US415867A

US415867A - Fire-escape

Info

Publication number: US415867A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1889-11-26
Anticipated expiration: 1906-11-26

Description

(No Model.)

- 3 Sheets- Sheet 1. L. HILL. FIREESGAPB.

No. 415,867. 'Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

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- i PIRE ESCAPE. l No. 415,867. Patented NOV. 26, 1839.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets--SheeiI4 3. L. HILL. PIRE ESCAPE.

No. 415,867. Patented'Nov. 26, 1889.

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LEVI l-IILL, 0F MUNCY, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,867, dated November 26, 1889.

Application led October 11, 1889. Serial No. 326,725. (No model.) i

To LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEVI HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Muncy, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Fire-Escapes; and Ido hereby declare the following to be afuli, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes in which a governor mechanism is used for securinga moderate speed and regulating the descent of a person, in combination with a device whereby the person descending can stop at any place when he so desires. These are improvements upon the iireescape patented to me August 28, 1888, `and numbered 388,491, and which will be hereinafter more particularly described and pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a perspective view showing the tire-escape in op` eration. Fig. 2 is an end view of the apparatus. Fig. 8 is a View of the apparatus for stopping the descent. Fig. 4 is a side view of the apparatus.

A indicates a suitable frame of castings adapted to be secured within a box to a true-k or to any other movable vehicle; or it may also be secured to the base,outside of abuilding, or to any other object, inside or outside, so that it will be immovable when used to deliver persons or things from a building'.

In Fig. l the machinery attached to the frame A is 'secured to a truck B, which is sufficiently heavy to sustain the weight of a person descending from the window of the building.

D is a winding-drun'l loosely secured to the shaft E. A ratchet F and two spring-pawls G G serve to connect the drum to its shaft. The ratchet is secured to the shaft E and the pawls to the drum D at Il.

I, Fig. 4, indicates a loose pinion on the shaft E, and which is secured to the drum D that it may always rotate with the drum.

N is a spur-wheel gearing with the pinion I, and is fixed upon the shaft O, so that the drum D, pinion I, wheel N, and shaft O always rot-ate together.

P is a coiled spring, secured at one end to shaft O and at the other to a bolt passing through the disks R R, which disks inclose the spring.

S is a lowering-cable, preferably made of asbestus or asbestus compound, secured at one end to the drum D, and when the machine is to be used for lowering persons or things from a building the other end is to be passed over a pulley or pulleys, as the peculiar case may require.

The shaft O is sustained at its inner end in a standard A of the frame A. In this standard A', on the opposite side, is one end of a shaft O. The other end of shaft O passes through the outer standard A of frame A, and on this outer end of shaft OA is a centrifugal mechanism consisting of a spur-wheel J', rigidly xed to the shaft E and gearing with a pinion .Lixed on the shaft O of the governor mechanism, which consists of a fixed disk Z, secured to the frame A, and having the annular iiange g, which operates as a frictionsurface for the brake-shoes cl d.

a is a spider fixed to the shaft O' and ro-V tates within the iiange-disk Z. rlhis spider carriers upon it two sets of pivoted levers b c, which are exactly alike and are placed opposite each other on the spider. The lever c is provided with a brake-shoe d and with a spring c, seated upon a lug f, projecting from the spider and bearing radially outward against the lever c and always tending to keep the brakeshoe out of contact with the inside of the flange g. The long arln of the lever l) is weighted at 71, so that when the spider is rotated centrifugal force tends to throw it outward tangentially,` the effect of which is instantly to force the brake-shoe against the inner surface of the flange g.A These parts are so adjusted that as soon as the rotation of the windingdrum reaches a certain moderate degree of rapidity atwhich it will be desirable to check the speed of lowering, the brake-shoes will then instantly be forcedpagainst the inner surface of the flange g, which checks the speed and secures perfect safety' in lowering.

From the description of this machine it will be seen that whenever the lowering-cord S is paid out so as to lower a person the effect will be to wind up the spring P by means of IOO the pinion I and spur-wheel N on the springshaft O.

In addition to the governor mechanism I have provided for another brake, not only to assist the one above described, but also to arrest the descending person at any7 point which may be desired, or who can himself stop whenever he wishes to do so.

On the shaft E is pivoted a brake-lever L, one side of which, at one end, is curved to ccrrespond wit-h the circumference of abrakewheel L on the shaft O inside of the gears .I J. On the long end of lever L is a handle Z, Which may be used by the hand of the person who is to turn the handle T, so as to assist in controlling` the descent of the cord S with its Weight; but a cord Z can be attached t0 the handle Z and carried up to a small pulley s', Fig. l, below the pulley s, and brought down to the hands of the person descending, so that he can regulate his own descent or stop whenever it may be requisite.

To operate this apparatus in case of fire, if the box containing the apparatus be secured inside of a building, it should be under the window-sill. Within the box is placed the necessary tackle to be attached to a hook or other conveniencein the frame of the window. This tackle is so arranged that any one can in a moment attach it to the hook. The belt can be strapped around the person and he can immediately step out of the window. If

necessary, a strong basket can be conveniently attached to the loose end of the cord, and a child or invalid person can be placed in it.

Vhen the apparatus is used outside of a building then the tackle can be raised to the window by any of the ordinary means, either by an extension-rod or by a ladder. The box is supplied with screwdiooks and other conveniences. Any bar, similar to the one shown in Fig. l across the window, can be easily procured and sent up and placed at any window where necessary. These do not'constitute any part of my invention, but can be used where requisite.

I claim- The combination of the Winding-drum and lowering-cord secured thereto, the shaft E, connected to the drum by the ratchet and two pawls, the pinion I, the wheel N, geared to the pinion I and secured to the shaft O, the

coiled spring P, the shaft O', brake-Wheel L and brake-Wheel lever L, the spur-gear .I and pinion J on shaft O', and the centrifugal governin g mechanism secured to the shaft E, substantially as and for the purpose described.

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

LEVI HILL.

Titnessesz v 1 3. L. BOWMAN, DE LA GREEN.