Improvement in Fire-Escapes. Page: 2 of 2
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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
GEORGE S. STAPLES, OF SHERMAN, TEXAS.
IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-ESCAPES.
Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 194,625, dated August 28, 1877; application filed
June 25, 1877.To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, GEORGE S. STAPLES,
of Sherman, county of Grayson, and State of
Texas, have invented a new and Improved
Fire-Escape, of which the following is a speci-
fication :
The object of my invention is to provide a
simple, inexpensive, and portable fire-escape,
that may be used for letting persons directly
down from buildings, or for carrying them
from the upper stories of buildings to other
buildings at a distance or to the ground, as
circumstances may require.
In the drawing, which is a side elevation
of my improved fire-escape, A is a block con-
taining two pulleys, a b. The pulley a has a
slightly-concave face, and the pulley b has
two grooves in its face. B is a pulley-block
having a single-grooved pulley, c, and C is an
endless rope, that passes around the pulley e
and over the pulley a, and is crossed between
the pulleys a b, and passes upon the opposite
sides of the pulley b. A clasp, D, is attached
to a belt, E, by means of the strap d, and is
capable of being made fast anywhere on the
rope C.
The belt E is to be clasped or buckled
around the waist of the person desiring to es-
cape.
The block A is provided with a hook, by
means of which it may be attached to any
fixed object in the burning building, and the
block B is provided with ropes, by means of
which it may be attached to any solid objectbelow or across the street, or to a building
conveniently near the fire.
Several belts having clasps attached may
be provided, so that one person after another
may descend.
The manner of using my improved fire-escape
is as follows: The block A is attached by
means of its hook to any convenient object
having sufficient solidity. The block B is at-
tached to any convenient object below, or to
the upper or lower stories of a building. The
belt E is fastened around the body, and the
clasp secured to the rope. The person either
lowers himself by taking the rope in hand, or
is lowered by persons from below.
Timid persons and invalids, by means of
this device, may be safely delivered from burn-
ing buildings. The double arrangement of
the pulleys in the block A gives sufficient
friction to prevent the ropes from being too
easily removed.
Raving thus fully described my invention,
I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters
Patent-
In a fire-escape, the combination, with block
A, having the concaved pulley a and the
double-grooved pulley b, of the block B, hav-
ing a single-grooved pulley, c, and the endless
rope C, as shown and described, for the pur-
pose specified.
GEORGE S. STAPLES.
Witnesses:
T. Z. RANDOLPH,
A. L. DARNELL.
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Staples, George S. Improvement in Fire-Escapes., patent, August 28, 1877; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth166692/m1/2/: accessed June 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.