US238552A - Chaelbs barlow - Google Patents

Description

(1330 Model.) G. BART-OW...

Flre Escape Patented March 8,1881.

ATTORNEYS.

Uivrrnn STATES Fa'rnwir @rnics.

CHARLES BARLOW, 0F OOOKSHIRE, QUEBEC, CANADA.

FIRE=ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 238,552, dated March 8, 1881.

Application filed August 14, 1880. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OHARLES-BARLOW, of Oookshire, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and Improved Fire-Escape, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of devices by means of which a person can safely escape from a burning building and control the rapidity of his descent.

The iiwention consists of a cylinder provided with a piston filled with compressed gas, water, or other liquid, and having a wire coiled around its screw-threaded surface, inclosed, sliding, and revolving in another cylinder that is designed to be attached to the belt of the operator; and it consists, further, of an arrangement of valves and their connections, so that the operator may control the movement of the inner cylinder, and thereby the speed of the unwinding of the coiled wire and the rapidity of his descent.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, on a reduced scale, fastened to the belt of a person descending from an elevation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal elevation of the device. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same on line :0 m, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the device. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line y y, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a side elevation, showing the manner of securing the fire-escape to the fioor of a room and suspending it from a window. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a portion of the suspending devices on line 2 2, Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of another portion of the suspending devices on line to 10, Fig. 6.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A represents the inner cylinder, with screw-thread a, covering its outer surface, said cylinder A being inclosed in an outer cylinder, B, of the fire-escape device A.

U is a piston, fitting tightly in cylinder A, and fixed on a hollow rod, 0, that passes out through the stuffing-box b and gland c on the closed and inner end of said cylinder A, and through the closed head of the outer cylinder, B, into the stuffing-hox d, Where the said pistonrod 0 is held fast by a screw-nut, d, having a left-hand screw-thread. In the said hollow piston-rod 0, just above the upper face of the piston O,-is a lateral orifice, f, the purpose of which will be hereinafter set forth.

A hollow valve, D, that is provided with a lateral orifice, g, corresponding with the orificef of the hollow piston-rod O, is snugly titted in the lower end of said piston rod 0, and is held adjustably in place by the rod D, that is screwed into its upper end and is extended up through the said piston-rod C. Said valve-rod D, having fixed on its upper end a head-block, D, that fills the orifice of the said piston-rod O and said Valve-rod D and its attachments, is prevented from turning by the stop-pin k, that enters through the side of the piston-rod G into the keyway h of the head-block D. This inner cylinder, A, has its opposite end tightly closed by a screwcap, E, through the outer central boss on which is a transverse opening, k, whose purpose is hereinafter set forth. The said cylin der A is designed to be filled with water or other liquid, or with compressed air or gas, to afford suitable resistance to the movement of the piston O. G is a wire wound around and filling the screw-thread a.

The outer cylinder, B, is open at the end,in which the cylinder A moves in and out,and is smooth on theinside, to facilitate the movement of said cylinderA. Around and upon this open end of the cylinder B a ring, F, is screwed, provided with a tangential hole, m, through which the free end of the wire G is passed outward from the cylinder A, and said ring F is also provided with a boss, a, through which a loop, F, is secured. On the opposite end of the cylinder B a screw-cap, H, provided with a pointer, 0, is screwed on the stuffing-box d, and a screw, I, passes down through the center of said screw-cap Hand is screwed into the head-block D of the valverod D. Around this end of the cylinder B are a series of lines and figures, L, to indicate the points to which the pointer 0 is to be turned to move the valve D sufficiently to adapt the device to the safe letting down of persons or objects of given weights, and the word Closed at the end of the series L indicates that the valve D is closed when the pointer 0 rests over said word.

A further portion of the device consists of a stout double strap, M, having a snap-hook, N, in one end-in which snap-hook Nthe swivelloop 0 on the free end of the wire G is engagedand a link, P,'in the other end, in the lower end of which a screw-hook, Q, is pivoted. This screw-hook Q is designed for securing the device to the floor of a room, as indicated in Figs. 6 and S; or the hook thereof may be engaged upon a rod, beam, window-sill, orother convenient place.

