An Automatic Animal Fire Escape 



BY the use of an automatic, animal 

 fire escape just presented by a 

 Western inventor it is possible to 

 clear any size sta- 

 ble of animals in 

 five short seconds. 

 In the operation of 

 this fire escape the 

 element of chance 

 does not enter. It 

 has a positive ac- 

 tion, and as all 

 working parts are 

 controlled by grav- 

 ity there is nothing 

 to get out of order 

 at the critical mo- 

 ment. The value 

 of an apparatus of 

 this kind will be 

 realized by anyone, 

 for a fire seldom 

 destroys a stable of 

 any considerable 

 size without a num- 

 of the animals be- 

 ing lost. This re- 

 sults generally from the fact that the 

 animals, frightened by the fire and 

 smoke, become unmanageable and, if 

 loosened, rush into the flames. The 

 new device does away with all danger 

 from this source and in addition provides 

 a means of escape. 



When the fire escape is to be arranged, 

 the stalls are located along the sides of 

 the stable. Each is arranged with a door 

 in the exterior wall, which is provided 

 with a mechanism which at the same 

 time that the door is held shut, holds up a 

 gate above the open end of the stall, or 

 behind the animal when the stall is oc- 

 cupied. A manger with collapsible parts 

 is mounted in proper relation to the 

 stall and a special halter is provided. 

 Each manger is made up of two distinct 

 parts — a front and a bottom. In the 

 edges of these where they unite when in 

 normal position is located a slot or 

 groove, in the form of a one-inch hole, 

 half of which is in the bottom and half 

 in the front. Through this hole is run 

 a one-inch rope, with a knot at its lower 

 end and a ring at its upper end. When 



Diagram of the automatic horse fire escape. 

 A gate drops, the manger collapses, and the 

 halter is loosened when the outside fire-es- 

 cape door of the stable is opened 



the manger collapses, the rope is in- 

 stantly released and the animal freed. 

 All working parts are operated by grav- 

 ity. When the 

 door, which is hung 

 on gravity hinges, is 

 unlatched it falls 

 open, thereby al- 

 lowing the bar 

 which supports the 

 rear gate to roll 

 forward. This re- 

 leases the gate, 

 which drops, pre- 

 venting the animal 

 from backing into 

 the stable. As the 

 door is opened still 

 farther the manger 

 collapses and falls 

 to the floor, the 

 opening of the door 

 having released the 

 supporting rods. 

 One large business 

 house in Los Angel- 

 es, at the stables of 

 which company the accompanying il- 

 lustrations were made, has a series of ten 

 of these escapes in one row. By a single 

 operation, performed by hand or auto- 

 matically, all of the escapes may be trip- 

 ped, as shown on the opposite page. 



If a fire breaks out, the device works 

 automatically. This result is accom- 

 plished by running a cable along the in- 

 terior of the building. This cable is cut 

 into short pieces and connected with 

 fusible links, these being placed as near to 

 the woodwork as possible. From the in- 

 terior the cable is run through the outside 

 wall close to the lever which operates the 

 fire escape doors. The end of the cable 

 is then attached to a trip to which a 

 weight is fastened, this weight also being 

 connected to the lever which releases the 

 door latches. In the event of a fire the 

 cable separates, on account of one of the 

 fusible links being melted, this releasing 

 the trip which allows the weight to pull 

 down the lever and which, in turn,, 

 automatically releases all of the fire 

 doors. This device is the invention of 

 John Betty of Los Angeles. 



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