1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: Get in touch with technology with tex Stuff from how 2 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Hey everyone, then, welcome to tech Stuff. 3 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: I'm Jonathan Strickland and I'm Lauren. This is a podcast. 4 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: It's gonna have a lot of ups and down because 5 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about how elevators work. Yep, yes, 6 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: we are so, um you know elevators. Most of us 7 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: are pretty familiar with these things. Anyone who lives in 8 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: any place has buildings that are for stories, are higher 9 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 1: probably is very familiar with them. Really, humanity has been 10 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,279 Speaker 1: pretty pretty familiar with these or at least some kind 11 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: of hoisting device for recorded history. Yeah, pretty much. Yeah, 12 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: because it turns out that we need to get stuff 13 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 1: to places where that stuff isn't and sometimes that means 14 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 1: lifting stuff up high places or up to high places 15 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: and having someone carry it there is not always the 16 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: most convenient method, right, So, so hoisting device ice has 17 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: been around for ages. There plenty of examples of various 18 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: Pulley systems. In fact, Archimedes, which are longtime listeners, will 19 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: know that that tech Stuff has done a podcast about 20 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: our comedies. Our comedies was coming up with the first 21 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:19,559 Speaker 1: Winch and Pulley system, and by that I mean the winch, 22 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: as in something that you wind the cable around and 23 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: turned to to pull it up. Not not like a 24 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: bar far winch. Different, not a bunch of ladies carrying 25 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: tankards and holding onto a rope and saying heave that 26 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: would that would be amusing, but that's not how it works, um. 27 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 1: Roman architect of Trivious reported that he that our commedies 28 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: had built one of these systems around two d and 29 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: thirty six b C. So that's the kind of time 30 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: frame that we're looking at. And and there's definite evidence 31 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: of Roman pulley elevators, you know, crude hoisting. I don't 32 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,440 Speaker 1: want to say elevators because it's not really the right terminology. Sure, 33 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: but a platform that can be hoisted up through a 34 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: pulley system. Yes, we we're definitely used in the Colosseum 35 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: to move gladiators and various animals that were trying to 36 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: kill them. Not to mention to mention the idea of 37 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: actually just constructing some of those massive stone structures that 38 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:15,079 Speaker 1: you've seen. If you've if you've ever toured around Europe 39 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: like places like Italy and you've seen these large buildings, 40 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 1: you know that they're scaffolding and hoists and things of 41 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: that nature that we're used to to lift stuff, so cranes, 42 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 1: things like that. Well, all this is related to the 43 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 1: idea of elevators as far as an elevator that was 44 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: used to like move people up and down floors. Uh, 45 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: A predecessor for that still not really a true elevator, 46 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,519 Speaker 1: but a processor dates all the way back to seventy 47 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:45,520 Speaker 1: three a d in this case, and was called the 48 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 1: flying chair. And it was this was this was King Louis, 49 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: was right, Louis, You know stairs were for fools, said Louis. 50 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,639 Speaker 1: Supposedly this particular, this, this flying chair, this elevator was 51 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: connecting his his his apartments to his mistress's apartments directly 52 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: right and uh. And it was mounted on the outside 53 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: of his palace wall. So this was not some interior elevator. Rather, 54 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: it was a chair he would sit in. He would 55 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,399 Speaker 1: go out to his balcony and say, you know, I'm 56 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: want to pay a little visit to my Saturday night thing. 57 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,359 Speaker 1: And he jumped into the flying chair, although I guess 58 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: he'd probably more very gently settle himself into the flying 59 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 1: chair and signal for the servants to move the chair 60 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: so that it would make the trip to the the 61 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: courtesan's room. And um, anyway, in this case, the the cables, 62 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: all the stuff that would actually made the flying chair 63 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 1: rise and descend were hidden by a chimney. So this 64 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: is a chimney that wasn't designed to funnel smoke. It 65 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: was just al the king, yes sort of, it was 66 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: really it was really just to kind of house all 67 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: the ropes and police. And there are counterweights as well 68 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: to help balance this out. We'll explain why counterweights are 69 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: important later on the podcast. Counterweights or something that we 70 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: find in modern day elevators. But the they also had 71 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,119 Speaker 1: servants in those chimneys that were that was their job 72 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: to manually move the roop to so that the king 73 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: could get to his appointment. And uh, yeah, that that 74 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: was a very early kind of example. But obviously not 75 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 1: all of us have palaces to slap elevators on the 76 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: outside of, right, It wouldn't be until until the eighteen 77 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: hundreds that that further adventures and um, more public hoisting devices, 78 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:41,800 Speaker 1: right and and and what really made this necessary in 79 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: a way, Well, first of all, we had a lot 80 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: of improvements. This is the industrial revolution that we're getting into, 81 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: and uh, Some of those improvements included ways of producing 82 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 1: stronger steel and iron, which meant that we had the 83 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 1: potential to build very very tall buildings, which we could 84 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 1: not do before. The materials we would use would would 85 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 1: crack under the intense pressures the compression that they would 86 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: go under if you were to try and keep building upwards. Right, 87 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 1: because previous to having steel skeletal structures inside buildings, they 88 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: were all masonry frames, which means meant that they required 89 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: thicker and thicker walls the taller that the building got. 90 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 1: Um So you know, it's it's if you had something 91 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: a grand total of something like seventeen stories on the 92 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 1: ground floor, the walls would have to be six ft thick. Yeah, 93 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: and you know that's not it's not really sustainable. And 94 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: in a large, large city population area, which was also happening, 95 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:35,159 Speaker 1: there were a lot more people moving to cities and 96 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 1: land was becoming much more expensive throughout the course of 97 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:40,840 Speaker 1: the centuries, exactly. Yeah, you get you get these dense 98 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,480 Speaker 1: urban areas, and so you have two choices. Really, you 99 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: can sprawl, which is something we're very good at here 100 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,279 Speaker 1: in Atlanta, or you could build upward and then have 101 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: people living in flats essentially, and uh and working in 102 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 1: offices that were in high rises. And it was it 103 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,920 Speaker 1: was the the ads is in steel and iron production 104 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:04,039 Speaker 1: that would allow this to happen. But you still have 105 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: a problem. How do you get up and down from 106 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 1: the floor you live or work on down to ground 107 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 1: floor because after a few floors that becomes laborious after 108 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: after you know, fifteen twenty floors. What's the quote from 109 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,119 Speaker 1: Ghostbusters like, let me know when we get to fifty, 110 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:21,239 Speaker 1: I think I'm gonna throw out something like that. Something 111 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:24,520 Speaker 1: like that. Yeah, So one of the things that people 112 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 1: were wanting to to explore was this idea of elevators, 113 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: something that had a mechanical element that could lift a 114 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:35,480 Speaker 1: platform or lower a platform that people could safely people 115 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: and stuff not just people but stuff as well could 116 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 1: safely travel in that would get them to wherever they 117 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: needed to go within the building. Um vertically, that is, 118 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:49,320 Speaker 1: we're not talking about woncovadors. I joked with Lauren before 119 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:52,159 Speaker 1: we decided to actually do this podcast that we should 120 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:54,600 Speaker 1: cover woncovaders, But of course those are magical, so they 121 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: don't really count in text stuff. Sometimes in the eighteen twenties, 122 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:01,039 Speaker 1: Paintern and architect for the names of Thomas Horner and 123 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: Decimus Burton, and I kind of just wanted to make 124 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,720 Speaker 1: this note because Decimus it's such a great name. Come 125 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 1: back anyway. They collaborated on what was called an Ascending 126 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:14,679 Speaker 1: Room in London, which which hoisted tourists thirty seven meters high. 127 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 1: Thirty seven meters that's pretty high. It's not too bad. 128 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,240 Speaker 1: That's that's that's a that's a good. That's a good. Yeah, 129 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 1: you're talking like nine floors. That's that's significant for for 130 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: the eighteen twenties um to view the London skyline nice. 131 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: And then by eighteen thirty five in Great Britain they 132 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 1: were already starting to use elevators that had belt driven sheaves. 133 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 1: No One a sheave is is it's a special type 134 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: of pulley. It's a it's a pulley that has that 135 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: has grooves on the circumference yea, so it allows it 136 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 1: to grip onto the rope or cable so that it 137 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:53,040 Speaker 1: can use traction to to actually move that rope or cable. 