ELEVATORS AND ESCALATORS

the chief ad- vances in elevator design in the period 1910-26 have been in- itiated in the united states, where the increasing congestion in business districts has forced up land values and made it clesirable to increase the height of buildings, a necessary condition to this change being an improved type of elevator. the famous skyline of new york is thus intimately dependent on the most notable improvement of the period, the perfecting of the gearless traction elevator. prior to 1906, when the first electric gearless traction elevator was installed, practically all electric elevators had been of the drum type. this type had inherent limitations, such as the available width of face of the drum upon which the hoisting ca- bles were wound and a maximum car speed of 400 ft. per minute. these restricted the electric elevator to lower buildings, the higher ones being equipped with the geared vertical or horizontal hydraulic elevators, which provided car speeds up to 600 ft. per minute. the electric elevator —the advent of the electric elevator, which was evolved from the earlier drum type of electric elevator, provided 600-ft. car speeds without restrictions on the height of buildings. it substituted a traction driving sheave for the drum of the earlier type of electric machine and direct drive instead of the worm gearing. the first cost of such an installation was much less than the hydraulic elevator, with its steam pumping plant; the operating costs were less; the machines were easier to operate and required less space in the building, being placed over the hatchways and thus saving the valuable space in the basements formerly required for the pumping plants. these advantages speedily made the gearless traction elevators popular, and by 1910 installations of hydraulic elevators had practically ceased. from that time, improvement consisted largely of devclopment and refinement of operation and control. direct current only can be used with this machine. the drum type of electric elevator, employed for slower speed service, is gradually being replaced by the geared (single wrap) traction types, except for special uses, such as mine or blast- furnace hoists, where it is still desirable to wind the ropes on a drum. electric elevators having car speeds up to approximately 350 to 4oo ft. are usually of this type. it differs from the old drum type merely inits use of a traction driving sheave, which is substituted for the drum. the change was prompted by the success of the traction drive on the gearless machines, its advan- tage lying in the safeguarding of the car or counterweight against being drawn into the overhead work. the driving sheave is mounted on a spider, or directly on the gear shaft, just as was elevators and escalators emis 2 «s j aen tess i bie en silt “hcl ma " yunndeses4 uibiait hayy qu cttelie aaa ttt th gel oo io [ns ax ea etd g *. es : j} 3 ft oe ig lemurs ie ir272te sete mbit mla im 1 ase sas sse = = ~ = = 4p, ’ ‘ ; j = ey sa .,* = : i ban he : s i} 1 1 ! he a! |! yi. 1m i ~ i! ! e'al ll ~ = <ss oa 1 t pul ] at : ~ =e ss " raa en ss ae: sees t cy hae sss ina rig rs, +3 is al an unnaacasant ' % zi e; pan] as 1 vy? \b ie vat ‘ill wiry ht fig. 1.—a modern elevator with electric drive and signal control. (otis elevator co.) 967 formerly done with the drum. the ropes are attached to the car, then pass up and over the driving sheave of the machine, which is usually mounted over the hatchway, and then, passing down, are attached to the counterweight. thus, if by any chance the car should travel too far beyond the top landing, the counter- weight will land in the pit and the tractive effort will at once be lessened so that the car cannot be drawn up further. this also applies to the drawing of the counterweight into the overhead. these machines are provided with hand-rope contro} for the very slow speeds and, for higher speeds, with car switch control or automatic push-button control. the hand-rope control is being displaced by the double-button controls, a feature of which is the providing of a contact and lock on hatchway doors or gates so that the elevator cannot be started until they are all closed. both geared and gearless machines have been provided with two almost revolutionary improvements in control, the micro drive or self-levelling operation and the unit multi-voltage control or variable voltage operation. the micro drive (self-levelling operation) is designed to bring the car platform automatically to rest on an exact level with the floor landing, this level being maintained irrespective of the stretch of ropes or change of load on the platform. the mechan- ism is brought into action by the operator, who centres the car switch to stop the car within the “ micro zone ” above or below a landing. a cam on the car then engages levelling switches in the hatchway and operates through the controller to bring the car automatically to an exact landing. the micro drive is par- ticularly valuable in elevators used extensively by women and children, as in large stores, hotels and apartments, where it lessens the danger of stumbling. it is valuable also for heavy- duty freight elevators, assuring a level landing for trucks. unit multi-v oltage control unit multi-voltage control pro- vides much greater smoothness in starting and stopping the car, while increasing general operating efficiency, in comparison with the so-called resistance control. it produces the highest class of service for high-speed elevators of all types. it is also particu- larly valuable in locations where alternating current source of supply only is available, as it permits of the use of the highest class of direct current elevator machines operating through spe- cial motor generator sets provided for this purpose. otherwise it would be necessary to use commercial motor generator sets, which are not satisfactory for this purpose, or else to use regular alternating current elevator machines, which cannot provide a high-speed service. signal control.—a further development of elevator operation is known as otis signal control. this is primarily intended for the highest class of elevator service in the tallest buildings, or indeed in others in which intensive service is required. the con- trol is entirely automatic and is exercised by means of a series of buttons in the car, and “up” and “ down ” buttons at each oor landing. this adaptation of ordinary slow-speed push- button control is applicable to elevators travelling as fast as 800 ft. per min. or more. this machine is always provided with micro-drive operation and unit multi-voltage control. the following brief description shows the kind of service possible with the otis signal control operation. as the car is standing at the ground floor, each entering passenger calls the floor at which he wishes to alight. the attendant then presses the button in the panel numbered to correspond to that floor. when he receives the signal to start he merely releases the door, which closes automatically, the elevator starts automatically, and then, without further action on the part of the attendant, stops automatically at the first floor for which a button has been pressed. as the micro drive brings the platform exactly level, the doors open automatically. this course is repeated at each iloor for which a button has been pressed. a waiting passenger at any floor mercly presses the usual signal button, which call is then automatically registered on the controller of the first car travelling in the desired direction. this car automatically stops at the floor and the doors open automatically. such stopping of the car to answer calls at the floors is entirely independent of the attendant and is indeed unknown to him until the car stops. 968 there is thus no possibility of an attendant neglecting to stop for a waiting passenger, although if his car is full he can transfer all calls to the next car. the adoption of the signal control with micro drive permits of car speeds being raised to 1,000 ft. per min. or more with perfect stopping at the floors, thus anticipating the requirements of still higher buildings in the future. new controls —two new forms of control, known as depart- ment store control and collective automatic push-button control, were being placed upon the market in 1926. these are both adap- tations of the signal control and designed to provide automatic operation for slower-speed elevators. department store control is intended primarily for use in that type of building and pro- vides automatic operation, so that the attendant in the car may devote his entire attention to his passengers, and to announcing the departments on the floors. the elevator starts automatically as soon as the doors are closed at the first floor, and without the necessity of pressing any buttons in the car, stops automatically at each floor. as the car is slowed down with the micro drive the doors open automatically, and upon being released by the at- tendant they close automatically and the car immediately starts for the next floor. no hall buttons are necessary as the car stops at each landing. ~ micro-drive eperation and unit multi-voltage control are es- sential features of this machine as they are of the collective auto- matic push-button control. this latter type combines the advan- tage of requiring no regular operator and of attaining speeds im- possible for the earlier slow-speed elevators with push-button control. the use of the earlier type was confined to private resi- dences, small apartments or small office buildings, because the car could only serve one floor at a time and was restricted to speeds not exceeding 150 to 200 ft. per min. in order to make accurate landings. with this new control there is no restriction on car speed; the car will automatically pick up all calls registered from the hall buttons in the direction in which the car is travel- ling, and the system may be used in much larger buildings. a so-called operatorless elevator is designed for use in large ware- houses where there are a number of elevators operating in banks, and so arranged with a telephone system at each floor that the elevators are operated entirely by one person at a central dispatch point, thereby effecting a great economy in operation. such systems are provided with the micro drive and automatic push- button control. safety devices —in addition to minor improvements in the earlier devices underneath the platform to prevent falling of the car in case the ropes break, there has been developed a switch which acts to slow down the elevator if descending at excessive speed and which acts prior to the application of the safety device. automatic stopping and limit switches also are provided on all high-speed cars, whereby the machines are automatically slowed down as the car approaches the terminal landings. if the car runs past the final limits of travel, the final limit switch cuts off all power from the machine and apphes the brake. the governors are also provided with governor switches, which cut off current to the machine and apply the brake upon application of the safety devices. buffers are provided in the bottom of the eleva- tor pit, arranged to bring the car or counterweight to rest if they should overrun their travel. on high-speed elevators these buffers are usually of the oil type with telescope casing, in which the oil percolates through holes into the outer oil chambers at a predetermined rate so designed as to permit of the car’s landing on the buffers at normal operating speed and being brought to rest without injury to the occupants. building regulations frequently provide that elevator hatchway doors shall be so equipped that the elevator cannot be started until all doors are closed. the car also often has a door or gate provided with mechanisms to prevent the elevator from starting until the door is closed. tue uses or escalators the escalator has greatly increased in popularity in places where it is necessary to transport large crowds of persons from one level to another, such