US245345A

US245345A - Fire-escape

Info

Publication number: US245345A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1881-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 1898-08-09

Description

(No Model.)

H. BRISTOL.

FIRE ESGAPE.

No. 245,345. Patented Aug. 9,1881

N. PETERS. Hob-Lithograph". Washington. EC.

- NITED STATES PATENT FFIGE.

HENRY BRISTOL, OF WESTVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

' FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 245,345, dated August 9, 1881.

Application filed April 12, 188i. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY BRISTOL, of VVestville, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a description.

My invention belongs to that class of fireescapes which are attached to buildings and furnish means of escape through the windows.

The invention consists in the arrangement of a shaft under the roof and near the plate, provided with reels on which rope ladders are wound, and ill automatic devices for releasing the shaft ill case of fire, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Ill the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view of the front of a building and of the ladders ill front of the windows. Fig. 2 is a view of the shaft, reels, winding device, and brake; and Fig. 3 is avertical section, as indicated by the broken line ill Fig. 2.

To enable others to make my improved escape so that it will operate in the manner contemplated, I will describe it in detail. A, Fig. 2, is an iron shaft, which extends the whole length of the building, and is free to turn in boxes which are attached to the upper floor. It is placed near the side of the building or plate. On the shaft the reels a are fastened, which equal ill number the windows on one side of a floor of a building, and are made with large flanges on their ends, as shown ill Fig. 2. The brake-wheel bis fastend to the shaft near one of its ends. The bevel-gearv wheel 0 is also fastened to the shaft for the purpose of turning it.

The shaft (1 is a small rod, and is free to turn ill boxes which are fastened to the upper floor. It has the bevel-gear wheel 0 on one of its ends, which meshes in the wheel a on the shaft A and the winding-crank 70 on its other end.

The brake g is a lever of the first kind, and has its short arm fitted to the wheel I). It is pivoted to a stud,the pivot being the fulcrum. To its long arm the wire 00 is attached, which extends through the rooms of the building, or to as many rooms as is desired. The wire is divided into pieces, the ends of which are flattened. Holes are made ill the flattened ends, and rivets of all easily-fusible alloy are put through them and riveted to form the joints 0. The lower end of the wire is fastened to any convenient part of the building, with sufficient strain on the same to prevent the turning of the shaft A. The spiral spring y is of sufficient strength to raise the longer arm of the brake when the wire 00 is disconnected.

The cylindrical rollers on equal ill number the reels on the shaft A, and the journals on their ends turn in boxes which are attached to the building.

The ladders M are ordinary rope ladders, or the side ropes may he wire ropes. Suitable pieces-0t wood or iron are fastened between the side ropes to keep them apart. The upper ends of each ladder pass through the opening a in the covering of the building, and the lower ends of all the ladders are fastened to the rod N.

If it is desired to regulate the descent of the ladders, the crank 7c, when the ladders are wound on the reels, may be removed from the shaft d and a fan attached to the shaft in its place.

The escape, being constructed as above described and as shown, operates as follows: The ladders being wound on the reels and the wire :0 having its lower'elld fastened to the building, and preventing the turning of the shaft A, as soon as the heat of the fire melts the rivets holding the wire together,or as soon as the wire is disconnected by any cause, the shaft is released, and the weight of the rod N causes the shaft to revolve and the ladders descend ill front of the windows on the side of the building to which the escape is attached.

Having described my improved escape and its mode of operation, what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is.-

1. The automatic fire escape herein described, consisting, essentially, of the shaftA, provided with the brake-wheel b, bevel-gear wheel 0, and one or more reels, a, one or more rollers, m, one or more ladders, M, the shaft d, provided with a gear-wheel and crank, k, which are connected by rivets of an easilythe spiral spring y, the brake g, and wire w, fusible alloy, to release the brake-wheel and divided into pieces, which are connected by shaft, substantially as set forth.

rivets of an easily-fusible alloy, all arranged HENRY BRISTOL. 5 and combined substantially as set forth. \Vitnesses 2. The spiral spring y and brake g, in com- GEORGE TERRY, bination with the wire IL, divided into pieces, HIRAM O. GRAY.