US788818A - Fire-escape. - Google Patents

Description

No. 788,818. PATENTBD MAY 2, 1905. T. BRIGGS 8L 8. MASTERS.

'FIRB ESCAPE.

- applied to a three-story building.

niTnn STATES Patented May 2, 1905.

THOMAS BRIGGS AND SYLVESTER MASTERS, OF JOHNSTOWVN, PENN- SYLVANIA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,818, dated May 2, 1905.

Application filed May 6, 1904. Serial No. 206,727. 7

To u/N/ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS Fences and SYLvns'rmn MAsrnks, citizens of the United States, residing in Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Fire-Escape, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lire-escapes for buildings, such as theaters, public halls, and the like; and the object of the invention is to provide an escape of this character in which the objectionable features of the ordinary ladder shall be eliminated. In the ladder form there is always the risk of losing the footing and falling from dizziness, effects of smoke, &c., and also the progress down a ladder is necessarily slow, and where a large number of persons are cut off from exit from a building except by means of such a device there is great danger that those in advance will be crowded off of the steps or rounds of the lad der and by reason of the congestion the lad der will become blocked and lose the greater portion of its efficiency. In our construction these risks are avoided.

Our invention consists in the novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, particularly pointed out in the claims, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of the curved portion of the escape, showing the intersection or juncture of a second escape. Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of the lower end of the escape, one side being partly broken away. Fig. l is a detail cross-sectional view.

In the drawings, Av represents a landing or platform carried by the building and upon which a doorway of course opens. We con-' struct a wall around the sides of the platform of such height that it will be impossible for any one to be crowded from the platform. This wall B also has a doorway B arranged in it, and from the platform extends the chute C, supported by brackets C, carried in a steplike series by the building.

The chute C may be formed of any material found suitable and is preferably formed in side and bottom sections 0 and 1), respectively, as shown in Fig. t. It is also formed in sections of various length, which are joined together to form a continuous chute. In the drawings we have illustrated the device as applied to a building of three stories. the chute being secured to a side of the building. The uppermost section of the chute leads from the upper platform A to the one on a level with the second floor of the building. At this point asection Dis inserted, which contains a curved section, and the wall of this section is broken away on one side and the short branch section 1) opens into the curved portion 1) through this opening in the wall, the section 1) leading from the lower platform A, as clearly shown in the drawings.

At the lower end of the chute is an adjustable hinged section E, which when lowered rests on a mattress E. A cable is attached to the forward end of the section E and passes over a pulley F, and the cable G has secured to its free end a weight G, which normally holds the lower hinged section E above the ground. \Vhen not in use, the mattress E is kept in the section E, as shown in Fig. 3.

In use the section E is drawn downward and preferably rested on the mattress, and any means may be provided for holding it in this position. It will be obvious, however, that any one using the chute to descend would by their weight throw the hinged section to the proper position and would land upon the mattress.

While the chute is designed to afford aquick and safe mode of exit for persons, it can also be used for trunks and similar articles which could not be carried down an ordinary ladder with ease and which would be damaged if thrown from the windows. The sides of the chute are of such a height that it will be impossible for one to accidentally fall from the chute and once started down they will slide smoothly and rapidly to the ground. In the case of a person having been overcome by smoke it is not necessary in an escape of this kind to carry the person down; but it is only necessary to convey them to one of the platforms and place them in the chute and they will be conveyed to the bottom without the necessity of any exertion on their part.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A fire-escape comprising two straight chutes, downwardly inclined in opposite directions, the lower end of one chute being adjacent the upper end of the other chute, a curved section having a branch, said curved section having its ends in alinement, respectively, with the straight chutes, a platform adjacent the upper end of the upper chute, and a platform at the end of the branch of the curved section, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with a fixed downwardly-inclined chute having a lower end section hinged thereto, and a counterbalance connected to the free end of the hinged section and adapted to normally hold the said end in an inoperative position, as and for the purpose set forth.

his THOMAS BRIGGS SYLVESTER MASTERS.

Witnesses:

J. W. REESE, CHARLES KUNKLE.

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