US295527A - Fire-escape - Google Patents

Description

To all whom, it may concern:

rm TATES ATENT A. HOUSTON, OF BELOIT, WISQONSIN.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 295,527, dated March 25, 18%4.

Application filed November 7, 1883, (No model.)

Be it known that I, ROBERT E; DOWNIE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and residing at Clinton, in the county of Rock and State of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fire Escapes, which is fully set forth in the following specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel represents a vertical section of my fire'escape, the slide on the rope being shown in position to slide freely thereon; Fig. 2, a

side elevation of the same; and Fig. 3, a similar sectional view of the same, showing the slide clamped to the rope.

My invention relates to that class of fire-escapes in which there is a rope secured at its upper 'end to some fixed part of the building, either in the several rooms or elsewhere, and a slide appliedthereto, to which the carrier or sling is attached, and which is provided-with suitable devices for clamping the rope, as may be desired, to regulate the downward movement. i

I will proceed to describe in detail the construction and operation of the devices by means of which I have embodied my invention in practical form in one way,.and will then point out definitely in the claims the special improvements which I believe to be new and wish to protect by Letters Patent.

In the drawings, A represents the rope, which is secured at its upper end, in any usual way, at the desired point for operation, this rope being arranged and applied for use in the usual way for this class of escapes. To this rope a slide, 13, is applied, which is composed of two independent parts connected together when applied to the rope, as will be described presently. One part, ,0, is provided. with openings 0, arranged a short distance apart, and extending from the inner edge through to. the outer edge, and between these openings is a curved or circular boss, 0, projecting slightly beyond the main outer edge of thisslide.

. These openings are adapted to permit the rope to be passed through them and around the curved boss on the outside. This member of the slide is also provided with short interior grooves, 0 at each end, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. The other member, D, of the slideis adapted at its inner edge to fit the corresponding edge of the member 0, the inner faces of the two being straight and plain for i this purpose, except where grooved or perforated. Near each end of the piece D two holes, d, pass through it from inside to outside, and between each pair of apertures is a curved or circular boss, d, around which the which, with the corresponding grooves on the opposite member, makes a circular opening when the two parts are brought together, ad-

mitting the entrance of the rope between the two. A bail, E, is pivoted to one member of the slide, preferably the part 0, as shown in the drawings, and to this bail a sling, F, or any other suitable receiver, is attached. lever, G, is pivoted at one end to the piece 0, the inner face of which, at its central portion, is recessed for this purpose, and extends out ward through a slot, (P, in the opposite piece, I), and is secured to the latter by a pivot-pin, g, the lever having preferably a short slot, 9, through which this pin passes. The lever projects out at one side of the slide, as shown in the drawings, and must be within easy reach of a person in the sling, basket, or whatever attachment is used as a carrier. It will be seen from this description that the two parts of the slide are connected together by this lever, and at the same time that one can be moved upon the other by operating the lever, and that by such relative movement the central openings in the two parts may be made to register or not, as desired. The slide is applied to the rope by passing the latter in at one end, then out through 't-hefirst opening in the part D, around the adjacent boss, back A short 7 through the opening in this part on the other side of the boss and the corresponding opening in the'opposite member, 0, of the slide, which registers with the former, then around the boss and back through the corresponding registering openings in the two members of the slide on the other side of the boss, and then around the boss d at the other end of the member D, and inward through the last opening d in this end, and out through the other end of the slide, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. Now, it will be seen that the two parts of the slide are also con- V nected by the rope which winds in and out around them. It is evident that when the two 7 parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, with shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

the central openings registering, the slide will slip down on the rope quite easily if any weight is applied; but it is also evident that as soon as weight is brought upon the bail a downward strain is produced on the member of'the slide to which the bail isattached, thereby pulling this member downward independently of .its companion. This will of course tend to destroy the register of the central openings of the slide, and thus clamp the ropebetween the two parts by biting it at the openings, as This bite is so short and sharp that the weight of a person on the'bail will clamp the slide to the rope, so that it will beheld from all downward movement, and the greater the weightobviously the .stronger will be the clamping force exerted.

thereto, so that there is no danger of the sudden and unexpected movement of the slide downward on the rope. This movement is accomplished only by operating the lever, and so is completely under the control of theperson in the carrier, who seizes the'lever, and by adownward pull thereon, which tends to bring the members of the-slide into registry again, releases the clamp more or less, thereby permitting the slide to move downward (21143118 rope. The rapidity of the downward movement is completely under the control of the occupant of the carrier, the lever being worked to release the clamp more or less, as may be desired, thereby regulating the movement of the slide on the rope exactly as the person wishes.

Now, it is apparent that it will be desirable to prevent the slide from running too freely down the rope by increasing the pull on the lever, which may be very liable to occur in the excitement and fright occasioned by a fire. If the clamp were so constructed that an increased pull on the lever would only release it more and more, there would be danger of a descent so rapidas to produce injury to the person. It is obvious in my device thatthis cannottak-eplace, for if the pull on the lever isincreased so as to carryupward the bail portion beyond the point of registry there will at once begin a clampmg effect in the other direction from that described above, and so the stronger pull on the lever will actually operate to increase the friction, and so slacken the movement of the slide on the rope. Y The appliance, therefore, is perfectly safe. The slide will only move downward on the rope when the rope-apertures of the two parts are substantially in registry, and any movement of the two parts of the slide in either direction to disturb this registry will operate to clamp the rope, and either stop the movement of the slide altogether or slacken it, as may be desired. Pull sufliciently on the lever to register the ropeholes, and the slide moves downward. Let go of the lever, or pull too hard upon it, and the slide is clamped on the rope and movement stopped or diminished.

I am aware that fire-escapes of this class are known; but I believe my device contains new features in making the operation of the clamp entirely automatic and certain in action whenever a person gets into the carrier, and also in placing the operation of the clamp entirely within the control of the person on the escape by the ready and easy movement of a hand-lever, by means of which the descent to the ground may be regulated at will and accomplished with perfect safety.

I do not limit myself to the application of the bail to the member 0 of the clamp, as shown in the drawings, for it is evident that the'attachment may be made'to either of the parts 0 and D, the lever arrangement being correspondingly changed. It is, however, more convenient to make this attachment to the part 0, as shown in the drawings, as the arrangement of the lever is better accommodated by the unoccupied central portion of the member D. I- do not wish to be understood, either, as limiting inyselfto the precise' construction and arrangement of the twopart slide, for obviously changes maybe made in this respect, and also in the particular arrangement of the slide on the rope, and yet the main features of my improvement, as set forth above, may be retained with all the advantages pertaining'thereto.

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

1. In a fire-escape, a slide composed of two independent parts arranged side by side, with their inner faces flat and in contact, in combination with a suspended rope passing in and out through both parts of the slide, a carrier attached to one member of the slide, and a lever pivoted at one end to one member of the slide, and having its fulcrum on,

the other member, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a fire-escape, the rope A, in combination with a slide member, 0, provided with apertures c and boss 0, the companion slide IIO member D, provided with apertures d and I one of the members of the slide, and the lebosses d, and the bail E, attached to one memver G, substantially as and for the purposes 10 ber of the slide, substantially as and for the set forth.

purposes set forth. 5 3. In a fire-escape, the suspended rope A, ROBERT EMIAH D E in combination with the slide B, composed of Witnesses:

the two members 0 and D, constructed sub- H. W. MERRILL,

stantially as specified, the bail E, attached to G130. A, HOUSTON.

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