138 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: You turn, you you move the elevator by turning the sheave, 139 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: which then pulls the cables as opposed to you know, 140 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: if you think of a traditional pulley, Usually there's a 141 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: weight on one side and then you're holding the rope 142 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 1: on the other and when you pull down the rope, 143 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:10,679 Speaker 1: the weight goes up because the pulley rolls and allows 144 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:13,360 Speaker 1: the rope to move. Right. In this case, you've got 145 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 1: a pulley system that's actually gripping that rope. So when 146 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 1: you turn the pulley, it moves the rope itself. It 147 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 1: does some of the work for you. Yeah. Yeah, that's 148 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 1: the important part, because otherwise you'd have to always have 149 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,600 Speaker 1: some sort of external motor that was holding onto the case, 150 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:33,320 Speaker 1: using a lot of energy to to hold that exactly right. 151 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,960 Speaker 1: So so they had started doing that in eighteen thirty five, 152 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 1: and they also used counterweights. The counterweights helped provide the 153 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:44,200 Speaker 1: friction that traction necessary for the sheave to grip onto 154 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:47,280 Speaker 1: the cable and also made it easier for the elevator 155 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 1: to move up and down. And again we'll explain more 156 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,439 Speaker 1: about that in a little bit um, but then moving ahead. 157 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: So this is still the very earliest days of elevators. 158 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 1: By eight the eighteen fifties they started to see steam 159 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:03,559 Speaker 1: and hydraulic elevators, but they generally weren't used for passengers 160 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: because there was always the potential that the elevator could fail, 161 00:09:07,679 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 1: and there weren't any safety measures really in place that 162 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 1: could prevent an elevator from just plunging after a failure. 163 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: But that was coming up very soon. Yeah, by eighteen 164 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:23,280 Speaker 1: fifty two, in fact, when the name in elevators, UH 165 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: created an innovation that would allow passengers safe elevators to 166 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 1: become a thing, and this was the safety break right, 167 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: invented by Elisha Graves Otis. So the Otis elevator. If 168 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,599 Speaker 1: you've ever been in an elevator, there's especially in the 169 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 1: United States, there's a really really good chance you saw 170 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:45,440 Speaker 1: the name Otis on the elevator somewhere. It's not to 171 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 1: say that that's the only company that makes elevators, but 172 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:51,559 Speaker 1: it's it's a it is a big one and probably 173 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:54,880 Speaker 1: the best known name, at least in the United States now. 174 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 1: In eighteen fifty two, that's when Otis invented the safety 175 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 1: break UH. And it was technically a latch, a safety 176 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 1: latch that would allow the elevator to remain in position 177 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 1: if the lift system failed. So, in other words, if 178 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:12,200 Speaker 1: the cable that was holding the elevator snapped. Uh, this 179 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 1: safety latch would ratchet in on racks on the side 180 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 1: of the elevator shaft, inside the shaft right into ah. Yeah, yeah, 181 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:22,959 Speaker 1: you had like the spring loaded essentially a spring loaded 182 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: uh latch, and once the the support system would break, 183 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,360 Speaker 1: it would spring out and catch on one of these 184 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:35,960 Speaker 1: racks and the elevator would stop falling. And uh. He 185 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:39,520 Speaker 1: he was actually designing this, not for an elevator for people. 186 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: He was working for a company. It was a betting factory, 187 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 1: and the betting factory it needed to find a way 188 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 1: of lifting equipment safely up into the factory floors. And 189 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 1: so he came up with this idea and then realized, 190 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:56,120 Speaker 1: wait a minute, this this is great for all elevators. Yeah, 191 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:59,359 Speaker 1: this could work for well beyond just this one application. 192 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:03,960 Speaker 1: And so, uh, specifically, the little um bolts that it used, 193 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: they're they're called Poll's p a w l s. That's 194 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:10,320 Speaker 1: technically any sort of sliding bolt that's designed to fit 195 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 1: into something into notches usually and uh, and at first 196 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 1: he was he decided that he was going to go 197 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:21,240 Speaker 1: into the elevator business pretty early on. By eighteen fifty three, 198 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 1: he started a company that would eventually become the Otis 199 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:30,120 Speaker 1: Elevator Company. Uh. And he sold a grand total of 200 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:33,719 Speaker 1: three whole elevators in the United States, and each one 201 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 1: he sold for about three hundred bucks, which at the 202 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 1: time wasn't bad. But but but three of them, Yeah, 203 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:44,240 Speaker 1: it's less than promising. However, that that is why the 204 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:48,359 