Fire-Escape. Page: 3 of 3
[1], 2 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this patent.
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499,523
ladder; thus retaining the several sections of
the ladder in such a hinged connection with
each other as will permit these similar ladder
portions to be easily folded into a compact
5 mass, as shown in Fig. 3.
The complete ladder is designed to be kept
in a room of a building, at such an elevation
from the ground as will require safe means
for a quick descent through the window in
to case of fire that cuts off egress by other ave-
nues of escape.
A preferred means for the reliable and
speedy suspension of the improved fire es-
cape from a window is indicated in Figs. 1
15 and 2, consisting of a metal cross-bar E, hav-
ing sufficient length to permit it to be intro-
duced transversely of the window casement F
on the inner side of the latter, which bar is
flexibly connected to the upper rung of the
20 ladder by the duplicate chains G, that will
serve to suspend the ladder from the bar when
it is in position. Two other chains I are pro-
vided which are attached by one end of each
to the upper rung B, near the attached ends
25 of the chains I, having rings c on them that
in service are hooked over the hooks d that
are secured upon the wall of the room, within
it, and below the sill of the window, over
which the chainsI are tautly drawn when the
30 ladder is hung from said window pendently
in front of other windows, in case the build-
ing is of a considerable height and the ladder
is in an upper room of the building.
It will be seen that when the improved lad-
35 der composed of the several sections herein-
before described, is connected at its upper
end with the window casement, as has been
explained, and then allowed to drop with
the bossed portions a toward the house wall,
40 these projections will hold the ladder away
from the wall, so that there will sufficient
space intervene the wall and rungs B, D, to
permit the assured engagement of the feet
and hands of an occupant of the ladder when
45 ascending or descending the same.
When occasion requires, there may be sev-
eral ladders of the improved construction con-
nected to each other in sequence, so as to al-
low the inmates of different stories in a high
50 building to use the long ladder thus provided,
as an avenue of escape from the burningbuilding. To this end hooks e are provided
that depend from the lower rungs of the sev-
eral ladders, which may be kept in rooms of
the building that are in the same tier, so that 55
the occupant of a room below the upper one
may hook the ladder in the room below upon
the one pendent from above, and by a suc-
cession of like adjustments for the several lad-
ders in the tier of rooms, it is possible to 60
speedily arrange the several ladders in one
pendent long ladder, so as to reach from the
highest room of the building to the ground,
and thus afford a safe and convenient means
for descent from all the stories of the build- 65
ing provided with the improvement.
Having thus fully described my invention,
I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters
Patent-
1. In a fire escape, a ladder comprising a 70
series of like sections, each composed of two
side bars laterally bossed on like edges at
their ends, and said sections provided with
transverse rungs and loosely connected at
their ends by pivoted link plates, substan- 75
tially as described.
2. In a fire escape, a ladder composed of a
series of like sections, each having two side
bars that have projections on their edges at
their ends, transverse rungs secured between 80
pairs of the side bars, and pairs of pivoted
link plates between the adjacent ends of two
ladder sections, substantially as described.
3. A fire escape, comprising a series of simi-
lar ladder sections, each composed of two side 85
bars whereon rounded bosses project edgewise
at the ends on the same edges, transverse
rungs secured loosely to pairs of the side bars
by reduced shouldered ends and spacing said
paired bars, two pairs of link plates pivoted 90
upon the adjacent ends of the ladder sections,
a loose cross-bar adapted to transversely en-
gage a window casement interiorly, chains be-
tween said bar and the top rung of the ladder,
and other chains on said ladder rung adapted 95
to extend within a room over the window sill
and hook on projections below the sill, sub-
stantially as described.
CHARLES DOBBS.
Witnesses:
J. D. BRYANT.
J. F. ALDERSON.
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Dobbs, Charles. Fire-Escape., patent, June 13, 1893; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth173442/m1/3/: accessed July 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.