Improvement in Means for Preventing the Spread of Fire.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvement in Means for Preventing the Spread of Fire.
I, RASMUS BUGGÉ, of 12, Annis Road, Victoria Park, South Hackney, London,
N.E., Master Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to an improved means for preventing the spread of fire
from a building or structure involved, to an adjacent structure, and this object is
effected by covering the threatened side or portion with a specially prepared screen
or fire sail."
56
In order to carry out this invention I provide a sail or covering made of strong
coarse woollen cloth somewhat similar to rough Irish frieze undressed and open as
it leaves the loom.
This sail or covering may be made in one piece, or in sections according as the
size or circumstances may require. The said sail is fitted with a bordering of rope,
around its edges, which is termed a leech rope, and the body of the sheet or sail
"reef bands," fixed on one
is strengthened with strips or belts technically termed
side of the sheet. On the opposite side or surface are attached other bands of
woollen material, but these are attached in such a manner that they form a row
of pockets from side to side of the sail, each row being at convenient distances
apart one from the other and placed horizontally.
Along the top of the screen sail or covering I provide a perforated hose pipe
extending the whole length of the top of the screen, said hose pipe being covered
When the sail
with cloth and having connecting unions provided at each end.
is spread over the side or surface of the threatened building or structure, a con-
necting hose can be attached from a hydrant to either end of the perforated hose
and the other end closed. Water will then be forced through this said perforated
hose, and will saturate the entire width of the sail or screen, and will trickle down
and fill the projecting pockets aforesaid, and keep the whole surface of the screen
or covering saturated with water, and thus render it able to resist the heat of the
fire, and check or prevent the spread of the conflagration.
If no hydrant is available for connection to the perforated hose, a connection
may be made, in the case of a building, with the fire hose from the street, or any
other convenient connection, and the pockets herein before described will retain
the water & slowly distribute it over the surface of the screen or sail, thus econo-
mising the water, and enable the fire hose to be applied elsewhere till required again.
for this purpose.
If no other water connection is available, the fire-hose from the street can be
directed and made to play on the surface of the screen or sail which can be kept
saturated by this means.
If the aforesaid screen or covering is provided in sections or pieces, the said

page_text: sections may be fastened together by loops or "backets" as is usually adopted in
marine sails, or by any other convenient means.
Dated this 17th day of February 1898.
REGINALD W. BARKER,
Applicant's Agent, Monument Chambers, London, E.C.
+
enting the spread of Fire.
I, RASMUS BUGGÉ, of 12, Annis Road, Victoria Park, South Hackney, London,
N.E., Master Mariner, 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:-
This invention relates to an improved means for preventing, the spread of fire
from a building or structure involved, to an adjacent structure, and this object is
effected by covering the threatened side or portion with a specially prepared screen
or fire sail."
In order to carry out this invention I provide a sail or covering made of strong
coarse woollen cloth somewhat similar to rough Irish frieze undressed and open as
it leaves the loom.
64
This sail or covering may be made in one piece, or in sections according as the
size or circumstances may require. The said sail is fitted with a bordering of rope,
around its edges, which is termed a leech rope, and the body of the sheet or sail
is strengthened with strips or belts technically termed reef bands" fixed on one
side of the sheet. On the opposite side or surface are attached other bands of
woollen material, but these are attached in such a manner that they form a row
of pockets from side to side of the sail, each row being at convenient distances
apart one from the other and placed horizontally.
Along the top of the screen sail or covering, I provide a perforated hose pipe
extending across the whole length of the top of the screen, this said perforated
pipe being covered with cloth and having connecting unions provided at each end
and in the middle, or at any convenient position along the length of the perforated
pipe, the connecting unions being attached if desired to T pieces provided in the
pipe. When the sail is spread over the side or surface of the threatened building
or structure, a connecting hose can be attached from a hydrant to either end of
the perforated hose, the other end being closed, or, if a T piece is provided for
connection along any part of the length of the perforated hose pipe, the connecting
hose can be attached thereto.
When the fire preventing apparatus is put in operation, water is turned on
from the hydrant and is forced through this said perforated hose, and escaping
through the holes will saturate the entire width of the sail or screen, trickling
down and filling the projecting pockets aforesaid, and keeping the whole surface
of the screen or covering saturated with water, and thus rendering the said screen
able to resist the heat of the fire, and check or prevent the spread of the con-
flagration.
If no hydrant is available for connection to the perforated hose, a connection may
be made, in the case of a building, with the fire hose from the street, or any other
convenient connection, and the pockets herein before described will retain the water
and slowly distribute it over the surface of the screen or sail, thus economising
the water, and enable the fire hose to be applied elsewhere till required again for
this purpose.