Speaker 1: next year, in eighteen fifty four, he decided to demonstrate 205 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 1: this technology publicly at the World's Fair. Yeah. In fact, 206 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:54,280 Speaker 1: that was that was his brilliant idea. He said, you know, 207 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 1: I made three sales and then nothing like the Keep 208 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: in mind this is still early early days for tall 209 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:05,559 Speaker 1: buildings too, so there there wasn't yet a huge demand 210 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:10,079 Speaker 1: for elevators. And so he was kind of I hate 211 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: to use this phrase, but I'm going to now anyway, 212 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 1: he was getting in on the ground floor. And so yeah, 213 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:19,760 Speaker 1: he decided he'd go to the World's Fair at the 214 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 1: Crystal Palace Exposition Center in New York City and publicly 215 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:28,280 Speaker 1: demonstrate how his safety measure would keep elevators safe even 216 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 1: in the case of a catastrophic failure. And I read 217 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:33,960 Speaker 1: an account of this and it was pretty interesting. He 218 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:39,920 Speaker 1: had set up a little uh a demonstration elevator shaft, uh, 219 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:42,000 Speaker 1: and it was really just the side walls to the 220 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,280 Speaker 1: shaft what would be on the sides of the elevator shaft. 221 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:46,600 Speaker 1: There's no front, no back, so it gave a clear view, 222 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:50,560 Speaker 1: all right. He had the platform which served as what 223 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:53,320 Speaker 1: would be a full elevator, but there were no walls 224 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:55,959 Speaker 1: to the elevator either. It's just a flat stage really, 225 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 1: And then there was a rope that hoisted the stage 226 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,600 Speaker 1: up to the top of the as far up on 227 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:05,400 Speaker 1: the shaft as it could go without falling off the 228 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 1: guide rails. And then he got everyone's attention and cut 229 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:13,240 Speaker 1: the rope. The shaft fell about a foot or so 230 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 1: and then caught onto the ratchet ratcheted notches that were 231 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 1: on the sides of the shaft, and the elevator was sturdy. 232 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:25,560 Speaker 1: It stayed there and and he proved that it worked. 233 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:27,880 Speaker 1: And he did this demonstration multiple times. It wasn't just 234 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:31,559 Speaker 1: the one time, but um that ended up being an 235 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:36,160 Speaker 1: incredibly effective demonstration. People began to see that there was 236 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:39,680 Speaker 1: promise in this that uh, that the safety measures would 237 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:43,199 Speaker 1: be effective, and so they started to really think about 238 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:46,959 Speaker 1: using elevators to help make high rises a possibility to 239 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 1: keep in mind if this had not worked, If if 240 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:52,080 Speaker 1: he had not done this, the development of the high 241 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 1: rise type city would have been held off for how 242 00:13:55,640 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: many years I'm sure we would be there by now. 243 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 1: One else would have come up with the idea. Yeah, 244 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:04,680 Speaker 1: but just imagine how different our cities would look because 245 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 1: buildings that were built early in that phase would not 246 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:09,560 Speaker 1: have been built. They would have been put off, which 247 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 1: means that you'd have a totally different kind of architectural 248 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:15,080 Speaker 1: style in place by the time that they were being built. 249 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: So do you think about it. The elevator is why 250 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: some of our most famous cities look the way they do. 251 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 1: It's kind of cool to think of it that way. 252 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:26,800 Speaker 1: It's it's all. It's all. Yeah. The conflagration of of 253 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 1: that and property values and steel frames, yeah yeah. The 254 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:32,360 Speaker 1: fact that all these things were working together at the 255 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:36,120 Speaker 1: same time. It was just very fortuitous, especially for otis Uh. 256 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 1: In eighteen fifty seven, he then installed the first passenger 257 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:43,080 Speaker 1: safe elevator in a New York department store called and 258 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 1: I'm no, I'm gonna get this one messed up? E 259 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 1: V how what and company? This? This was a five 260 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:52,960 Speaker 1: story department store YEP and the elevator could rise at 261 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:57,520 Speaker 1: the mercurial speed of forty per minute. Now keep in 262 00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 1: mind in general ten feet that's about on story, so 263 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: that means it could go at four floors in one minute. 264 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 1: I thought our elevators were slow, But that would be 265 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:12,320 Speaker 1: that would be a leisurely elevator ride, if you were 266 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: going from the ground floor to the top floor. That 267 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:16,560 Speaker 1: would But if but if it's the first elevator you've 268 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:19,840 Speaker 1: ever been in, that possibly anyone has ever been, might 269 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 1: been gripping onto the side in terror for fear of 270 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:25,120 Speaker 1: how fast it was moving. Yeah, yeah, I guess so. Uh. 271 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 1: And then in eighteen sixty one, Otis dies from diphtheria 272 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:32,920 Speaker 1: because even though his elevators wouldn't fall, he fell ill. 273 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:37,720 Speaker 1: Jonathan wrote that in the notes and I and I've 274 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:40,480 Speaker 1: already groaned and shaken my head at it at an 275 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:42,480 Speaker 1: earlier point today. And then she was wondering if I 276 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:44,880 Speaker 1: would actually read it, and oh no, oh, no, I 277 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 1: knew you. Yeah, you've worked with me long enough now 278 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:49,960 Speaker 1: on April. He died on April eighth, and that was 279 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 1: just a few months after he had been granted a 280 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:54,600 Speaker 1: patent for his invention. Now keep in mind you know, 281 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:56,760 Speaker 1: you file a patent and it can take several years 282 00:15:56,760 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 1: from the time you file it to the time it's approved, right, 283 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: I think he had He had applied for it a 284 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 1: full ten years previous to that in UH in eighteen 285 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 1: six No, so it was nine nine years, just just 286 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 1: under a decade, and he got that patent granted UH 287 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 1: in January of eighteen sixty one. So he he did 288 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:20,400 Speaker 1: live to see his invention patented, but not long after 289 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,320 Speaker 1: that he fell ill from diphtheria, which there wasn't dip 290 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 1: Theoria epidemic at the time. He died in Yonkers, New York, 291 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 1: and his his sons, however, h survived and one of them, 292 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: Charles Otis, was known as being the businessman in the family. 293 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 1: He had a very keen I for business, and so 294 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:43,080 Speaker 1: they took over the company and UH and they continued 295 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:47,880 Speaker 1: to run the company and they were very successful in 296 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy three. By eighteen seventy three, so this is 297 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:56,080 Speaker 1: just a little over a decade after Otis had passed away, 298 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:59,920 Speaker 1: the Otis Company had sold over two thousand l of 299 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:04,360 Speaker 1: leaders working in places like offices, hotels, and department stores. 300 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 1: And then by eight eighty that's when a fellow, a 301 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:13,119 Speaker 1: German by the name of Furner Vaughan Siemens, is the 302 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:17,560 Speaker 1: first to actually use an electric motor in elevator construction. 303 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:21,960 Speaker 1: And his version was really interesting. It didn't involve cables. 304 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: You know, most most motors involve pulling some sort of 305 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 1: cable system to raise or lower an elevator. They're usually 306 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:34,240 Speaker 1: they're usually working directly on that sheaf that we were mentioning, right. Instead, 307 00:17:34,359 --> 00:17:37,879 Speaker 1: what this one did was it had pinion gears that 308 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,959 Speaker 1: engaged racks on either side of the elevator shaft and 309 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:45,679 Speaker 1: literally the gears would yeah, yeah, exactly. So it's kind 310 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:49,520 Speaker 1: of like think of it like a locomotive, but going 311 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:53,040 Speaker 1: vertical instead of horizontal. But but of course you have 312 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:55,040 Speaker 1: to have those pinion gears because otherwise you don't have 313 00:17:55,119 --> 00:17:58,440 Speaker 1: enough traction to make the elevator go up. Um. But yeah, 314 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:00,359 Speaker 1: that was that was the first u of it. Now, 315 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:02,720 Speaker 1: later we would see the electric motor. In fact, shortly 316 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:05,199 Speaker 1: later there would be electric motors that would actually use 317 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 1: more traditional cable systems. Um. But that was the earliest 318 00:18:10,119 --> 00:18:13,320 Speaker 1: uh use that I could find for an electric motor. Ye, 319 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 1: all the all the other motors up to this point 320 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:18,399 Speaker 1: where being run by steam. Yeah, they had steam powered 321 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,359 Speaker 1: and hydraulic powered and hydraulics and that was it. That 322 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:26,360 Speaker 1: was it until eighteen eighty. By eight the Otis Company 323 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:30,240 Speaker 1: had merged with fourteen other elevator companies to become the 324 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,200 Speaker 1: Otis Elevator Company. So Otis was not the only name 325 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:37,359 Speaker 1: in the elevator business at that time, but once it 326 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,480 Speaker 1: merged with these other fourteen companies, that became probably I 327 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 1: would say, the most uh prevalent, most powerful elevator company 328 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 1: in the United States easily. This was this was around 329 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: the era when when Steele was really really taking off 330 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:53,879 Speaker 1: and um and the the the last of the big 331 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 1: masonry frame buildings had were we're being completed at the time, 332 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:00,720 Speaker 1: everything new that was starting out was all steals. So 333 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:03,880 Speaker 1: it was a huge business. Yeah yeah, and it ended 334 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:08,439 Speaker 1: up being uh. While the elevator industry in general, just 335 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:10,160 Speaker 1: like the joke I said at the top, it did 336 