Improvements in or relating to Fire-escape Apparatus.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept., 1896-Accepted, 5th Dec., 1896
Improvements in or relating to Fire-escape Apparatus.
I, HEINRICH MANDELARTZ, of Stolberg, Rhenish Prussia, Germany,
Manufacturer 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 :-
The apparatus represented by the accompanying drawings, is destined to save
persons out of a burning building and serves to let down the inhabitants of the
upper floors in case of fire.
The new apparatus contains between two plates a number of moveable pulleys
or rollers around which is symetrically led the rope provided at each end with a
spring-hook to let down proportionately one end of the rope whilst the other end
slowly follows through his hand. The apparatus is so arranged as to avoid the
change of the point of suspension during the whole time of saving; it always
remains at its first place.
In the accompanying drawings in which similar reference letters designate like
parts throughout the several views, I have illustrated the new apparatus.
Fig. 1 represents the front-view of such a fire-escape-apparatus..
Fig. 2 represents the side-view of the same apparatus.
Fig. 3 shows, the upper plate taken off, in front-view the internal disposition of
the apparatus and finally
Figs. 4-5 represent in side-view resp. in front-view of the internal disposition
another construction of the apparatus.
As is shown in Figures 1-3, this fire-escape-apparatus consists in its internal
disposition of eight rollers of which the four in the middle (A, B, C, D,) are
arranged, moveable the one towards the other, with their axles (a, b, c, d) in
grooves or perforations (n) of the plates (V W). The other four pulleys, disposed
symetrically two at each head of the apparatus, are fixed with their axles or
journals, but also turnable.
The rope S is now led, as shown in Fig. 3, in the inside of the apparatus around
each pulley and it is evident that the guide of the rope would be the same if the
apparatus is turned about 180°.
Each rope-end is provided with a spring-hook (Z), Fig. 1, on which the person
to be saved, after having been girded about with a girdle, is attached and let
down.
The plates V W are strengthened outside in the middle by an annular adjoint-
piece. On these adjoint pieces are screwed the bearing studs or journals (2) upon
which two arms is i, are fixed by screw-nuts. The extremities of these arms are
connected by means of a little iron-plate (v) in order to form a bow (J) through
which the apparatus, by virtue of its being journaled on the studs (2), can swing.
In a perforation of said iron-plate is turnably arranged a hook or a ring (K) by
means of which the whole apparatus can be hooked on.
I will now proceed to explain the operation of the apparatus as follows:
The fireman hooks, by means of the ring or of a hook replacing said ring, the
apparatus on an iron-hook in shape of an S to be arranged with its one end over
the window-hinge between the frame and the opened window, thereafter he girds

page_text: the person to be saved about with a girdle supplied with a ring, and hooks said
ring on the spring-hook disposed at the rope-end. Then he takes the free end of
the rope in his hand and lets down the person, letting the rope slowly follow.
Arrived at the bottom, the saved person is delivered from the girdle which can
remain on the spring-hook in order to serve for saving another person.
While the one rope-end has completely gone down, the other end has risen till it
has approached the fire-man near enough to attach a second person on the spring-
hook disposed at this end. While its point of suspension remains the same, the
apparatus passes through the bow J about 180° and now the rope-end with the
second person can descend. The fire-man holds the rope and the first end rises
again so as to attach a third person.
So one rope-end goes. always down while, at the same time, the other end rises.
Between each alternative motion the apparatus turns round 180° through the bow J
without changing its point of suspension and in this consists the principle feature
of the whole invention as without the arrangement of the bow the apparatus
must change its point of suspension and could with the explicable exitement of the
people in danger easily glide out of the fire-man's hand and fall down, exposing so
to danger not only the inhabitants of the burning building but also the fire-man
himself.
As soon as the fire-man has saved all persons, he saves himself by taking out the
apparatus out of the hook in shape of an S and attaches one spring-hook arranged
on the ends of the rope, to said S-hook and, fixing himself to the ring or the
hook K of the apparatus, descends with it, this latter gliding down upon the now
suspended rope.
The rollers A B C D regulate by the moveable disposition of their journals in
the grooves the velocity of the down-going rope as by a more or less great weight
of the descending person is produced a more or less near approach of the rollers
towards each other and in consequence of the rope describing a, more or less
great bow round the rollers, the velocity of motion is regulated in the apparatus
itself..
"
The fixed rollers E F G H serve to aim at a safe guide of the down-going rope
and to prevent it from slipping out of the apparatus.
Another construction of the apparatus is represented by Figures 4 and 5 of the
annexed drawing.
Here are, as is shown in Fig. 5, only two moveable rollers (L M) which are
placed in grooves inclined under 45° towards the horizontal line and move towards
the one roller (P) fixed in the middle of the apparatus. The motion of the rope is
indicated by dotted lines (S) and the down going end is safely conducted by the
fixed rollers O and Q.
The bow (U) is not disposed in the middle but at the head of the apparatus, the
latter swinging towards each side in an angle of about 45°.
The herein described leading of the rope I do not claim broadly as my invention,
being aware that this leading around moveable rollers arranged with their axles in
furrows have been used heretofore in fire-escape apparatus, and are well known.
The arrangement shown by Figs. 4-5 has been only represented in order to
_indicate that the disposition of the rollers in the frame is only the accessory-point,
that the present invention rather consists in the combination of a frame with
moveable rollers with a turnable suspension-bow.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is.:
1
+
In a fire-escape-apparatus the combination with two frame-plates provided with
grooves, moveable rollers the axles of said rollers being adjustable arranged in said
grooves, fixed rollers on the head of the plates, of an arc or bow provided with a
ring or hook to suspend the apparatus in an iron-hook in shape of an S, the
apparatus being able to turn through said bow about a certain angle to avoid

page_text: changing the point of suspension and to allow both the one or other end of the
saving rope to descend or to rise, all substantially as described and for the purpose
specified.
Dated thin 31st day of Avoust 1806
JOSEPH MÖHLIG,
Agent for Applicant.