AN IMPROVED SAFE BRIDGE, FIRE-LADDER, AND HOSE ELEVATOR, COMBINED
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Juengst, of the City, County, and State of New
York, of the United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, for the Inven-
tion of "AN IMPROVED SAFE BRIDGE, FIRE-LADDER, AND HOSE ELEVATOR,
COMBINED"
Sealed the 26th November 1878, and dated the 30th May 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Juengst at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th May 1878.
GEORGE JUENGST, of the City, County, and State of New York, of the United
States of America, Mechanical Engineer. "AN IMPROVED SAFE BRIDGE, FIRE-
LADDER, AND HOSE ELEVATOR, COMBINED."
The Invention consists of a sectional jointed butt linked ladder, beam, or pole,
the links of which are pivoted together, and connected over their butting sides by
chains or ropes with one end secured to the top link and the other to the reel of a
windlas, by means of which said ladder is wound and drawn together, or unwound
and stretched out erected, and made rigid tangentially from the reel of the windlas,
and thus maintained by the assistance of check ropes or hooks, so that the ladder
may be extended vertically or horizontally or at any angle, and by such means
obtaining an extensible ladder or bridge, which may carry with it, when desired,
one or more flexible hose pipes for the passage of liquids.
I prefer to make the various parts of metal, but wood may be used for the ladder,
and hemp or cotton rope in some cases.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Juengst in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th November
1878.
GEORGE JUENGST, of the City, County, and State of New York, of the United
States of America, Mechanical Engineer. "AN IMPROVED SAFE BRIDGE, FIRE-
LADDER, AND HOSE ELEVATOR, COMBINED.'
The Invention consists of a sectional jointed butt linked ladder, beam, or pole,
the links of which are pivoted together, and connected over their butting sides by
chains or ropes, with one end secured to the top link and the other to the reel of a
windlass, by means of which said ladder is wound and drawn together, or unwound
and stretched out, erected, and made rigid tangentially from the reel of the windlass,
and thus maintained by the assistance of check ropes or hooks, so that the ladder
may be extended vertically, or horizontally, or at any angle, and by such means
obtaining an extensible ladder or bridge which may carry with it, when desired, one
or more flexible hose pipes for the passage of liquids.
I prefer to make the various parts of metal, but wood may be used for the ladder,
and hemp or cotton rope in some cases.
The annexed Drawings will serve to illustrate convenient modes of performing
the Invention, but I do not bind myself to the details shown.
Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal central section of the ladder carried
out according to my Invention; when applied to fire-ladders it is shown in the
state ready for travelling to the fire; Figure 2 represents a top view of the same;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the same, the ladder shown located ready for
operation, and partly elevated; Figure 4 is an end view from the rear of the
same.
Figure 5 represents a side elevation, the ladder more fully elevated, and all its
sections made rigid with exception of its top section, which is held by the windlass,
and may be with it raised or dropped; Figure 6 is a similar elevation, but of the
opposite side, and the ladder is shown in a curved position, and with the hose
attached and operating under the roof of a building; Figure 7 is a detached central
vertical longitudinal section of the wire rope windlass gear, and the reel of the
same; Fig. 8 is a detached cross section of the gear wheels of the windlass of the
same.
Figure 9 is a detached longitudinal section of the top sections of the ladder,
the wire rope guides shown bisected.
Figure 10 is a detached face view of one of the joints of the beam of the
ladder.
Figure 11 is a side elevation of the ladder or bridge when used only as a hose
elevator.
Figure 12 represents a modification of its application to ships.
The letter A of reference indicates the truck, the body frame of the same is made
with two strong side beams B, B, which are combined at the rear with a cross
piece C, and at the forward part with cross piece D; the rear part of the said beams
are carried upon strong springs E, E, which are secured upon the hind axle of the
truck, and the forward cross piece D is supported upon the fifth wheel, and its
bolster, which rests upon the forward axle of the truck, and are combined by the
usual king bolt. In the space between said beams B, B, and the cross pieces Č and
D is located a strong reel F, the shaft of which passes through said beams, and
extends considerably on the one side to carry upon it the wire rope windlass gear
G. The reel F consists of two large circular flanges H, H, which are combined by
means of a number of equally distributed stay bolts, as shown in Figures 3 and 7;
one of said flanges H of the reel has upon its hub, firmly secured, a large gear
wheel H, which is engaged by a pinion I, employed upon a hand wheel arbor,
guided in a bearing J, attached to the beam B, opposite said wheel H³. Upon said

page_text: hand wheel arbor is secured the hand wheel J¹, upon its outer end, at the outside of
the beam B. Said reel revolves loose on its shaft F', and by means of the hand
wheel J the reel is turned for winding the ladder upon it; but for the purpose of
stopping the reel from turning a pivot K is employed, which has a hook to engage
the teeth of the wheel H, and which is pivoted to a plate K.; secured to the
beam B.
