IMPROVE- IN THE MEANS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR PROTECTING BULLION, JEWELRY, OR OTHER VALUABLE PROPERTY CONTAINED IN SAFES FROM BEING STOLEN OR DAMAGED BY FIRE
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Kindon Taylor at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd February
1865.
I, HENRY KINDON TAYLOR, of Bath, in the County of Somerset,, Marine
Artist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
IN THE MEANS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR PROTECTING BULLION,
JEWELRY, OR OTHER VALUABLE PROPERTY CONTAINED IN SAFES FROM BEING STOLEN
OR DAMAGED BY FIRE," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is so to secure valuable property, such as
bullion, jewelry, watches, books, documents, or other valuable property in
suitable fire-proof and burglar-proof safes, and then to hoist, mount, or dispose
of the same in such publicly exposed situations that it becomes next to im-
possible for theives to gain access to the contents of safes so situated without
detection, owing to the difficulty of attempting to operate thereon succesfully
within so short a period of time as the publicity would afford before leading to
the detection of any such attempt. The situation of the safe also affords the
means of protecting the same from destruction or dainage by fire. For this
purpose I deposit the valuables which it is intended to protect in a case, box,
or safe of suitable construction (by preference fire-proof) mounted upon a
truck or upon wheels or castors, so that it can be readily moved for con-
venience from place to place to have the valuables deposited therein. The door

page_text: of this case or safe is then securely locked, and it is moved out upon its truck
or wheels through the entrance to the exterior of the building, where it is
received upon inclines and conducted into another strong box, case, or safe,
which may also be constructed of fire-proof and burglar-proof materials if
desired. The door of the first-mentioned safe is first passed through the door
into the external case or safe, and a strong bolt or staple on the door of the
inner safe passes through an opening in the external case or safe, and is
secured thereto by a padlock or other suitable fastening. The door of the
external case or safe is then locked over the back of the inner safe, the upper
part of the external case or safe being firmly secured to a chain of great
strength, which passes up over a pulley carried by a projecting bracket or
support of adequate strength let into or affixed to the exterior of the building.
The chain by which the external case or safe is suspended then passes over
another pulley, the axis of which is supported by the bracket or otherwise,
near the front wall of the building, the chain then passing downwards and
around the barrel of a winch, on the axis of which there is a toothed wheel
actuated by a pinion upon another axis, the external end of which axis is
suitably formed for receiving the socket of a winch handle, by which arrange-
ment of apparatus the external safe can be readily hoisted to such a height as
may be considered desirable for safety, or out of the reach of being tampered
with by burglars. Upon the axis of the barrel there is a ratchet wheel and
pawl to arrest the downward movement of the safe when in the act of being
raised, the pawl being readily released by a lever when required in the act o
lowering. The exposed parts of the chain may be protected by passing through
a stout iron tube. The barrel of the winch and hoisting apparatus is securely
cased in and the end of the axis of the pinion is covered by a door or slide
capable of being locked to prevent the introduction of the socket of the winch
handle, except by the parties baving charge of the property thus secured.
The socket of the winch, and the end of the axis it is intended to fit are made
to correspond, but no two such instruments should be made of exactly similar
design, and I prefer to make them of various star-like forms, having acute
angles. The axis of the pinion being considerably elevated above the road-
way it is necessary to employ a ladder or other means to reach it in order to
apply the winch to raise or lower the safe, so that any unauthorized person
tampering with the same would be readily observed by the police or other
persons in so conspicuous a position. A bell or alarum is attached to the
bracket, the bell being struck or sounded by a series of hinged lever arms
on the axis of one of the pulleys, which only ring the bell when the safe is in
the act of being lowered, by which means a signal is communicated to the

page_text: police or any one within hearing at night, or in foggy weather, should it occur
at an unseasonable hour. A balance weight, or a rack and pinion, or other
suitable mechanism may be substituted for the barrel and winch previously
described for raising and lowering the safe if desired.
If in case of fire there is not the time or opportunity afforded for lowering
and removing the safe suspended according to my Invention as previously
described it could be readily protected from injury (owing to its exposed posi-
tion) by discharging water upon it occasionally from the hose of a fire-engine
or other pump.