US542641A - Vitus hembacher - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

- V. HEMBAOHER.

' FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 542,641. Patented July 16, 1895.

NiTED STATES- PATENT OFFICE. I

VITUS I-IEMBACHER, OF FISOHACH, GERMANY.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 542,641, dated July 16, 1895.

Application filed October 18, 1 8 94.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, VITUS HEMBAOHER, a citizen of Germany, residing at Fischach, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in life-saving devices or fire-escapes.

The object of my invention is to produce a device designed to be used for rescuing ones self or other persons,or for saving household furniture and the like during fires and similar dangers.

The invention'consists in such features, details of construction, and combination of parts as will first be described in connection with in the accompanying drawings, and then particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of a device embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 isa similar view taken at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the manner of using the device.

Referring to the drawings, a are two iron tracks, between which, at one end, is a roller 0, movable upon a fixed axis 1). At the other end the tracks are joined by a cross-pin d, provided with an eye engaged by a hook e. Between the roller 0 and the tracks a are located two sliding tracks f of the same width as the tracks at, these sliding tracks f being provided with central slots, through'which pass studs g, secured in the tracks a, and provided with heads, as shown.

The tracks fare joined at the middle by an axle it, upon which is revolubly mounted a shifting-roller c, the axle h being out of the central longitudinal axes of the sliding tracks f.

As the tracks f are free to move, the roller 0' can be brought nearer to or farther from the rollerc. The rescuing-rope 't' passes over the rollers c o in S-fashion, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The end of the rope which passes over the lower roller is attached to a hook, which may be fastened to a suitable place, for instance, to the window-frame, as

shown in Fig. 3, while the longer end or fall,

Serial No, 526,290- (No model.)

after passing over the upper roller, reaches to the ground in the street or yard, &c.

The article Z, Fig. 3, to be removed from the building is secured to the hook e and the hanging end of the rope 't' is held by a person on the ground.

The weightof the load causes the lower roller 0' to be pressed against the upper roller 0, thus tending to clamp the rope 2' between the two rollers, whereby the load will not descend too rapidly. The rate at which the load descends may be regulated by the amount of strain upon the lower end of the rope,agreat strain tending to crowd the rollers together and thus check the descentof the load, while a slight strain, or none at all, permits the rollers to separate, whereby the load falls rapidly. By this means the danger of injuring the article by too rapid a descent or by striking the ground is avoided. When the load arrives at the bottom the two rollers may be separated, whereupon the rope can be readily withdrawn.

In rescuing persons the hook e is hooked into a ring on a belt placed about the waist of the person, whereby such person, after swinging out from the window, may be lowered to theground in the same manner as the weight described above, so that he will not descend too rapidly or strike the ground too hard.

If a person desires to rescue himself from a building with an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention he takes hold of the lower part of rope t', and after securing himself to the hook e, in any suitable manner, lowers himself by alternately releasing his hold of the rope with one hand and taking a fresh hold again a little farther down, just as if he were descending hand over hand down the rope. In doing this, as his down-climbing action is more or less rapid, and as he allows the rope to pass through his hands more or less quickly, the descent will be more or less rapid, for the reason that the pressure upon the two rollers will be greater or less.

The apparatus may be provided with a ring in place of the hook e and instead of a. belt may have a basket attached to it.

On account of its simplicity this apparatus can be used by unskilled persons and can also be used in places where'other apparatus could not be used.

The chief advantage of the apparatus lies in its practical construction and simplicity, on account of which the article or person to be rescued itself regulates the speed of descent to the earth. During the descent aslight pull on the rope will cause a halt. Insaving ones self or in saving others only a single-person is necessary. The device is suitable not only for the use of firemen, but also for the inmates ing through the upper, slot in the slotted tracks, a roller mounted on said axle, a; pair of studs passing through the lower slots and fixed in the outer tracks, and arope passing under the second roller, over the first roller and thence to the ground, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a pair of tracks,

an axle connecting said tracks at the upper ends, across piece connecting the lower ends of said tracks and provided with an eye, a roller journaled on the axle, and a hook device engaging the eye in the cross piece, of a pair of slotted sliding tracks, a roller journaled therein, and a pair of studs passing through the slots in ,the sliding tracks and fixed into theothertracks, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence oftwowitnesses.

VITUS- HEMBACHER. Witnesses:

F. OBERNDORF,

WURSTERE

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