US279762A

US279762A - Fire-escape

Info

Publication number: US279762A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1883-06-19
Anticipated expiration: 1900-06-19

Description

G. H. HUME.

' FIRE ESCAPE.

(No Model.)

Patented June 19,1883.

UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

FlRE' -ESCA PE.

SPECIFICATION forming sea of Letters Patent Ne. 279,762, dated June 19, 1883.

Application filed March 8, 189.). (No moduLi To all whom it 12mg concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. HUME, a citizen of the United States, residing at Osawatomie, in the county of Miami and State of 'Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to that class of fire-escapesin which the body is suspended from a frame that slides upon a rope attached by one end to the roof or an upper story window.

The invention consists of constructions and combinations, all as will hereinafter be described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a house, showing my device applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the frame, and also shows the strap and cord. Fig. 3 represents the frame; B, the rope, and C the strap.

The frame A ispreferably east in one piece, of a size about three times as large as the de vice shown in the drawings, and consists of three uprights, A A A joined together to top and bottom pieces, A and A. The outer sides, a, of uprights A are made concave, so that when the device is not in use they will serve as a reel for coiling the rope, which, owing to the fact that the ends a are higher than the bottom of sides a, will not slip off under ordinary usage, but may he slipped over the ends by loosening the end coils and allowing the remaining coils to relax. Instead of con'caving the sides, the top and bottom pieces, A and A, may be made to project beyond uprights A to serve the same purpose; or the sides may be concaved in addition to projecting the ends of the top and bottom over the uprights, as shown in Fig. 3. The upright A is cylindrical in form and placed in the middle of the frame. It prefer ably is left in the condition it comes from the mold, as the rope will then have a rough surface to slide over; but it is obvious that it may be treated differently. At each end, and formed integral with the top and bottom of the frame, are eyes A and A for the rope B, which passes through eye A and over the front side of the top to upright A, around which it is coiled two or more times, and then back of the bottom through eye A to the ground.

The ropeB may be of any kind of material; but a thin strong-rope which will not easily wear smooth is preferred. Both ends'a-re supplied.with any suitable hook, I), which should be strpng enough to bear the heaviest person, and be adapted to hook on the edge of a roof, windowcornice, windowsill, bed, or other convenient place which would be strong enough to sustain the weight of a person descending on the device.

The strap 0 is suspended from the bottom A by means of loops 0 c, which are on each side of the upright A, and sufficiently large to permit the strap being transferred to the top by slipping them over the upright A The operation of the device is as follows: The end of the rope having the frame nearest to it is attached to any suitable place, and the party wishing to escape seats himself in the strap 0 and grasps the rope below the frame. His weight will cause the frame to slip on the rope, and the speed with which he descends can be regulated by the amount of strength exercised by the hands upon that part of the rope below the frame. \Vhen the person has descended, the frame is pulled up by the rope, the strap transferred to the opposite end of the frame, and the end of the rope nearest the frame attached to the obj ect', in place of the end which held the person last descending.

I am aware that frames consisting of three uprights and top and bottom bars, all joined together, have been used in frictionalfireescapes but in all the devices I am aware of the supporting-belt was either attached to the rings hung in the sides of the frame or looped around the uprights or friction-cylinder for the cable, leaving the whole weight to be borne by said upright. My device obviates these defects by attaching the supporting-belt to the lower barby means of loops placed between the three uprights, so that the whole weight will be borne by them and the bar. The loops, as before stated, are made large enough to be passed over the corners of the frame, so that the position of the strap may be changed when desired.

\Vhat I' claim as new is- 1. A fire-escape consisting of a frame having an upright in the middle for a friction-cylinder, and eyes at top and bottom for the lowering-cable, and a strap having two loops attached to the bar forming the bottom of the frame, one on each side of the upright, and of sufficient size to permit of their being passed around the corners of the frame to reverse the position of the strap, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a fire escape, the combination of a fraine consisting of uprights A having coneyes A and A, a rope, B, passing through the frame, substantially as shown, and a strap, 0, having loops 0 c, which encircle the bar forming the bottom of the frame, and can be slipped over the side bars to the top, for the purpose set forth.

4. A frame, A, consisting of uprights A, having concave sides a, a cylindrical upright A, top and bottom A and A, and eyes A and A, substantially as described.

5. A frame consisting of uprights A having cylindrical sides a, a cylindrical upright, A, top and bottom A and A having projecting ends, and eyes A and A", substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. HUME.

\Vitnesses:

B. MILLER, JNo. 0. SHERIDAN.