following way; the chamber fire-escape may be made to ship and unship at pleasure, and may be shaped variously, and being secured to the bottom, top, or sides of any window or other opening, with the rope passed or reeved through both holes at the projecting end, the plain end of the rope is to be dropped or thrown down to any person on the outside to take hold of and to lower down the person to be rescued. Persons to be rescued have only to slip the noose over the head and shoulders, so as to draw the noose close just under their arms, and getting out of the window, any other person or persons below or remaining in the room, having hold of the other end of the rope may lower them down in safety; and then if men are to be rescued from the same floor, the noose is to be hauled up again, and the same process to be repeated as often as necessary. The small line fastened to the noose is for the purpose, of drawing the suspended person clear away from the side of the building when found needful. When there are several people thus to be saved, those who remain in the room may lower down the others; those first down may then lower the rest, and a moderately active person would find no difficulty in lowering himself down, more especially if the small end of the rope is again reeved through another hole or two, provided for the purpose in the sloping bar, as shewn in the drawing at D D, No. 1. to deaden its passage still more.

For the external fire-escape or machine, for moving from house to house, the following description, with the drawing No. 3, will clearly shew the instrument, and how it is to be applied. The drawing No. 3 shews an instrument on the same principle, though it may be variously shaped, made of iron or other metal to be fixed on the end of a pole of a length proportionate to

the

the height of houses in the neighbourhood, so that it shall reach and rest upon, clasp or take hold of any window cill it shall be elevated to. At the upper or projecting end outwards, there are to be two holes with a rope reeved or run through them, exactly the same as the one described for the chamber fire-escape. One end of the pole is to be fitted and fastened into the socket of the fire-escape, by which the fire-escape machinery may be raised full as readily as a ladder, furnishing a similar means of escape from without, as that of the chamber fire-escape from within. The lower part of the pole may be divided by a joint, so as to straddle and stand firm, as shewn by the etching drawing of a front view of No. 4, of the same machine as is delineated No. 3; and these legs EE may be opened more or less by a line F, to heighten or lower the fire-escape at the top, to suit the place to which it is to be raised; or two poles may be made to slide one up by the other, until the upper end having the fire-escape can be lodged on its destined situation; or it may be made in other ways to suit particular situations.

The external fire-escape, as shewn by No. 5, is on a different construction, formed on the principle of the idler or lazy tongs; it is made of bamboo canes, or deal, or other wood, or metal, in slips of any even lengths, according to the size and elevation intended; five double lengths, or more or less, or ten pieces of eight feet long each, or any other length, are to be bolted in pairs together in the centre of each length, but so as to work easy on those bolts. The ends of each adjoining pair are likewise to be bolted together, one pair to another, until the five pair or other number thus bolted together, lay edge-ways one over the other. There must be two or more sets or rows of these bolted pairs of bamboos, slips

of

of wood, or metal.

These two or more sets are to be se

cured together at any required distance by bolts the length of such distance. To the four corners or upper end a canvas or netting may be fastened, or a slight platform, as shewn in the drawing at G, No. 5, which thus forms a top to be raised up to the windows of houses where people are to be rescued, or help is wanted to be sent up to the chambers. The lower or bottom ends of the bamboos, or slips of wood, or metal, are to be fitted to and rest upon the bottom of a case, fixed on four wheels like a truck, to move readily to any place where wanted, until the platform or top is required to be raised to any window; the whole of these double rows or sets of bamboos, or slips of wood, or metal bolted together to form one piece of machinery, will lay down close in the case, not exceeding two feet in height. But when a force is applied to raise the machinery, it will extend to a height not exceeding thirty feet, raising the platform or canvas, or netting top, either to receive any person from out of a ..window, or convey any person up to give ready aid of any kind. By raising the lower middle joint or bolt that secures the sets together, between three and four feet from the bottom of the case, the top will be elevated more than thirty feet, a greater or lesser number of lengths giving a greater or less height. The power to be applied for raising the lower joint or bolts may be various; it may be by the common rack and pinionwheel of the timber jack, or by a lever, or by a common pulley, or by a rope round a roller worked by a tooth and pinion wheel with a winch handle, as shewn in the drawing No. 5. In either way the raising and lowering of the platform, or canvas or netting. performed with the greatest celerity, by whi or goods may be saved; and may be applie other good purposes. In witness whereof

Specification of the Patent granted to WILLIAM COBB, late of the Parish of Saint Martin in the Fields, but now of : Swithin's Lane, Cannon Street, London, Cordwainer; for a Method of making an Air Jacket and proper Shoes for Swimming, to prevent the fatal Consequences attending Sailors and others in Shipwreck, never heretofore practised. Dated March 31, 1764 *.-Term expired.

To all to whom these presents shall come, &c. NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I the said William Cobb do declare, that my said invention does consist and is to be performed in manner hereafter expressed; that is to say: The jackets are made of calves, neat, or sheeps leather, or any thing pliable that will hold air, cut in the form of a short jacket without sleeves, with pieces sewed on the outsides and back bigger than the insides or back to hang loose and hollow, to contain a sufficient quantity of air blowed through a bag or receptacle, with a pipe fixed to it to convey the air into the receptacle, which receptacle is fastened on to one of the loose sides to convey the air into the loose sides and back, by means of a communication from one part of the jacket to the other. The jacket to be buttoned before, button-holes round the skirts to be buttoned or fastened to the waistband of the breeches. The upper strap of the receptacle to be buttoned to the upper button of the jacket, and the lowest strap to the nearest lower button it comes to.

Then

* The air-jacket described in this specification is so similar to Mr. Daniel's life-preserver, which the Society of Arts, &c. have lately rewarded with their gold medal, that we have been requested to publish it along with the account of that gentleman's apparatus, which will be found in the present number.

hold

hold the pipe with your teeth and blow into the receptacle till the jacket is filled with air, stop the pipe with the cork, then use it in swimming.

The shoes are made with pieces of wood cut in the form of a sole of a shoe, and hinges screwed on to the wood with joints covered with leather, fastened on to common shoes, to open and shut in swimming like a swan's foot.

In witness whereof, &c.

Specification of the Patent granted to EDWARD COLEMAN, Professor of the Veterinary College, in the Parish of Saint Pancras, in the County of Middlesex; for certain Improvements in the Construction and Application of a Horse-Shoe, which will completely prevent several Discases to which the Feet of Horses are subject, more especially that very general Disease called Contraction of the Hoof; and is also particularly adapted for flat or convex Feet for Horses of the Cavalry and for Hunting, and for all other Purposes where the Loss of a Shoe is productive of great Inconvenience.

Dated April 30, 1808.

To all to whom these presents shall come, &c. Now KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I the said Edward Coleman do hereby declare that my said invention is described in manner following; that is to say: As all cases of contracted feet in horses proceed from the hoof being exposed to artificial and unnatural heat in the stable, or from the frog not receiving its duę degree of pressure; and as the frog of the horse when shod can rarely be made parallel with the heels of the shoe, it was deemed very important to invent a shoe applicable