as in stores, railway terminals and elgar—eliot, c. w. underground railways, the transfer being possible with perfect safety, greater rapidity and less crowding than by elevators. the first escalator was shown at the paris exposition in 1898. it was later taken down and is now used in a large store in phila- delphia. the earlier escalator has now been superseded by a simpler and more efficient type, in which the construction is more substantial, wearing parts are few and operating costs are low. there are two general designs—the flat step and the cleat step types. in the former the steps are perfectly flat, as in an ordinary stairway, and disappear under a shunt at the top or bottom. these shunts require considerable space on the floors, a disadvantage which is not found in the cleat step esca- lator, the principal superficial difference being that the steps have several cleats attached which pass through comb plates at the top or bottom of the runway. since these new types were perfected, many escalators have been installed in department stores throughout the united states, england and germany, as wellas in japan and australia. (j. h. van a.) elgar, sir edward (1857- ), british composer (see 9.266), received the order of merit in 1911. his first symphony, produced at manchester in 1908, created a furore and was played over 100 times in one year. this was followed by a violin concerto (1910); the second symphony in e iflat (1911); falstaff (1913); the carillon, recitation with orchestra (1914); polonia, symphonic poem (1915); the spirit of england, choruses (1917); a quartet, quintet and violoncello concerto (1919); a transcription for orchestra of bach’s c-minor fugue (1921). in 1924 sir edward elgar conducted the massed bands and choirs at the opening of the british empire exhibition, where his “land of hope and glory” was performed before king george v.., and 100,000 people; the same year he was appointed master of the king’s musick. among his other compositions may be mentioned: the crown of india, a masque (1912); the music makers, for contralto, chorus and orchestra (1912); choral songs, anthems, etc. see e. newman, elgar (1906); r. buckley, sir edward elgar (1904); and j. f. porte, sir edward elgar (1921). elgin, victor alexander bruce, oth eart or (1849- 1917), british politician (see 9.268), died at broomhall, fife, jan. 18 1917. his son, edward james bruce (1881- ), who then became the roth earl, was made chairman of the carnegie united kingdom trust. in 1925 he was lord high commissioner to the church of scotland. eliot, sir charles norton edgcumbe (1864- vs british diplomatist and writer, was educated at cheltenham and balliol college, oxford, where he had a highly distinguished university career, being elected fellow of university college in 1885. he entered the diplomatic service in 1886 and acted as charge d’affaires in morocco in 1892-3, in bulgaria, 1895 and in serbia, 1897. he was created c.b. in 1898 and k.c.m.g, in 1900. in jan. roor he was appointed high commissioner of the british east africa protectorate, but he resigned in jan. 1904, being opposed to the grant of a concession to the east africa syndicate, which he held to be detrimental to genuine colonisa- tion. for some years he abandoned public service, but in aug. 1918 he was named high commissioner in siberia, and in nov. 1919 became ambassador to japan, being thereupon sworn of the privy council. he was created g.c.m.g. in 1923. in jan. 1926 he was appointed a member of the japanese imperial academy, being the first foreigner to receive this honour. in early life eliot paid several visits to the balkan peninsula and under the pseudonym of ‘‘ odysseus ” published in 1900 turkey in europe. he also travelled in central asia, china and japan and is the author of letters from the far east (1907), and hinduism and buddhism (1921). he wrote also the hust africa protectorate (1905), and compiled a finnish grammar (1890) and other linguistic books. eliot, charles william (1834- ), american educa- tionalist (see 9.274), was offered the post of ambassador to england by president taft in 1909, but preferred to serve his country in a private capacity at home. he received a similar invitation from president wilson in 1913 but again declined. elizabeth—embryology he continued to take an active part, by writing and speaking, in all the important public questions of the day. his theories concerning necessary changes in education toward the concrete and practical had great influence upon american schools. the vocational movement, so marked after 1910, was without doubt accelerated by his continued insistence upon the training of the senses of sight, hearing and touch, as being the sources of the best part of knowledge. in 1914 he was elected president of the american association for the advancement of science. in his educational writings he maintained that the traditional systems had dealt too exclusively with language and literature. in 1916, however, he was awarded a gold medal by the american academy of arts and letters for his literary influence in his educational work. in the field of religion he was an authoritative spokesman on the unitarian faith. in his later books, the religion of the future (1909) and twentieth century christianity, he rejected obscure dogma, emphasised freedom in place of authority, and held that the teaching of christ had been “ the undying root of all the best in human history since he lived,”’ and that he would be the supreme teacher in the new religion, the outcome of which would be the brotherhood of man. dr. eliot gave much atten- tion to labour problems and declared that ‘‘ profit-sharing, com- bined with co-operative management, in which the employees take active and reasonable part, is the only road to industrial peace.”” he condemned limited output by labour as well as uniform hours and wages. the settling of industrial strife he considered to be second in importance only to the establishment of a league of nations. eliot was a strong supporter of president wilson’s adminis- tration, and approved his personal appeal to the country in 1918 to return a democratic congress. he favoured prohibition asa war measure, and later as an amendment to the constitution. he wrote in favour of military training after the swiss method, but maintained that, after a icague of nations was formed, no country should be allowed to have an army “ whose officers have entered for life the profession of soldier.” in 1920 dr. elhtot was an active worker for the democratic party because he re- garded the immediate adoption of the covenant of the league of nations as a moral obligation. his ooth birthday, march 20 1924, was made the occasion of a striking demonstration of esteem in sanders theatre, harvard university, cambridge, mass., on which occasion chief justice taft, representing the president of the united states, testified to the great influence wielded by dr. eliot in the field of education. elizabeth (1843-1916), queen of rumania (see g.286), died at bucharest, rumania, march 2 1916. elliott, howard (1860- ), american railway manager, was born in new york city dec. 6 1860. after graduating from the lawrence scientific school, harvard, in 1881, he was for several years a clerk in various offices of the chicago, bur- lington and quincy railroad. later he was appointed general freight agent and then general manager of several lines belong- ing to the burlington system. in 1902 he became second vice- president of the company and the following year president of the northern pacific railway. in 1913 he was made president of the new york, new haven and hartford railroad and at the same time chairman of its board of directors. in 1917 he resigned and was made chairman of the committee on intercor- porate relations of the new haven system, a position which he retained until 1922. in the same year he was nominated by the american railway assn. one of the six members of the rail- roads war board. in 1917 he also became chairman of the executive committee of the northern pacific railway co., was president 1919-20 and then chairman of the board of directors. he took an active part in obtaining legislation from congress for the protection of the railroads, urged higher freight rates and suggested the creation of a department of transportation, with a secretary in the cabinet. ellis, henry havelock (1859- }, british psychol- ogist, was born at croydon, surrey, on feb. 2 1859. both his father and his maternal grandfather were sea captains, and much 969 of his childhood was spent on the pacific. after teaching for four years in new south wales, he proceeded to st. thomas’s hospital, london, where he qualified for the medical profession. for a short time he was engaged in general practice but very soon he abandoned it for literary and scientific work. the more popular researches of the freuclian school have to a considerable extent overshadowed the methods of ellis, in which more em- phasis is laid on biology and less on clinical experience. in the last century, moreover, the extension of his fame beyond medical circles was impeded by the repugnance aroused in the ordinary reader by the subject matter of his studies. only of late has it become possible to adjudge his work without prejudicial heat. yet ellis has the unusual advantage of being able to expound his scientific theories in a clear and often beautiful style. the patience of a darwin is combined with the literary brilliance of a huxley, and even when he is unable to convince he is sure to amuse. moreover, as is sufficiently proved by his occasional writings, both early and late, he brings to the totality of human experience a generous sympathy, a sharp intelligence and a daring wit. whatever his studies had been, he would certainly have won a reputation as a literary artist. the curious may find in the first number of zhe savoy, an illustrated quarterly of the ’nineties, together with an article by g. b. shaw on ‘“* going to church ” a study of zola by ellis. this calm and bold analysis of a french novelist is typical of ellis’ work. ‘¢ and zola pours out the stream of his pitiful, pitiless irony on the weak, erring children of men.” ellis has done much the same. his works include: studies in psychology of sex, 6 vol. (1898- 1910); affirmations (1898); the world of dreams (1911); intpres- sions and comments, 3 series (1914-24); the dance of life (1923). see also: d. isaac goldberg, havelock ellis: a biographical and critical survey (1926). . | (h. c. ha.) ellis, robinson (1834-1913), british scholar (see 9.294), died at oxford oct. 9 1913. among his later publications were a lecture on the amores of ovid (1912) and an edition of the second book of ovid’s tristia (1913). el paso, ‘tex., u.s.a. (sce 9.298), almost doubled its popu- jation in the decade after 1910. reaching 77,560 in 1920, of whom 30,769 were natives of mexico; and (census bureau estimate) 104,929 in 1925. about 30% do not speak english. elephant butte dam was completed in 1916 and by 1925 over 125,000 ac. of the rich valley land in the rio grande reclamation project, of which el paso is the centre, was under cultivation, including 25,000 ac. in mexico, producing a crop worth $12,000,000, of which $8,c00,c00 was cotton. the principal industry was still the smelting of copper and lead ores (500,000 tons annually), but cotton-growing brought in new industries, including a textile- mill, three cotton seed oil-mills, 35 gins and two compresses by 1925. the total value of manufactured products rose from $3,637,000 in 1909 to $16,650,000 in 1919. a high school and stadium were built in 1916, a county courthouse in 1917 and a scenic drive around mt. franklin in 1919. a memorial park of 43 ac. is the tribute to the soldiers and sailors who fell in the world war. in 1922 a city plan commission was appointed, and the budget system was introduced into the city government. a junior college was added to the public school system in 1920. the university of texas school of mines and metallurgy, established in 1914, is located at el paso.