L represents the ladder, which is constructed when used for mounting upon it
with steps L, or roundler between its beam M, secured firmly, and made of metal.
The beams are made in short sections, which are linked, or hinged, or jointed, and
pivoted together, each joint being made with a tongue on the one part fitted into
the slot or fork of the other part, and with a pivot through both parts, and the
ends of both parts are made to butt their seats and stop the joint to bend to the
front side, and made round on the rear to allow the joint to bend ready to the rear
side. The opposite sections of the beams are made of equal length by the steps;
they are combined firmly, and form together a section of the ladder, which, on
account of the butt joints described, is allowed to bend towards its rear side and
become rigid, pressing it to a straight line on its front side. Now, in order to
make the sections of the ladder rigid, and manipulate their bending, I employ upon
the front side of each beam section two or more guide posts or ballusters N, N,
which carry a guide tube or hollow rail O; the heads of said posts being made
each with an opposite opening, into which said tube is firmly secured. And the ends of
said tubes butt and join opposite the aforesaid pivots of the joints of the beams when
the ladder is bent to butt with its beam sections; and through said hollow rails O
on each beam of the ladder is employed a wire rope P, which is knotted, or has its
end otherwise firmly secured against withdrawing from the top end of the top
rail. The bottom end of each of said wire ropes passes out from the bottom end of
the bottom rail into a curved hollow guide tube Q, and after through its inner end
Qupon the winding drum R, to which the bottom end of the rope is firmly
secured.
. From balluster to balluster of each sectional beam are secured a pair of diagonal
brace rods, as shown, to strengthen the stability of the ballusters and beam sections.
The top ends of the top rails are secured in strong eyes attached to the top
sectional beams.
At junctions of the rails wherever the bend of the beam is considerable a third
rope guide or balluster N¹ is employed between the butt ends of the rails, as shown
in Figure 9, said third guide N¹ is pivoted with the pivot of the beam joint and
serves with its hollow head to guide the rope off from the edges of the butt ends of
the joining rails to prevent the rope being cut or damaged, and wherever desirable
the said butt ends are provided with friction rollers under the rope to protect the
same from undue friction of said butt ends.
The winding drum R is permanently attached to the reel shaft F, which has also
permanently attached the gear wheel S, and has beyond said gear wheel upon its
outer end a hand wheel T loosely held upon it.
To the beam B opposite the gear wheels S is secured a stationary gear wheel S¹ by
means of a strong plate B', and the hub of the hand wheel T meets the wheel S and
is made eccentric, and has fitted loose upon it the hub of a hollow gear wheel U.
The wheels S and S¹ are close together and differ with their number of teeth, one,
or only few teeth, and the hollow gear wheel U engages.both said gears S and S¹ at
the low side of the eccentric portion T', and is of sufficient diameter inside to
travel properly around the fixed gear wheel S" by the movement of said eccentric
portion of the hand wheel.
The hub of the hand wheel has a shoulder to keep the hollow gear U properly
engaged, and the hand wheel is held to the shaft by means of a screw and washer
attached to the same, against the outside face of said hub of the wheel. By
this means a powerful windlass is obtained to wind the wire rope, so that with a
minute power at the hand wheel the rope is held or wound up ready. The rope

page_text: guides are both firmly secured to the inner sides of the flanges H of the reel, and
several stay bolts are employed between them, their inner ends Q¹ are curved to
lead the rope tangentially to the periphery of the drum R, and their outer ends are
curved to meet the ends of the bottom rails.
In the Drawing six stay bolts are shown to wind the ladder upon, whatever the
number of them may be employed, the sections of the ladders are made in length
from pivot to pivot to correspond with the distance from radius to radius in which
the stay bolts are located, and at a periphery within which said pivots meet said
radius, while the beam sections for once around the reel rest upon the stay bolts,
and said length of the beam sections in number for the second turn around the
reel is made sufficiently more to allow said sections to wind upon the former
sections: The bottom sections of the ladder beams are made wider apart and
with correspondingly longer steps, and the top sections shorter steps and closer
together than those sections between, so that the upper sections fold and lay upon
the reel with their beam sections within the ballusters and beam sections of the
lower, and the height of the ballusters and thickness of the beam section diminish
from bottom to top.
