IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRE IN THEATRES AND OTHER BUILDINGS
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th December 1881. A communi-
cation from abroad by Hiram Stevens Maxim of Brooklyn, New York,
United States of America.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine Lake & Co, Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings London. "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING
FIRE IN THEATRES AND OTHER BUILDINGS." A communication from abroad by
Hiram Stevens Maxin of Brooklyn New York, United States of America.
This Invention relates to apparatus for extinguishing fire in theatres and other
buildings or places in which much illumination is required and which contain a
great quantity of inflammable materials.
In carrying my said Invention into practice I provide an arrangement of pipes
as represented in Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings which shews my
Invention applied to a theatre. The said pipes are fixed to the principal water
pipe and are placed amongst the scenery or at any other part to be protected;
Figure 1 also shews a perforated pipe placed above the stage.
Figure 2 represents, on an enlarged scale, the apparatus for opening the valve of
the pipe which supplies the principal water pipe.
Figure 3 represents, on an enlarged scale, the apparatus for opening the valve
of the perforated branch pipes.
Figure
represents mechanism by which a single water jet is automatically
opened on the occurence of a fire.
My improved apparatus operates as follows.
A valve P (Figure 3) is kept closed by the tension of a cotton cord N. The
same tension maintains the piece M in connection with a weight K so as to
support the latter.
The valve P being hermetically closed, the pipe placed between the said valve
and the valve B (see Figure 2) is filled with air at a low pressure and then this
pipe is closed. If the pipes are hermetically closed this air pressure will be
inaintained indefinitely. If on the contrary the pressure becomes gradually
reduced by reason of leakage the required pressure is restored by introducing a
fresh supply of air from time to time.

page_text: When the fire burns the rope N, the weight K is liberated and drops upon a
wedge L thus opening the valve P and allowing the air contained in the pipes to
escape.
The escape of the air moves a diaphragm contained in a box or casing D D, the
ball E being maintained in the position shewn, solely by reason of the air pressure.
When the pressure decreases, the ball E drops and releases the lever F from the
Jever G so that the ball H falls, and operates the elbow lever I, J, thus opening
the valve B and allowing the water from the principal feeding pipe to flow into
the other pipes, this water passing. through the holes which have been already
opened by the fire.
In a modification shewn in Figure 4 the fire causes the opening of the water
apertures by igniting gun cotton placed inside a cap T made of soft metal. The
explosion of the gun-cotton blows off the extremity of the cap and thus creates a
free passage by which the air escapes. The pressure of air decreasing, the
diaphragm is operated, the weight E drops, and the valve B is opened and allows
the water to flow.
In both cases the fire itself causes the opening of the orifices of the pipes and
at the same time it causes the opening of the valve of the principal water pipe.
This apparatus operates in an equally satisfactory manner when an elevator
reservoir is employed, the working of the valve being the same.
If this apparatus is used in combination with a steam-pump, the diminution of
the air pressure in the pipes is utilized for opening the steam-pipe. If in com-
bination with a carbonic acid gas generator, the escape of the air, and the fall of
the weight will effect the breakage of the bottle containing the sulphuric acid
-which-will-drop-into-the-solution-of-carbonate of soda.
In lieu of the cord N wire may be used, in the form of sections or pieces
soldered one to another in such a manner that the heat will cause the older
to melt.
I may employ loose hanging cords as shewn in Figure 1.
these cords before it spreads sufficiently to reach the cord N.
The fire will ignite
The pipes provided with the inlet water valves may have any number of rising
branch pipes spreading out into a number of horizontal perforated pipes running
through the different parts of the building intended to be protected from fire.
The form, dimension and arrangement of the various parts of this apparatus
may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention.