all original highly sought after early 20th century american wall-mount commercial and/or hotel building "davy" fire escape device. the enameled lithographed steel cylindrical container features exceptionally detailed imagery depicting victorian women bound in the underarm harness while being lowered to safety. the davy was considered a safe portable automatic means of escape in case of fire. the wall mount device contains a centrifugally geared braking mechanism which ensures a controlled rate of descent, irrespective of weight or height. the davy automatic escape was designed to be strongly fixed to the wall of any bedroom in a hotel, house, etc., or alternatively, could be attached to high level equipment from where escape under emergency conditions could prove difficult. it provided a rapid and effective means of escape for people trapped by fire. the davy fire escape device operates using a patented geared centrifugal brake mechanism through which runs a continuous length of terylene covered steel cable - the length of the cable being determined by the height of the mechanism above ground level. the ends of the cable are secured by means of a forged steel shackle. in the stored position the cable is wound onto a rubber storage reel. when in use, the cable reel is dropped to the ground, which automatically unwinds the retractable cable. the underarm belt or harness adjacent to the wall-mounted unit, is secured around the body, and the person descens downward at a speed of approximately 3 feet per second, independent of the person's weight. as the cable runs through the mechanism, the additional belt ascends upwards towards the window for the next person to escape. likely fabricated around 19096-10 by the davy automatic fire escape co., syracuse, ny.