US519499A - Fire-escape ladder - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. O. ELLIS. FIRE BSGAPB LADDER.

N0.'519,499. Patented May 8, 1894.

8 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' w. 0. ELLIS.

FIRE ESCAPE LADDER.

(No Model.)

Patented'May 8, 1894.

-FIG-2- lgxyeglF (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shet 3.

w. 0. ELLIS.

- 7 FIRE ESCAPE LADDER. I

No. 519,499. Patented May 8, 1894.

FIG-4- lxyacglr W/QEZZLG I a fire-escape ladder embodying my invention, the ladder being extended. Fig. 2 is a sitni-- UNITED STATES PATENT F ce. 1

,WIATT ORVILL ELL'IS', F .TEKOA, AssIeNoR To DAVID. B. KEAGY, or

FARMINGTON, WASHINGTON.

FIRE-ESCAPESLADDER.

' SPECIFICATION fma m of Letters Patent :No. 519,499, dated May 8, 1894.

Application filed'llfl ust 31, 1893. semi No. 484,494. (No model.)

To all whom it may 00mm.-

Be it known that I, WIATT ORVILL in the county of Whitman and State of Washlngton, have invented anew and useful Fire- Escape Ladder, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to an improved fire-escape ladder, and it contemplates the provision of a jointed ladder adapted to be; wound upon a drum which operates automatically to reel the same; furthermore, the provision of means whereby the entire fire-escape maybe rotated to enable the upper end of the ladder to be adjusted without altering the positions of the trucks; furthermore, the provision of an automatically-adj ustable landing which is held in operative relation to the jointed ladder in all positions of the latter; and furthermore, the provision of simple and elficient means for transporting, operating and bracing the parts of the improved fire-escape.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.- In the drawings: Figure 1 isa side view of lar view with the ladder reeled. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section of the device with the ladder reeled. Fig. 4 is a rear view. Fig. 5 is a plan view. Fig. 6 is a detail view of two connected sections of the ladder. Y

Similar numerals of reference indicate cor-.

- ings.

1 designates asupporting framework, which is connected by means of springs 2, to the trucks 3, and upon said framework is swiveled the rotary-platform 4. Carried by this plat form is a verticalframe or structure provided at its top with a fixed landing 5, and a slidable or adj ustable portion 6, which overlaps an intermediate portion of the fixed landing, and is provided with eyes 7 fitted upon parallel guides 8. Connected to this movable por tion of'the landing are adjusting weights 9, whereby said adjustable portion is normally drawn toward the front of the'structure.

E rs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Tekoa,

ina direction to reel the jointed ladder thereupon. Such ladder comprises an extended terminal section:16, and a series of con- 'nectedshorter sections 1 7, the contiguous ends .of which are connected by means. of hinges 18. To strengthen the construction of the ladder I have also provided tension 'cables19, arranged'respectively upon the outer sides of the side-bars of the sections and extending continuously from one end of the ladder to the other; The cables are preferably of wire,

and at each joint between connectedsections it is cross-looped around laterally-projecting studs 20, carried respectively by contiguous ends of the sections. The studs arecarried by plates 21, secured to the side-bars .close to their meeting ends, and the crossloops 22, above referred to, are formed by carrying the cable across the joint between the sections, around the stud 20 carried by the far section, backwardly across the joint, and aroundthe near studand again across the joint to the succeeding. ladder section. In,

this'way each joint between the connected sections forming the ladder is tied, thus relieving the strain upon the hinges or other.

pivotal connections and guarding against accident in caseof in ury to any, of these con- J nections. It will be noted that the interval between the cross-bars .13, of the drum correspond with the lengths of the sections 17,

. .9 compactly around the drum. The inner ter minal section 23 is pivotally connected'to the ,whereby when'the ladder is reeled it folds .drum' by: means of a pivot-rod 24, whereby the drum-forms the base for-the ladderfand being located below the plane of the landing, is out of the way of those ascendingand .de-

scend-ing, as will'beclearly understood'when' thei-nventionis more fully explained.

