IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES IN WAREHOUSES, HOUSES, MILLS, FACTORIES, CHEMICAL WORKS, PUBLIC BUILD- INGS, SHIPS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Dale, of the Hull Corporation Water-
works, in the County of York, near Kingston-upon-Hull, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES IN
WAREHOUSES, HOUSES, MILLS, FACTORIES, CHEMICAL WORKS, PUBLIC BUILD-
INGS, SHIPS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES.”
Sealed the 7th June 1870, and dated the 13th April 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Dale at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th April 1870.
I, THOMAS DALE, of the Hull Corporation Waterworks, in the County
of York, near Kingston-upon-Hull, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES
IN WAREHOUSES, HOUSES, MILLS, FACTORIES, CHEMICAL WORKS, PUBLIC BUILDINGS,
SHIPS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES," to be as follows :—
This apparatus provides the means of instantaneously throwing large
volumes of water or steam into any compartment separately or into
the whole of the compartments collectively of any building or other
place for the extinguishing of fire so soon as it may be discovered.

page_text: The principle of this Patent is to make available the hydrostatic
pressure of water in town mains by bringing it to bear with the quickest
possible means upon any fire that may occur in any building or other
place, or where boilers under steam are fixed at any mill, factory, or any
building whatsoever, then to make available the steam from such boiler
to bear at once upon any such fire in the manner following:-
Each storey in the building is provided with a separate conveying pipe
connected with the water main in the street or roadway. The conveying
pipe is laid under the ground line, and passes up the inside of the front
wall, then (underneath the ceiling joists and beams) is fixed across the
building. With this conveying pipe are connected at different distances
apart, running at right angles or otherwise (as it may be found
expedient) the whole length of the building, perforated distributing
pipes, on which are fixed a number of nozzles or jets, from which large
volumes of water are thrown over any part or the whole area of the com-
partment, and this system of conveying and distributing pipes is adopted
in every storey throughout the building, cach having its own inde
pendent supply pipe from the main water pipe in the street, thus
securing the full effective head or pressure of water to be obtained from
such main. On each conveying pipe a sluice valve or cock is fixed, by
which the water can be turned on, the water at once rushing from the
main in the street through the conveying pipe into the distributing pipes,
thus enveloping the inside of the whole or any part of the building with
immense volumes of water.
In the event of a large building (fitted with this apparatus) taking
fire the watchman or officer intrusted with the key of the street box
containing the sluice valves or cocks has simply to unlock such box and
with a key (which is always at hand) open the sluice valve of the pipe
communicating with the storey in which the fire has occurred, thus at
once deluging such storey with large discharges of water from the
distributing pipes.
The particular sluice valve connected with each storey or place can bo
readily determined, for instance, if a building has six stories the watch-
mon or officer, standing facing such building, will know that No. 1
sluice valve (reckoning from left to right) communicates with the first
storey, No. 2 with the second storey, and so on to the sixth, being the
top storey:
The water then having been turned on to that storey which is on fire,

page_text: the watchman or officer makes his way towards the source of the fire in
the building, and on approaching the same proceeds to shut off the jets
of water through the nozzles fixed on the distributing pipe (by the
means of small taps attached for that purpose) at such places as the fire.
may not have reached, and where it may not be expedient to have water
playing confining the discharge of water on that part of the compart-
ment where the fire has only reached, thus preventing unnecessary
damage to goods or other merchandize by water which had escaped total
destruction by firc. The taps on the nozzles are otherwise always to
remain open, so that in case the watchman or officer could not enter the
building on account of the advanced state of the fire the whole of the
nozzles would be in full play as soon as the water was turned on at
the sluice valves in the street.
There is also provision made for shutting off the water from either half
of the building in cach separate storey by having a cock or valvo
attached at the junction of the conveying pipe with the distributing
pipe, so that if only one half of the building or storey be on fire the valvo
communicating with the other half of such storey can be closed
previous to the water being turned on, so that the discharge of water
could be entirely confined to that part of the storcy which was on fire.
It is also proposed to have the hollow iron supporting columns in
shops, warehouses, dwelling-houses, and all other buildings of every
description charged with water under pressure from the water main in
the street, and to have attached to such columns nozzles with taps, as
before described; also to have connections fixed on such columns on
which to couple hose or other pipes with nozzles or jets attached, all of
which are to be used for the extinguishing of fire in such places with all
the necessary sluice valves and cocks to turn on or shut off the water
from the water main in the street.
It is also proposed to have the iron gas lamp posts in the street
charged with water under pressure from the water main in the street;
on cach lamp post it is proposed to fix a coupling on which to attach a
hose or other pipe with nozzle, with also a sluice valve or cock to turn
the water on or off, as may be required. The key of the valve and the
hose pipe are to be kept ready in case of fire breaking out in any of the
adjacent houses or shops, such lamp posts to be painted red, and to have
the number of the house or other place (where the key and hoze are
kept) prominently marked on the glass of the said lamp.

