From the stomach pump to the fire escape, Mr. John Read’s inventions knew no bounds. He descended from the various floors of the house causing quite a stir. Other similar creative and amusing fire escape designs were around at this time.
“Great interest was excited on Wednesday afternoon the 30th ult. in Regent-street, by the descent of Mr. Read (the patentee of the stomach pump) from a window nearly 60 feet from the ground, by means of a very simple fire-escape of his invention. The apparatus consists merely of a rope twice the length of the height of the place where it is attached. Above the window of the chamber a ring is fastened to the wall inside the room, a bar crosses the ring perpendicularly, and around this the rope is reflected. Some strong web, which forms a sort of seat, is attached to one end of the rope, and the other being thrown out of the window, the persons escaping from a house on fire lower themselves into the street, by allowing the rope to pass gradually through the hands as they descend. In the same manner children or others may be let down by any one of ordinary courage and coolness, for which purpose a bag is appended to the rope, in which they may be securely enveloped. Mr. Read descended from the various floors of the house with great adroitness, highly to the satisfaction of a great crowd assembled by the novel exhibition.”
The Stamford Mercury, 9th May, 1828.