The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-07-06

CAR GATES
Expert testimony That
They Have Been
Long in Use.

Albert /. Lewis, attorney at law,
Philadelphia, has made a return as
of testimony he took in
the damage suit, on account of the
death of a child, of Antonio Camille
against Alexander Young Building Co,
Ltd.
Milton r. Schlichter, age SO years, re-
siding at Norristown, Pa, testifies to
the following effect: He is superln-
tendent of the Stokes and Parrish
Elevator Co. of Philadelphia, having
held the office about 81 years. For the
past twelve years that company has
the Otis Elevator Co. of
New York City, in the matter OF the
installation of passenger elevators in
the city of Philadelphia, and deponent
has been during that time superin-
tendent for the Philadelphia office of
the Otis company. He has had no ex-
perience with other elevator companies
and his experience with these had eX-
tended over 81 years.
THE state of the art" Mr.. Schlichter
says, permits of the construction Of
car doors or gates for the purpose of
operation, with reasonable facility, in
passenger elevators. Where the cars
are crowded and the passengers are in
a hurry, car doors may impede a little
the rapidity with which the elevators
may be operated. This is due to the
time which must be allowed in OPEN
ing and closing the car doors. My an
swer has reference to elevators where
there is only one shaft door and one
car door,
The state of the art has permitted
of the construction of car doors or
gates, referred to in the previous an
swer, for the past ten years. Both
the companies already mentioned and
the Williams Elevator Co. have,
for the period mentioned, installed pas
senger elevators with car doors. The
Stokes & Parrish had installed, pre-
vious to January 81, 1905, for the Otis
company elevators with single car doors
in the City Hall, Philadelphia. For the
past Is years both the Stokes & Parrish
and the Otis companies had sold and
installed passenger elevator cars hav-
ing more than one doorway equipped
with car doors or gates in all door
ways.
Deponent is cogniZant of a number
of elevators having cars with gates,
but had inspected only a few not in
stalled by his two companies and he
says:
Il have seen such car doors used in
the buildings just acknowledgements
ly when the car was crowded, when
persons unaccustomed to ride in e1eva-
tors and children We're in the elevator
cars"
Answering several interrogatories
Mr.. Schlichter says he had seen eleva-
tor car gates in use in New York and
Philadelphia. and though compare tive
ly few they had been used ever since
ten years ago. His concluding answer
is this:
Most of the car doors or gates, to
which I have referred, are folding OF
collapsible. In City Hall. Philadelphia
four of the elevator cars have a non-
folding or on-collapsible gate, while
the remaining twelve elevator cars
have collapsible gates. In most cases
the car doors are operated by hand
they are easy of operation if kept in
proper condition"
Horner Smith, Phi. D., Professor OF
English in Ursinus College, Collegevil:e
Pennsylvania, gives testimony as fol-
lows:
I'm the City Hall, City of PhiladeI-
phla, pennsylvania, there are sixteen
w no, o;tN1o
side sliding door or folding doors
termed car doors by these interroga-
tories; and the elevator shafts have
each but one door, termed shaft doors
by these interrogatories. as an en-,
trance to the cage or car on each floor
The said inside sliding or folding doors
were in use in 1895 and have been used
ever since
IN Grinbel Brothers Department
Store, 9th and Market Sts.. Philadel-
phla, covering nearly a whole block,
! 'nere are four elevators whose cars
nave inside sliding DOORS and which
nave one door each as an entrance on
each floor. These sliding doors were
put In In 1903 and have been in use
since that time
DIR. Smith names also, 90 hav;nr tho
SAFETY fixtures in question. the follow.
ing buildings: Land Title building,
Philadelphia, % stories high. eight
elevators with inside sliding doors in
use since the opening of the building in
1he fall of 1908: Bellevue-St ra tford
Hotel. Philadelphia, 10 stories high.
!our elevators with inside sliding doors
IN use since October, 1904: Waldorf
toria Hotel New York City, and Hote,
Essex, Boston. both the last two hav.
ing elevators since August, 1903. with
inner sliding doors in use and. like the
o'hers. out one entrance on each floor
to each car.
In some elevators" DR. Smith saws
is the custom and the rule of the
oulloing to close the sliding inner eates
"hen the elevator is in motion"
Most of the elevators specified bv
aepohent had folding or colIapsibIa car
doors. i'''-'ie '<'i
STANLEY DO1,T.Ap rAcro