The operation of the device is as follows: One end of the wire G is made fast around the stuffing-box I), and the said wire G is then wound tightly around the cylinder A in the screw-threads a, filling said screw-threads a nearly to the end of the cylinder A. The cylinder A is then forced into the cylinder 13 for nearly or quite its whole length, and the free end of the wire G is passed through the hole at in the ring F, as shown, and made fast to swivel-loop O, as shown. The piston G at this time will be at the outer end of the cylinder A, and some suitable resisting medium, (indicated at 1%,) such as water, air, or gas, will fill the said cylinder A above the said piston G, and the valve D will be turned so that its lateral orifice or port 9 will be below the orifice or port f in the piston-rod C. The operator S will then fasten the device, by means of the loop F, to his belt T, and secure the free end of the wire G, by means of the swivel-loop O and strap M and its attachments, to the tloor, window-sill, or other convenient place in the building. Then, lowering himself from the window of the building and holding the device in a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1, he will turn the screw-cap H in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4, till the pointer 0 points to whichever of the figures, 75, 150, 200, may indicate his weight. This turning of the screw-cap H up against the shoulder of the screw I will pull the valve D up so that the orifices or ports fg will open into each other to a greater or lesser degree, depending upon the distance through which the pointer 0 is moved. The greater the distance moved by the said pointer 0 the more fully do the ports fg open into each other. \Vhen the portsfg are closed at the beginning the cylinder A is immovable, because it cannot be drawn out against the pressure of the liquid or gas R within it; but as soon as any connection is made between the port f of the piston-rod O and the port 9 of the valve D a portion of the liquid or gas R will escape through said openings or ports fg into the hollow valve D, and thence into the outer end of the said cylinder A on the other side of the piston 0, thereby relieving the pressure on top of said piston C in such a degree that the strain on the wire G, caused by the operator S, will gradually draw or turn said cylinderA out of the cylinder B and uncoil said wire G as rapidly as may be desired. An operator, S, of light weight, will turn the screw-cap H so as to fully open the ports f 9 into each other and permit thereby a free escape of the medium E from above to below the piston C, while an operator of heavy weight will move the screwcap H but little to cause the medium E to be forced with sufficient rapidity from one to the other side of the piston C, to permit said operator to descend as quickly as desired.

After use this device A can be putin working order again by simply inserting a rod in the o i)ening k of the screw-cap E, and thereby turning the cylinderA, with the wire G around it, again into the cylinder B, and then closing the portsfgby proper movement of the screwcap H.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A tire-escape constructed substantially as herein shown and described, containing the following elements: a screw-threaded wireenveloped inner cylinder, A, filled with water, compressed air, or other resisting medium, It, inclosing-cylinder B, provided with ring F, having tangential opening m, wire G, piston 0, provided with hollow valved rod 0, hollow valve D, provided with adjusting-rod D, adjusting screw-cap H, and screw I, arranged and operated as set forth.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the screw-threaded inner cylinder, A, and outer cylinder, B, provided with ring F, having tangential hole in, of the wire G, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. In a fire-escape, the piston 0, having hollow rod 0, with lateral orifice f and hollow end valve, D, with lateral orifice g, in com bination with the movable cylinder A and fixed cylinder 13, as and for the purpose described.

4.. The double strap M, having snap-hook N, the swivel-loop O on the free end of wire G, the link I, and the pivoted screw-hook Q, combined in a fireescape, as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a tire-escape, the combination, with the moving cylinder A, provided with screwcap E, fixed cylinder B, piston G, provided with hollow valved rod 0, screw-nut d, and valve D, of the valve-rod D, provided with head-block D, having keyway h, stop-pin h, screw-cap H, and screw I, substantially as herein shown and described.

6. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the valve D, valve-rod D, head-block D, and screw I, of the screw-cap H, provided with pointer 0, substantially as herein shown and described.

CHARLES BARLOW.

Witnesses:

WM. W. BAILEY, ALDEN LEARNED.

IIO

Images