IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS, AND FOR SAVING PERSONS AND PROPERTY PRON FIRE
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Anguish Honour Augustus Durant, Esquire, of Tong
Castle, Salop, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS, AND FOR SAVING PERSONS AND PROPERTY
PRON FIRE"
Sealed the 4th March 1856, and dated the 8th September 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Anguish Honour Augustus
Durant at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th September 1855.
I, ANGUISH HONOUR AUGUSTUS DURANT, Esquire, of Tong Castle, Salop, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS, AND FOR SAVING PERSONS AND PROPERTY
FROM FIRE," to be as follows:-
Heretofore it has been attempted to make fire escapes and apparatus for
raising and lowering weights by numerous bars crossing each other, and pin-
jointed in pairs, the outer ends of each bar being pin-jointed or connected one
to another, but by such means steadiness and stability have not been obtained.
I call my apparatus the trite apparatus; and my improvements consist of
combining two sets of such bars, and the two sets are arranged and combined
at right angles to each other, the bars of one set crossing the bars of the other

page_text: set.
At the upper ends of these two series of crossing bars is formed a cradle,
and at the lower ends these series of cross bars are worked by means of cords,
or racks and pinions, or other mechanism, so as to contract their distances
apart, and thus to elevate the cradle a greater or lesser height, as may be
required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANGUISHI
HONOUR AUGUSTUS DURANT, Esquire, of Tong Castle, Salop, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant, Her special licence that I, the said
Anguish Honour Augustus Durant, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING &
LOWERING WEIGHTS, AND FOR SAVING PERSONS AND PROPERTY FROM FIRE," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Anguish Honour Augustus
Durant, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, referénce being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:

page_text: Heretofore it has been attempted to make fire escapes and apparatus for
raising and lowering weights by numerous bars crossing each other, and pin-
jointed in pairs, the outer ends of each bar being pin-jointed or connected one
to the other, but by such means steadiness and stability have not been
obtained. I call my improved apparatus the "trite;" and my improvements
consist of combining two sets of such bars, and the two sets are arranged and
combined at right angles to each other, the bars of one set crossing the bars
of the other set. At the upper ends of these two series of crossing bars is
formed a cradle, and at the lower ends these series of cross bars are worked
by means of cords, or racks and pinions, or other mechanism, so as to contract
their distances apart, and thus to elevate the cradle a greater or lesser height
as may be required.
My Invention relates to an improved apparatus for raising and lowering
weights, or for saving life and property from fire, by combining two sets or
series of cross bars, the upper ends of which support and carry up a cradle,
when the lower ends of the bottom bars are drawn together by means of ropes
and pulleys, actuated by wheels, pinions, or by other suitable gear, attached
and belonging to a platform moveable on wheels, or in a suitable carriage.
The lower pairs of cross levers can be made longer from the fixed joints, and
stronger than the upper ones, to insure greater strength and stability, and may
be also curved to give room in the centre for the barrel and pinion being
worked by the attendant, who, by adding his own weight, will give additional
solidity to the base or platform. Sliding bars are drawn out at right angles
to extend and form a base suitable to the required height of ascent, at the
same time adjusting screws or bolts may vary the platform from the perpen-
dicular to an inclined position, if necessary. When the cradle is raised to the
height required, a multiplying wheel winch may be so attached to the cradle
or base, that by the similar action of a few pairs of levers, to be extended by
a rope pulled from the base, a balcony or platform will be projected at the top
and between the cradle and a house window, so that property or persons may
be passed over the few feet distant from the window or other part of the house
when the apparatus or carriage cannot be brought in sufficient proximity.
These may be made of metal, wood, or other suitable material, with metal
rivets and metal rivet or joint holes, whereby to secure lightness and rigidity.
An index may be placed across the apparatus, so that by the comparative
motion of the lower pair of levers the height of the ascent can be determined.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of the "trite" complete, and Fig. 2 a plan
of the same with the upper cross levers removed; while Fig. 8 represents the

