. 22 represents a rope or cable connected to the lower or outer
pipe-section 18, and this rope is wound upon a drum 23 in order that the pipe-
sections may be erected at will. To maintain the efficiency of the pull imparted
from the drum 23 through the rope or cable 22 to the pipe-sections, I employ a
deflecting arm 24 hinged at 15 and having at its outer end a guide 25 through
which the rope or cable 22 passes when the drum 23 is wound, the carriage 16
with the parts carried by it are moved to an erect position, after which the
carriage is fixed in said position by a bolt or pin passed through an eye 26 at
the lower or rear end of the carriage and an eye 27 on the tower-like receiver 13.
The carriage is thus rigidly secured in erect position, but the inclination of the
pipe-sections and consequently of the ladder-sections may then be adjusted at
pleasure by unwinding the drum 23.
The drum 23 may be operated either by hand-crank 28 or by means of a
winding-cord 29 connected at one end to small pulley 30 on the end of shaft 31
of the drum 23, the other end of which winding cord passes around a guide
pulley 32 to a piston rod 33 of a piston (not seen) in a cylinder 34 suitably mounted
upon and receiving pressure from the tower-like receiver or cylinder 13.
+
The drum 23, the eye 27 and the cylinder 34 are suspended from the
rotating cap or turntable 14 by means of hangers 35 and ring 36 so that these
parts necessarily rotate with said cap or turn-table and maintain constant operative
relation with the carriage 16 and with each other. 37 represents an outlet which
may be opened after communication between the receiver 13 and cylinder 34 has
been cut off, and the pressure in cylinder 34 therefore allowed to escape, and
the winding-cord 29 being thus released it permits the unwinding of drum 23
and the inclination of the pipe-sections can thus be changed or lowered entirely
at will.

page_text: In order to provide for operating the wheel 23 by horse-power, I employ a
winding-drum 38 which will take the winding-cord 29; the lower end of the
shaft of such winding-drum carries a gear-wheel 39 which meshes with the large
wheel 40 on the windlass 10 mounted on the frame 11 hereinbefore described.
With the parts connected as described and the bolt 8 removed, the horses may
be driven off a limited extent to impart rotation to the windlass 10 and the
operation will follow as described. Suitable ratchets may be employed for holding
the rotating parts to any position to which they may be adjusted.
Obviously, any desired number of telescoping pipe-sections may be employed.
I have shown three pipe-sections, and each of the inner ones 18", 18, carries
a piston 41 which works in the pipe surrounding it. The result is that when
pressure, either fluid or gas pressure, is introduced into the lower end of pipe-
section 18 through a flexible hose 42, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, the inner
pipe sections 18, 18, will be successively projected into the position shown in
Figure 3. The parts will remain in this position until the pressure is released,
which may be accomplished by cutting off communication with the receiver at 43
and then opening an escape cock 44 at the lower end of the outer pipe section 18.
As a further means for projecting or extending the ladder, each pipe section
is provided with screw threads 45 which work through a diaphragm 46 on the
end of the surrounding pipe section, which diaphragm also carries a nut 47
threaded to mesh with the screw threads 45. The screw threads engage with the
diaphragm 46 to prevent rotation of the pipe section which carries said screw-
threads, and the nut engages with said diaphragm by a flange 48 to prevent
longitudinal displacement of the nut. If therefore rotation is imparted to the
nut, the pipe section engaged by said nut is necessarily forced outward or inward,
according to the direction of rotation of the nut. To impart such rotation to
the nut I employ a pinion 49 carried upon the end of the shaft 50 which is
journaled at 51 in one of the diaphragms, and this shaft is adapted to be
rotated by hand through the medium of the bevel crank-gear 52 (see Figures 1
and 7) meshing with the bevel-wheel 53 which is keyed upon the shaft 50. Or
said shaft may be rotated by horse-power by causing a pinion 54 on the inner
end of said shaft adjacent to the lower end of the outer pipe section 18 to engage
with a corresponding wheel 55 on the platform of the vehicle when the carriage
and pipe-sections are brought into erect position, and then imparting rotation
to. the pinion 53 from the windlass 10 through the medium of large wheel 40 and
a wheel 56 which meshes with said large wheel 40 and which is on the same shaft
with the wheel 55. In order that the shaft 50 with its gear wheel 49 may be
made to successively rotate the pinion 47 and the pinion 47, said shaft may slide
longitudinally in the bevel gear 53 and pinion 54 while being fixed against relative
rotation in said parts, and said shaft carries a cylindrical rack 57 which is
engaged by a pinion 58 carried on the outer pipe section and rotated by a
crank 59. By this means when the inner section 186 of the pipe sections has been
extended, the pinion 49 may be shifted through the pinion 58, rack 57 and
shaft 50 until said pinion 49 engages with the lower nut 47 on the outer end of
the lower or outer pipe section, and the second or intermediate pipe section 18"
may then be extended. The pitch of the screw threads 45 and of the threads
in the nuts 47 are such that the parts will remain in any position to which they
may be adjusted.
60 represents a prop or support hinged at 61 to the outer pipe section and
adapted to rest upon the platform of the vehicle when the parts are in position
for transportation.
By employing two different hinging points 15 and 17 the work is greatly
facilitated, the stability of the apparatus is increased, and the length over all
is reduced when the apparatus is in position for transportation.
It is not intended that the various devices for operating the apparatus shall
be mere alternative appendages as it may be convenient and desirable to have in
one apparatus a number of different means for manipulating. While the fluid

