Life-saving apparatus.

Application filed January 27, 1909. Serial No. 474,452.

To dll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, John L. Winklee, citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State ⁵ of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends certain new ¹⁰ and useful improvements in life saving devices designed for use in lowering persons from burning buildings or other points of danger to safety, and relates particularly to improved appliances embodying an extensile ble ladder or track and lowering devices coacting therewith.

The invention has for its primary object an improved construction of life-saving carriage, an improved construction and ar²⁰ rangement of parts, whereby the carriage is detachably supported upon the track, and means for raising and lowering the carriage upon the track so that persons may enter the same at top of track and be lowered in ²⁵ safety.

With this and other objects in view, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combina³⁰ tions of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings in ³⁵ which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved life saving apparatus; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, the section be⁴⁰ ing taken on the line 3—3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a rear view of the life saving carriage; a portion thereof being broken away; Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating one of the hooks for securing together the adjoining sections ⁴⁵ of the extensible ladder or track; Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating another life saving appliance that may be employed; Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view illustrating the joint between two adjacent ladder sec⁵⁰ tions. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of one of the hangers that are secured to the carriage of the apparatus, and Fig. 9 is a similar view of one of the detachable brackets that are designed to engage the hangers. ⁵⁵ Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indi cated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawing, A designates my improved ladder or track, which may be 60 constructed in any desired number of sections. In the present instance, three are used.

designates the base section, 2 an intermediate section and 3 the top section. These 65 sections are detachably connected together to form an extension ladder by means of dowels 4 entering sockets 5 in the adjoining ends of the sections, and reinforcing bands 6 preferably encircle said adjoining ends so as 70 to strengthen the parts. The top section 3 of the track A has the upper ends of its stiles incased in metal caps 7, and rollers 8 are journaled in said caps to facilitate the transfer of the track from one point to an- 75 other.

The several sections of. the track are secured together by means of clamping hooks. In the present embodiment of the invention each of these clamping hooks comprises a 80 barrel 9 formed at one end with a ring 10 by which it is mounted to swing upon a rung of one section, and a spring retracted shank 11 mounted in said barrel and carrying a swiveled bill 12 that is designed for engage- 85 ment with a rung of an adjoining section, as clearly illustrated in the drawings; preferably the bills 12 are formed with eyes 13 for convenience in manipulating them*

A roller frame C¹ is carried by the top 90 section 3 of the track, the frame embodying side bars 14 that are formed at their ends with openings by which they are mounted and held upon the rungs of said section, and a connecting rod 15 secured to the side bars ⁹⁵intermediate of the ends thereof and carrying a roller 16.

A roller frame C² is mounted on the track below the upper frame C¹, in the present instance being also carried by the top section ¹⁰⁰3, although it is to be understood that it may be carried by any of the intermediate sections of the track depending upon the degree to which the extension is carried out. This intermediate roller frame C² embodies 1°⁵bowed side bars 17 formed at their ends with openings by which they are mounted upon the rungs or cross rods of the track, a connecting rod 18 and a roller 19. C³ designates a lower roller frame which also ein- ¹¹⁰bodies bowed side bars 20. These side bars having hooked upper ends 21 designed to

976,240 detachably engage one of the cross rods of the base section 1, said side bars being also formed with recessed lower ends 22 designed to engage a lower cross rod. The side bars s 20 carry pivoted latches 23 adapted to. engage the lower cross rod and detachably hold this frame in place. 24 designates a roller which is carried by the frame C³. It is to be noted that the roller 16 is mounted 10 in a plane coincident with the cross rods while the rollers 19 and 24 occupy offset positions to the rear of the track, this arrangement being preferred as it facilitates the handling of the hoisting and lowering cable 15 for the carriage which I shall now describe.

The carriage D for which the ladder A constitutes a track, is formed with a rear entrance opening 25 leading to a stairway 26 along the sides of which are hand rails ²⁰ 28. It is also provided with front door 29 which swings outwardly at the bottom of the stairway and which is provided on its outer side with a latch 30 so that it may be locked from the outside when the carriage 25 reaches the bottom of the ladder and which may not be opened from the inside thereby preventing the passengers from jumping. It is intended that this carriage shall ride upon the track A and be raised to the top ³⁰ thereof, so that persons may escape into the same from upper windows, or other elevated portions of a burning building, the carriage being open at the rear as at 25, but being closed on all other sides, so as to preclude ³⁵ the scaring of the passengers who do not see the depth below them or the surrounding dangers. The carriage D is formed with an inclined rear side in which rollers 31 are journaled and by which the carriage is sup⁴⁰ ported upon the stiles of the ladder. For the purpose of raising and lowering the carriage, it is provided at its rear side and near its bottom with a ring 32 intended to be engaged by a snap-hook 33 secured to one end ⁴⁵ of a cable 34. This cable extends over and around the upper roller 16, from front to rear, and is then passed downwardly over the roller frames C² and C³, the latter frame being positioned at a height where the ma⁵⁰ nipulation of the cable by firemen or other parties on the ground may be most conveniently effected.

In applying the carriage to the ladder or track, a latch 35 is employed. This latch is ⁰⁵ secured to a plate which is fastened to the rear edge of one side of the carriage and which projects vertically over the adjacent stile of the track. The latch is mounted for a sliding movement in a strap or casing 35^a. ⁶⁰ and its lower end is extended inwardly and laterally so as to project over one of the rungs of the track, said end being provided with a hooked extremity 36 designed to take over one of the rungs or cross rods when the ⁶⁵ latch is pushed downwardly. By this means the carriage may be temporarily supported on the track while the snap hook 33 is being engaged with the ring 32, the latch 35 being then slipped upwardly in a vertical direction at an angle to the plane of the track, 70 so as to not only disengage the hook from the rung, but hold the said hook 36 above the plane of the track so as to prevent the hook from coming in contact with any of the cross rods or rungs while the carriage is 75 being moved. The carriage D is further provided at its rear side with two pairs of oppositely disposed depending hangers 37. These hangers are formed with inturned flanges 38 spaced from each other as shown, 80 and brackets 39 are designed to be slipped upwardly underneath said flanges, the brackets having rollers 40 journaled therein designed to bear against the rear sides of the stiles of the track and securely hold the 85 carriage thereon and provide for a double roller bearing in connection with the rollers 31. The brackets 39 are detachably fastened to the flanges 38 by means of spring latches 41 which are carried by the brackets and 90 which are slipped upwardly into the spaces between the flanges 38, the said latches having laterally extended upper ends designed to snap over the shoulders 42 formed on the brackets and enter locking slots or keep- 95 ers 43 above said shoulders. The latches are formed with handle eyes 44 by which they may be easily retracted. Preferably, the hangers 37 are provided with hand grips 45 by which the carriage may be lifted and 100 carried from place to place. These brackets 39 may be stowed away, when not desired for use, in a drawer 46 with which the carriage is provided, the said drawer being held automatically in a retracted position in 105 the bottom of the carriage by means of a spring 47 secured to the rear end of the drawer and mounted in a casing 48.

To assist in supporting the ladder A, I have provided one or more struts 49 which HO are sectional as shown, one section being formed with a socket sleeve 50 in which the other section is adapted to fit, being held therein by means of a set screw as shown. The uppermost sections of these struts are 115 provided with arms 51 formed with recessed upper ends 52 designed to engage the rungs of the track, the said arms preferably diverging so as not to interfere with any of the other parts of the apparatus. 120

If desired, I may also employ a box E for the purpose of lowering passengers or the like from elevated portions of burning buildings. The box E is provided with bails 53 to which a snap-hook 54 may be connect- 125 ed, the said snap hook being carried on one end of a cable 55 passing over a hoisting block or sheave 56 arranged for detachable connection with any of the rungs of the track. The box E is also formed with han- ¹³⁰

976,240 dies 57 to which an adjusting strap 58 is connected, one of said handles carrying a grapple hook 59, so that a fireman ascending in the box, may cast the hook over the 5 window sill or the like and draw the box inwardly to more conveniently receive its load. The box E is provided with a door 60 which may be secured thereto in any desired way, being shown as a sliding door in 10 the present instance.