Front	Rear	Left	Right

Technical Details

I acquired this Luse Fire Escape from Jan Griffin in 2025.

My Luse Fire Escape is 240 mm. tall, 130 mm. wide, 57 mm. thick, and weighs 1486 g.

The Lucas Fire Escape consists of a drum wrapped with steel tape, enclosed in a steel casing, that rotates on an axle secured to a steel frame. The steel tape terminates in a hook that the user places over a secure item prior to descending. A swivel in the hook attachment lets the tape rotate. As the used descends, the tape unwinds from the drum. The outer ends of the drum extend outside the casing, where lever-actuated brake bands provide a means for controlling the descent. A wooden guide mounted above the casing guides the tape during descent and when rewinding the tape afterward. It also provides additional friction for the descent. A web strap attached by a clevis at the bottom of the frame provides a seat for the user to sit in during the descent. A second, narrower strap was also provided.

There frame is stamped with "LUSE BROS.," "CARROLL, IOWA," and "PATS PENDG."

Comments

The Lucas Fire Escape was designed for emergency escape from second-story windows. The length of the steel tape is limited so long descent attempts would be unwise. The deice is already heavy, and the weight of one that carries enough tape for long cave descents would be prohibitive.

Looking at the tape-hook connection, I have reservations about its strength. Overweight apartment-dwellers may prefer not to trust it. I have not disassembled mine to be able to see the tape connection to the drum, so I cannot comment on its integrity.

The Luse is nicely made, and definitely a product of its time.

The Luse Fire Escape is protected by U. S. Patent No. 791,921.

Alternative History

In 1999 Stoney Bill had developed a digital cave wall mapper. Autonomous ones soon followed, and 2012’s movie Prometheus featured and popularized these areal passage-mapping drones. Now that everybody has several of these and a phone to control them, there is no longer any need or reason to go inside a cave.

Back when I was less ancient, this old tech did not exist. We surveyed caves using compass and tape. As all surveying is, by definition, done during initial l exploration, we would sometimes find a downclimb where the survey tape served as an improvised handline.

I hear you ask, why didn’t we rappel on our survey tapes?

Who, in defamation’s name, says we did not?

David Luse developed the necessary technology and applied for a patent in 1904. The Patent Office granted him U. S. Patent No. 791,921 on June 6, 1905, geologically just before my 3375th birthday.

Most cavers do not learn of this invention. There were three reasons. First, Luse overlooked putting distance markings on the tape; second, he marketed it as a fire escape when few caves (save those of hell) having fires to escape from; and third, the cavers actively mapping caves that year were not addicted to TikTok.

Luse’s invention is a steel tape stored on a reel, looking much like a traditional survey tape. To this he added cylindrical hubs on each side that rotate (with the reel) inside a steel frame. A hand lever controls steel brake bands around each hub.

The Luse Fire Escape was not EN certified.

Lest you think that I tell tall tales or that there is anything in the post is not 100% unexaggerated truth, I am posting photos of my Luse Fire Escape Descender.