US255584A - Fire-escape ladder - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R.u F, l181811)BWELL.

Y Y FIREESGAPE LADDER. i No. 258,884.` Patented Mar. 28,1882.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

' R. F. BRIDEWELL.

PIRE ESGABE LADDER.

No. 255,584. f Patented Mar. 28,1882.'

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(NdModel.)

` R. F. BRIDBWELL.

FIRE ESCAPE LADDER.

i Patented Mar; 28, 1882.

NA PETERS, mammography. wmmpon. u. c,

"VII

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD F. BRIDEWELL, OF SAN' FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

FIRE-ESCAPE LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,584, dated March 2,8, 1882, Application tiled December' 19, 1881. (No model.) u

.scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specilication.

My invention relates to an improvement in lire-escape ladders; and it consists, iirst, in pivoting the ladder to the truck and attaching to the end of the ladder a mechanism, substantially as hereinafter described, for assisting to raise the ladder into position; second, in pivoting thc ladder to the truck within a wheel, by means of which the ladder can be partially1 revolved, so that after the ladder has been raised into position it can be inclined toward either side ofthe truck; third, in pivoting the ladder to l[he truck within the Wheel, by means of which the ladder partially rotales, and securing in the end of the ladder a chamber for holding compressed air, inside of which chamber is placed a cylinder and piston, which assist in raising the ladder into position,allof which will be more fullydescrihed hereinafter.

The object ot my-invention is to enable the ladders to' be raised quickly and easily1 from the truck against a house, and to enable them to be inclined toward either side ofthe street.

Figure l is a side elevation of my invention, showing the ladder and its attachments in one position in solid lines and in a raised position in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a plan View ot the` truck and the operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a front end View of the ladder, showing it in a raised position; and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views.

A represents the truck, which is provided with four driving-wheels, the rear ones of which track the front ones asthe truck is drawn along by means ot' horses or by any other suitable means. This truck is made in two parts, which are pivoted togel her at theirinner ends, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so as to enable corners to he easily turned. Upon the front end of the front portion of the truck are secured suitable standards, C, and extending backward from these standards are suitable'braces, D. These brace the frame-work, upon which the laddersare placed rigidlyinline Witheach other, but do not in any way interfere with the Work ofthe running-gear ot" the truck. ln the front end ot' the truck thehounds Eare made curved, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to form an oval frame, in the center ot' which is pivoted the wheel F, which has an opening, G, made through one side, so that the l'ront end ot' the ladder can pass directly through it. This Wheel is placed upon a pivot, H, which is stviveled in position in any suitable manner, so as to turn with the Wheel when the Wheel is moved by means of the pinion I, which meshes with the Wheel at one side. This pinion I is operated bymeans of a small crank, and is provided with a spring dog or catch of any kind,whichwill hold itinto any position into which it may be adjusted. Upon each side ot' the opening which is made through the wheel at` the outer corners are formed suitable ilanges, ears, or projections, so as to allow the upper end ot' the piston to be pivoted between them.

The ladder L is placed upon the truck so as to rest upon its edge only, and its lower end passed through the opening which is made in the top portion ofthe wheel, as shownl in Fig. 1. To the under side ofthe ladder is secured a suitable casting, M, which projects down and is pivoted to the swiveled pivot upon which the wheel is secured. This casting serves as a hinge, by means ot' which the ladder can be raised into a vertical position, and as the pivot revolves with the wheel it will readily be seen that after the ladder has been raised it can be inclined toward either side ofthe truck by simply operating the pinion 1in such a Inanner as to cause the Wheel to turn in the re quired direction. Although only a single ladder is here shown, it is intended to use twoor more sections of ladders connected together, so that in case the lowersection should not be long enough to'reach the upper portions ot' the burning building the second section can be extended beyond the lower onein the usual manner.

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between the front ends of the ladder and has no movement of its own; but when the valve Q is operated, so as to allow the compressed air to enter the cylinder, the air'bears against the inner end of the piston and exerts its whole power against it. The pivot or hinge upon which the ladder turns being placed below the point at which the outer end ot' the piston is pivoted, when a slight downward pressure is exerted upon the front end ot' the ladder the whole force ot' the compressed air operates to force the piston out of the cylinder, and in forcing against the end of this piston the whole force ofthe air is exerted in raising the ladder upward. Ot' course the greater the pressure of the compressed air the less pressure there will have to be exerted by the operator upon the ladder to raise it into position. cylinder is large enough to hold about six thousand cubic inches and the ladder is not more than about forty-tive or fty feet long, so little pressure is required to start the ladder and raise it into position that a single man or boy canrun up theladderinafewseconds. Then by operating the pinion the ladder can be inclined so as to bear against the side of the house. It is not necessary to back the truck into position, for when the truck is run up alongside of the curbstone it is ready to have the ladder raised at once. Should the ladder not be directly in front of the window to which it is desired to run it, the truck has only to be moved either backward or forward, as will be necessary to bring the ladder exactly into position. To any suitable portion ot' the rear part ot' the truck is secured a small windlass, L, so that by winding up the rope U, which is fastened to the windlass at one end and to the raised ladder at the other, the ladder can be drawn down into a horizontal position upon the truck, asin the tirst instance. As the ladder is gradually drawn downward the air-chamber is raised upward, andthe gradual approach to the point at which the piston is pivoted forces the piston back into the cylinder and forces the air out of the cylinder into the chamber again. ladder remains securely in position until the valve is again opened andadownward pressure exerted upon the front end ofthe ladder.

Where the t The valve is then closed and the The great object gained by this invention is not only in the saving of time in running the ladder up against the house, but in the amount of power and men necessary to accomplish this. The great pressure of the air completes the movement which has been started by the operator, and thereis nothing more for him to do than to give the ladder the necessary inclination. lt will thus be seen that the man who drives the truck is all that is necessary to each set of ladders.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination ofa truck, aladder which is pivoted or hinged to a swiveled pivot, and a mechanism, substantially as shown, for inclining the ladder after it has been raised to a vertical position, substantially as described.

2. The combination ofa truck, aladder which is pivoted or hinged toa swiveled pivot, a wheel on said pivot having an opening through its top for the ladder to pass through, and a pin' ion for turning the wheel, whereby the ladder can be inclined toward either side of the truck by turningthe pinion, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination ot'a truck, aladder which is pivoted to a swiveied pivot, a mechanism for inclining the ladder, and mechanism, substantially as herein described, which is secured to the end of the ladder for assisting to raise the ladder into position, substantially as specified.

4. The combination ot' a truck, a mechanism,

Substantially as here shown, for inclining the 4 ladder after it is raised, a ladder which is pivoted so as to be raised from a horizontal to a vertical position, a chamber containing compressed air and having a cylinder placed inside of it, a piston which is placed inside of the cylinder, and a valve for controlling the ilow of the air to the piston, substantially as shown.

5. The combination of the truck, a ladder which is pivoted to a swiveled pivot, a mech,

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anism, substantially as described, for inclin- RICHARD F. BRIDEWELL.

Vitnesses:

JOHN WHITE, JOHN E. HAMILL.

ICS

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