page_text: The conveying and distributing pipes in private houses, shops, and
other buildings are proposed to be of an ornamental character, and can
be either connected with the main in the street, as before described in
the case of large buildings, or the conveying pipe of each house can be
so arranged as to be connected with the fire lamp post in the street by
hose, as before mentioned.
The hose from the lamp post can also be made available for the
watering of roads and streets, the washing of the fronts of buildings,
windows, footpaths, the scouring channels, and the flushing of drains
and sewers.
It is also proposed to extinguish fires in buildings by connecting the
conveying pipes to steam boilers in the same manner as herein-before
described in the use of water from the mains, with the same arrangement
of conveying and distributing pipes with valves and stop-cocks, the only
difference being the use of steam instead of water.
It is also proposed to extinguish fire in ships by connecting a
conveying pipe with the steam boilers to pass steam to distributing
pipes to be fixed inside the ship in the hold, cabins, or other compart-
ments, the distributing pipes to be fixed in such positions so that in case
of fire breaking out in any part of the ship the valve on the conveying
pipe connected with the boilers can be opened and the steam will at
once rush in great volume and fill any part or parts of the ship in which
the fire may have broken out, and will by this means immediately
extinguish the fire.
The great advantages claimed by the above arrangements are, that
the whole of the building, ship, or other place is entirely at the
command of the sluice valve on the conveying pipe governing the supply
of steam or water, as the case may require, and that in case of fire in
all or part of the building or place that dense volumes of steam and
immense discharges of water can be distributed within the interior of
such building or place without any person cntering therein, and that
with the utmost dispatch.
In detailing this mode of extinguishing fire I cannot impress too
deeply upon the public at large the great importance of bringing water
or steam to bear immediately the fire is discovered, in which case its
progress is easily and at once arrested. There can be but one opinion,
that the magnitude of the fires which now occur in large buildings and
structures causing great loss of life and property are to be attributed to

page_text: the headway the fire is allowed to make from the length of time which
elapses before the prompt interference of the fire brigade can be
obtained. This great obstacle by my proposed apparatus is entirely
removed..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Dale in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th October 1870..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
DALE, of the Hull Corporation Waterworks, in the County of York, near
Kingston-upon-Hull, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,. by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of April, in the year-
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Dale,. Her special licence, that
I, the said Thomas Dale, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thomas Dale, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN, APPARAT.CS
FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES IN WAREHOUSES, HOUSES, MILLS, FACTORIES, CHEMICAL
WORKS, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, SHIPS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Dale, my executors or adminis
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Thomas Dale, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This apparatus provides the incans of instantaneously throwing large

page_text: volumes of water or steam into any compartment separately or into the
whole of the compartments collectively of any building or other place
for the extinguishing of fire so soon as it may be discovered.
The principle of this Patent is to make available the hydrostatic
pressure of water in town mains by bringing it to bear with the quickest
possible means upon any fire that may occur in any building or other
place, or where boilers under steam are fixed at any mill, factory, or any
building whatsoever then to make available the steam from such boiler
to bear at once upon any such fire in the manner following:-
Each story in the building is provided with a separate conveying pipe
connected with the water main in the street or roadway. The conveying
pipe is laid under the ground line and passes up the inside of the front
wall, then (underneath the ceiling joist and beams) is fixed across the
building. With this conveying pipe are connected at different distances
apart, running at right angles or otherwise (as it may be found expedient)
the whole length of the building, perforated distributing pipes on which
are fixed a number of nozzles or jets, from which large volumes of water
are thrown over any part or the whole area of the compartment, and
this system of conveying and distributing pipes is adopted in every story
throughout the building, each having its own independent supply pipe
from the main water pipe in the street, thus securing the full effective
head or pressure of water to be obtained from such main. On each
conveying pipe a sluice valve or cock is fixed, by which the water can
be turned on, the water at once rushing from the main in the street
through the conveying pipe into the distributing pipes, thus enveloping
the inside of the whole or any part of the building with immense
volumes of water.
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section, and Figure 2 a transverse
section of a warehouse fitted with fire-extinguishing apparatus arranged
in the manner above described. In these Figures II represents the
street main water pipe; I, I, arc cocks controlling the supply of water
to the water distributing pipes on the various floors of the warehouse;
J, J, are conveying pipes leading from the main to the distributing
pipes; K, K, are the distributing or perforated pipes. The Drawings
show clearly the manner in which the several parts of the apparatus aro
arranged so that it is unnecessary to give any further description of it.
In the event of the building taking fire the watchman or officer
entrusted with the key of the street box containing the sluice valves

