Improvements in Automatic Fire Extinguishers.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 26th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 28th Nov., 1891
TRUVIDIUNAL SERVITICATIVA.
[Communicated from abroad by THE AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER
COMPANY, LIMITED, of Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria.]
Improvements in Automatic Fire Extinguishers.
1, JOHN WALLACE Ross, of Little Collins Street, Melbourne, in the Colony of
Victoria, Merchant, but at present of 4 Hanover Street, Glasgow, Scotland, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus and appliances whereby, when a fire breaks
out in any apartment, a shower of water is automatically produced so as .to
extinguish the fire.
I
For this purpose I construct a valve apparatus of the following description.
Within a nozzle which can be screwed on a water service pipe I fit a valve which
is held closed by an external lever with setting screw pressing on the stem of the
valve. This lever is held by a catch on the side of a small barrel which is hinged
to the outside of the nozzle and is kept in-position-by-a cover-held-on its end.
charge this barrel with gunpowder or other explosive and from a touch hole at its
breech I lead a fuse with any desired number of branch fuses to various parts of
the apartment. When a fire breaks out, the fuse or one or other of its branches
becoming ignited communicates ignition to the explosive in the barrel; this
exploding blows off the cover of the barrel and causes the barrel to turn aside,
releasing the catch that holds the lever. The lever being thus free, the valve
within the nozzle opens and allows water to rush from the service pipe through
perforations at the mouth of the nozzle, thus producing a shower of water in the
burning apartment.
1 prefer to apply at some part of the service pipe a wheel with vanes or floats,
which, when the rush of water takes place is caused to revolve and sounds a bell
or other alarum so as to give notice of fire occurring.
Dated this 27th day of January 1891
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Fire Extinguishers.
I, JOHN WALLACE Ross, of Little Collins Street, Melbourne, in the Colony of
Victoria, Merchant, but at present of 4, Hanover Street, Glasgow, Scotland, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention relates to apparatus and appliances whereby when a fire breaks
out in any apartment, a shower of water is automatically produced for extinguishing
the fire. For this purpose, I construct à valve apparatus shewn in vertical section
in the accompanying drawing.
Within a valve box B with nozzle A which can be screwed on to a water service
pipe I fit a valve C which is held closed by an external lever D with setting
screw E pressing on the stem of the valve C. The lever D is held by a link G
from its end engaging on a catch F on the side of a small barrel H which is hinged
to the valve box B and is kept in position by a cover K which can slide on the
link G and has a plug entering the mouth of the barrel H. I charge the barrel H
with gunpowder or other explosive and from a touch hole at its breech I lead a
[Price 6d.

page_text: fuse L with any requisite number of branch fuses to various parts of the apartment.
When a fire breaks out, the fuse or one or other of its branches becoming ignited
communicates ignition to the explosive in the barrel this exploding blows of the
cover K and causes the barrel to disengage its catch from the link. which being
thus freed swings with the lever D to the position indicated by the dotted lines
allowing the valve C to open and water to rush out in a shower through numerous
perforations at the mouth of the valve box.
I prefer to apply at some convenient part of the service pipe an alarum, which
may be a wheel with vanes caused to revolve when the rush of water takes place
and to sound-a bell or the like, thus giving notice of fire.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
An automatic fire extinguisher, substantially as described and shewn by the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of October 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.