IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE DESCENT FROM AND ASCENT TO THE UPPER STOREYS OF. HOUSES OR BUILDINGS IN CASE OF FIRE, AND IN ALARMS FOR THE SAID APPARATUS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Jackson, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,'.
Tobacco Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR FACILITATING THE DESCENT FROM AND ASCENT TO THE UPPER STOREYS OF.
HOUSES OR BUILDINGS IN CASE OF FIRE, AND IN ALARMS FOR THE SAID
APPARATUS."
Sealed the 25th February 1879, and dated the 31st August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Jackson at the. Office of*
the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st August 1878.
JOHN JACKSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Tobacco Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE DESCENT FROM
AND ASCENT TO THE UPPER STOREYS OF HOUSES OR BUILDINGS IN CASE OF FIRE,
AND IN ALARMS FOR THE SAID APPARATUS."
My Invention consists of apparatus constructed as herein-after described, to be
stationed within an upper room or apartment of a house or building for facilitating
in case of fire the descent of persons from or the ascent of persons to the upper
storeys of the burning house or building.
The said apparatus consists essentially of an endless chain working over pulleys
at each end of the loop, the length of the said loop of the chain being more than
equal to the height of the room in which it is to be used from the street or road.
The frame of each pulley is furnished with a hook for attaching it to a fixed sup-
port, as herein-after explained. On each side of the loop of the chain is a chain belt
with a swivel or other attachment for passing round and attaching to the waist of
the person using the apparatus, and near each chain belt is a sack-like receptacle for
receiving a child or woman, or any article it is wished to lower. Within the room
or apartment, and near the window thereof, a small crane having, by preference, a
jointed arm is arranged. To the arm of the crane, one of the pulley blocks of the
endless chain is suspended by its hook, the other pulley block being supported in
the bottom of the loop. By means of the said crane, the endless chain, carrying the

page_text: appliances herein-before described, can, in case of fire, be readily brought to and
made to project from the window of the room or apartment, and the said endless
chain with its bottom pulley lowered into the street by the side of the house or
building. When the depending, endless chain cannot be used close to the building
it may be stretched across the footpath and its bottom pulley attached to a street
post, lamp post, or other fixed support.
In using the apparatus, the person wishing to descend having fastened himself to
the chain belt on the descending side of the endless chain, he grasps the ascending
side of the chain, and by paying out. the chain he lowers himself into the street.
The ascending side of the chain may be used for raising a fireman or other person
to the room or apartment of the burning house.
A short distance above each belt is a stop for limiting the travelling of the chain
between the two pulleys. The; chain can thus only travel a limited distance in
either direction, as on one of the stops arriving, at one of the pulleys the further
motion of the chain in that direction is prevented, and the side of the loop which
was the descending side now. becomes the ascending side, and the reverse.
By the use of the apparatus described, the descent of persons from or their ascent
to the upper storeys of a burning house or building is effected with great facility
and safety.
The apparatus is speedily brought into use, it being only necessary on an alarm
of fire to turn the crane supporting the endless chain to the window of the room,
project its arm through the said window, and lower the endless chain against the
side of the house into the street, or cause its lower pulley end to be fixed to a post
or other support, when the descent from or ascent to the room may be effected in
the manner before described.
For the purpose of giving an alarm during the use of the apparatus in case of-fire,
or in case the apparatus is improperly used by persons in the house for descending
into the street, I attach to the frame of the top pulley block; or that suspended
from the crane, an alarm consisting preferably of a bell, but other sounding appara-
tus may be used. The said bell or alarm is sounded or rung. by the motion of the
pulley of the said top pulley block in the following manner:-The axis of the
pulley is prolonged through its frame, and upon the prolonged end a series of short
arms,or teeth is made, and over-the said arms or teeth a bell is supported provided
with 'two hammers or clappers, so arranged that one hammer is acted upon by the
arms or teeth described when the pulley is turned in one direction, and the other
hammer when the motion of the pulley is reversed. By this arrangement a succes-
sion of blows is given to the bell, and an alarm produced by the travelling of the
endless, chain over the pulley in either direction.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Jackson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th February
1879.
JOHN JACKSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Tobacco Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE DESCENT FROM
AND ASCENT TO THE UPPER STOREYS OF HOUSES OR BUILDINGS IN CASE OF FIRE,
AND IN ALARMS FOR THE SAID APPARATUS."
