A NEW- CONSTRUCTED MACHINE BETTER CALCULATED FOR THE SAFELY ESCAPING FROM HOUSES IN CASE OF FIRE OR THEIVES THAN ANY OTHER HERETOFORE DISCOVERED
Year: 1783

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
SPARKHALL, of Crutched Friars, in the City of London, Blacksmith, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of December, in the twenty-fourth year
of His reign, did give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Sparkhall, my
exors, adñors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Alexander Sparkhall, my exors, admors, and assigns,
and every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy and
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Alexander Spark-
hall, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
that part of His Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A NEW-
CONSTRUCTED MACHINE BETTER CALCULATED FOR THE SAFELY ESCAPING FROM HOUSES
IN CASE OF FIRE OR THEIVES THAN ANY OTHER HERETOFORE DISCOVERED," as to me,
the said Alexander Sparkball, my exors, admors, or assigns, or any of them,
should in their discretion seem meet, and that I, the said Alexander Spark-

page_text: hall, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, com-
modity, and advantage from time to time coming, growing, and arising by reason
of the said Invention, for and during the term of years therein mentioned,
to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges, and
advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the
said Alexander Sparkhall, my exors, admors, and assigns, for and during and
unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters
Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended,
according to the Statute in such case made and provided; in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a provisoe obliging me, the said Alexander
Sparkhall, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majestie's High
Court of Chancery within four calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said provisoe, I, the said
Alexander Sparkhall, do hereby declare that my said Invention of a New-
constructed Machine for Safely Escaping from Houses in case of Fire or
Thieves, is accurately delineated and described in the Drawing hereunto
annexed, marked with the letter A, and that the following is an exact expla-
nation of the different parts of the said Drawing, that is to say:
F is a frame that hangs by joints, No. 17, on the top bar 18, in frame G.
The frame F hangs either before or within the frame G, and supports a
balcony. No. 30 is a plate, which may be fixed under the balcony to come
before the braces No. 19 in G. The balcony may be inclosed all round, or
with a gate or bar to open. L is a view of the flap that lays at bottom of the
balcony, which may either be fixed or so as to rise up against the front. Hanging
on hinges, No. 1 in B, is the frame of the regulating part of machine. No. 9
is a spindle which runs in the frame No. 1, upon which is fixed a wheel No. 2,
with grove on top, and No. 10, which serves as a partition, and No. 3, a worm
wheel, which catches the worm No. 4, as in the profile A.The worm 4
runs on a carriage No. 6 and 33, and on a step 84, as in B. No. 5 is a fan
fixed on the worm 4. No. 11 is a chain fixed and wound on the spindle 9.
No. 12 is a small chain fixed to the wheel No. 2, and wound round the
contrary way to and as often as the chain No. 11 on the spindle 9, then
brought over and catched by the catch on edge of wheel, as No. 7 in the
profile A, and then wound round the spindle the same way as the chain

page_text: No. 11, as it appears on No. 9 in B. The two chains are put through the
wall, and in the pulleys No. 8, which may be wanted more or less, as in
the profile A. Chain No. 11. is fixed to bar No. 18 in frame G; chain No. 12
runs through a pulley fixed to a bar No. 18, and a stop made to the end.
The frame B is fixed in the internal part or top of the house.
G. and F are put together as before described, and fixed to suit
any. window
on the external part of the house, by joints No. 20, as in the section D, and
fasten by hooks, as. No. 27 in E, into loops 28, on the sash frame.
The frame
The mode of making use of the machine.-First get into balconey; touch
the handles 27 on each side, and its own weight and force of spring No. 16,
as in E, which may be one or two, or in different places behind the frame
G, will immediately drive the upper part of machine from the front, by which
means also the internal part of machine is set in motion, and so continue till
the balconey with its load descends to the ground, retarded in its velocity by the
fan No. 5. Then the chains are both run off the spindle No. 9, and the
chain No. 12 comes off the notch No..7, asain A, and hangs on the wheel
No. 2, as in the frame C. The balconey. when down is, about the same distance
from the house as the frame G is long. If it is wanted to be drawn up by
those below, take hold of the end or stop of the chain No. 12, by drawing it
winds off the wheel No. 2 on to the ground, and winds the chain No. 11 on
the spindle No. 9. Then by its descending down a second, time the chain 12
gets on the wheel No. 2; then if to. be drawn up.above, must turn the chain
No: 12 over the-notch No. 7, and both chains, will wind on spindle as first
described: Or, instead of balconey, A may be a box,, as No. 24 in H, hanging
in the same manner, or the frame F may be made as long as the frame G,
the same as K, and so fix the top of frames one story the higher. No. 23 in
K is a plate which comes before the braces No. 19, or it may be with a
convenience for riding down in, or it may be only braces, as, No. 19 in G, or
the frame, G need not be any longer than F, which is from the floor to the top
of the window, as the frame, N, with a rouler fixed to front, as No. 23, which
stands out as .No. 28 .in profile, M...
No. 29 is a chain fastened to frame N.
a bar No. 35 that is across the top.
being fixed by joints No. 20. The chain No. 29 is put through pulleys, as
No. 8, and wound round the spindle with the chain 11. The frame O is
hung upon the stubbs No. 34, between the frame N and the rowler No. 28,
and the chain 11 in O is the same as 11 in G, put under the bow of the
top bar in N and fastened to frame O, and the chain 12 is the same as 12
No. 34 are two stubbs fixed in N.
O, is a frame the same as F, except
No. 36 in O is a hook, the frame N

page_text: in F. The stop end is put unto the hook No. 36 in O, then will act as
follows: After being unfastened and drove from front by spring, the frame
N will come about the horizontal plain working on the joints 20, and the
chain No. 29 being wound entirely off the spindle, a stop which is at the end
will catch by the frame of pulley 8, and so continue the frame N in that
direction, and the frame. O continues its motion down to the ground by
running over the roller No. 28. The links of chain No. 11, that lie with
the edge downwards, runs in the grove in rouler No. 28, in order to keep the
chain in its place and steady the motion of frame O; then is returned up
over the rouler, and both frames brought to their place by taking the chain
12 off the hook No. 36, and drawing as before described, and is likewise
wound up in the same manner inside the house, except laying the end of
chain No. 29 on the spindle No. 9, when the frame O comes over the rouler
No. 28. H is a front view of a box, which will serve instead of a balconey to
go under the window, banging on the same kind of frame as F. I is a profile
of the box with lid No. 22 hanging by hinges in the front, and forming the
sill of a window. No. 21 is a pin put through loops or socket, which are
fixed within the box and through the bottom, and into a hole under the box,
which serves as a fastening. Instead of the hooks No. 27, a box flap or bay
may be made to lay within the room, and to turn over the sill of window and
go down on the above principle. The whole machine may be made of iron, or
some parts of wood or brass, or instead of chains may be ropes. The front
of box or plates may be painted to, imitate the front of a house, or fitted
up with tiles. The internal part of machine may be made with wheel and
pinion, or as the frame G, with fan No. 13 on the spindle No. 9, it being
continued so much the longer.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Sparkhall, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of April, in the twenty-fourth
year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the
grace of God King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender
of the Faith, and so forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand
seven hundred and eighty-four.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventh day of April, in the
year of our Lord 1784, the aforesaid Alexander Sparkhall came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according
to the tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.