IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOWERING PERSONS AND WEIGHTS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Batley, of Kensington Park Gardens, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
LOWERING PERSONS AND WEIGHTS." A communication from abroad by
Jonathan Aldem Weston, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Batley at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th April 1879.
JOHN BATLEY, of Kensington Park Gardens, in the County of Middlesex, Gentle-
man. "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOWERING PERSONS AND WEIGHTS." [A com-
munication from abroad by Jonathan Aldem Weston, of Paris, in the Republic of
France.]
This Invention relates to a novel means of retarding the running down a rope of
a slide to which is appended a load that is required to be lowered. The Invention
applies to the lowering not only of goods but also of persons desirous of escaping
from elevated positions, as from a building on fire. The lowering rope which may
be furnished with a loop or other ready means of attachment to some fixed point
is threaded through a tube which takes the form, by preference, of a coil, the ends
standing out in opposite directions, in line with each other or nearly so. This coil
of tube will conveniently form an eye for the reception of a band which may be
fastened round the body of a person to be lowered from a height.
The
rope being secured at its upper end to a fixed point the free end may be
retained in the hands of a person intending to make the descent, and by pulling
upon the cord below the tube the friction caused by the descent may be increased
at pleasure, and the speed of descent thereby retarded; or the end of the rope may
be held by a person in the street and a similar result may be obtained. In like
manner, if a hook or clip be fitted to the tube, any corded package may be attached
thereto and lowered with safety, its speed of descent being regulated as above
explained.
As this apparatus is inexpensive any number may be provided for the upper
windows of houses, and used as occasion may require to deposit articles of value as
well as the inmates of the house safely in the street or on the ground.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Batley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th October
1879.
A com-
JOHN BATLEY, of Kensington Park Gardens, in the County of Middlesex, Gentle-
man. "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOWERING PERSONS AND WEIGHTS."
munication from abroad by Jonathan Aldem Weston, of Paris, in the Republic of
France.
This Invention relates to a novel means of retarding the running down a rope of
The Invention
a slide to which is appended a load that is required to be lowered.
applies to the lowering not only of goods but also of persons desirous of escaping
from elevated positions, as, for example, from a building on fire. The lowering
rope, which may be furnished with a loop or other ready means of attachment to
some fixed elevated point, is threaded through a tube which takes the form, by
preference, of a coil, the ends standing out in opposite directions, in line with each
other or nearly so. This coil of tube will conveniently form an eye for the recep-
tion of a band which may be fastened round the body of a person to be lowered
from a height. The rope being secured at its upper end to a fixed point the free
end may be retained in the hands of the person intending to make the descent,
and by pulling upon the cord below the tube the friction caused by the descent
may be increased at pleasure, and the speed of descent thereby retarded.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews in side view the form of tubular
friction slide which it is preferred to employ for carrying out the object of this
Invention, and Fig. 2 illustrates the use of the same, a lowering cord being threaded
through it, and a sling being attached to the slide suitable for lowering a man from
the upper part of a building to the ground. The friction slide may be made of a
length of weldless iron tube, which tube will preferably be flaired at its ends to
prevent its cutting the rope when slidden up and down it. The coil of this bent
tube will present a friction surface to the rope which is threaded through it suffi-
cient to retard to a considerable extent the descent of any weight that may be
attached to the slide and allowed to depend therefrom. If however an extra
amount of drag is put upon the rope this descent may be arrested or so effectually
checked as to bring the descent of the load completely within the control of the
person holding the lower end of the rope. Thus when employing the apparatus for
the descent of persons from a height, as indicated in Fig. 2, the rope may be held
by the person descending, who will control the rate of his descent by simply varying
the tension on the lower part of the rope. Fig. 3 shews the application of the
Invention to the lowering of bales of goods. In this application, the lower or free
end of the rope will be held taut by the attendant who stands on the level at which
the goods are to be deposited, and controls their descent by slackening the cord at
pleasure. In a similar manner the descent of persons from a height may be effected
when from incompetency the persons descending cannot be entrusted with the
control of their own descent.
As this apparatus is inexpensive, any number of tubular friction slides may be
provided for the upper windows of a house and used, as occasion may require, to
deposit articles of value as well as inmates of a house safely in the street or on the
ground.
"
Having now set forth the nature of the "Invention of an Improved Apparatus
for Lowering Persons and Weights as communicated to me from abroad, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would remark that the
friction slide admits of variations in construction, I do not therefore limit myself to
the coiled tubular form shewn at Fig. 1, but what I claim under the above in

page_text: part recited Letters Patent is, the means described or any mere modification thereof
for enabling a varying friction to be put upon a lowering rope for the purpose of
ensuring the safe descent of persons and weights.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Batley, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
JOHN BATLEY. (L.S.)