page_text: or liquid pressure is preferable to horse-power, it might be necessary to use the
apparatus repeatedly without opportunity intervening for renewing pressure
within the receiver 13, and it would then be necessary to use horse-power.
Moreover, while horse-power is preferable to and quicker than manipulation by
hand, it might be necessary to use the apparatus when horse-power is not avail-
able and in that event the hand power would have to be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is-
1. A fire escape apparatus comprising a platform, a tower, a turn table mounted
on the tower, a carriage surmounting the tower and pivoted to the turn-table,
the telescopic pipe-sections mounted on the carriage, the outer pipe-section being
pivoted to the carriage, means for oscillating the carriage with the pipe-sections,
and for oscillating the pipe-sections on the carriage, and means for erecting the
pipe-sections substantially as described.
2. A fire escape apparatus comprising a platform, a tower pressure-receiver, a
turn-table mounted on the tower pressure-receiver, a carriage surmounting the
tower pressure-receiver and pivoted to the turn-table, the telescopic pipe-sections
mounted on the carriage, the outer pipe-section being pivoted to the carriage,
means for oscillating the carriage with the pipe-sections, and for oscillating the
pipe-sections on the carriage, and a hose connecting the tower pressure-receiver
with the telescopic pipe-sections for erecting the latter: substantially as described.
3. A fire escape apparatus comprising a platform, a tower pressure-receiver,
a turn-table mounted on the tower pressure-receiver, a carriage surmounting the
tower pressure-receiver and pivoted to the turn-table, the telescopic pipe-sections
mounted on the carriage, the outer pipe-sections being pivoted to the carriage,
means for oscillating the carriage with the pipe-sections and for oscillating the
pipe-sections on the carriage connected with the tower pressure-receiver, and
means for erecting the pipe sections; substantially as described.
4. A fire escape apparatus comprising a tower, a turn-table mounted on said
tower, a carriage pivotally secured to the turn-table, telescopic pipe-sections
pivoted to an end of the carriage distant from the pivot of said carriage on the
iurn-table, and means for erecting the carriage and pipe-sections and for locking
the carriage in erected position while the pipe-sections are manipulated; sub-
stantially as described.
5. A fire escape apparatus comprising a tower, a turn-table mounted on
the tower, a carriage surmounting the tower and pivoted to the turn-table, the
telescopic pipe sections, the outer pipe-section being pivoted to the carriage, the
flexible connection for erecting the carriage with the pipe-sections and the pendent
guide secured to the pivot of the carriage for deflecting the flexible connection
and maintaining the direction of pull at an efficient angle to the pipe-sections:
substantially as described.
6. A fire escape apparatus comprising a receiver, the cap rotatably mounted
on said receiver, the pipe-sections and means for erecting the pipe-sections, and
the hangers and ring suspended from the rotatable cap whereby the erecting
means are supported; substantially as described.
7. A fire escape apparatus comprising a tower pressure-receiver, a turn-table
mounted on the tower pressure-receiver, a carriage surmounting the tower
pressure-receiver and pivoted to the turn-table, the telescopic pipe-sections
mounted on the carriage, the outer pipe-section being pivoted to the carriage, a
drum, a rope or cable connecting the drum with the pipe-sections, the pulley for
turning the drum, the cylinder having connections with the tower pressure-
receiver for supplying pressure to it, a cylinder piston-rod, and a cord connecting
the pulley with the piston rod; substantially as described.
8. A fire escape apparatus comprising a platform, a tower, the pipe-sections
pivotally mounted on the tower, the winding drum mounted on the tower, the

page_text: rope or cable connecting the winding drum on the tower with the pipe-sections,
the winding drum mounted on the platform and connected with the winding
drum on the tower, a windlass having working connections with the winding
drum on the platform, and means for hitching a draft animal to the windlass;
substantially as described.
9. A fire escape apparatus comprising a platform, a tower, the pipe-sections
pivotally mounted on the tower, the winding drum mounted on the tower, the
rope or cable connecting the drum with the pipe-sections, the winding drum
mounted on the platform and connected with the drum on the tower, a windlass
having working connection with the winding drum on the platform, the clips
secured to the platform, the releasable tongue mounted in the clips, and the
rope or cable connecting the tongue with the windlass; substantially as described.
10. The combination of the operating windlass, the draft tongue connected to
the rope of said windlass, and the clips 6 and 7 for receiving the tongue slotted
on their under sides to permit the windlass rope to drop through them as the
tongue is removed: substantially as herein explained.
11. The combination of the operating windlass, the tongue detachably secured
to the vehicle and connected with the rope of said windlass, and the ground
wheel 10 carried by the tongue; substantially as herein explained.
12. The combination of a platform, a tower, the pipe-sections, the parts to be
operated pivoted upon the tower, the windlass, the gear-wheel on the platform
rotated by said windlass, and the gear-wheel carried by the pipe-sections and
adapted to be brought into engagement with the gear-wheel on the platform by
the erection of the pipe-sections: substantially as herein explained.
13. The combination of the telescoping pipe-sections, the screw-threads carried
by the inner sections, the nuts carried by the outer ends of the sections and
engaging the screw-threads, the shaft running longitudinally of the pipe-sections,
means for rotating the shaft, and means for imparting rotary movement from the
shaft to the nuts: substantially as described.
14. In combination with the pipe sections of an apparatus substantially as
described, the nuts by which the pipe-sections are extended, the shaft running
longitudinally of the pipe-sections and having means for rotating it, a pinion
carried by the shaft for imparting movement to the nuts, and means for moving
the pinion on the shaft into engagement with the nuts successively: substantially
as herein explained.
15. The combination of a suitable tower, a carriage hinged upon the tower,
a pipe-section hinged to the carriage, the flexible connection having means for
winding it for erecting the pipe-sections with the carriage, means for locking
the carriage in erected position, and means for manipulating the flexible connec-
tion to change the angle of the pipe-section after the carriage is fixed: sub-
stantially as herein explained.
Dated this 21st day of July
1300
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents.