The Unlikely Hero of the Fire Escape
When a local doctor patented a new fire escape in 1878, he had to prove it could survive the ultimate test: a 'timid' gentleman from the New England Hotel climbing down from a third-story window.
The fire escape recently patented by Dr. Bryant, of this city, was again tested yesterday, not only by the inventor but by a gentleman sojourning at the New England Hotel. The descent was made from a window in the third story of the United States Hotel—first by the doctor and afterwards by the gentleman alluded to. The latter is a man of rather timid nature, so that the test was of much significance as showing the confidence which the working of the machine inspires. From time to time, in the Eastern and Middle States, attempts have been made to introduce fire escapes, but they have universally failed, for the reason that ladies were afraid to venture in them. This is one of the essential features in Dr. Bryant's apparatus; the whole machinery being so simple in construction and adjustment that the most timid girl would feel perfectly safe in its protecting arms, no matter from what height she might be descending. Now that the patent has been issued, we shall take occasion, at no distant day, to give a full description of this machine; filling as it does so important a place in the world of life-saving inventions.
“The whole machinery being so simple in construction and adjustment that the most timid girl would feel perfectly safe in its protecting arms.”
In 1878, Seattle was an emerging town grappling with basic fire safety in its wooden hotel infrastructure. While the technology has evolved from Dr. Bryant's mechanical contraption to modern sprinkler systems and fire codes, the underlying anxiety—the need for simple, reliable safety infrastructure in a dense city—remains a central concern for Seattle’s modern high-rise housing debates.
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