An Improved Fireman's Ladder or Fire Escape.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
An Improved Fireman's Ladder or Fire Escape.
We, CHRIST Looss, and CHARLES KUHN, both of St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
Manufacturer and Estate Agent respectively, 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 :-
Our invention relates to an improvement upon an invention for fire-escape
ladders covered by Letters Patent of the United States No. 317,534, granted to
Christopher Hoell, on May 12th, 1885.
The object of the present invention is to render more portable the fireman's
ladder or fire-escape covered by said Letters Patent without affecting its
usefulness.
The invention consists in making in two parts the said patented ladder or fire-
escape, and in providing a hinge and a.spring-lock of special construction for, said
parts, together with a flexible connection, all of which render the said ladder more
portable without interfering with its useful functions.
The invention will be best understood by referring to the accompanying drawings,
in which-
Figure 1 is a perspective of the said patented ladder with our improvement
applied thereto.
Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a portion of the same on an enlarged scale;
Fig. 3 a side elevation corresponding to Fig. 2, showing the two parts of the
ladder locked together and the hinge closed;
Fig. 4 is a side elevation corresponding to Fig. 3, showing the hinge pin and the
two parts of the ladder unlocked;
Fig. 5 a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.
The same figures of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several
views.
The said ladder, as covered by the aforesaid Letters Patent, consists of a single
beam continuous throughout its entire length, and provided with rungs 9 which
extend froin each side thereof. The upper part of said ladder is provided with
a hooked arm 10 for the purpose of taking over the sills of windows, and the
whole ladder is bound by a continuous metal band 11, flush with the surface of the
beam. These fire escape ladders are carried by the hose-carriage, in order that
they may be on hand at fires as soon as possible and previous to the "hook and
ladder," so that occupants of buildings may be promptly rescued in time of danger.
They are made of a length to reach from story to story; hence are of considerable
length and not easily carried by the hose-carriage. In order to increase the
portability of such fire escape ladders we divide the beam transversely in two parts,
and hinge said parts together. The hinge 12 thereof we form in the continuous
band 11 at the front side of the ladder. At the rear side of the ladder we cut
away the continuous metal band 11 near the transverse division-line of the beam 8,
and provide one half of said beam with a spring-latch 13, which is fastened to the
bean at 14, and has a free end 15 thereof adapted to engage the keeper-plate 16
carried by a clip 17 on the lower end of the upper half of the beam 8. The two
parts of said clip on opposite sides of the beam are fastened together by a rivet 18,
and further held in place by curved arms 19 extending on each side of the beam
from the band 11. The clip is further held in place and braced by a strip of
metal 20, which is fastened by a screw 21 to the keeper-plate 16 of the clip and to
the upper half of the beam 8. This strip of metal serves to cover the free end of

page_text: the spring-latch 15 when in engagement with the keeper-plate 17 and prevent the
said fatch from being struck by anything and possibly disengaged from the keeper-
plate. To further strengthen the beam at the hinged joint we provide clips 22
and 23 which embrace the beam and are joined to the band at the front side of the
beam near the hinge. Around the lower half of the beam and embracing the
spring-latch is a metal sheath 24, which forms a cover for the side spring-latch and
keeps dirt from getting back of the same and preventing its operating properly.
The spring-latch is also provided with a thumb-piece 25, whereby the spring-latch
may be manipulated.
If the ladder were to receive a severe jar, or the thumb-piece 25 were to strike
against anything when the ladder was placed against a building the latch would
ordinarily become disengaged and fail to hold the two parts of the beam together.
This might even be caused by the shock incident to the upper part of the beam
being hooked over the sill of a window. It is necessary, therefore, that the spring-
latch be held in engagement with the keeper-plate at all times, so that no jar will
disengage the latch from the keeper-plate. To effect this purpose we place between
the two parts of the beam, where they come together when locked to each other, a
small washer 26 of rubber, or other flexible compressible material. This tends to
force apart the two parts of the beam when locked together, and thus firmly hold
the locked parts into engagement with each other, and no amount of reasonable jar
or shock can disengage the parts from each other. This rubber acts, also, to take
up any play that would exist when the parts become worn. A. slight amount of
play must of necessity exist between the latch and the keeper-plate in order that
said parts may engage and disengage each other, and this play the flexible washer
takes up. To disengage the latch from the keeper-plate and swing back the two
parts of the beam on each other they must be drawn toward each other with great
force, so as to compress the flexible washer, and at the same time the finger-button
must be manipulated to disengage the latch from the keeper-plate. The com-
pression of the flexible washer itself will not be sufficient to permit the latch to
disengage the keeper-plate, nor will the manipulation of the finger-button alone be
sufficient to unlock the parts. To accomplish this the two operations must be gone
through with simultaneously.
This improvement makes the ladder much more portable, as when in transit it
need not be half the length, and when locked together is as strong and liable to
hold together as if half the beam were made in one continuous piece. It will be
obvious, of course, that the present invention may be applied to two beam ladders
without departing from our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :
‘1. A fireman's ladder having a hook at the upper part thereof, for the purpose
described, and provided at or near its centre with a hinged joint and an automatic
spring locking-latch, whereby the portability of said ladder is increased and the
parts thereof locked readily and firmly together when put in use.
2. A fireman's ladder having a hook at the upper part thereof, as described, and
provided with a hinged joint at or near its centre, and having also a compressible
washer between the parts thereof, for the purpose set forth.
3. A fireman's ladder having a hook at the top upper part thereof, for the
purpose described, a hinged joint intermediate the ends of the same, and suitably
strengthened at said joint, a spring-latch and keeper-plate for locking the parts
together, and a thumb-button for manipulating said latch.
4. A fireman's ladder having a hook at the upper part thereof, for the purpose
described, a hinged joint intermediate the ends of the same and suitably strengthened
at said joint, a spring-latch and keeper-plate for locking the parts together, a
thumb-button for inanipulating said latch, and a flexible washer at the hinged joint

page_text: for taking up the play between the parts and preventing accidental disengagement
thereof.
בד
7
1
1000
W. H. MUNNS,
Agent for Applicants.