IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF FIREPROOF BUILDINGS OR STRUCTURES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sir David Lionel Salomons, Baronet, of Broom
Hill, Tunbridge Wells, in the County of Kent, at present residing
at Nice, France, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF FIREPROOF BUILDINGS OR STRUCTURES”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sir David Lionel
Salomons at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 13th March 1874.
I, SIR DAVID LIONEL SALOMONS, Baronet, of Broom Hill, Tunbridge
Wells, in the County of Kent, at present residing at Nice, France, do
hereby declare the nature of my said. Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF FIREPROOF BUILDINGS OR STRUCTURES:"
The object this Invention is designed to accomplish is the construction
of fireproof buildings or structures on land or sea in such a manner,
that the walls, roofs, floors, and ceilings, or other parts of such buildings
or structures will be able not only to resist the destructive action of fire
in the event of such a calamity taking place, but will also be a means

page_text: of arresting the further progress of the fire and rendering valuablo
assistance in extinguishing the same.
As an example, I will describe the application of the Invention to tlib
construction of an ordinary building or tenement :-The walls, roofs;
floors, and ceilings, or other portion of such building are constructed šo
as to leave a hollow or internal space between their outside surfaces;
into which at suitable and convenient distances apart metal pipes or
earthenware tubes or other channels are placed, which may assume
either a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal direction; these pipes or tubes
may be perforated or provided with outlets or openings which may com-
municate direct into the room of which the walls form the enclosure;
or such perforations or openings may open out into the internal space of
the wall in which they are enclosed. The interstices between the pipes
in such inner space are filled in with porous cement or other absorbant
material, but in roofs or ceilings such cement forms the lower stratum
or bed on which the pipes or tubes are placed; the rafters, joists, girders,
or laths employed in the construction of the building being provided
with holes or thoroughfares that form communications between the
different spaces of the ceiling and floors they enclose. The enclosed
perforated pipes or tubes embedded in the porous cement.filling in the
interstices or inner spaces of the walls, ceilings, floors, and roofs, are in
direct communication with hydrants or other water supply, and are so
arranged that instant communication can be effected between the water
supply and any one section of or the whole of the internal perforated
pipes or tubes in the building; for instance, there may be several pipes
forming a junction between the water supply and the internal pipes,
which may be so arranged that the water may be turned on direct, from
the main in the street, or the water supply may be obtained from tanks
situated in or about the building, communication from which, with the
internal perforated pipes, can be opened by authorized persons or opened
automatically by electric thermometer and magnetic arrangement. of
taps or valves.
It will be evident that should fire occur in any compartment of the
building or structure, a numbered tap in a water supply pipe com-
municating with such compartment when turned on would through. the
medium of the perforated pipes instantly saturate the porous cement,
through which the water would exude into the room or compartment
and so arrest the flames, at which time the weight of saturated cement

page_text: in the ceiling would cause the same to be readily broken through, either
with or without the auxiliary action of the flames, thereby causing the
wator from the hole so made at the point of intense heat to rush
through and deluge the. compartment, and so arrest the progress and
extinguish the fire..
In some cases the hollow metal girders, pillars, and other hollow
metal work about the building, employed in its construction, may be
made available for the purpose of supplying water to the interior of the
building in the case of firc; the escape of water from such hollow
structures being effected automatically by means of fusible plugs, which
will melt at a low degree of heat and thus allow the water to escape and
be injected therefrom into the compartment or compartments on fire,
and thus render valuable assistance in checking, subduing, and finally
extinguishing the same.
If desired the plugs, taps, or outlets employed, may be actuated
by clectric automatic arrangements similar to those herein-before
mentioned.
The hollow pillars, girders, joists, or other hollow metal work
employed in the construction of the building may be coated, lined, or
otherwise covered with felt, india-rubber, or other suitable material
which is a non-conductor of liceat, thereby enabling them in the event of
fire to be effective conveyers of water to their several outlets or points
of issuc. The inner surfaces of the fusible metal plugs in every instance
being so coated.
"
It will readily be understood that a. similar arrangement of pipes
having communications with water pressure and placed in the hollow.
space formed between the outer shell and lining of ships or other
floating vessels or bodies, such pipes having outlets through the sides or
bulkheads into the cabins or compartments they enclose, would in cases
of fire be effectual in subduing and extinguishing the same.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Sir David Lionel Salomons in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 12th September 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SIR DAVID
LIONEL SALOMONS, Baronet, of Broom Hill, Tunbridge Wells, in the
County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Sir David Lionel Salomons,
Baronet, Her special licence, that I, the said Sir David Lionel Salomons,
Baronet, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Sir David Lionel Salomons, Baronet, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thercafter 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 THE
CONSTRUCTION OF FIREPROOF BUILDINGS OR STRUCTURES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Sir David Lionel Salomons, Baronet,
'my executors or administrators, 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 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 Sir David Lionel Salomons,,
Baronet, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object this Invention is designed to accomplish is the construction
of fireproof buildings or structures on land or sea in such a manner that
the walls, roofs, floors, and ceilings, or other parts of such buildings or
structures will be able not only to resist the destructive action of firc,
in the event of such a calamity taking place, but will also be a means of