In order to bind the ladder sections upon the reel and prevent the ladder from
settling away from it is employed a vertical post V, which extends upward from
the rear cross piece C of the truck, and has a central slot V¹, in the upper portion
of which is employed a guide roller W, and in the lower a guide roller W₁, and
over said rollers is engaged a strong rope or chain X which passes over the
unwound sections of the ladder and has its one end firmly attached to one of the
stay bolts of the reel; said chain or rope passes from ever the top guide roller W,
and by the lower roller W₁over a winding drum Y to which its other end is
secured. Said winding drum Y is attached to a horizontal shaft located under the
rear cross piece C, and has on its outer end a gear wheel Z secured upon it, and
rests in a bearing Z' near each end, of which there is one attached to each of the
beams B of the truck, and said bearings Z¹ are made with a flat portion each which
is bolted firmly upon the side of the beam B, and is also formed with a journal box
for a secondary or counter shaft a, employed above and in rear of the shaft upon
which the drum is secured, and upon said shaft a is employed a small pinion gear b
to engage in the gear wheel Z, and also employed a hand crank c for turning by.
hand the same.
The vertical post V is secured by means of a pivot d with the roller W¹ in it to
a forked eye-piece e, and it is bolted firmly to the cross piece C, so that said post V
is allowed to turn on its pivot aforesaid; and to set and adjust said post is engaged
an eye bolt f, which is pivoted to the post a short distance above the roller W₁ and
its pivot; and said eye bolt passes through the rear end of the cross piece C of the
truck, and through the hub of a hand wheel g, which is threaded and fitted upon
the screw thread of the bolt, and has a throat cut in its periphery; and said throat
is fitted in a strong back cross piece h in which it is held and permitted to turn;
said cross piece h is firmly bolted to the rear end of the cross piece C, so that by
turning the hand wheel g the eye bolt f is caused to draw the post V from or to
push the same to the reel and ladder, by which means the ladder is guided and set
more or less inclined over the reel.
The chain X with the winding drum Y serves not only the purpose of holding up
the ladder sections against the reel, but also serves the purpose of unwinding the
ladder and erecting the same, during which operation the pawl K is put in gear to
hold the reel from turning back by the weight of the ladder.
The top part of the post V is curved to allow the steps of the ladder to pass by.
it without interference. At the rear of the post V and over the periphery of the
hind wheels is secured upon the cross piece C a strong brake bar or cross beam i,
and in each of its ends over the periphery of each of said hind wheels is employed
a vertical adjusting screw j with a hand wheel or crank on its upper end; and said
screw is fitted with a screw thread into the said beam end, so that by turning the.

page_text: scrow it presses upon the tyre of the wheel, and thereby stopping it from turning.
By the same screw is also readily effected a lateral movement of the ladder, not
only for the purpose of adjusting the ladder to a proper vertical position for
ascending upon it, but also to vary the lateral direction of the water or extinguishing
matter upon the burning building when the ladder is used only as a hose elevator
or carrier.
For the purpose to stop and properly level and adjust the forward part of the
truck the forward wheels are always turned under the truck frame, and on said
part is employed a horizontal sliding rod 7 with a shoulder on each end, and said
rod passes through and across and projects on the outside of each beam B; and
over said rod is secured upon the said beams a stop block k, and upon each end of
the rod between the side of the beam and the shoulder of the rod is employed a
brace lever m which has a short arm to bear against the end of the block k, and a
long pointed leg n to grip and stop in the ground or pavement of the street; Bo
that by means of said brace levers the said forward part of the truck is readily
braced from each side, and is also readily stationed solidly; said brace rods are
turned up and placed alongside the beams B when not required, as shown in
Figure 2.
The rear end of the truck is furnished upon its cross piece C with a check rope o
and cleat p. The object of said rope o is to tie and make rigid with the truck all
sections of the ladder desired to butt from the reel up to the sections desired either
to operate, raise, or lower, or to take a different inclination from those that butt.
In such case the said rope o is made fast to the top butting section with one end,
and after said top section has completed its erection and the desired inclination, the
bottom end of the said rope is secured around the cleat p, as shown in Figures 5
and 6, in which, as in Figure 5, the rope o is made fast to the section next to the
top section, and therefore in consequence all sections below the top section are made
rigid with the truck; but the top section is held by the wire ropes, and may be, in
operating the wire rope windlass, raised or lowered to the desired inclination, or to
distribute the water over the desired portion of the building when used with the
hose and its nozzle attached to the ladder.
Instead of the rope o a hook q may be employed to make rigid any two or more
sections, as shown in Figures 6 and 9, in which the hook q is made to engage over
the steps of the ladder; said hook may be made to engage the ballusters, as shown
in dotted lines at r; or the hooks or hook may be applied to engage over the steps
in manner to hold the sections at a desired angle to each other, and so as to allow
said hooks to drop from engagement by slacking the wire ropes, as shown, with the
hooks 8, 8, in Figures 6 and 9.