page_text: or cocks has simply to unlock such box and with a key (which is
always at hand) open the sluice valve of the pipe communicating with
the story in which the fire has occurred, thus at once deluging such
story with large discharges of water from the distributing pipes.
The particular sluice valve connected with each story or place can be
readily determined, for instance, if a building has six stories the watch-
man or officer standing facing such building will know that Number 1
sluice valve (reckoning from the left to right) communicates with the
first story, Number 2 with the second story, and so on to the sixth,
being the top story.
•
The water then having been turned on to that story which is on fire
the watchman or officer makes his way towards the source of the fire in
the building, and on approaching the same proceeds to shut off the jets
of water through the nozzles fixed on the distributing pipe (by the means
of small taps attached for that purpose) at such places as the fire may not
have reached, and where it may not be expedient to have water playing
confining the discharge of water on that part of the compartment where
the fire has only reached, thus preventing unnecessary damage to goods
or other merchandise by water which had escaped total destruction by
fire. The taps on the nozzles are otherwise always to remain open, so
that in case the watchman or officer could not enter the building on
account of the advanced state of the fire the whole of thc nozzles would
be in full play as soon as the water was turned on at the sluice valves
in the strect.
There is also provision made for shutting off the water from either
half of the building in each separate story by having a cɔck or valve
attached at the junction of the conveying pipe with the distributing
pipe, so thas if only one-half of the building or story be on fire the
valve communicating with the other half of such story can be closed
previous to the water being turned on, so that the discharge of water
could be entirely confined to that part of the story which was on fire.
It is also proposed to have the hollow iron supporting columns in
shops, warehouses, dwelling-houses, and all other buildings of every
description charged with water under pressure from the water main
in the street and to have attached to such columns nozzles with taps
as before described, also to have connections fixed on such columns
on which to couple hose or other pipes with nozzles or jets attached, all

page_text: of which are to be used for the extinguishing of fire in such places, with
all the necessary sluice valves and cocks to turn on or shut of the
water from the water main in the street.
It is also proposed to have the iron gas lamp posts in the street
charged with water under pressure from the water main in the street;
on each lamp post it is proposed to fix a coupling on which to attach a
hose or other pipe with nozzle, with also a sluice valve or cock to turn
the water on or off as may be required. The key of the valve and the
hose pipe aro to be kept ready in caso of fire breaking out in any of
the adjacent houses or shops, such lamp post to be painted red and
to have the number of the house or other place (where the key and hose
are kept) prominently marked on the glass of the said lamp.
At Figure 3 of the Drawings is shown a house fitted with distributing
pipes and arranged as above described, so that they may be coupled
with a water supply at a street lamp. There is, by preference, a
separate pipe for each storey, and each pipe on the ground floor is
terminated outside the building by a union A, which may be coupled
by a hose B to a union O on the lamp post D, as shewn; this union is
supplied with water from the street main by a connecting pipe, as
shewn.
The conveying and distributing pipes in private houses, shops, and
other buildings are proposed to be of an ornamental character, and can
be either connected with the main in the sheet, as before described, in
the case of large buildings, or the conveying pipe of each house can be
so arranged as to be connected with the fire lamp post in the street by
hose as before mentioned.
The hose from the lamp post can also be made available for watering
of roads and streets, the washing of the frouts of buildings, windows,
footh paths, the scouring channels, and the flushing of drains and
scwers.
It is also proposed to extinguish fires in buildings by connecting the
conveying pipes to steam boilers in the same manner as heretofore
described in the use of water from the mains with the same arrange-
ment of conveying and distributing pipes with valves and stop-cocks,
the only difference being the use of steam instead of water.
It is also proposed to extinguish fires in ships by connecting a coll-
veying pipe with the steam boilers to pass steam to distributing pipes

page_text: to be fixed inside the ship in the hold, cabins, or other compartments,
the distributing pipes to be fixed in such positions so that in case of
fire breaking out in any part of the ship the valve on the conveying
pipe connected with the boilers can be opened and the steam will at
once rush in great volumes and fill any part or parts of the ship in
which the fire may have broken out, and will by this means immediately
extinguish the firc.
The great advantages claimed by the above arrangements are, that the
whole of the building, ship, or other place is entirely at the command of
the sluice valve on the conveying pipe governing the supply of steam
or water, as the case may require, and that in case of fire in all or part
of the building or place that dense volumes of steam and immense dis-
charges of water can be distributed within the interior of such building
or place without any person entering therein, and that with the utmost
despatch.
In detailing this mode of extinguishing fire I cannot impress too
deeply upon the public at large the great importance of bringing water
or steam to bear immediately the fire is discovered, in which case its
progress is casily and at once arrested. There can be but one opinion,
that the magnitude of the fires which now occur in large buildings and
structures causing great loss of life and property are to be attributed to
the headway the fire is allowed to make from the length of time which
clapses before the prompt interference of the fire brigade can be obtained.
This great obstacle by my proposed apparatus is cutirely removed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Dale, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy.