Weird Inventions : Fire Escape
By AmberLynn
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
United States
January 31, 2021 10:47am CST
What comes to mind when you think of the phrase fire escape?
For me it's a metal set of stairs that extend from a window in an apartment building. It goes from the top floor of a building to the ground.
Well that's not what this is. Patented in 1882, this was a rope and pulley system that would allow a person to escape to the ground. If the rope and wood plank didn't catch fire fire first.
It's a noble attempt don't you think?
*Image taken from patents.google.com
6 people like this
6 responses
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
31 Jan 21
I am so glad it has improved, aren't you?
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
31 Jan 21
@thelme55 I do not think I would want to live in the past. There were so many things they tried and were very dangerous.
1 person likes this
@kanuck1 (4424)
•
31 Jan 21
@ScribbledAdNauseum I always hoped to find a way to escape in case there was a fire. So far, I'm glad I have never been caught in a fire.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
31 Jan 21
@kanuck1 I am glad you have not either. My bedroom window used to stick and I am glad that last year I figured out a way to stop that from happening.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (208906)
• United States
31 Jan 21
I had no idea, it looks like something that a window washer on a skyscraper would use. Geez, what a dangerous job that is, you would have to have nerves of steel.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
31 Jan 21
This was apparently supposed to be used for just escaping fires, but it makes me wonder what was used to wash windows during that time.
@prinzcy (32299)
• Malaysia
1 Feb 21
@ScribbledAdNauseum it might be back then. Perhaps they found a flaw in the invention after that that it's no longer used.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
1 Feb 21
I wonder if these were very popular? I am not sure they would be.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
31 Jan 21
Not to mention how your hands would hurt after using the pulley system!
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
31 Jan 21
@paigea Right but throwing on a pair of gloves isn't the first thing on a person's mind when escaping a fire. 
Though perhaps the ones who could afford this system were also the ones that wore gloves all the time.
Though perhaps the ones who could afford this system were also the ones that wore gloves all the time.1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222302)
• United States
1 Feb 21
Interesting. I love reading about the old ways of doing things.
1 person likes this
