The problem
Firefighters and rescuers had no way to breathe in smoke or gas; they simply could not enter.
The innovation
A hood with long intake tubes hanging near the floor, where smoke is thinner, plus a moist absorbent lining.
How it worked
Hot smoke rises, so drawing air from floor level supplies relatively cleaner air; the wet sponge lining traps particulates.
Why it mattered
In 1916 Morgan and his brother used the hoods to rescue workers trapped in a tunnel explosion under Lake Erie.
The legacy
An ancestor of the gas mask and of modern self-contained breathing apparatus.
You use this today
Firefighter breathing equipment.
Sources
US Patent 1,113,675
Primary record
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