A NEW OR IMPROVED FIRE ESCAPE, WHICH SAID FIRE ESCAPE MAY ALSO BE USED FOR CLEANING WINDOWS, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Newey, of Harborne, in the County of Stafford,
Builder, for the Invention of." A NEW OR IMPROVED FIRE ESCAPE, WHICH
SAID FIRE ESCAPE MAY ALSO BE USED FOR CLEANING WINDOWS, AND FOR OTHER
LIKE PURPOSES."
Sealed the 30th August 1864, and dated the 14th March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Newey at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th March
1864.
I, JOHN NEWEY, of Harborne, in the County of Stafford, Builder, 'do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED FIRE
ESCAPE, WHICH SAID FIRE ESCAPE MAY ALSO BE USED FOR CLEANING WINDOWS, AND
FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists essentially of a portable horizontal stage or platform
capable of being rapidly secured to the window sill, the said platform being
provided with the appliances herein-after described. The said platform
consists of a framing of bars of iron, the said framing being for the greater
part filled in with wood. Two arms forming part of the framing are bent at
right angles to the plane of the framing, and are furnished with thumb-
screws. The platform is also provided with oblique stays on its under side,
and when in use the said stays bear against the outer wall of the building,
the turned down ends of the framing bearing against the window sash inside
the room. The thumb screws serve to adjust the fire escape to walls of

page_text: different thicknesses. Underneath the platform is a short iron ladder with
a small platform at bottom, and having stays at back, which by bearing
against the outside of the wall, preserve the said ladder in a vertical position.
At the extreme end of the upper or large platform is a pulley, over which a
cord is passed. In using the fire escape, it only requires to be put out of the
window in such a way that the upper platform is horizontal, the stays bearing
against the outside of the wall, and the ends of the thumb-screws against the
window sash inside the room. By turning the thumb-screws, the fire escape
may be adjusted to any thickness of wall.
In using my Invention to remove women and children from the room, the
woman or child enters a sack or bag in the room, and being lifted to the
upper platform, descends the ladder to the small lower platform, the steps of
the ladder being readily felt by the feet through the sack or bag. Having
arrived on the lower platform, the sack or bag is lowered by means of the cord
which had been hooked to the sack before it left the room. The lowering is
effected by a person. in the room or below. In the case of men, it is only
necessary to descend from the upper to the lower platform, and to pass one
leg through a loop at the end of the rope, when by holding the rope with the
hands, the descent may be safely made. The last person brings the end of
the rope with him, and lets himself down. Persons may be removed by
means of the fire escape from a window or floor below that at which the fire
escape is fixed. When used for cleaning windows or other like purposes, I
prefer to fix a broader platform with a sheet-iron guard on the upper platform;
this broad platform may readily be fixed and removed by means of thumb-
screws.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Newey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the "
9th September 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME; -I, JOHN
NEWEY, of Harborne, in the County of Stafford, Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Newey, Her special licence that I, the said John s
Newey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the :

page_text: said John Newey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any.
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW
OR IMPROVED FIRE ESCAPE, WHICH SAID FIRE ESCAPE MAY ALSO BE USED FOR
CLEANING WINDOWS, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Newey, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Newey, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
forined, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement thereof, that is to say:-
.
My Invention consists essentially of a portable horizontal stage or platform
capable of being rapidly secured to the window sill, the said platform being
provided with the appliances herein-after described. The said platform
consists of a framing of bars of iron, the said framing being for the greater
part filled in with wood; two arms forming part of the framing are bent at
right angles to the plane of the framing, and are furnished with thumb-
screws. The platform is also provided with oblique stays on its under side,
and when in use the said stays bear against the outer wall of the building,
and the turned down ends of the framing bear against the window sash inside
the room. The thumb-screws serve to adjust the fire escape to walls of
different thicknesses. Underneath the platform is a short iron ladder with a
small platform at bottom, and having stays at back, which by bearing against
the outside of the wall preserve the said ladder in a vertical position. At the
extreme end of the upper or larger platform is a pulley over which a rope or
chain is passed. In using the fire escape, it only requires to be put out of
the window in such a way that the upper platform is horizontal, 'the stays
bearing against the outside of the wall, and the ends of the thumb-screws
against the window sash inside the room. By turning the thumb-screws,. the
fire escape may be adjusted to any thickness of wall.
In using my Invention to remove women and children from the room, the.
woman or child enters a sack or bag in the room, and being lifted to the

