IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ESCAPES
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th March 1883. Communicated
to him from abroad by Henry Emil Braunfeld, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America,
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ESCAPES." [A com-
munication to me from abroad by Henry Emil Braunfeld, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United States of America,]
This invention relates to fire escapes and consists essentially of a reversible box,
pulleys within the same, and a rope and a ring or loop adapted to be attached to
either end of the said box, as hereinafter fully set forth.
In carrying the said invention into practice I provide a box or casing having
openings at the top and bottom. I also provide pulleys mounted on posts secured
to, or formed with, the box, and a rope or chain which is passed through one of
the said openings, then around the pulley opposite to the said opening, next around
the other pulley, and finally out of the opening opposite to the first opening
To the said box are secured at opposite ends, eyes which are opened on the parts
which face each other, and adapted to receive a ring or loop the sides of which are
flat to accord with the openings of the eyes; one of the cross bars of the said ring
or loop is rounded, forming a journal which is of greater diameter than the width
of the openings of the eyes and conforms to the inner face of the said eye The
loop is presented to the side of the eye and the flat side pushed through the opening
until the journal occupies the centre of the said eye. The loop is then turned
outwardly and thus firmly attached to the box without liability of displacement
unless again turned back on the box which is impossible while the device is in use,
hence the security of the loop is obtained. The loop may however be removed
when desired by proper manipulation, and is applicable to either end of the box.
The upper end of the rope is attached to a window or other suitable part of a
building, and the box is connected with a sling or waist band secured to the body
of the person using the escape, whereby the weight of the person is transmitted to
the box and the latter descends.
The friction on the rope created by the box and wheels retards the descent of the
box, so that the descent is controlled and rendered safe, there being sufficient

page_text: rapidity for all purposes, the descent being further controlled by the hands of the
person acting as a brake on the rope, and the loose rope below the box may be
wound around the box as an additional check or for positive stoppage of the
descent.
The pulleys have grooved peripheries, and the length of rope that runs around
them is guided by the walls of the grooves of the said pulleys, and so prevented from
leaving the same, and jamming, binding, and fouling.
The pulleys are arranged out of centre or diagonally so that the rope is removed
from the sides of the box, and while ample friction is created for the rope owing to
its running on itself, the said friction is not occasioned by the sides of the box, and
thus heating of the latter is prevented.
It will be seen that either end of the box may be connected with the body sling
without affecting the operation of the escape.. By this provision when the person
in danger is laboring under great excitement, no time is lost by him in deciding to
which end of the box the ring or loop is attachable, since either end of the box may
be top or bottom and is immediately serviceable.