page_text: If no other water connection is available, the fire-hose from the street can be
directed and made to play on the surface of the screen or sail which can be kept
saturated by this means.
If the aforesaid screen or covering is provided in sections or pieces, the said
sections may be fastened together by loops or "backets" as is usually adopted in
marine sails, or by any other convenient means.
The screen or sail may be hung in any convenient manner, as for instance, holes
or eyelets may be provided along the upper part of the screen or sail, and the whole
hung by loops or cords threaded through the eyelets and attached to dog hooks fixed
in the walls or structure to be screened, and the same plan may be adopted in pro-
viding eyelets also to any part of the surface of the screen, as for instance along the
strips or belts aforesaid and the screen thereby attached to windows or doors, or
other fixtures in the walls, which the said screen is covering.
I also further provide a modification of this invention, specially adopted for the
protection of the outside walls, windows and doors of buildings, by
using an endless sail or screen, constructed in the same manner as herein-
before described except that the perforated hose pipe is omitted in this arrangement.
This said endless sail is made to revolve upon an upper and lower roller, the top
roller revolving at a height requisite for the protection of the building, the bottom
roller revolving at or near the ground or bottom floor of the building, and immersed
in a trough which is kept full of water. These said rollers may be made of wood
or hollow tube, or any convenient material, or in any convenient manner. To
carry the upper roller I provide brackets, each fixed to and projecting from an
iron bracket plate, which hangs against the wall of the building. These said
brackets are hung to wire or other ropes
or chains which pass over
pulley blocks, hung on to hooks or brackets firmly fixed in the upper part
of the wall of the building or any other convenient attachment-the said rope or
chain passing down to the ground. The brackets aforesaid are provided with suit-
able bearings to receive the ends of the upper roller and permit the same to revolve
therein. In fixing the apparatus the pulley blocks are hung securely to the fixed
hooks or brackets aforesaid and the rope or chain passed over the pulleys and down
again to the ground or any convenient accessible position, and the bearing brackets
and plates aforesaid, with the top roller in place, and the endless sail or screen is
pulled up to the necessary height lengths of screen being added till the amount of
screen required is provided and in place ready for use. The motion of the screen
may be effected by revolving the top or bottom roller by an ordinary crank or
messenger chain or by any means that may be found convenient. The effect of
this motion will be that the pockets provided in the sides of the screen will take
up the water in the trough, and convey said water up with the screen and so allow
it to be distributed over the surface, thus constantly keeping the screen saturated
with water, at the same time a double protecting screen is provided.
In order that this invention may be readily understood, I will describe the same
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 represents a front
elevation of a screen or sail, shewing the pockets, and perforated pipe, Fig. 2, is
a section or end view of same, and Fig. 3 shews a part of another sail with holes
along the edges, for attaching to the other sail or sails by means of looped ropes.
Figs. 4 & 5 are enlarged details of the pockets, and Figs. 6 & 7 are enlarged details
shewing the method of joining sheets of screen or sail cloth together by means of
looped cords or ropes. Fig. 8 represents a front elevation of the revolving screen
or sail, Fig. 9 being an end elevation of the same, and Figs. 10 & 11 are enlarged
details of the top brackets and plates for carrying the rollers for supporting and
revolving the travelling screen or sail. In these drawings the same letters refer
to the same parts in the several views. A, being the sail or screen made of strong
coarse woollen cloth, as herein before described. B, is the bordering of rope, and
C, C, are the strips or belts for strengthening the sheet or sail. D, D, are the
woollen pockets attached to the surface of the sheet or sail. E, is the perforated
hose pipe at top of the screen which may be connected with a hydrant at either end

page_text: as shewn at F, F, or by a T piece in the middle or other convenient position as
shewn at G. As has been already explained, the screen may be made of any size
by attaching sheets together, which is accomplished by means of loops of cord or
rope threaded through holes at the edge of the sheet as shewn in detail in Figs. 6,
& 7, H, being the holes, and J, the loops threaded through and fastened at the end
in the manner shewn in Fig. 7. HH are holes or eyelets for holding up the
screen to the wall or structure. The same details and manner of construction can
be adopted in the travelling or moving screen shewn in Figs. 8 & 9. The support-
ing roller is shewn at K, revolving in bracket bearings L L of bracket M M, which
brackets are fixed to or form a part of the bracket plate N. These brackets and
plates are hung in position by ropes or chains O, which pass over pulley blocks P,
hooked or hung firmly on to a hook or other support in the wall of the building,
the said rope or chain continuing down to the ground or floor level so that it can
be controlled by hand at a convenient part. The lower roller Q may revolve in
bearings if required and serves to keep the screen or sail in position in the water
tank or trough.
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:-
1. The provision of a fire screen for protecting buildings from, and preventing.
the spread of fire to the same substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth,
and described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. The provision of a fire screen for protecting buildings from fire, and prevent-
ing the spread of a conflagration, the said fire screen being arranged to revolve,
and carry water from a trough placed at the lower end of said revolving screen,
substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth and described and illustrated
by the accompanying drawings.
3. The application of this invention to the interior or exterior of any building
or portion of a building or buildings substantially as and for the purpose herein
set forth, and described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of November 1898.
REGINALD W. BARKER,
Applicant's Agent, 56, Ludgate Hill, London, E.C.