page_text: upper platform, descends the ladder to the small lower platform, the steps of
the-ladder being readily felt by the feet through the sack or bag. Having
arrived on the lower platform, the sack or bag is lowered by means of the
rope or chain which had been hooked to the sack before it left the room.
The lowering is effected by a person in the room or below. In the case of
men, it is only necessary to descend from the upper to the lower platform,
and to pass one leg through a loop at the end of the rope, when by holding
the rope with the hands the descent may be safely made. The last person
brings the end of the rope with him and lets himself down. Persons may be
removed by means of the fire escape from a window or floor below that at which
the fire escape is fixed. The fire escape may also be used for lowering valuable
property and articles of furniture from the upper part of the house. Instead
of placing the ladder underneath the platform, the said ladder may be placed
at the side of the platform. By this arrangement the difficulty of passing]
through the platform to the ladder is avoided. When used for cleaning
windows or other like purposes, I prefer to fix a broader platform with a
sheet-iron guard on the upper platform; this broad platform may readily
be fixed and removed by means of thumb-screws or nuts.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan the platform or stage constituting the principal
part of the fire escape; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, a portion
of the wall and window frame to which the fire escape is attached being shown
in section;; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the ladder used with the said
platform; and Figure 4 is a front elevation of the said platform and ladder,
the said Figure 4 showing the positions of the parts of the fire escape when
in use.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1,
2, 3, and 4.
The platform or stage constituting the principal part of the fire escape
consists of a framing of bars of iron a, the said framing of bars a being for
the greater part filled in with wood b. Two arms c at one end of the framing
are bent at right angles to the plane of the platform or stage a, b, and are
furnished with thumb-screws d. Oblique stays e are situated at the front
of the platform a, b, and on its under side. The expanded ends of the
stays e bear against the outer wall fƒ of the building, and the arms & of the
platform bear against the sash sill 9 of the window frame when the fire escape
is in use, as represented in Figure 2. By means of the thumb-screws & the
platform or stage can be adjusted to walls of different thicknesses. The front

page_text: or extreme end of the platform carries a pulley h, over which a rope or
chain i passes, by means of which rope or chain the person escaping is lowered
from the room, as herein-after explained.
The short iron ladder k, which is used with the platform or stage a, b, is
provided at top with bent arms 7 and screws m for attaching it to the window
frame similar to the parts c, d, of the platform a, b, and the said ladder is
provided at bottom with a small platform n, at the back of the ladder or
stays o, o, which by bearing against the outside wall, preserve it in a vertical
position when in use. .
In using the fire escape, the platform or stage a, b, and ladder k are put out
of the window and fixed in the positions represented in Figure 4, the stays of
the said platform and ladder bearing against the outer wall, and the ends of
the thumb-screws of the said platform and ladder bearing against the inside
of the window frame, the ends of the thumb-screws being adjusted to the
thickness of the wall; the fire escape is then ready for use.
When the fire escape is used to remove women and children from the room,
I hook a sack or bag p to the end of the rope or chain i, passing over the
pulley h, as represented in Figure 4. The woman or child enters the sack
or bag in the room, and descends the ladder k to the small platform n, the
steps of the ladder being readily felt by the feet through the sack or bag.
Having arrived at the platform n of the ladder, the rope or chain i is hooked
to the sack p, and the woman or child lowered in the said sack to the ground,
the rope or chain i being payed out by a person in the room from which the.
woman or child is escaping, or from below the room. In the case of men,
the sack or.bag p is dispensed with, the person descending the ladder to the
platform n, and passing one leg through a loop at the end of the rope i, he
can then hold and pay out the rope over the pulley with his hands, and
safely descend to the ground, or the rope may be payed out by a person in
the room or from below.
A fire escape constructed according to my Invention may be used for
removing persons or property from a window or floor below that at which
the fire escape is fixed.
The platform a, b, of the fire escape may be used for cleaning windows and
for other like purposes; I prefer, however, in this case to fix to the said
platform a, b, a broader platform provided with a sheet-iron guard. This
broad platform and guard are represented in plan of upper side in Figure 5,
and side elevation in Figure 6. The broad platform is marked q, and the
sheet-iron guard to it is marked r. The platform q is fixed to the platform
a, b, by means of the screw pins s on its under side being passed through

page_text: holes t in the platform a, b. By then screwing the screw nuts u on the screwed
pins 8, the platform q is firmly fixed upon the platform a, b.
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 do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated in the
Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
my Invention; but I claim as my Invention a new or improved fire escape,
the parts of which are arranged or combined substantially in the manner
herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, parts of
the said fire escape, preferably with the addition of the broad platform and
guard, herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing,
being also applicable to the cleaning and painting of windows, and to other
like purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Newey, have hereunto set my
hand and seal; this. Eighth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN NEWEY. (L.S.)