US333624A

US333624A - Fire-escape

Info

Publication number: US333624A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1886-01-05
Anticipated expiration: 1903-01-05

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER S. GOODVVILLIE, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,624, dated January 5, 1886.

Application filed October 29, 1885. Serial No. 181,284.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, WALTER S. GooDwIL- 'LIE, of Cambridge, county of Middlesex, and

State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Fire-Escapes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like many have not the necessary courage to descend promptly.

In accordance with my invention the balconies of a building are provided below their platforms with hinged stairs, having a closing side rail or baluster, the rail being lifted as the stairs are lowered into an inclined position below the balcony, the platform of the balcony having at or near one end a suitable opening to permit a person to step upon the stairs, the said opening being closed when the stairs are in their normal position next the under side of the said platform. The stairs at their free ends are attached by auxiliary cables to a main cable attached to a drum located preferably near the roof of the building, the said main cable being located preferably at the inner side of the outer wall of the building, the connected auxiliary cables being extended through the wall to the outside of the building. The drum will preferably have attached to it a second cable provided with a weight to nearly counterbalance the weight of the stairs. The drum has co-operating with it a locking mechanism, one member of which has connected with it a rope or cable provided with branches led into each story of the building, also a branch led to a box at the outside of the building, so that the said rope or cable may be pulled by the said branches from each story and from the outside of the building, to release the stairs, the pulling of the said rope or cable also causing an alarm to be set in operation upon each floor or story, thus instantly (No model.)

warning the occupants of each story of the building the instant that the stairs are released.

The particular features in which my invention consists will be hereinafter set forth in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a building provided with my improved fire-escape; Fig. 2, a partial section of Fig. 1 on line a; x, and Fig. 3 a detail of one of the supports for the stair rail or baluster.

' The building A herein shown is provided with balconies B B of ordinary construction, the said balconies being attached to the building in any suitable or usual manner, and having at one end an opening in the platform covered by a door or by canvas, the opening being only sufficiently large to permit a person to descend therethrough, as when going down a pair of stairs. Each balcony herein shown has secured to it at the under side of its platform a pair of stairs, to, the latter being pivoted or hinged, as at a, to a block, a", secured to the under side of the said balcony. Each pair of stairs has a rail or baluster, a, also hinged or pivoted at its upper end, as at a, to the balcony, the said baluster being joined to the stairs proper by elbow-shaped levers b, (shown best in Fig. 3,) one end, b of each lever being extended across the stairs, or nearly so, to thus provide a strong support for the rail, the said pivoted levers being adapted to turn and permit the rail and stairs to be folded together closely into the dottedline position shown in Fig. 1 when the stairs are in their normal position. The-lower end of each pair of stairs has connected to it a branch cable, b, joined to a main cable, 11", attached to a drum, a, mounted in bearings 0 in the upper part of the building, the said main cable passing .down preferably at the inner side of the outer wall of the building, the said wall at each floor or story having a suitable hole or opening for the passage of one of the branch cables I) to be attached to the free end of the stairs. The cable b passes over a sheave, 12*, shown as located near the roof D. The shaft 0 of the drum 0, on which is wound the cable I), has fast on it a disk, d, notched as at 2, the said disk, together with a lever-catch, 3, constituting a locking device for the drum, so as to retain the cable 12 wound up and the stairs elevated against the action of their weight. The drum 0 has also connected to it a cable, I), which is permitted to hang down between the partitions d d, it having secured to its lower end a weight, V, which very nearly counterbalances the combined weight of all the stairs, so that a very little pull on the cord b or upward push on any of the stairs would restore the said stairs to the dotted-line position in Fig. 1. When one cable,as b, is wound about the drum 0, the other cable, I), will be correspondingly unwound. The partition, as herein shown, is cutthrough on each floor, as at e, for the passage of a small wire rope or cord, 0, which is connected to the wire rope or cord 6 ext-ended the length of the building, and secured at its upper endto the lever 3, pivoted to an arm, 4, secured to the uprights c. The lever 3 is bent, as at 5, to enter one of the slots 2 of the disk (1, the said bent end being normally retained in the said slot by the spring 8 until released by a person pulling one of the cords e, the disengagement of the lever 3 from the said slot permitting the stairs a to descend slowly by their weight. The slots 2 in the disk of? are placed such a distance apart that the time occupied in the rotation of the disk to place a second slot beneath the bent end 5 of the lever 3 is equal to the time required for the stairs to descend from their normal or dotted-line position to their full-line or operative posit-ion, and vice versa. The partition d is also tapped or bored at each fioor, as atf, and a short lever, f, is passed therethrough, and is secured to the cord 6 the said lever being adapted by its movement to release a hammer, f, of a gong or bell,f, when the cord eis pulled to disengage the lever 3 from the disk d to release the drum and permit the lowering of the several pairs of stairs. The partition d is further tapped or bored, as at g, and a cord, 9, is passed therethrough and connected with the cord 6 the cord 9 being herein shown as passed below the floor (marked F) and over a sheave, 9 located near that side of the building to which the balconies are attached, the said cord entering a box, 9, at the outside of the building, the said boX having a door which may be opened from the street to effect the lowering of the stairs from the outside of the building, the keys to the said box being in the possession of a policeman or other authorized person or persons.

In operation the stairs will be lowered from the dotted-line position, shown in Fig. 1 by pulling any one of the small cords e, located on the diiferent floors of the building, or by pulling the cord 9', such operation disengaging the lever 3 from the slot 2 of the disk ci thereby allowing the stairs to descend. The act of disengaging the lever 3 from the disk (1 either by pulling the cord e from the inside of the building or by pulling the cord 9 from the outside of the building, serves to ring a bell or gong, f, on each floor, thus notifying the inmates of the existence of a fire in the building.

In case of fire the stairs afford a ready, safe, and rapid means of descent, and being familiar with stairs, danger of accident is greatly reduced, and the element of fear is so largely removed as to add very materially to the chances of saving life.

I do not desire to limit my invention to the exact form of locking mechanism shown, as the same may be substituted by other well-known equivalent locking mechanism or brakes and yet be within the scope of my invention, and so. also, if desired, the cable and counterbalancing-weight might be omitted; but their use is preferred. 7

I claim 1. The balconies, stairs pivoted thereto, a main cable and branch cables attached there: to and to the stairs, and a drum to which the main cable is fastenedcombined with a locking 2 mechanism for the said drum, a cord to move it, and aseries of connected branch cords and gongs or alarms located at each floor, substantially as described.

2. The balconies, stairs pivoted thereto, a

main cable and branch cables attached th reto and to the stairs, and a drum to which the main cable is fastened, combined with a locking mechanism for the said drum, a cord to move it, and gongs or alarms located at each floor and operated by the said cord, and the cord 9, whereby the stairs may be lowered and the alarms sounded from outside the build in 2 The balconies and the stairs and railing pivoted thereto, combined with the supports b, having the right-angled extensions b substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

\VALTER S. GOODWVILLIE.

Witnesses:

G. W. GREGORY, .JAS. H. CHURCHILL.