FIRE-ESCAPES. 
n of the of the piece; a ‘ is then to 
to ten tt i: 
be fitted into th ing, which will be eight 
mile, and grad y diminishing to no- 
; emcabaasiene ion ey at the 
proper place for every round or step which is intended 
o be made i the ladder ; wht Aen of the rounds 
i 
3 
S 
z 
the rounds, where they touch the insides of the open- 
ing; should be let into the wood the ‘of an inch 
to prevent them from moving. The whole is to be bound 
fast by slight iron hoops, d on from the ends, and 
‘at the ‘solid ends, to the 
Tpliting farther than was in By this method a 
ladder is formed of Very , Without in- 
i 
end of the rope, the remainder being 
» and the lower end of the 
ladder, so'as to be in no danger of t. In 
~ this way, the ion of the ladder will not be at all 
impeded, and the rope will always be ready for action, 
ne bps Ne end of the rope, and thus releasing the 
is rope be extremely useful to haul up 
wari aen, 
: 
i 
F 
Fire-escape A machine is described in the Annual Register, some 
with a pole, years ago, with a rope and basket; but a pole from 36 to 
46 feet in length was used in place of the ladder. This 
the pole, two Calle echin or 
VOL. IX, PART I. 
e direction. ‘Several ‘petsons could apply their 
forts: very advantageously at the ends of then jpoles to 
elevate the great one ; and when it was raised, the poles 
formed legelikes tripod, to strengthen the great pole, and 
prevent it from hating inthe middle. Itis stated that 
a pole of this’ sort was elevated, and two or three per- 
sons lowered from the upper windows of a house, into 
the street, in the space of 35 seconds, or rather more 
than half a minute. Still, as the pole was five inches 
diameter at the base, and three at the upper end, it 
could not, with the addition of the side poles and bas- 
ket, be rendered very portable, and, from its length, it 
would be troublesome to turn the angles of narrow 
streets, and therefore we prefer the ladder with wheels, 
which is extremely of transportation, and which, 
from the facility of raising it by the balance weight, can 
be elevated to'turn a narrow'corner. [ff it is trussed, as 
we have described, it will have as much strength’ as the 
pole, when propped in the middle by the two short ones. 
We think it is scarcely’ necessary to describe any 
other machines, except very briefly. ~The principle of 
‘several of them is to have two, =k or four ladders, 
fitted one upon the other, or rather one within the other, 
_and provided with a tackle by which they can be ele- 
tothe height ofthe window. The most complete 
of this kind is ibed by the Society of Arts, in their 
Transactions, vol. xxviii. The base of the machine is 
a four-wheeled carriage, with apair of shafts for a horse 
to draw it. The lowest of the three ladders is ‘fitted in 
the carriage by a bolt, on which it can be inclined side- 
wise at pleasure, to reach the window, and retained at 
any elevation by a frame with screws. The three lad- 
ders are made to fit one within another, and provided 
with iron clamps to confine them er. In the 
back of the frame, beneath the ladder, is a windlass, 
which receives the ropes for sliding up the ladders. 
These consist of two parallel ropes, hem from. 
the windlass, and passing-over two pullies, fixed at the 
u end of the principal or lowest ladder, and the 
are made fast to the bottom of the second ladder. 
Therefore, by turning the windlass, the are drawn, 
and the second ladder is elevated upon the first. The 
third ladder is likewise provided with two parallel ropes, 
passing over pullies, at the top of the second ladder, and 
attached to the bottom of the third; but the opposite 
ends of these ropes, instead of being carried down to the 
windlass, are made fast to any part of the lower ladder : 
in this way they have the same effect to raise up the 
third upon the second, when that is elevated upon the 
855 
Fire. - 
Escapes. 
<n 
Fire-escape 
by Mr 
Davis. 
first by means of the windlass. The remainder of the Its tackle 
apparatus is a windlass, in front of the machine, with 
two passing over pullies at the top of the high- 
est ladder, and ome box or chest, in which the 
s are to be lowered down, The upper end of the 
der is provided with a bent iron bar, to lean against 
the window, and thus retain the top of the ladder at 
such a distance from the wall, as to admit the box to 
ascend and descend clear of it. : 
We have seen another machine on a rips eae 
le : its carriage supported an upright post, which was 
Ftted to turn round in the redid A an-axis. The 
top of it formed the fulcrum of'a very long'lever, which, 
at one end supported the basket, and at the other a 
considerable ekinecewilight: The height of the verti- 
cal pillar was such as to raise up the’centre of the lever 
to about lialf the height from’ which the descent was 
intended to be made. The lever then required to be 
sufficiently long to reach to the window, when elevated 
at an angle, and also to the -ground when its end was 
2y¥ 
Machine 
with a lever, 
