Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-08
IN TIE GREAT SHAFT.
RIDING TO THE TOP OF THE WASH
iMGTON MONUMENT.

Queer Sensations While Rising $50 Feet
in the Air-Scene from the Upper Land.
inE-Is the Elevator Satellite Shafts
Movements.
At last word was given, the door was shut
with a bang, and the conductor, with a
glance around the car, pulled the hand cable
downward several times in succession. There
was slight treulble or shake as the car was
Lifted from the floor, and then the heads OF
the Waterman and the Hoorman and the
square doorway full Of light seemed to slip
down, down, until they were lost. The car
moved noiselessiy and smoothly as it slid up
the longest elevator shaft in the world. The
eye, turned instinctively upward, winked at
| the immense vista, through which the strong,
stiff red cables-twins they looked ike-spin
themselves up and over two great wheels in
the roof, 500 feet overhead. The light from
the incandescent lamps filtered through the
grated roof and sides of the car, giving a
spotted appearance to the passengers On
either side were the rough, uneven courses Of
the old masonry, the stones ragged and the
seams zigzagging without regard TO uni
| formity
The car has passed through the old por-
! ton OF the shaft, and is running as smoothly
as at the start through the neat, exact ma
sorry Of the new work The dark surface OF
the granite is checkered with white squares,
! the faces of marble blocks that extend en-
{ tirely through the walls acting as bond to
/ the masonry. The corners of the shaft in this
new portion are neatly rounded, instead of
being square, as below. At every fifty feet
from the floor TO the roof there is an elevator
! landing, tie floors of levels being extended
/ to meet the car, and guarded by a high lat
! ticed gate These occur on alternate sides,
end, the car having door in both the east
and west sides, exit from the car is thus pro-
vided in either direction. At 400 feet the
smooth walls are broken by the projection of
/ twelve buttresseS, three on each side. These
! are the rib stones which support the roof of
! the monument.
The light from the incandescent carbon is
/ by this time beginning to be dimrned by that
! from the outside, drifting down from the
windows in the roof. The great wheels that
| have been devouring the cables seem to be
falling upon the car, and suddenly the con-
ductor gives a long upward pull on the
haldrope and the car comes to stop in the
midst OF sheet iron Gaze The air is chilly,
and as the passengers step timorously over
the threshold they button their overcoatS
and turn up their collars
A COLD, LONELY PLACE
This upper landing is a cold, lonely place,
the abuttlng ribstones cutting it up into an
gular spaces, and the bare floors and shining
white walls tending TO give it a lonesome
ar. On each side two oblong windows give
views into the atmosphere and down upon
the l2ttened earth. The world looks bigger
than one thought it TO be: it stretches away
on every hand to a melting blue horizon
family outlined, with here and there a hill
top intruding its sharp point, as if in claim
OF recognition as part of the scene.
The spectators are awed, surprised, chilled
into silence, and they occasionally glance up
ward at the maze IF stones in the roof, the
colyerging arches, and tle seemingly light,
airy mode OF construction, and then shuGder
slightly and hurry into tae car. Some take
OF their hats and put the.~ ne2ds through the
windows cxclaiuaLas At ne dVarIct appear
ance of the worklnen % the mound below,
and then, looking u toward the carstone,
wondering at tie institute CT Iirhtning rod
points which cover each OF the four triangles
Of the roof
At last the conductor shouts for ell to get
on the car who wish to go beoT, and the
visitors huddle themselves inside and the
down trip is begun. In about ulne minutes the
passengers emerge from the shaft into the cut
side atmosphere and mentally congratulate
themselves upon their gool luc. in safely re-
turning to the earth. Then, elancing upward
along the face Of the Shalt, which seems TO be
falling over upon tAeIl they shudder slightly
sand go away to boast that they have been to
the top of the highest artificial structure in
the world.
Is the elevator safe? has been asked hun
dred7 Of times during the past weel. This
question is hard TO answer, for almost ell
elevators are a matter of some slight risk,
even under the most favorable circumstances.
Yet it can be said with truth that the ele-
nlent of danger has been eliminated from the
trip to and from the top of the great shaft as
far rs human skill can 90. The machinery
has stood the hardest tests for years without
q break. The cables have been tested to n
capacity of over ten tons, and the car and
and machinery fitted with tbs best of safety
appliances.
MOVEMENTS OF THE SHAFT
Great care is taken to note the movements
Of the shaft, for it does move. The law of
contraction and expansion of material by
heat and cold operates here as well as else
A. I'm