Improvements in Fire Escapes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th June, 1893-Accepted, 22nd July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fire Escapes.
I ALFRED DISS of Stanwell Street, Colchester in the County of Essex, Builder
and Contractor, 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 improvements upon fire escape apparatus of the kind
described in the Specification to my Patent No. 1368 of A.D. 1883 with reference
to Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings annexed thereto.
The present invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrange-
ment of said apparatus whereby I obtain greater supporting strength and render
the lowering of a heavy weight much easier. I also arrange the swinging supporting
arm some distance above the level of the window sill instead of close thereto as
before, thus facilitating the use of the apparatus. Further I substitute a flat band
(preferably stout webbing) for the rope employed in my previous apparatus,
which rope was apt to twist or kink and become entangled, and I provide a
handier arrangement of stop or catch for automatically locking or fixing the arm
in the proper position for use when swung outwards. I will now proceed to fully
describe my invention having reference to the annexed drawings in which similar
letters refer to corresponding parts in all the figs.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus with the arm swung inwards out
of use.
Fig. 2 shews the apparatus in part sectional side elevation with the arm swung
outwards ready for use.
Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of the swinging supporting arm, and Fig. 4 is a plan of
the standard to which it is hinged or pivotted shewing clearly the catch or stop
arrangement before mentioned.
a is a standard preferably of cast iron, b and c are flanges formed thereon by
which it may be secured by screws to the side and sill respectively of a window
frame A. d is a pin or pivot on the end of the standard a which enters a corre-
sponding hole e in the end of the supporting arm f. g is a dependent lug or
bracket on the underside of the arm f which bears against the side of the
standard a and thus increases the supporting strength of said arm. h is the
lowering band (preferably stout webbing) which passes over what I will term
"pulleys" situated in the hollow portion of the arm f. These pulleys (which
preferably have convex faces, Fig. 3) do not revolve however but are fixed upon
their axes which are in turn fixed in the sides of the arm f, consequently the
friction between the pulleys and the band (which is increased by causing the
said band to follow a winding or zig zag path over the pulleys in the manner
illustrated for example) will prevent the band h from running out too readily
and thus permit a heavy weight to be easily lowered with little exertion. If
desired the friction upon the band h may be still further increased by passing the
latter from pulley a² over or under one or other of the stanchions k k secured to
convenient parts of the apparatus, preferably the stanchion & would be employed
by persons lowering themselves (the path of the band being in this case indicated
by the dotted lines) and the stanchion would preferably be used when the
weight is lowered by someone in the building (the dot and dash line indicating
path of the band in this case). is a projection or catch on the underside of the
swinging arm, and is a corresponding recess in the shoulder of pillar a with
which such catch automatically engages when the arm is swung outwards ready
for action as shewn in Fig. 2. To release the catch the arm f must be slightly
raised on its pivot d (see Fig. 1).
m is a spring hook secured to the end of the lowering band h to which a bag

page_text: or sack or other convenient receptacle for lowering women and children may be
slung, the said hook m also serves in conjunction with the slide n as hereinafter
described to form a loop of any desired size, which may be passed around the body
of a person lowered.
n (Figs. 2 and 2^) is a slide threaded upon the band h. o is a ring secured to
the slide n. By engaging the hook m with the ring o a loop is formed the size of
which is determined by adjusting the position of the slide n upon the band which
can readily be done when there is no tension upon the latter, when however
the band is put into a state of tension by the weight lowered it will firmly
grip the slide n, and prevent the same from shifting and allowing the loop to
tighten.
In using the apparatus the window is raised the arm f swung outwards into
position as shewn in Fig. 2 where it is automatically locked by the catch; the
person wishing to descend will pass band h round his waist, engage the hook m with
ring o, and adjust the slide n to form a loop of proper size, he will then lower
himself by paying out the free end of the band h, or may be lowered by someone
in the building or on the ground outside. In the case of women and children it may
be better to use a large bag or receptacle slung on hook m in lieu of passing a loop
of the band around their waists.
It is obvious that if desired simple bolts or pins fixed across the hollow portion
of the arm might be substituted for the fixed pulleys illustrated.
I do not confine myself to the particular number and arrangement of fixed
pulleys and stanchions shewn, but the path traversed by the band over and under
such pulleys or pulleys and stanchions should be winding or zig zag so as to
increase the friction.
By placing a second hook m and slide n on the band h in such position that
when a person reaches the ground the said hook and slide will be near the arm f
the escape may be used continuously, without waiting to haul up the band after
each descent.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a fire escape apparatus, in combination with a swinging supporting arm_f,
a flat lowering band h, and fixed pulleys or bolts carried by said arm over and under
which said band passes in a winding or zig zag manner, substantially as described
and illustrated.
2. In a fire escape apparatus, in combination with a supporting arm f, a flat
lowering band h, fixed pulleys or bolts carried by said arm over which band his
passed winding or zig zag fashion, and stanchions secured to convenient parts of the
apparatus for use when extra friction on the band is required, substantially as
described and illustrated.
3. In a fire escape apparatus the combination of a flat lowering band / suspended
from a supporting arm, a hook m at the end of said band, and a slide n threaded
thereon, substantially as and for the purpose specified and illustrated.
4. In a fire escape apparatus comprising a swinging arm hinged or pivotted to a
standard or support secured within a building, the means for automatically locking
said arm in position when swung outwards for action, substantially as described and
illustrated.
5. The general construction and arrangement of fire escape apparatus substantially
as described and illustrated.
Dated this 10th day of June 1893,
E. P. ALEXANDER & SON, Fels. Chartd. Inst. P.A.,
19, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.