Abstract: An escape device for allowing an endangered person to be safely lowered from a drilling tower or other elevated structure includes an automatic brake which controls the descent of a trolley assembly downwardly along an escape cable extending from the elevated structure to a ground level anchor remote from the structure. The automatic brake includes a reel rotatably secured to the elevated structure and a brake cable wound about the reel and attached at one end to the trolley assembly. A fluid pump coupled to the reel causes the reel to rotate at a constant speed when the trolley assembly descends the escape cable. The effective diameter of the reel decreases as the brake cable is unwound therefrom, thereby slowing the rate of descent of the trolley assembly as it approaches the lower end of the escape cable. The escape device is adapted to be used with both the upper and lower stations of a derrick or similar elevated structure.