IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH THE MANUFACTURE OF SAFES
Year: 1885

page_text: I DANIEL ROWLINSON RATCLIFF of Finsbury Pavement in the City of London
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OR CONNECTED WITH THE MANUFACTURE OF SAFES to be as follows:―
37
The object of my Invention is to provide means whereby safes are rendered
more capable of protecting their contents from injury by fire than is at present the
case. It is well known that in safes as at present constructed a mixture of alumn
and sawdust is placed inside or between the walls of the safe so that on the
application of great heat such as the safe is subjected to in the event of fire the
water of crystallization of the alum becomes disengaged and serves to prevent
injury being done by fire to the contents of the same. The object of my Invention
is to enable a much greater amount of alum to be employed in a given space than
has hitherto been possible whereby I greatly increase the security of the contents.
of the safe from fire without increasing the size of the safe. With this object
I submit the mixture of alum and sawdust to great hydraulic or other pressure so
that a considerable quantity is compacted into a very small compass. I prefer to
effect this compression before the mixture is put in place in the safe and so as to
form cakes or slabs of the mixture which slabs or cakes can be conveniently
applied to the interior of the safe and kept in place by a lining of wood or other
material.
I have mentioned alum and sawdust as the materials used for the mixture but
it is to be understood that any other materials may be used which will fulfil the
well known requirements of those materials in this application.
Dated this 21st day of Av 1005
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
Agent for the said Daniel Rowlinson Ratcliff.

page_text: Improvements in or Connected with the manufacture of sales.
I, DANIEL ROWLINSON RATCLIFF of Finsbury Pavement in the City of London,
Gentleman 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 object of my Invention is to provide means whereby Safes are rendered
more capable of protecting their contents from injury by fire than is at present the
case. It is well known that in Safes as at present constructed a mixture of alum
and sawdust is placed inside or between the walls of the safe so that on the
application of great heat such as the safe is subjected to in the event of fire the
water of crystallization of the alum becomes disengaged and serves to prevent
injury being done by fire to the contents of the same. The object of my Invention
is to enable a much greater amount of alum to be employed in a given space than
has hitherto been possible whereby I greatly increase the security of the contents
of the safe from fire without increasing the size of the Safe. With this object
I submit the mixture of alum and sawdust to great hydraulic or other pressure so
that a considerable quantity is compacted into a very small compass I prefer to
effect this compression before the mixture is put in place in the safe and so as to
form cakes or slabs of the mixture which slabs or cakes can be conveniently
applied to the interior of the Safe and kept in place by a lining of wood or other
material.
I have mentioned alum and sawdust as the materials used for the mixture but
it is to be understood that any other materials may be used which will fulfill the
well known requirements of those materials in this application.
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
In or for the manufacture of Safes the employment of materials of the nature
berein before described compacted to a reduced compass by pressure substantially
as and for the purpose herein before explained.