25 represents an operating cable, which is .reeled around the drum upon the outer side IOO upper end of the yoke, a second vertically disposed idle pulley 29 also carried by the yoke, and a guidepulley 30, which is mounted upon the upright'frame of the ladder, andis connected to a Windlass 31. This cable being reeled upon the drum in the same direction as the. ladder, and in an opposite direc tion to the spring, it will be understood that by reeling the opposite end of the-cord by means of the Windlass the drum will be turneding in :"EL direction to unreel the cords wound thereupon. The stretcher-frame is adapted to incline upwardly toward its free end and bear against the end of the landing5, when the ladder is in its operative position.

Pivotally connected to the rotary platform .at its rearend is a brace 39, provided at its free endwith a cross-timber 40, provided with terminal studs 41, and ground-ladders 42 are. hinged to the rear edge of the landing and, are held in an inclined position by the said brace, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The rotary platform is provided concentric i with its pivot with a sprocket-wheel 48, aroun d j.

which and acorresponding sprocket 44 at the rear end of the supporting framework 1 extends .a chain 45, the sprocket 44 being carried by a vertical spindle adprovided'witha v hand-Wheel 47. By this :means the rotary platform, withthe superstructure above de-- scribed, can be. rotated freely by anoperative 1 to arrange the top of the ladder in the de-- sired position with relation toa building without altering the position of the trucks uponi which the supportingframework is mounted. 1

With theparts in the folded position, shown in Fig. 2, the ladder may be extended .by; slacking the guy-ropes and reeling the oper-;

ati-ng-cables upon the Windlass .31. As the ladder ascends its inclination may beadjust- 1 ed by tightening or loosening the -guy-ropes, I and the adjustable section 6 'of the landing,

which isprovided with an anti-friction roller 4.8, will maintain contact with the laddersand thus form an unbroken communication between the .same and stationary part of the landing. To reel the ladder the guy-ropes should be slackened slightly and the windlass 3-1 released in order to enable the actuating spring to rotate the drum. The slack of the guy-ropes must be taken up by means of the Windlass 36 as the ladder descends.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is 1. The combination with a supporting framework, of a rotary platform, an elevated landing carried by said platform, ground-ladders depending from the landing, an extensible ladder arranged adjacent to the landing, and means foreperating the ladder, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a platform, ofvan elevated landing provided withsan "adjustable section,means connected to said section to extend the same, a drum, a sectional ladder reeled upon the drum, and means for operating saidpparts,substantially as specified.

3. The combination with aniupright framework, of a drum, asectionallad der connected tosaid drum to be reeled 1thereon, an=actuatingspringconnected to the drum to rotate the latter in adirectionto reel the ladder, and means for "rotating the drum'in an opposite direction and for bracing the ladder in its extended position, substantially as :sp'ecilied. i

4. In a fire escape, the combination of a spring-actuated "drum, ya jointed ladder connected to the drumto be reeled thereon, and operating and bracing devices connected to said parts, substantially as specified.

5.. The combination with .a :firamework, an elevated landing, an extensible ladder iterminating atsaidiandi-ng, and means foreirtending and folding theladdelgof ground-ladders pivotally connected at their upperextremities to the said landing, and a brace 39 sadjustably connected to the framework and adapted to engage said .ladders near their lower ends to hold them in inclined 'oroperative positions, substantially as specified.

6. A sectional ladder having the contigu- -ous ends of itssections hinged together, and a tension cablesecured to the side-bars of the sections and cross-looped over the said joints or connections, substantially as specified.

7. A sectional ladder having its sectionshinged together, lateral studs carried respectively by the contiguous ends of connected sections,and a continuous tension cablear *ramged upon eachasideof the ladderandcross looped aroundsaid stud-s at each joint, sub stantially asxspecified.

8.. The combination with a supporting frame, of a rotary drum provided with an actuating spring, a jointed ladder reeled upon said drum, bracing devices connected to the ladder, a swinging yoke carrying a roller to bear against the ladder as it leaves the drum, an. operating cable carried around guide-pulleys upon said yoke and connected to the drum, and means for reeling and. unreeling 5 the operating cable's, substantially as speeie t r In testimony that I claim the fore oing as the presence 'ef two witnesses. WIATT ORVIIJL ELLIS.

I my own I have hereto affixed my'signature in t Witnesses:

v DAVID B: KEAGY, I GUST. RENDSOHMIDT.

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