Improvement in Friction Rope Pulley Blocks for Lowering Persons, or for other purposes.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Friction Rope Pulley Blocks for Lowering Persons,
or for other purposes.
I EDWIN ROBERT WETHERED Lieut.-Colonel of 21 Brewer Street Woolwich
County Kent do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a simple and secure means for
enabling persons to lower others, or themselves from the windows of dwelling
houses, in the event of fire, or for other purposes, with a rope, and block so
constructed as to give the operator complete control over the descent, with a
minimum of friction, or strain, either on the rope or hands of the person
lowering.
•
I make the block with two metal cheeks, in the ordinary manner, between these,
I place the requisite number of pulley wheels, or sheaves, for example, say six, in
rows of two each, four secured to the cheeks by fixed pins, around which the pulley
wheels rotate; the other two, are each fitted by pins, in two grooved slots in the
cheeks, so that they not only can rotate, but also travel, so as to approach each
other to nip the rope between them, or the reverse, as hereinafter explained.
Between and around these six pulley wheels, I interlace, or reeve, the rope in
such manner that considerable friction shall be given to it, but not more than
sufficient to allow the rope to travel freely through the block, with the least weight
liable to be attached to it; each end of the rope passing out uniformly at both ends
of the block.
At each end of the block, I fit an arm, or handle, extending along the outer
face of one of the cheeks, from end to end, standing about one inch from the
surface; on this arm I place a metal ring free to travel from end to end.
When employed for lowering persons, the block is suspended by the ring to a wall
hook, or sash line hook. The person to be lowered is attached by a belt to the
short end of rope, and the person lowering, controls the descent, by allowing the
other end to pass through his hand, in the usual manner. To repeat the lowering
of others, the end of block will be immediately reversed, by allowing the arm to
pass through the ring. When the operator desires, after all are rescued, to lower
himself, the short end of rope is suspended to the wall hook, or other fixture, he
then attaches himself by a belt, to the ring of block, his weight draws the block
down the rope, and he controls his descent, by allowing the rope to pass through
his hand, the weight of person lowered will cause the moveable pulley wheels, to be
drawn together, and when the lowering end of rope is held by the operator the rope
will be firmly nipped between these pulley wheels, giving complete control over the
lowering.
By a somewhat similar arrangement the sash window of a carriage may be raised,
held, and lowered, for example I place between two narrow metal cheeks, say three
pulley wheels, two fastened by fixed pins, one fitted to travel in a slot, at the upper
end; the pin which passes through this pulley wheel I fix by two links, or other-
wise, to the bottom of the sash, one block on each side. The wire rope, or cord
rove through this block, will have both ends fastened top and bottom to the door
frame, along which the pulley block fixed to the sash, will travel up, and down.
When the sash is lifted to raise it, the upper pulley wheel will be first lifted, which

page_text: will free the nip on the rope, and the sash will be readily raised; when the
sash is allowed to rest, its weight will cause the upper pulley wheel to close
on the next, nipping the rope between them requiring extra pressure to push the
sash down.
E. R. WETHERED,
Woolwich.
Iinprovement in Friction Rope Pulley Blocks for Lowering Persons,
or for other purposes.
I EDWIN ROBERT WETHERED of 18 Church Terrace Lee S.E: County
of Kent, late of 21 Brewer Street Woolwich County of Kent do hereby
déclare 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:-
To enable my invention to be fully understood, I will describe how it can be
carried into practice, by reference to the accompanying full size drawing of the
pulley block I prefer for lowering persons. The dotted lines show the position of
the pulley wheels, and the course of the rope passing through the block.
A 1. & A 2. are the two central pulley wheels, travelling in separate slots. B the
end of rope held by person lowering. C the belt to which the person to be lowered
is attached. The combination of the weight at end of rope C, and the end of
lowering rope being held by the hand at B. causes the two sliding pulley wheels to
close ou each other, until the rope becomes jammed between them, and their
rotation stopped; on the end of lowering rope B. being allowed to travel through
the hand of the operator pulley wheels, especially A 2, will be forced slightly
outwards, allowing the rope to be drawn through the block, under complete
control of the person lowering. E is a bow arm standing above one cheek of the
block, secured to the ends of the other cheek, and carrying an iron ring D. for the
purpose before explained.
It does not appear necessary to further describe the various ways in which this
principle of sliding pulley wheels may be applied for other purposes. It is
obvious that the slots which carry the sliding pulley wheels, and the interlacing of
the rope, can be arranged in various ways to give the amount of friction required
for any purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. The manufacture and use of a friction pulley block for lowering persons or
weights, substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in accompanying
drawing.
2nd. The employment of this principle of sliding pulley wheels, operated by the
rope passing through the block, to obtain the requisite friction to lower or retain
a weight, either when carried by the block travelling with the weight, or pull, or
by the end of rope when the block is suspended.
· Dated, 3rd February 1896.
E.. R. WETHERED,
18 Church Terrace, Lee, S.E..