US579772A - Life saving apparatus - Google Patents

Description

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J. REEB. LIFE SAVING APPARATUS.

Patented Mar. 30, 1897.

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ATENT JOSEPH REEB, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

LIFE-SAVING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,772, dated March 30, 1897.

Application led July 24, 1896. Serial Noi 600,371. (No model.)

said stock from the building in case of iire through a connection preferably on the outside of the building.

The invention may be applied to a building having any number of st-alls and to buildings having stalls upon one or more floors, for by slight alterations,without departing from the spirit of my invention, the apparatus can be modified to meet any exigency.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure l represents a sectional plan view taken above the first floor of a building. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section taken through one of the stalls. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the guide-rail. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the lock employed by me in securing the halter. Fig. 5 is a detail view to a larger scale.

In the drawings, A represents a stall, of which there may be one or any number, as before stated, and the stalls may be located upon the same iioor or upon different floors, my invention being adapted, as before stated, to accommodate itself to any number of floors. Above the stall and at one side thereof and arranged close to or forming a part of the ceiling B are guide-rails O O. These guiderails are preferably formed in the manner shown in Fig. 3, and consist of complementary an gle-irons so arranged as to provide an opening or way between them. Upon these rails and extending through the opening is a trolley or shoe D. This trolley or shoe rests upon the bottom of the guide-rail and travels thereon and is provided with a lip d, extending through the opening O. Attached to the lower end of the lip cl is a chain or cable E, fastened at its lower end to the attaching-rin g F. To this attaching-ring also is secured the halter G of the animal. This ring is normally held in place by the slide-bolt H, of which there may be any number working as a series and according to the number of stalls to be controlled, and operable from a single source or handle I, preferably upon the eX- terior of the building or at or near the entrance, which arrangement facilitates the easy and quick manipulation of the apparatus, as will be explained.

Attached to the other end of the trolley or shoe is a rope or cable J J', the latter being simply a branch or tributary of the main rope or cable K. The main rope or cable extends also to the exterior of the building or to a point at or near the entrance of the building for the easy and quick manipulation of the apparatus. The main rope or cable K rests upon andtravels in the trunk guide-rails. It

vis made of a size large enough to prevent its slipping through.

I will now proceed to describe more particularly my system of guide rails or Ways for carrying my invention into effect; and they consist, essentially, of a main rail or way from which radiate branches running into the different rooms and floors and from which subbranches may radiate, running into the various stalls, the apparatus in this respect lending itself to its environment and being adapted to be changed and modified according to the particular circumstances.

I have illustrated my invention in connection with a stable having a number of stalls, and at T, I show what I may term a trunk guide-rail, into which feed the individual stall-rails O O'. These rails are arranged approximately parallel with the stalls aforesaid and extend nearly, if not quite, their entire length, departing from the parallel line as they approach the trunk rail and enter the said trunk, located, possibly, at right angles thereto, as shown in the drawings bya curved line R, which curve is a continuation of the guide-rails C C. 'Subbranch rails may be led into branches and branches similarly into the trunk. The stall-rails C O are located, preferably, upon one side of the stalls, thus facilitating the operation and permitting the animal to turn the more easily.

It is necessary in the proper carrying out of my invention to introduce the oppositely- IOO arranged stallrails at somewhat different points, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the trolleys in being drawn into the main line from the branches will not enter at exactly the same moment or at the same point. Thus the branch rail C is shown as entering the trunk rail T in advance of the branch rail C. By this means any possibility of entanglement is avoided and each trolley Will fall into line in its proper place. To add to the efficiency of the invention in this respect, I also make the series of branch ropes or cables upon one side of the trunk line shorter in length than the other side. For instance, referring to Fig. 5 of the drawings, the series of branch ropes J upon the right-hand side of the trunk rope K are shorter than the branch ropes J upon the other side of the trunk, and consequently will Withdraw quicker. Thus successive and non-interfering action is established.

The operation of my device is as follows: The main rope or cable K, with its branches, being in position in the trunk and branch guide rails or ways and the securing cords or ropes aforesaid at their upper ends to the trolleys or shoes and at their lower ends to the attaching-rings F, the apparatus is ready for emergency use, Upon the discovery of fire the handle I of the locking slide-bolts II is immediately Withdrawn from its closed or locked position, which operation would liberate the entire series of attaching-rings F. By this means the animals are no longer secured to the stall, but through the intermediary halters, attaching-rings, and securing chains or cables E are controlled by the main rope or cable K and its connecting branches. The next step in the operation is the withdrawal of the main rope or cable K, which operation will canse the branch ropes or cables J to followit outwardly, the trolleys or shoes D falling in line one after the other in their paths through the branch guide-rails into the trunk rail.

The method or action is plainly visible and understandable from the above, and it will be seen that I have secured and produced an apparatus whereby from a single source, preferably operable at a point exterior of the building, all animals in the building can be released by a single act and by a second act Withdrawn successively from the burning building.

This apparatus and system can, as before stated, be applied to a stable containing a number of stalls in different rooms of the same floor or upon different floors, and the trunk and branch guide-rails can be continued upon the ceiling from the room or stall or stairway through any reasonable number of lioors and rooms.

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

In combination with a main overhead trunk rail, branch rails extending therefrom in substantially the saine horizontal plane and from both sides and entering said trunk rail in such a manner that the rails of oppositely-arranged stalls will enter the trunk rail, the one slightly in advance of the other, trolleys arranged to run on or in same, a main trunk rope with branching ropes of different lengths as described and connected to said trolleys and means secured to said trolleys for attachment to the animals in the stalls.

JosEPI-I Rune.

lVitnesses:

HERBERT KNIGHT, HARRY LEvEnE'r'r.

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