'
The ladder or elevator may be used solely for elevating the hose and operating
with them upon the fire, or to sprinkle or other purpose; in such case the.
steps L' are or may be dispensed with, and the elevator may be constructed with
one beam instead of two; and the ballusters may be substituted by suitable
sheet metal supports, and the rails by sectional guides for the wire ropes, which
may be also substituted by chains, and one rope substituted instead of two, as.
shown in Figure 11; such elevator may be still operated and provided with the
truck, reel, and windlass, and ropes, and the adjusting screws ; before described.
This kind of windlass may be substituted for worm and screw or other more or
less powerful windlasses, according to the dimension and greatest length of hose to.
be elevated or operated.
I
The adjusting screw j and beam i may be substituted with any suitable brake
for the hind wheels, and with suitable devices for either adjusting the reel and
ladder or elevator, or for adjusting the body frame of the truck, as before
described.
The forward part of the truck may be braced by adjusting rack bars and pawl-
levers, or by the use of levers and eccentrics or cams, instead of the device shown.
man ha rood

page_text: This Invention is especially applicable to elevate the hose with which the water
or extinguishing matter is appied, and to serve as a fire-ladder for ascending and
descending in case of fire; but it may be applied for elevating and mounting for
repairing roofs, for painting high structures, placing signs, or removing and putting
up lightning rods; and it may be very usefully applied for military purposes, in
storming forts, and the ladder may be unwound and placed or extended in hori-
zontal direction, and thereby the Invention applied for bridging purposes, for
crossing creeks, ravines, and cliffs, either used in military operations, or in laying
bridges, or other purposes for crossing.
The reel with the ladder and its manipulating windlasses may be used on board
of vessels to board other vessels, or to discharge or charge vessels, to make a bridge
from a dock to ascend to or descend from the ship or steamer; and said reel and
ladder with its windlasses may be used stationary to make a bridge used at intervals
across a railroad, across a canal, or any other crossing passage, and to make a
passage; and it may be used on board of vessels, as shown in Figure 12, to cross
over surfs and rocks; and in case of the vessel being stranded and in distress, to
Bafely land its crew and passengers.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of carrying the
same into effect, and its application, what I claim as my Invention is,-
1. The jointed ladder, elevator, or bridge combined with the reel F and its wind-
lasses, substantially as stated, and for all applicable purposes.
2. The butt hinge or link beam, sectional ladder, elevator, or bridge, combined and
provided with the rope, ropes, or chains P and their or its guides and guide supports,
or balluster, or rails, and with suitable winding drums and the reel F, substantially
as and for the purposes herein described.
3. The combination of the truck A, the reel F, the butt link, sectional beams or
beam, and the rope or chain P, with its guides and guide supports O and N, and
its drum and windlass, and the rope or chain X, with its guide rollers W, and post
V, and windlass drum Y, and the gear wheel H₁ and its pawl K, to constitute
a fire-ladder and hose elevator, substantially as and for the purpose herein
mentioned.
4. The combination of the above with the rope o and the cleat p, or other
fastening device, and the eye bolt f and hand wheel g, substantially as and for the
purpose herein set forth.
5. The combination of the ladder and elevator for hose with the truck A and its
adjusting screws j and beam i, or its equivalent, for effecting the lateral motion and
adjustment of the ladder or elevator, substantially as and for the purpose shown and
described.
6. The combination of the reel F, its stay bolts and flanges H, H, with the rope
guides Q, and the winding drum R, and the shaft F¹, and gear wheel H', and
pawl K, and the reel shaft bearings or supports, substantially as and to effect a
drawing or winding and counterwinding upon the device being reeled or unreeled.
7. The combination of the drum R, and reel F, and shaft F with the differential
gears S and S¹, the eccentric T¹, and hollow gear U, substantially as and for the
purpose herein shown and described.
8. The combination of the reel F, the sectional butt link, beam or beams, and the
rope, ropes, or chain P, and guides O, and guide supports N, and drum R, and the
pawl K, and wheel H³, or equivalent stop for the reel, substantially as and for
effecting crossing and bridging, as herein set forth.
9. The combination of the winding drum Y, the rollers W and W₁, and post V,
and eye bolt f, and wheel g with the rope or chain X, and the reel F and jointed
ladder L, the wheel H', and pawl K, substantially as and to effect the binding of
the ladder to the reel, and adjust the inclination of the elevated sections of the
ladder to the object.
10. The combination of the jointed ladder, bridge, or elevator with the reel F, the
ropes or chains X and P, with their guides and drums, with the windlass G, the

page_text: windlass for the rope X, and the winding gears H₁ and I for the reel and pawl K,
substantially to effect the combined action herein shown and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Juengst, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifteenth day of November, A.D. 1878.