Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1886
Complete Left, 15th Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 16th Sept., 1887.
I MARK WATERMAN of 62 Canal Walk, in the Town and County of the Town
of Southampton, Cutler, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The invention has for its object to produce a domestic fire escape which is simple in
construction, inexpensive and by the aid of which a person can readily and with safety
leave a burning building, and as readily return thereto if necessary in order to save
life and property.
For this purpose I mount upon a shaft or axis carried in brackets or otherwise
placed near or upon the window sill of a room or in other convenient position near the
window a grooved or flanged revolving drum or pulley and upon the outer edge of
the sill or in other convenient position, I mount in bearings a small revolving guide
roller; or the guide roller might be caused to project some distance from the
building.
In connection with this drum and roller I employ a wire rope or chain which passes
around the drum and over the roller.
One end of this wire rope or chain is provided with a strap, belt or other means of
securing it around the waist of a person escaping from a burning building and the
other end of such wire rope or chain is furnished with a counterbalance weight or
preferably a chain of small weight forming a counterpoise.
Extending from the bearings of the drum or other position and down the outside of
the house is a guide rope or chain the use of which and of the apparatus generally
I will now explain.
Normally the wire rope or chain and the guide rope may be kept within the room
of a house but when required for use the guide rope or chain is at one end thereof
connected to the brackets or bearings of the drum or is otherwise securely fastened ;
the other end thereof being allowed to descend outside the house to the ground; the
wire rope or chain is then placed in position over the guide roller and the weighted
end is lowered to the ground, the other end thereof is then passed under the drum and
TD031

page_text: made fast around the waist of a person wishing to escape, by means of a belt or
otherwise, such person then steps outside the building passing the rope or chain over
or around the drum and then, in consequence of his weight being counterbalanced, by
the aid of the guide rope or chain, easily lowers himself to the ground or raises
himself again if he finds it necessary to re-enter the burning building.
In will be understood that persons may if necessary be enveloped in fireproof
clothing or wrappers or children may be placed in fire proof bags in order to enable
them to pass safely through the heat and smoke.
1000
MARK WATERMAN.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.

page_text: In connection with this grooved or flanged drum or pulley c and guide roller f,
I employ a wire rope or a chain h which passes around the drum or pulley c and over
the guide roller f. One end of this wire rope or chain his provided with a strap or
belt or with other means of securing it around the waist of a person desirous of
escaping from a burning building and the other end of such wire rope or chain / is
furnished with a counterbalance weight or preferably a chain of small weights j
forming a counterpoise.
Extending from the bearings of the drum or pulley c or from other convenient
position and down the outside of the house or building is a guide rope or chain k the
use of which and of the apparatus generally I will now explain.
Normally the wire rope or chain k and the guide rope or chain k may be kept
within the room of a house but when required for use the guide rope or chain k is at
one end thereof connected to the brackets or bearings of the grooved or flanged
drum c or is otherwise securely fastened the other end thereof being allowed to fall
down outside the house or building to the ground; the wire rope or chain his then
placed in position over the guide roller and the weighted end is lowered to the
ground the other end thereof is then passed under the drum or pulley c and made fast
around the waist of a person wishing to escape, by means of a belt i or otherwise, such
person then steps outside the building and passes the rope or chain h over or around the
drum or pulley c and then in consequence of his weight being nearly counterbalanced
and by the aid of the guide rope or chain easily lowers himself to the ground or raises
himself again if he finds it necessary to re-enter the burning building.
It will be understood that persons may if necessary, be enveloped in fireproof
clothing or wrappers or children may be placed in fireproof bags in order to enable
them to pass safely through the heat and smoke.
In the modification represented at Figures 2, 3 and 4 the drum or pulley cis.
mounted on an axis d fixed to cheeks e* somewhat in the form of a pulley block which
is rigidly connected to a swivelling bracket 1.
Connected to the drum or pulley c is a break drum c¹ around which passes a band
break one end of which is connected to the axis c³ of a lever c' and the other end
to the short arm of such lever the longer arm of which is acted upon by a spring so
as constantly to apply the break, except when, by means of the guide rope or chain k,
which in this modification, is fixed to the lever and passes over a guide pulley k²,
the break is relieved from the break drum c¹. The wire rope or chain is also in this
modification for convenience made endless by which means it can be more readily
manipulated from below. From the foregoing description the mode of using this
modification will be readily understood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
In domestic fire escapes the peculiar arrangements and combinations of parts
substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 15th day of August 1887