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:14,200 Speaker 1: have its ups and downs. It's is both both true 337 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 1: and funny. Um uh. You know, because there was this 338 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: ongoing trend to taller buildings. Anyone who was in the 339 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:26,160 Speaker 1: industry knew that there was a future in it. It wasn't. 340 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:29,200 Speaker 1: It wasn't like suddenly people weren't going to want elevators 341 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:32,520 Speaker 1: anymore unless they decided that they no longer wanted to 342 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: have tall buildings and would rather sprawl out again. And 343 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:36,959 Speaker 1: that just didn't seem like that was ever going to 344 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:41,480 Speaker 1: come to be an option. So uh, really, that's the 345 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:44,240 Speaker 1: basic of the timeline. I mean, of course, lots of 346 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:46,720 Speaker 1: advances have happened since then, but that we just wanted 347 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,280 Speaker 1: to kind of cover the sort of the history of 348 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,240 Speaker 1: the origin, the origin of elevators and then go into 349 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:56,119 Speaker 1: more about how they actually work. And the first one 350 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: we wanted to talk about, we're elevators that use and 351 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 1: that are elevators really because there's still are elevators that 352 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:05,240 Speaker 1: do this that use hydraulic lift systems. They aren't using 353 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 1: cables at all, so and yeah, yeah, so so there 354 00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:12,200 Speaker 1: there are two basic systems, hydraulic and cables. And and yes, 355 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:15,679 Speaker 1: hydraulics are slightly less common for several reasons that were 356 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:17,680 Speaker 1: that we will get into in a moment. Right, So, 357 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 1: if you have a shorter type of building, like to 358 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 1: two to five story, I would say maybe even two 359 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 1: to four hydraulic elevators may be something that you've experienced, 360 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:34,159 Speaker 1: because um, I mean I actually knew. I used to 361 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:35,919 Speaker 1: one of the libraries I used to go to as 362 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:38,920 Speaker 1: a kid had a hydraulic elevator. Um. And the way 363 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: these work is beneath the bottom floor. So you've got 364 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:45,440 Speaker 1: the you know, the ground floor where the elevator comes 365 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:47,560 Speaker 1: down to a stop. That's its final stop. It can't 366 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 1: go any lower and dug down Beneath that, yeah, is 367 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:55,560 Speaker 1: your hydraulic system. And that system consists of there's a cylinder. 368 00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:59,359 Speaker 1: Inside that cylinder is a piston that has the hydraulic 369 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:01,679 Speaker 1: ram at the end of it that connects directly to 370 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:06,480 Speaker 1: the bottom of the elevator. And then you the connected 371 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:10,119 Speaker 1: to that cylinder is a holding tank that holds all 372 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:13,159 Speaker 1: the hydraulic fluid. That has a very powerful pump that 373 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 1: can pump fluid from the hydraulic tank into the cylinder. 374 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:19,840 Speaker 1: And then there's also a return valve that when it's closed, 375 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:22,959 Speaker 1: won't allow hydraulic fluid back in, but when you open it, 376 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: it does allow hydraulic fluid to move from the cylinder 377 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,439 Speaker 1: back into the holding tank. Now, this is a closed 378 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,479 Speaker 1: system that means that that hydraulic fluid is either going 379 00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:33,359 Speaker 1: to be in the tank or in the cylinder, or 380 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:35,720 Speaker 1: there's gonna be some mix of you moving in between 381 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker 1: the two. Right. But they but you don't lose hydraulic fluid, 382 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:42,560 Speaker 1: assuming that there are no leaks. So uh, it means 383 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 1: that you can reuse that fluid over and over and 384 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:49,239 Speaker 1: over and over again. So that's one reason why it's popular. Um. So, 385 00:21:49,359 --> 00:21:51,440 Speaker 1: the way it works is that you turn Let's say 386 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:53,399 Speaker 1: that you're on the ground floor and you hit two, 387 00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:55,960 Speaker 1: you want to go up to the second floor. What 388 00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:59,480 Speaker 1: happens is that sends a signal to the hydraulic system 389 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:03,240 Speaker 1: beneath the elevator. Uh, turns on the pump that then 390 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 1: starts to pump hydraulic fluid from the holding tank into 391 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:10,960 Speaker 1: the cylinder. Right that the fluid pushes on the hydraulic 392 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:14,360 Speaker 1: ram or piston and moves it up the shaft. That's right. 393 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:18,080 Speaker 1: It displaces the piston from the cylinder. So, depending on 394 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:21,080 Speaker 1: how tall your building is, it may have to pump 395 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:24,600 Speaker 1: more or less fluid into you know, whatever floor you've pressed. 