The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-19
TO ALTER ITS ELEVATORS.
EFFECT OF u gRACT SocIETT'S
BUILDINGS ACCIDENT.

ated Condemned - The Continued Use
OF It for Very Tall BuiidinGs Doubtful.
The recent accident to one Of the elevators In
the American Tract society's building at Mas
sAu and Spruce streets, whom q chr fell lao feet,
inyuring three of the passengers, has brought
to q head this dissatisfaction which tho
trustees OF tho sosiety have folt with
tho system used. At q meeting held by
the trustees yesterday at their uptown
office, It was decided that some radical changes
must be made In the elevators. Tho changes
90 be made were referred to a ommitt con-
uisting Of the architect Of the building, Mr..
Robertson; the builder, j. II. Downey, and Law
yer Kugh Porter, who has charge of the socle-
TVS legal matters.
The most interesting feature of the case TO
elevator pen is that the high pressure hydraulic
system, under which the Tract Society's eleva-
tors nro operated. seems to have met with q
thorough and perhaps q lasting
for very tall baildinEs in the opinion of every
one concerned. including the owners of the
building, the agent, the architect. and even tho
builders of tho elevators themselves. No ono
blames the builders of tho elevators for the
failure. for 1t is admitted that they have la
bored steadily from the beginning to mako the
plant q success.
The American Tract Society building. when
first erected, and the American Surety Compa-
ny's building in Broadway, which was built at
tho same time, were the two tallost buildings
ever constructed for such purposes. They
soar in tho mir more than 900 feet above tho
sidewalk, and the elevator which reaches to the
highest stories In the American Tract Society's
building is required to rise 267 feet and Z inches
from the ground floor. The next elevator. which
serves the floors Just below, rises 23S feet IL
inches. They run at n speed OF 700 feet q
minute. Up to the time when these
were devised the most successful sys-
tenn in use for tho running of high
speed elevators for tall buildings was the low
pressure hydraulic cyclinders. with an electric
hoistinH arrangement. In deciding to try an
other system 1t was the intention of all con-
nomical in operation than either of the older
systems offered.
acted il an N adTiscry capacity toward the tras.
tees of the American Tract Society In relation
as supervisor of the construction. He has had
charge of the building. both In its care
fna h lss'P Borne ever the S'n same shg reI S9Ea SGsA to
many other big building In this city; such
Monroe i srs G Taylor F 5Siidins, the Metropoliian Lie
Insurance Company building, the Gonstah,e
i building ling the n., National eoa bHsk OF S sos ase ,w Sa,tG.
nine,story Park row building, upon which work
1T was the intention Of tho trustees of the
American Tract Society" be said last night.
:, %to give their , ,Sns nnn is9 ss se ssy possible nDs se wSsS
1t came to settling upon the elevator, system.
they decided to put the matter into the hands OF
Otis Brothers & Co, because of their good rep
Unfortunately, the plant has been u failure
with the renting of the building. The
building ought by rights to have been fully
o osn.sa nf fnlla ago. out 1t Is '0n'S ABOUT three
There has been no end of trouble with tho
elevators. Sometimes they wouldn't go up.
sometimes they wouldn't como down, and some
times they would get stuck midway on their
as to what was to be expected of them.
Tho doinss OF the elevators might have
as adiuncts to a business property they
were failures; There has never been a day
making alterations in their endeavor to perfect
machinery. but they never got 1, in such shape
offered the elevators for acceptance. The ele-
yators. consequently. have never been accepted
AT the otiee of Otis Brothers & Co.. in the
Potter building. it was acknowledged yesterday
Just what will be done regarding them the
officers of the concern were still in the
elevators the show elevators, of the country,
said one of the officers OF the concern. and
tempo ter ns.f ba spS we are aV satistied now that the high
pressure system requires a too delicate arrange
ment and adjustment to be successfully put
into the hands of ordinary operators for passen-
ger service. and We are sorry that we undertook
The system, It was explained. comes from
England. where it is in successful use to such an
in London Streets FOR supplying power for
hoists. Ono building in Philadelphia and two
hydraulic elevators, by other concerns. and
these are said 10 work satisfactorily. but none
OF the buildings is anything like SO tall as our
To realize the difference between the System
rest Of our ~ u tail buildings one needs 10 take a
look behind the scenes. Standing in q row be-
i aenq b tes " the fhs' ground md are rsaT series Of tall cylIn.
d hns In each OF these Sn cylinders nEp Is hv = p astsa
numued into the cylinder under pressure,
Attached to a cross-head at the top OF
1 WSio iy pass the ss Steel i ropes se Which &c pq hoist the fs's car.
The lower ends of these ropes are made fast
s SeSs t afesE e9 1ass,nS OF o .ns s similar as pSea lns o oyerl
head; go to the car. while the pnlleys work In
p SI9 pEsf in the Cylinders is increased at the car
end of the ropes, In accordance with the num-
Der OF turns which go over the intervening
The difference between the high-pressure and
the low-pressnre systems Is. apparent to the OBJ
server in the difference in size and arrangement
of the cylinders and reavings of the hosting
ropes; In the ordinary low;Pressure system the
at the American Tract Society building would
se about As feet tall and 10 inches in
the plgnsea at the ssS rate il 1bo speed speed
which operated the plunEer would have a pres
sure OF $50 pounds 10 the square inch. such a
cylinder would require the pumping OF about
400 gallons Of water into it for every round trip
of the car: With such q volume of water pass
be understood readily that It is quite easy TO
regulate the motions of the car by means Of the
valve which Is opened or closed b. the elevator
attendant.
In the nigh pressure system which was In
stalled in the Tract Society building the water
v led TO, the cylinders at a pressure OF about
700 pounds to the square inch. The cylinders
are but . inches In diameter and but half as
long as a low pressure cylinder, and the ropes
are rove so that the car travels II feet for every
foot that the plunger moves. 1t takes but 10 gal
Ions OF water to move the car a round trip. Econ
omy OF operation was expected. because of the
much smaller quantity OF water to be pumped.
but from this same cause arose the trouble Of
operation. 1t takes such a little water to move
the car tina. It was found a tonce that altogether
new valve arrangements were needed to regu-
iAaa the action. A careless jerk on the con-
troder by tho elevator man would start
~catApult or sot 1t going downward as
II 1t had been cut loose from the
ropes. 1t was the course Of experiments with
new valves which deyeloped the eccentricities
of tho cars OF which Mr.. Read and tho tenants
of the building complained. The builders de-