My Invention consists of apparatus constructed as herein-after described, to be
stationed within an upper room or apartment of a house or building for facilitating
in caso of fire the descent of persons from or the ascent of persons to the upper
storeys of the burning house or building."
The said apparatus consists essentially of an endless chain working over pulleys
at each end of the loop, the length of the said loop of the chain being more than
equal to the height of the room in which it is to be used from the street or road.
The frame of each pulley, or the bottom pulley only is furnished with a hook for
attaching it to a fixed support, as herein-after explained. On each side of the loop
of the chain is a chain belt with a swivel or other attachment for passing round
and attaching to the waist of the person using the apparatus, and near cach chain
belt is a sack-like receptacle for receiving a child or woman, or any article it is
wished to lower. Within the room or apartment and near the window thereof, a
small crane, having, by preference, a jointed arm, is arranged. To the arm of the
crane one of the pulley blocks of the endless chain is suspended, the other pulley
block being supported in the bottom of the loop. By means of the said crane, the
endless chain carrying the appliances herein-before described can, in case of fire, be
readily brought to and made to project from the window of the room or apartment,
and the said endless chain with its bottom pulley lowered into the street by the
side of the house or building. When the depending endless chain cannot be used
close to the building it may be stretched across the foot path and its bottom pulley
attached to a street post, lamp post, or other fixed support.
In using the apparatus, the person wishing to descend having fastened himself to
the chain belt on the descending side of the endless chain he grasps the ascending
side of the chain, and by paying out the chain he lowers himself into the street.
The ascending side of the chain may be used for raising a fireman or other person
to the room or apartment of the burning house.
A short distance above each belt is a stop for limiting the travelling of the chain
between the two pulleys. The chain can thus only travel a limited distance in
either direction, as on one of the stops arriving at one of the pulleys the further
motion of the chain in that direction is prevented, and the side of the loop which
was the descending side now becomes the ascending side, and the reverse.
By the use of the apparatus described, the descent of persons from or their ascent
to the upper storeys of a burning house or building is effected with great facility
and safety.
The apparatus is speedily brought into use, it being only necessary on an alarm
of fire to turn the crane supporting the endless chain to the window of the room,
project its arm through the said window, and lower the endless chain against the
side of the house into the street, or cause its lower pulley end to be fixed to a post
or other support, when the descent from or ascent to the room may be effected in
the manner before described.
For the purpose of giving an alarm during the use of the apparatus in case of fire,
or in case the apparatus is improperly used by persons in the house for descending
into the street, I attach to the frame of the top pulley block, or that suspended from
the crane, an alarm consisting preferably of a bell, but other sounding apparatus
may be used.
The said bell or alarm is sounded or rung by the motion of the pulley
of the said top pulley block in the following manner:-The axis of the pulley is
prolonged through its frame, and upon the prolonged end a series of short arms or
teeth is made, and over the said arms or teeth a bell is supported, provided with

page_text: two hammers or clappers, so arranged that one hammer is acted upon by the arms
or teeth described when the pulley is turned in one direction, and the other
-hammer when the motion of the pulley is reversed. By this arrangement a
succession of blows is given to the bell, and an alarm produced by the travelling of
the endless chain over the pulley in either direction. One clapper may be used
instead of two clappers.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents the exterior of a house to which apparatus constructed
according to my Invention is applied, the said apparatus being arranged in position
for use, and Figure 2 represents an interior view of a portion of one of the rooms of
the house, and exhibits the manner in which the apparatus is packed and supported,
ready in case of fire to be brought into use.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1 and 2.
a, b, is the endless chain passing over the pulley c at top, and under the pulley d
at bottom. The top pulley c turns in the forked or branched end of the crane
arın e situated within the room or apartinent of the house, and near the window
thereof. The frame of the bottom pulley d is furnished with a hook d for attach-
ing it to a fixed support when necessary. The side a of the loop of the endless
chain has attached to it a chain belt f for passing round the waist of the person
using this apparatus. This chain belt f is fastened to the waist of the person by a
spring swivel g (or other convenient fastening), with which the end of chain belt
may be engaged. The other side b of the loop of the endless chain has a similar
chain belt hand connecting swivel i. On the side a of the loop of the endless
chain is a stop ring k, and on the other side b of the loop is a stop ring 1, for
limiting the travel or range of motion of the endless chain a, b, between the two
pulleys c, d.
m is a sack-like receptacle attached to the side a of the loop for receiving a man,
woman, or child, or for containing any article it is wished to lower from the burning
house. A second sack-like receptacle may be attached to the side b of the loop.
