370 GOODYEAR ON GUM-ELASTIC. 



they may be furnished when the manufacture shall be exten- 

 sively engaged in, with the important improvements in the con- 

 struction and fastenings of these articles. The personal efforts 

 of the inventor have long been directed to this class of articles, 

 and those connected with the cause of education ; and it is his 

 intention to continue them until the usefulness of the articles is 

 so far demonstrated, that others shall duly appreciate the subject. 



A suggestion has befoi'e been made, that the importance of 

 this subject demands there should be some public or individual 

 philanthropic enterprise engaged in, with ample means for the 

 supply of an assortment of such articles on the lowest possible 

 terms. 



To the description of articles which follows, a catalogue of 

 others is added, with reference to their place in other parts of 

 the work. 



FIRE-ESCAPE ROPE. 



The design of a rope constructed as here described, is to ex- 

 tricate persons from the upper stories of buildings on fire. 

 They are made as represented in plate , fig. , with a cross 



rope and handles, in order that after the rope is secured and 

 passed from an adjoining building, persons may pass from one 

 building to the other, or descend to the ground ; or they are 

 made without handles, like the gymnastic rope hereafter de- 

 scribed. 



The improvement which is made in this article, consists in 

 inclosing the common hemp rope within an elastic hose, which 

 being loose and stretching upon the rope, it allows one to 

 descend easily upon it without chaffing or burning the hands. 