page_text: arresting the further progress of the fire and rendering valuable
assistance in extinguishing the same.
As an example, I will describe the application of the Invention to the
construction of an ordinary building or tenement:-The walls, roof,
floors, and ceilings, or other portion of such building, are constructed so
as to leave a hollow or internal space between their outside surfaces,
into which at suitable and convenient distances apart metal pipes or
carthenware tubes or other chambers are placed, which may assume
either a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal direction; these pipes or tubes
may be perforated or provided with outlets or openings which commu-
nicate direct into the room of which the walls form the enclosure; or
such perforations or openings may open out into the internal space of
the wall in which they are enclosed; the interstices between the pipes
in such inner space are filled in with porous cement or other absorbant
material, but in roofs or ceilings such cement forms the lower stratum
or bed on which the pipes or tubes are placed, the rafters, joists, girders,
or laths employed in the construction of the building being provided
with holes or thoroughfares that form communications between the
different spaces of the ceiling and floors they enclose. The enclosed
perforated pipes or tubes embedded in the porous cement filling in the
interstices or inner spaces of the walls, ceilings, floors, and roofs, are in
direct communication with hydrants or other water supply, and are so
arranged, that instant communication can be effected between the water
supply and any one section of or the whole of the internal perforated
pipes, tubes, or chambers in the building; for instance, there may be
several pipes forming a junction between the water supply and the
internal pipes, which may be arranged so that tlic water can be turned
on direct from the main in the street; or the water supply may be
obtained from tanks situated in or about the building, communication
from which with the internal perforated, pipes can be opened by
authorized persons through the medium of ordinary turncocks or auto-
matically by electric and magnetic arrangement of taps or valves.
In order that the Invention may be well understood and explained in
detail, I have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings illustrating, as an
example, the adaptation of the improvements to a "second-rate house"
or building, in which letters of reference are marked on corresponding
parts on all the Figures alike.

page_text: Fig. 1 represents the longitudinal section of a house showing the
thoroughfares or passages by which water can be conveyed from a water
supply to different portions of the structure so as to act upon an
individual portion only or collectively upon the whole of the internal
walls. Fig. 2 represents a transverse section of the same.
Fig. 3 represents an enlarged view of a portion of the ceiling.
And Fig. 4 represents an enlarged view of a portion of a supporting
pillar showing the position and arrangement of the fusible plugs in the
hollow metal support and walls.
In these Figures a, a, are metal or carthenware pipes, tubes, or
channels provided with outlets or openings of two descriptions, viz.,
simple perforations that communicate direct with the porous material
immediately surrounding the pipes, or with projecting outlets as, at b
which communicate direct with the interior space of a room, their
outlets being stopped or sealed by a fusible plug which will melt at a
moderate temperature. The interstices or hollow spaces in the walls
and ceilings through which the pipes pass are filled in with porous
ccment c.
The cement in the roofs or ceilings, by preference, forms
the lowest stratum or bed (as seen in Fig. 3) on which the pipes or
tubes a conveying water are placed. Spaces or channels between the
divisional girders, joists, or rafters are made for the passage of pipes and
water. The water pipes a, a, are in direct communication with the
hydrant d in the street and with the water supply tank e, the main
arteries conveying water to the various branches are so arranged and
supplied with taps and valves e, e, that an instant flow of water through
the pipes to any one portion or section of the house or building can be
effected, or the whole of the walls of the building can be saturated in
the space of a few minutes. The opening of the taps so as to cause a
rush of water through the pipes to the portion of the building on fire
may be effected by hand or automatically. In the former arrangement
taps or valves forming junctions between the water supply and internal
pipes can be easily got at by authorised persons, so as to be turned on
direct from the street in the first instance, and then by the opening of
other valves to any portion of the house requiring it; or such valves may
be acted on by electric or magnetic arrangements in a manner that will
enable the whole system of pipes to be governed and under the control