page_text: trite on a small scale in a collapsed state; and Fig. 4, the same in an extended
or elevated state; Figs. 5 and 6 represent portions of the detail. a, a, is the
base frame, from which are erected four curved standards b, b, b, b, which
support the main joint tube c, which has extended ears for the purpose, of the
cross levers, whereon the whole upper fabric is raised and lowered. The cross
levers, as before mentioned, consist of two series, the one series being placed at
right angles to the other. Fig. 5 represents a pair of these levers d, d, in side
view; while Fig. 6 represents a view of the same, at right angles to that seen
at Fig. 5, and showing in side view a pair of the other series of levers e, e.
The levers d, d, which I prefer to make of wrought iron, are formed with
large bosses or centres, and are mounted on a tube centre f, through 'which
the cross levers e, e, also of iron, are inserted, and mounted on a suitable
joint ping, as seen dotted in Figs. 5 and 6. Each pair of levers are thus free
to move on their centres, and are so formed as to permit motion to the
required extent. The several pairs are jointed at their extremes h, h, h, h, to
the pairs of levers adjoining, and may be prolonged to suit any practicable
operation. The whole is surmounted by a cradle i.i, which is so jointed to the
upper levers as to retain at all times the parallelism of its position, and to
support and carry anything it may contain steadily in an upward or downward
direction. The cradle is formed of curved iron bars; and fitted with a lining
of leather, canvas, or other material suitable for such receptacle. The lower
pairs of levers d and e are prolonged at d and e' below the joint c in a curved
form, their lower ends moving in grooves in the platforms, and guides k, k,
attached thereto. Ropes 7, 1, are attached to levers d' and e', and conducted
over turning pullies m, m, and wound round the barrel o of winch, which
ropes are all four wound on and unwound therefrom simultaneously when
the winch barrel is set in motion. The arms and e¹ being curved, room
is afforded for the winch barrel in the centre of platform a; from which it
is supported by suitable standards p, p. The winch barrel is actuated by a
pinion g, taking into a wheel on the barrel, the pinion shaft having suitable
handles, whereby the attendants may communicate the motion required, the
wheel and pinion being respectively of such diameter as to give the multiplying
power required. The winch barrel o is also fitted with a ratchet wheels and
pall, to prevent its running back, and to fix and sustain the apparatus at any
position of its elevation. The base a is mounted on four wheels u, u, u, u, the
axes of which are mounted on crank arms v. v, moving on axes w, w, and
controlled by hand levers x, x, the crank arms being connected in pairs by
rods
Y. Y. When it is desired to transport the apparatus, the hand levers are

page_text: placed upright, and fixed by pins in the arcs z, z, thereby bringing down the
wheels u, u, to the lowest level, and elevating the platform from the ground.
The opposite movement lowers the apparatus on the ground, and gives it a
firm basis. The platform is furnished with four sliding levers or arms
A, A, A, A, which collapse and slide within the area of the base, but which,
previous to its being lowered on the ground, are drawn out to the full extent
by simply loosening the bolts B, B, and tightening them again when so
extended; the levers A, A, having slots to permit the necessary traverse
without disturbing the position of the bolts B, B.
By passing suitable screws through the extremes or feet of the sliding levers
so as to rest on the ground, and projecting them more or less through below,
an inclination may be given to the apparatus if required. By thus extending
the resting points of the base, a firm support is afforded for the apparatus.
Instead of making the joints of the two series of levers d, d, and e, e, concentric,
the joints of the one series may be placed a little below that of the other, but
still retaining the one series of levers at right angles to the other, but the
whole resting on a fixed fulcrum or fulcrums, as at c.
The operation of the "trite" is this: the machine having been wheeled to
the scene of operations, the arms A, A, are drawn out and fixed by their bolts
B, B. The hand levers x, x, are then released from the arcs z, z, when the
whole rests firmly on the ground. To elevate the cradle i, i, the winch handles
are turned in the proper direction to draw together forcibly the lower arms d'
and e; while for lowering, the winch is simply prevented running back too
fast by holding the winch handles, or by applying a suitable break to the
barrel, the pall t of ratchet wheel being at the same time thrown out of gear;
by the first of which operations the apparatus becomes extended, as seen at
Fig. 4, and by the latter action is collapsed, as seen at Fig. 3. By this means
facilities are afforded for the ordinary purposes of raising or lowering weights
from considerable heights, and also useful in saving life and property in cases
of fire. The system and combination of the two sets or series of cross
levers gives great stability to the erection when extended; and taking into
consideration the rapidity and ease with which it may be handled, renders it
particularly applicable for saving life and property from fire. C, C, is a fixed
graduated bar, which indicates the height of the cradle from the ground by the
point of intersection of one or more of the levers arms e¹ or d¹.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same may be performed, I desire it to be understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein-before set forth, nor do I claim the use of

page_text: a single series of cross levers, or any of the parts as separately considered, for
the purpose of raising and lowering weights; but that what I do claim is, the
combination and use of two sets or series of cross levers applied for that
purpose, combined and arranged as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Anguish Honour Augustus Durant, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
W. CLARK, Patent Agent,
A. H. AUGUSTUS DURANT. (L.S.)
53, Chancery Lane, London.