US392951A - Automatic fire extinguisher and alarm - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

I.T.DYER.

AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHBR AND ALARM. No. 392,951. Patented Nov. 13,1888.

' mwm am NITED TATES ISAAC T. DYER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE DYER RAILWAY AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC FI RE EXTINGUISHER AND ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 392,951, dated November 13, 1888,

Application filed December 2, 1887. Serial No. $256,744.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, Isaac T. DYER, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire Extinguishers and Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a vertical section of a two-story building, showing a portion of my apparatus in position for use; Fig. 2, Sheet 2, an enlarged view of the watersupply pipe, the perforated discharge pipe, connecting pipe, the valve in the pipe, and its stem. Fig. 3 is a face view of an electric alarm with the position of the valve-stem in dotted lines on it as when an alarm is given. Fig. 4 is a horizontal View of the electric alarm. Fig. 5. is a broken elevation of one of the perforated pipes, which is preferably employed to pro tect the fabric cord from injury. Fig. 6 represents a bed over which a pipe projects to eject water onto an occupant to awake him in case of fire.

This invention relates to improvements for automatically putting out fires in buildings, vessels, and other places and giving at the same time an alarm. The building is supplied with water-tanks, supply-pipes, and perforated discharge-pipes at such places in compartments as are necessary to put out fires, and there are laid about said compartments a series of fiber cords or strings, and the cord in each compartment is connected with the stem of a water-valve, so as to hold it in position to shut off the water so long as the cord remains intact; but so soon as the cord is severed by fire the weighted valve-stem turns down by gravity, opens the valve, lets the water onto the fire, and in turning down it operates a spring which puts an electric alarm in operation, so that a watchman can shut off the water and not have the compartment flooded after the fire is extinguished. Heretofore such water-valves have been closed by electrical attachments and the wires have been at intervals connected by certain metal alloys which will fuse at the low temperature of about 180, so that when a compartment becomes that hot the metal will disconnect the wires and the water will belet on. It is found, how- .it supply-pipes F F.

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ever, impracticable to place this fusing metal near enough together to prevent a considerable headway of fire in certain parts of a room before the metal is fused. By the use of small strong fiber cord to hold the water-valve closed a fire will sever it before the temperature of a room at 50 is raised to and the water will be let on the fire andextinguish it by the time the alarmed watchman can enter the compartment and turn off the water. In the lower portions 60 of a room adjoining store-shelving, and other places where the cord might be accidentally severed, I protect it by perforated tubes which freely admit flame.

Fully to show how my extinguisher may be applied, B represents a lower water-tank, which takes water by means of a pipe, L.

I elevate the water by air-pressure, and in doing this I prefer, first, to put the air by the pump H and pipes \Vf into an upper tank, E, and then by means of the same pipe f let the air into pipe Z,which connects with the pump H,

a cock, J, being employed as a cut-off, and a safety blow-off, K, for air-pressure. A standpipe, T, connects with thetank B F and with Short pipes S are also connected with the stand-pipe for hose attachments. Below the pipes F F are placed perforated'pipes G G, which are connected, respectively, with pipes T and V, and in the pipe V is placed a valve, Z, for shutting off water till the cord is burned off. The cord at the bottom of the room is shown at D,-and it extends, by means of eye-hooks U, up the walls and across the ceiling, and is fastened to 8 the weighted valve-stem 0 g, and thus holds it up till the cord is burned off. \Vhen the valve-stem falls down, it opens the valve Z and lets the water into the perforated pipe G, and from thence into the room where the fire is, 0 and at the same time the valve-stem strikes against the spring I) and brings it onto the push-button of the electric alarm a, and a con nection is made whereby a bell is rung at any place where the electric apparatus is located. 9 5

Nothing new is claimed in regard to the alarm except the spring I) and the valve-stem O,operating thereon. Dotted line at shows the position of the spring when the connection is made by the valve-stem 0, also dotted lines. I00

X, Fig. 4, shows a pipe leading from a perforated water-pipe, G, to a bed, Y, to awake a sleeping occupant. M represents a pipe from tank F, by which by means of a cock, N, water may be had in the attic O.

It is obvious that the means shown for elevating water are not needed where buildings are supplied by water-works. The distinction between my devices and others is that I use a fabric cord instead of fusible-metal connections, and that the burning of the cord lets on the water by releasing the valve-stem 0, so that it by gravity will swing down, and in so doing connect the circuit and give an alarm. While others employ fusible-metal sections to break a closed circuit, whereby the Watervalve, which has to keep the water off, is per mitted to turn and let the water on, by my devices the cords act direct on the water-valve and the valve-stem acts to connect the circuit. In other devices the electromagnet is employed'to operate water-valves, and the alarm isgiven by breaking the circuit. When the water is to be shut off, pull the stem 0 up by the wire cable m, attached to the stem 0 and brought over a pulley, n. -This will also bring the stem from the spring Z), and the bell will cease to ring.

'In the foregoing I have shown and described certain mechanism for elevating'water in buildings, but have not claimed any portion thereof in this application, and therefore reserve such mechanism for a separate application in an appropriate class in the Patent Oflice.

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent A fire extinguisher and alarm consisting of a pipe, T, leading from a water-supply tank, F, and a sprinkling-pipe, G, and supply-pipe F, the latter connected with the pipe T,which pipes F G are connected by a pipe,V, in which is placed a valve, Z, provided with a weighted stem, 0 g, in combination with a fabric cord, D Q, which is extended around a compartment and attached to the stem 0 to hold the valve Z shut, and a spring, b, located over an electric push-button, whereby the burning of the cord at any point will permit the weighted stem to swing down, open the valve Z, and make an electric connection by bringing the spring 1) onto the said push-button, as specilied.

, ISAAC T. DYER. Witnesses:

G. L. CHAPIN, ANNA D. JOHNSON.

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