396 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: So if it's a four story building and you've hit four, 397 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:29,560 Speaker 1: it obviously needs to pump in enough fluid to get 398 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:31,320 Speaker 1: to lift the ram all the way up to the 399 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 1: fourth floor. Uh. And then when you're coming down, the 400 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:38,080 Speaker 1: valve opens up and allows fluid fluid to come back 401 00:22:38,119 --> 00:22:41,560 Speaker 1: into the holding tank and just basically let's gravity pull 402 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:44,200 Speaker 1: the car back right and you control the descent by 403 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 1: the aperture of the valve. I mean, obviously, if you 404 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:47,880 Speaker 1: if you were to open the valve all the way 405 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:50,040 Speaker 1: up and it was a large valve, then that elevator 406 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:52,560 Speaker 1: could descend at an alarming rate. But it's usually a 407 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:55,679 Speaker 1: pretty a pretty tight system. So so it's usually it's 408 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,720 Speaker 1: usually the pressure of the fluid and hence hydraulics that 409 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 1: are allowing it to you ease gently back down to 410 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:07,200 Speaker 1: exactly ground exactly or whatever, right exactly. Uh, it's it's 411 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:09,480 Speaker 1: very you know, like I said, I've written in these 412 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:13,680 Speaker 1: kind of systems before, and uh, it's a gradual ride. 413 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:18,240 Speaker 1: It's it's um But I mean it was a library 414 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:20,560 Speaker 1: in rural Georgia. You know, most of the people going 415 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:24,080 Speaker 1: to this were in their latent four hundreds, so you know, 416 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 1: they don't need something that's going to be an exciting 417 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:29,000 Speaker 1: ride up and down the side of a glass high 418 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:32,840 Speaker 1: rise in Atlanta. All right. The speed is one issue um, 419 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 1: they are slower. And the thing with that, with that 420 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:40,840 Speaker 1: piston system is that you have to dig the further 421 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:43,560 Speaker 1: up the piston is going to push, it needs to 422 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:46,360 Speaker 1: be at least that long going down into the ground. Exactly. Yeah, 423 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 1: So if you're telling four stories up, you have to 424 00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:51,560 Speaker 1: dig far enough down so that that piston, when it's 425 00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: completely retracted, fits right about four stories into the ground. 426 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:58,040 Speaker 1: Yeah exactly. And then when it's fully extended, that means 427 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 1: that the whole system is eight stories all because you 428 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 1: have to have you know, these pistons don't retract. It's 429 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:08,320 Speaker 1: not like they are kind of collapsible telescope. No, it's not, yeah, exactly, 430 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:11,959 Speaker 1: it's it's a solid piece. And so uh yeah, if 431 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:14,880 Speaker 1: you want to have a forty story building, that would 432 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:16,679 Speaker 1: mean that you'd have to have a piston that was 433 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:19,960 Speaker 1: incredibly long and you'd have to dig really far down. 434 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:25,560 Speaker 1: It's just not practical. So so that's uncommon. Uh, And 435 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,800 Speaker 1: you normally run into rope or cable systems are often 436 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:31,120 Speaker 1: that the names are interchangeable because when they're talking about 437 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:33,720 Speaker 1: ropes are talking about steel ropes, and we will explain 438 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:36,560 Speaker 1: exactly how those work in just a moment. But before 439 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:39,960 Speaker 1: we do, let's take a quick break and we're back, 440 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:44,200 Speaker 1: all right, So let's talk about cable or rope system elevators. 441 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:47,200 Speaker 1: These are probably, I would say, these are the most 442 00:24:47,280 --> 00:24:49,960 Speaker 1: common types of elevators that you're going to find, definitely, 443 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 1: and uh, and they do they rely on what it 444 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:56,640 Speaker 1: sounds like, they rely on cables or ropes steel ropes. Right. 445 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,080 Speaker 1: Right now, You've got these these traction steel ropes that 446 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:00,760 Speaker 1: are going to be attached on one end to the 447 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:04,400 Speaker 1: elevator car then go loop up around a sheave, right, 448 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:06,639 Speaker 1: which is that that pulley that has those grooves in 449 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:09,159 Speaker 1: it that allow it to grip onto the rope or 450 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 1: cable right and then attach at the other end to 451 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:14,439 Speaker 1: um to a counterweight, right. And the reason for the 452 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:17,720 Speaker 1: counterweight again is to kind of make the whole system 453 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:23,320 Speaker 1: work more easily. Here's the idea. Your counterweight typically weighs 454 00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:27,480 Speaker 1: about the same as the elevator when it's at capacity, 455 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:30,760 Speaker 1: so a little less than a half full elevator. And 456 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:32,919 Speaker 1: the reason for that is that when the sheaves starts 457 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:35,639 Speaker 1: to turn, it has to do less work if the 458 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:40,679 Speaker 1: counterweight and the elevator are close to the same weight. So, uh, 459 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:42,479 Speaker 1: you know, you would imagine that if it were just 460 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 1: a shave and there was no counterweight there, it would 461 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:49,280 Speaker 1: have to turn the turning power that torque that has 462 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:52,639 Speaker 1: a lot harder, And this way it just has to 463 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:54,919 Speaker 1: overcome a little bit of friction. And then let's the 464 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:58,120 Speaker 1: weight actually do most of the work. Yeah, and if 465 00:25:58,160 --> 00:25:59,679 Speaker 1: not most of the