Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-30
FALLING ELEVATORS.
Is the Responsibility I'm Men or the
Machinery
From Electricity.

From Electricity.
1t often does seem that inanimate OBJ
jects are actuated by motives such as are
only properly attributable to sentient be-
ings and some one who has noticed this
propensity has written book upon the
natural perversity of inanimate objects.
That bread will usually fall with the but
tered side down. and that collar button
will almost invariably roll under the bu-
reau instead Of toward the middle of the
room, are matters of such common ex-
perience as to be admitted on all sides.
Fortunately the loss of life has been
small, but that has been due to good>luck
rather than to good management, since
the elevators that fell happened to fail
when there were few passengers.
1t Is customary in New York to place the
management of these large Office buildings
it often happens that one man or firm be-
comes the agent of a large number of these
buildings and for all of them selects the
help required.
1t is perhaps natural that such an agent
should strive to keep the expenses of ad-
ministration down to the lowest notch COM
pat1bl6 with efficiency, and the temptat ton
often leads to a further step-a reduction
OF expenses to a point beyond that COM
patible with safety and efficiency.
In several OF the recent elevator acct
dents the trouble has been directly trace
able to the employment of engineers and
others totally ignorant of the machinery
they were called upon 10 handle; and IN
other cases our investigation shows that
the management of the building is in the
hands of the janitor-a man totally inno-
cent of mechanical knowledge or the abil-
ity to discriminate between those who are
and who are not competent in this line.
Unfortunately the law does not require
that the engineer of an elevator plant be
an expert engineer. and incompetent men
are therefore too often placed in charge
of the lives of thousands of passengers
daily visiting the building over whose ele-
vators they have charge.
This class of men are employed-why?
Simply because they are cheap. In fact,
at the coroner's inquest over the bodies
of two men who had lost their lives by
the falling Of an elevator recently, the
makers of the elevator which fell defended
themselves solely on the ground that The
accident was due wholly to the ignorance
of those in charge, and SO 1t goes.
There are some agents. however, who
employ none but the best men and who
take every precaution to render the use
or their elevators safe. These not only
employ competent men to run their ele-
vators and other machinery, but scme
OF them have adopted method of In
spection which is intended to still further
insure safety One sucn method is this:
A committee of three of his most skill
full employees is appointed to inspect period
ically all the buildings for which he is
responsible. These three men make the
rounds and examine everything. from the
coal pile to the incandescent lamp. in
Guiding the elevators, their safety catches.
pumps and other accessories. In case any,
thing is out of order, their report shows it
and 1t must be put IN order at once
Now, contrasting the results of these
two diverse systems, wa find that with the
one accidents have been most frequent and
In the end costly: with the other accidents
have been rare. IL indeed they have ever
occurred. 1t matters not whether the ele-
vator be hydraulic or electric, accidents
are bound to happen II the penny-wise-
pound-foolish system Ii employed, and they
will be rare even with inferior MACHINERY
and apparatus II the liberal and sennibie
policy of employing none but Competent
men Is followed
Life Is too precious to be intruste1 to
ignoramuses. The elevator manufacturers
should, for their own protection, see that
their apparatus Is placed In proper hands.
electric elevator manufacturers can stand
together.