page_text: of one person. The fusible plugs b', ', dispersed about the building,
will upon being subjected to heat melt, and thereby form an outlet for
water at the point or points most requiring it. These plugs are pro-
tected internally by felt or other non-conducting material which render
them more effective as seals or stops until acted upon externally by heat.
The other openings are also capable of being opened automatically by
an electric or magnetic arrangement before mentioned.
It will now be evident that in a house or building having adapted
thereto the arrangement of water supply pipes and apparatus herein-
before described, that the destruction of the same by fire would be
impossible; for should fire occur in any one compartment of the same,
a numbered tap forming a junction with the water supply and the
internal system of pipes communicating with such compartment when
turned on would, through the medium of the perforated pipes a,
instantly saturate the porous cement c through which the water would
exude into the room or compartment and so arrest the flames, at which
time the weight of saturated cement in the ceiling would cause the
same to be readily broken through either with or without the auxiliary:
action of the flames, thereby causing the water from the hole so made
at the point of intense heat to rush through and deluge the compart-
ment and so arrest the progress of and extinguish the fire.
.
In some cases the hollow metal girders, pillars, and other hollow
metal work about the building, such as girders, joists, or lathes employed
in its construction, may be made available for the purpose of supplying
water to the interior of the building in the case of fire, as shewn in
Fig. 4; the escape of water from such hollow structures being effected
automatically by means of the fusible plugs which melting at a low
degree of heat allows the water to escape and be injected therefrom into
the compartment or compartments on fire and thus render valuable
assistance in checking, subduing, and finally extinguishing the same.
It will be readily understood that a similar arrangement of pipes
having communications with water pressure and placed in the hollow
space formed between the outer shell and lining of ships or other
floating vessels for bodies, such pipes, having outlets through the sides
or bulkheads into the cabins or compartments they enclose, would in
cases of fire be effectual in subduing and extinguishing the same.
The internal arrangements of pipes may in some cases be advan-
tageously employed as a ventilating medium, and in situations where

page_text: the temperatures are very high an arrangement of apparatus may be
employed that will effect a constant circulation through the pipes of
cold air, which at certain points will escape into the room and thus form
means that will maintain any one room or the whole of a building in a
perfectly ventilated and salubrious state.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention together with
the method of carrying the same into practical effect, and also having
shewn as an example 'the application of the same to a dwelling house of
ordinary construction, I wish it to be distinctly understood in conclusion
that I claim the general construction and adaptation to buildings,
tenements, or structures, of an arrangement of pipes, channels, or
thoroughfares provided with outlets, perforations, and fusiblo plugs
embedded in an surrounded by porous cement contained in the walls,
ceilings, roofs, and supports of such buildings or structures; the whole
being connected with a water supply and employed in the manner and
for the purpose of extinguishing and arresting the progress of fire, as
herein-before described, set forth, and fully illustrated in the Drawings
attached.
+
In witness whereof, I, the said Sir David Lionel Salomons, Baronet,
have hereunto set my hand and scal, this Eleventh day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-four..
Witness to signature,
ST. JOHN F. MITCHELL,
Clk. in Holy Orders,
Caius College,
Cambridge.
DAVID L. SALOMONS. (L.S.)
J