Alfred Rigny’s Fire Ladder Patent Model c1867

This unique antique brass working model of an innovative fire ladder was created and submitted to the US patent Office in 1867 by Alfred Rigny of New York as part of his patent application. He was granted approval for his idea but as far as I can tell his design was sadly never put into production.

Rigny was not an engineer by trade but a French Wine Merchant, yet a very influential and devastating fire in downtown New York (just a few blocks from his home) in 1860 most likely set his mind on a path to design a decent escape ladder. A core issue of the Elm Street fire had been that the usual fireman’s ladders were just not tall enough to reach those stuck on the upper floors. Indeed the problem of tall escape ladders was on the mind of many at the time and not just Alfred Rigny.  Had Rigny’s design been created his ladder would have impressively risen over 50 feet into the air and then easily rolled back up inside the carriage of the vehicle. If you would like to read more about Rigny, this model and the Elm Street Fire you can read my blog post by clicking here.

Before the 1880s all US inventors had to submit a scale model alongside their patent application. While many models are usually very rudimentary being made of simple painted wood or metal to merely suggest the intended idea, Rigny’s ladder is in another league altogether. It is not only a unique item (as I’m sure no others would have been made), but is also a superb piece of scale model construction. This piece has been hand made in brass probably by a local engineer or clock maker for Rigny and I would not be surprised if it took him over 100 hours of work. Please see the short video below but as a working model it has gearing on the side which can be engaged or disengaged to wind the ladder up or down (this ladder is nearly 4 foot long!), a locking brake once it is at the correct height, and also has a unique approach to lock and unlock each segment of the roll able ladder.

The model is offered in lovely condition overall and has been recently polished on the outside but left untouched on the inside except for a new webbing belt. As a scratch-built item I love that you can clearly see how the model maker has created and had to subtly modify this piece, leaving his raw guide and file marks, changing cuts and filling in holes where he positioned them wrongly or they just didn’t work compared to the paper design. The cogs are of course bespoke hand cut, the wheels hand cast and overall this is just a quality piece of engineering. As per the video the ladder winds up quite smoothly, but a flaw in the design of the ladder joints means it is not as smooth to come back down again and does need more help. It was probably smaller technical issues like this that meant it never saw real production. We have secured this model on a new oak base and it of course comes will a photocopy of Rigny’s patent application as well.

This is a fantastic piece for any relevant museum or collection of a very unusual fire ladder design.

Dimensions including base: 49cm wide x 20cm deep x 33cm high (ladder fully stowed away). Ladder extends nearly 4 feet.