US70390A - Improvement in fire-proof safes - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.v

EDWARD II. ASHCROF'I, OF LYNN, MASSAGHUSFTTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-PROOF SAFES.-

Speciication forming part of Letters Patent No. 70,390, dated November 5, 1867.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, E. H. AsHcRoFT, of Lynn, in the county of Essex, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Fire-Proof Safes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a clear, exact, and full description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like parts being represented by like letters in the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in making fire-proof safes by introducing water inside in a certain manner, whereby steam is generated, the safe and its contents protected.

To enable others ,skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical section of my safe; Fig. 2, a horizontal section of the same, and Fig. 8 a side elevation of certain water pipes or tubes removed from the safe.

A represents the outside or walls of the safe, made, as usual, of metal, and B is the interior lining of the same, the safe having an opening or door, (l, as usual, to close the chamber D or open the same, and in which valuable papers, Sac., can be deposited and preserved in case of lire. 'Io effect this I introduce a series of tubes, E, on three sides, extending to the top A, as seen in Fig. 3, which can be filled with water from the top through openings secured by screw plugs a., This nestwork` of tubes consists of vvertical ones, b, and horizontal ones, c. The tops of the former are perforated, as seen at d, so they cannot be entirely lled but above upper horizontal tube c. These tubes may lie against the inner lining B, or occupy any intermediate space between it and the outer walls A; and there may be any suitable non-conducting material placed between the inner and outer walls of the safe, such as asbestus, plaster-of-paris, &c. but such I do not consider necessary. In the chamberD, I also place several series of pipes, F, which `may beinclosed, as seen at G", Fig. 2, or not,

at seen at F, on the opposite side of the chamber. One set is secured to or inside of the door (l, one also at the top and bottom of chamber,'if desired. These, or all, may be inclosed in outer cases, as at Gr; but being illed' with water, they are sealed with such suitable material that it will fuse at boiling heat, and thus release the steam at the critical moment, or most important juncturesay after the supply in the outside pipes between the walls has been more or less exhausted. The top of the inside lining B is perforated, as seen at j', Fig. 1, in order to permit the steam generated by the heat acting on thev water-pipes E to enter the interior of the safe, thus rendering its contents less liable to be charred.

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

l. In a lire-proof safe, a series of perforated water-pipes, E, or their equivalents, arranged substantially as described, and for the purpose f set forth.

2. In combination with said pipes, the inner perforated lining B and chamber D, arranged and operating in the manner substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the chamber D and water-pipes F, constructed and operating in the manner substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth,

E. H. ASHGR'OFT.

Witnesses:

S. S. FAHNEsTocK, JOHN S. HOLLINesnEAn. y

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