Popular Science Monthly 



711 



Fire-Escape Chutes for 

 School Children 



SOME of the California schools 

 are equipped with novel fire 

 escapes, which are not only a safe- 

 guard, but afford the children as 

 much amusement as a regular play- 

 ground equipment. One of these 

 fire-escapes in Tropico, near Los 

 Angeles, consists of several long 

 sheet-metal chutes, reinforced with 

 angle iron and secured to the walls 

 of the building. They extend from 

 an iron platform on the second floor, 

 which leads from the main corridor. 

 Separate chutes are provided for 

 the boys and girls. The teachers 

 encourage the use of the slides as 

 an amusement to accustom the chil- 

 dren to them. Each slide ends in 

 a slight upward curve, to check the momen- 

 tum of the descent. At the point where 

 the children reach the ground a pile 

 of loose sand breaks the fall. 

 In Venice, California, a spiral 

 chute is employed, which is 

 enclosed in a cylindrical 

 metal casing. This is en 

 tered from a platform 

 leading from the upper 

 story. Like the straight 

 slide, it is used as an 

 amusement device by 

 the pupils. A local 

 hospital makes use of 

 one of the same design. 



The chute is used as an amusement device during 

 recess periods in order to accustom the children to it 



Instead of backing up against the curb, the truck draws up 

 lengthwise and is loaded from an overhead movable beam 



Loading a Truck Without Interfering 

 with Traffic 



THE novel motor-truck loading 

 device shown in the accom- 

 panying illustration makes it 

 possible for a vehicle to be 

 loaded across the sidewalk 

 without interfering with 

 pedestrian traffic. This is 

 accomplished b y means 

 of a movable beam 

 mounted on rollers run- 

 ning on the side members 

 of the framework, which 

 extends out beyond the 

 curb line at points about 

 twelve feet above the 

 ground. 

 A conventional differen- 

 tial block and fall mounted 

 on rollers on the movable 

 beam is used to pick up ^the 

 lengths of steel shown in the 

 picture. When each piece of steel 

 is attached to the block and fall 

 it is hoisted up to clear the top of the 

 motor-truck cab if it is to be loaded 

 on the side of the truck farthest from 

 the curb. It is then pulled out from 

 the yard at the point of loading to 

 directly above the truck body by 

 means of a guy rope and lowered. 



This method not only eliminates 

 interference with pedestrian traffic 

 but with vehicular travel as well, 

 for the truck draws up to the curb 

 lengthwise instead of backing up 

 in the usual manner. 