The mouth of the sack-like receptacle m is furnished with a chain belt n with
swivel connection for securing the person within the sack during the descent from
the house.
The construction of the crane supporting the endless chain a, b, and the appliances
connected with it, is best seen in Figure 2, where e represents the arm carried by
the upright e², which swivels in the eyes or bearings e³, e³, fixed to the carrying
plate p, the latter being secured in the manner represented to the inside of the
room, and near the window from which the apparatus is to be lowered for use.
By means of the jointed arm e of the crane the endless chain a, b, can either be
brought to the front of the window, as seen in Figure 2, and the said arm projected
from the window, as seen in Figure 1, or the said endless chain and the appliances
connected with it can be turned away from the window and brought against the
wall of the room near the said window.
When the apparatus is not in use, the endless chain a, b, and its chain belts and
sack-like receptacle are packed together in the manner illustrated in Figure 2, that
is to say, the sack m is rolled up, and the endless chain a, b, is coiled upon the said
sack and fixed by the passing of a cotter or cross pin q through the hook of the
lower pulley block, the whole of the apparatus being supported from the crane, and
ready to be brought into use.
When the apparatus is to be used, the arm e of the crane is turned to and made
to project from the open window, and the chain a, b, having been unfastened and
uncoiled, the whole of the apparatus supported by the top pulley c on the crane
arm e is lowered into the street by the side of the house or building, the parts now
occupying the respective positions represented in Figure 1.
When the depending endless chain cannot be used close to the building, it may
-be stretched across the footpath, and its bottom. pulley-d, d, attached to a street-or-
other post, or other fixed support. The apparatus is now ready for use.

page_text: In using the apparatus, the person wishing to descend having fastened himself to
the chain belt f on the descending side a of the endless chain he grasps the ascend-
ing side b of the chain, and by paying out the chain he lowers himself into the
street.
The sack-like receptacle m containing a man, woman, or child, or any article,
may be lowered by a person in the street working the endless chain a, b.
The ascending side b of the chain carrying the belt may be used for raising a
fireman or other person to the room or apartment of the burning house.
The chain a, b, can only travel a limited distance in either direction in conse-
quence of the stops 1, L, as on one of the stops, say the stop l, arriving at the
pulley c the further motion of the chain in that direction is prevented, and the side
of the loop which was the descending side now becomes the ascending side, and the
reverse.
is the bell for giving an alarm during the use of the apparatus. The said bell
is attached by the plate represented to one side of the forked end of the crane
arm e carrying the top pulley c.
The said bell and the mechanism connected with it are represented drawn to a
larger scale in section in Figure 3, and a front elevation of the bell mechanism as
represented in Figure 4.
The axis c of the pulley c is carried through the crane arm, and has on its end a
cross bar or plate s carrying two teeth or studs t, t. u is the weighted clapper or
hammer jointed at u² to the carrying plate of the bell. Near the joint end of the
hammer or clapper is a rounded shoulder v. When the pulley c is turned in
one or other direction, according to the direction in which the endless chain is
moving, the cross bar or plate 8, carrying the teeth or studs t, t, partakes of its
motion, and the said studs bear against one or other side of the shoulder v and
raise the hammer or clapper u, which strikes the bell a succession of blows and
produces an alarm. The hammer or clapper takes the position represented by its
own weight.
Although I prefer to use a bell in connection with the top pulleys c, yet any
other sounding or alarm apparatus may be used which can be put into operation by
the rotation of the said pulley.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention,
the improvements in apparatus for facilitating the descent from and ascent to the
upper storeys of houses or buildings in case of fire, and in alarms for the said
apparatus, herein-before described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings,
that is to say, apparatus consisting of an endless chain carried by a crane, applied
and used substantially as described and illustrated, the said endless chain being
furnished with stops for limiting the range of its motion, and with belts, and a sack
or sacks, or other like appliances for connecting persons to the endless chain, and
for receiving persons or articles to be lowered by the said chain; also the combina-
tion with the upper pulley of the apparatus of a bell or other sounding machine for
producing an alarm, by the travelling of the endless chain over the said pulley,
substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Jackson, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Nineteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
+
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine