US1598A - Improvement in the method of stopping accidental breaches in fire-hose - Google Patents

Description

IO all 1071/01/17/ it 'nm-y coli/cern:

being cut by incendiaries or other evil-disposed persons, or such as may have burst by dental breaches resulting from imperfections,

Patent Breach-Clogs,77 it being that of the and at the time of a fire, without detaehing as to form and extent, require breach-clogs,77 varied in form and dimensions, calculated to x and at the time of a fire, uncertain and varied `may be temporarily repaired for use by two corresponding plates of metal-the'one tobe firmly binding the edges of the leather be-l l, tween the said plates of metal. 'If the aperture be so large, or of a description that it lUNrrnn S'rnrns,

arnsir ,ri-ren,

RALPH BULKLEY, oir-NEW YORK, nr.

IMPROVEVIIENT IN THE METHOD 0F STOPFI Specification forming part of Leiters l v Be it known that I, RALPH BULKLEY, of the city of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful improvement, (the object of which is to preserve in use at the time of a iire such fire-engine and hydrantwater leaders as may have been unexpectedly rendered useless at the time of a iire, either by an overstrain, or have been caused to leak through any description of unforeseen accicasualties, or design,) called The New York application of methods herein described for quickly repairing and restoring to use during them from the line or otherwise, the intermediate parts ofsections of such engine or hydrant-water leaders as may have been caused to leak by unexpected accidents, imperfections, casualties, or design not heretofore provided ior by any application or'improvement.

The breaches to which waterleaders are liable, and which this application and improvement are intended to correct, being uncertain meet every emergency pertaining thereto; and among the many methods which may be emp ployed in pursuance of the application of this improvement in repairing, in the vicinity of breaches in tire-leaders, so as to retain their usefulness at a time or times when most needed, during the existence of a iire, the following may be enumerated, to wit: If the aperture in the leader be oi' small size, it may be quicklyV stopped bythe application of a short screw with flattened head and gimlet-point; but if the aperture be a slit in a lengthwise direction, it

placed inside of the aperture of sui'licient length to cover it, and the corresponding plate upon the'outside of the aperture of sufficient length to cover it-and the two plates screwed together by screws previously fitted, ihus NG ACClDENTAi. BREACHES IN FIRE-HOSE.

atent No. L, dated May S, 1840.

cannot be secured by such screws or plates, then a section of metal or other description of pipe or tube of suitable dimensions may be inserted within the defective part and the ap.- plication of either or any ofthe apparatus denominated breaeh-clogs," and if the breach required to be stopped be not in itself large enough to admit of the application of the .breach-clog iixtures, or either of them, then the water-leader may be severed by cutting; or incisions of suitable extent may be made for the convenient and necessary application of the said apparatus for the contemplated object, as herein described. That portion of the water-leaders which covers the inserted tube may be secured thereon either by cords or straps, or by metallic clasps secured by screws or keys. The said tubes may be of any required len gth-say from four to twelve inches, more or less-previously prepared, and it may be preferable to have small projections at or near the ends of the tubes, to prevent the leader' from slipping off. These sectional tubes may be made of any suitable material and of any required form or strength, with screws or otherwise, suitable for attaining the object' intended, as herein set forth, by the application of breach-clogs, moldings, or wrappers of cloth or other substance, which may be applied upon or near the ends of the tubes, when necessary for tightening ,or for the better fitting into any variety of diameter of hose or leaders which by hard strain are liable to be unequally distended; also, the application of stopwater fixtures by compression upon the exterior of engine and hydrant-water leaders may be made either by lever or screw pressure. The lever-pressure may be applied in forni nearly similar to tongs used for handling heated iron, or on a pivot at the junction of lthe handles, or by' screws in the form ofordinary press-screws, the form and strength depending on the strength required to vovercome the internal pressure upon the leader or hose.

It is believed this improvement in its application, as described, differs from all others in use, itV being that breach-clogs and stopwater fixtures, as described, form no part of engine or hydrantwater leaders, buty are merely to be held in reserve for use as append- .ages thereto, being in their application a disftinet and independent apparatus of intended use only in cases of casualties, and in theimmel ment of breach-clogs might, for the time bediate temporary repair of unexpected breaches in water-leaders, from whatever cause, or to whatever extent, or in whatever form the same may occur, with a view to retain their desired usefulness at and during the re at the time of which the'y were injured by applying the said breach-clogs at the time and in the vicinity of a iire, with or without detaching the injured section of leader from the line, as convenience may require; they not only differ in their application, but in the object to be attained-to wit, that of restoring to immediate use for the time being water-leaders, which, by reason of casual de- 'ects, would, as heretfore practiced, be detached from the line of leaders and thrown l aside during the remainder of the fire at which they had been injured.

Fire-engine and hydrant-water leaders are a compound article, and are in a complete and finished state when delivered from the hands of the workmen or manufacturers. Again, when leaders are injured during their use at a hre, such use being the object for which they were manufactured, no workmen or materials are at hand in preparation for repairs; but, on the contrary, when water-leaders become thus injured, instead of being immediately repaired and retained in use, they are detached from the line and thrown aside'as entirely useless as to theirintended object during the remainder of the fire, and at some convenient future period they are gathered up and taken tothe usual workshops for ordinary repairs at a future day, and a different description of repairs from those contemplated by this improvement-such as sewing or common riveting; hence appears the difference, as intended to be explained, between an original improvement, the formation of a compoundA article, the water-leader, in itself complete for all its intended uses when delivered from thehands of the workman or manufacturer, and the improvement comprised in the application of breach-clogs to beheld in reserve, and to be applied tothe intermediate parts ot' sections of water-leaders, as herein described, on incidental occasions. f

Among the advantages which this improvement possesses the following may be enumerated, to wit:

The first and mostimportantis that of guarding against the evil designs and attempts of incendiaries, for it is reasonable to be presumed that incendiaries who are bad enough ,i y to fire a city are also bad enough to destroy the means used for extinguishing fires; and

when the frail substance of which Water-leaders arecomposed is taken into consideration, it will doubtless be admitted that it is in the power of incendiaries to impede or annui every preparation made for extinguishingres by merelyr cutting the water-leaders,:and thereby preventing the conveyance oi water to aiire. In this view ofthesubject therev might be instances when the application of this improvehence ing and during the raging of a lire, be paramount in value to all other expensive preparations combined for extinguishing iires, for if every line of leaders directed toward afire were cut and rendered useless as to their intended object, they might all, bythe application of this improvement in breach-clogs, be repaired and again in use in a short timeperhaps two or three minutes-each company having its apparatus always prepared and in readiness for application on incidental occasions. There might therefore be instances .when all the expensive preparations for procuring water, engines, and other apparatus for extinguishing iires would be rendered unavailable in consequence of the cutting of water-leaders by the combined acts of incendiaries; and, on the other hand, even if -they were so cut, they might be immediately restorred to use by the application of this improvement; and the said improvement and application, as herein described, together with stop-water fixtures, as also herein described,

are hereby claimed as patent rights and thus, when alluding to the contlagration of a city, while all the expensive preparations for extinguishing iiresmight be rendered unavailable and inoperative, 'as above stated, such coniiagration might be arrested or prevented by preserving the continued use of such preparations for extinguishing fires by immediately restoring to use any number of cut water-leaders by the application of this improvement of breach-clogs,as above described; and with a knowledge that means were at hand for the immediate repair of injuries arising from the incendiary acts of cutting waterleaders, evil-disposed persons would have less Ainducement to perpetrate such acts, and the ivev iires.

Thirdly.4 When leaders are used with numerous even small apertures, permitting the water to escape, the remaining part of the Water which passes on to the point of discharge escapes with less force than if the whole quantity were retained in the leader. The principal advantage in the' use of water-stops, as above described, consists, iirst, in quickly Ystopping the water in the leaders, in order the more conveniently to apply the breach-cl0gs for incidental repairs to the said leaders; and, secondly, by the use of water-stops for stopping and starting the water in the leaders in vthe immediate vicinity of a hre the loss of time is prevented in sending directions to stop and again to start tothe attendant at the hydrant, thus frequently causing delay when only a momentary delay is necessary for changing the direction of aleader. This part of the improvement,V however, must be cautiously applied, as it depends on the relativestrength of the leader as compared with the pressure of the water from the fountain-head.

As supplemental and additional to that part of the foregoing specification, and the more fully to illustrate wherein this improvement differs from all others in use, it may be observedin relation to Water-leaders that the object of the persons whon manufacture them is accomplished when such leaders are completed and delivered from their hands in a finished state. The said leaders are afterward transferred to certain operators for use as occasion may require. These operators-firemen or hydrant-men-are ofvarious occupations, who in the course of duty continue the water-leaders in their possession for use unless, from some cause, they become defective, and when found to be so much defective as to be unlit for use itis again practically a part of their duty to condemn and abandon them as of no further use during the remainder of a iireat which they were injured. It is therefore one of the objects of this improvement,practically,to furnish the said operators with the means of immediate vtemporary repair of any and every description of aperture that may be casually or intentionally made in such leaders7 such means of repair being in the application and use of the said improvement denominated breach-clogs, it being that the breaches above alluded to, whether incidental or caused intentionally by evil-disposed persons, usually occur while the said leaders are in charge of the said operators.

The following is a supplemental or additional description of that part of the foregoing specification which relates to the screwclogs. 7 The said screw-clogs consist of screws of various dimensions, pointed or of conical form and blunted at the smaller end, preparatory for piercing the intermediate parts of the hose laterally, and for clogging or stopping such small breaches or perforations, uncertain as to size, as may casually occur. The said screw-clogs maybe applied while the hose are in use in a distended state, and while the water is passing through them and while the water is spurting through the perforation or breach into which the screw-clog is to be pierced or inserted. The said screw-clogs are believed to differ from all other improvements in use. They differ in principle and object from the screws which unite the hose, section to section, it being that these uniting-screws are a component part f in the original formation of hose. There is a passage-Way for Water through the screws, anda they are applied uniformly at the ends of sections for the eX- eXpress and only object of uniting entire secl tions of hose; whereas screw-clogsare a solid mass, to be applied to the hose laterally, and the said breach-clogs are to be-kept in readiness, of various dimensions, to meet emergencies, and for stopping or clogging every variety of small breaches or perforations that may occur, with a View thereby to prevent the disuse of hose in consequence of casualties at the time of a re. y

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The mode of repairing lateral breaches in hose by means of screws, as herein set forth; also, of repairing larger breaches in the same by means of lnetallic plates and inflexible tubes inserted in hose, constructed and secured in the manner herein described.

l RALPH BULKLEY.

Images