work, Let's say you've got a 466 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:04,840 Speaker 1: full elevator and obviously a capacity thing wouldn't wouldn't outweigh 467 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:08,240 Speaker 1: the full elevator at least offsets some of the power 468 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:10,439 Speaker 1: needed so that torque that has to generate doesn't have 469 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:13,119 Speaker 1: to be as great. And this is important so that 470 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 1: you can just make it an efficient system. Uh. The 471 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:19,719 Speaker 1: counterweight also helps with some of the safety features as well, 472 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:22,520 Speaker 1: though it can also be a hazard. We'll get into 473 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 1: all of that towards the very end. So trickle way 474 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 1: for us to end the podcast. Actually, now that I 475 00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:28,440 Speaker 1: look at how I laid out my notes and thinking, 476 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:32,960 Speaker 1: all right, so so so so the sheave is connected 477 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:36,439 Speaker 1: directly to sometimes directly to a motor. And there there 478 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:39,240 Speaker 1: are two kinds of these cable system to basic kinds 479 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:43,399 Speaker 1: of these cable systems gearless elevators and geared elevators and 480 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:46,800 Speaker 1: the gearless ones. The motor um rotates the sheaf directly, 481 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:49,720 Speaker 1: and in the gear list it's connected to a gear train. 482 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:52,719 Speaker 1: Right the geared ones, it's just a series of gears 483 00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:54,760 Speaker 1: that connect the motor to the sheave so that it 484 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 1: can translate rotational motion to the sheave and allow you 485 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:02,280 Speaker 1: to pull those ropes and move the elevator up and down. Now, 486 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:06,080 Speaker 1: a typical elevator, these are not they're not all like this, 487 00:27:06,119 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 1: but the typical elevator will have that sheave at the 488 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:12,359 Speaker 1: top of the elevator shaft, all right. So at the 489 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,200 Speaker 1: very top of the elevator shaft is this this grooved 490 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:18,320 Speaker 1: pulley that is motorized. So the pulley itself is the 491 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:21,119 Speaker 1: thing that it turns and moves the elevator up and down. 492 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:25,160 Speaker 1: You've got the counterweight that is connected to one end 493 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:29,960 Speaker 1: of the cables. That not only provides the ability for 494 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:33,520 Speaker 1: the sheave to do work without having to exert more energy, 495 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:37,399 Speaker 1: but it also creates that tension, that that traction or 496 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:39,800 Speaker 1: friction that it needs in order to move the cable 497 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,879 Speaker 1: that holds the court taut against the sheaf, right, and 498 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:44,800 Speaker 1: that and that's why the sheaf. When it turns, the 499 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:48,879 Speaker 1: cable itself moves. Otherwise it could just slip against the cable. 500 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:52,920 Speaker 1: That would obviously be dangerous and it wouldn't or best 501 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:56,160 Speaker 1: case scenario, your elevator doesn't go anywhere, it's just spinning. 502 00:27:56,359 --> 00:27:58,800 Speaker 1: The sheet would just be spinning against the cable. Worst 503 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:02,320 Speaker 1: case scenario, it could cause a terrible accident. Uh. There 504 00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:06,359 Speaker 1: By the way, multiple cables connected between the elevator and 505 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:08,720 Speaker 1: the counterweight going around the sheave. It's not like there's 506 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:11,160 Speaker 1: just one. It's not like in the movies where where 507 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:13,640 Speaker 1: you know, like one little metal thing kind of snaps 508 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:15,680 Speaker 1: and then all of a sudden an elevator goes plummeting. 509 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:19,240 Speaker 1: There's usually seven or eight of these things and very strong. Still, 510 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:22,080 Speaker 1: Like one of these cables would be capable of holding 511 00:28:22,119 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 1: up the elevator, but there's seven or eight backups, right, yeah, 512 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:27,200 Speaker 1: they the idea of being usually I think the fewest 513 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:30,080 Speaker 1: I've ever seen was four. So between four and eight 514 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:33,360 Speaker 1: cables is typical. And like you said, Lauren, each one 515 00:28:33,359 --> 00:28:35,560 Speaker 1: of these would be more than capable of holding up 516 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:38,360 Speaker 1: the elevator in its own You have that those others 517 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:41,479 Speaker 1: for redundancy because obviously you don't want to have your 518 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:45,480 Speaker 1: elevator be unsafe. So so so yeah, so so, the 519 00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:48,640 Speaker 1: the sheave and the motor usually UM contained in a 520 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:53,680 Speaker 1: compartment above the elevator or sometimes on the side. Occasionally 521 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:55,600 Speaker 1: there will be cabinets on the side and UM and 522 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:58,480 Speaker 1: the sheave will be on the side there and moving 523 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 1: everything along that way. That it's it's a little bit 524 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 1: more complicated. But yeah, I've seen like the simplest one 525 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:07,600 Speaker 1: has the sheave mounted to the elevator shaft and it's 526 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:10,840 Speaker 1: completely separate from the elevator. But there are elevators that 527 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:14,760 Speaker 1: have motors that are connected to the elevator itself, not 528 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:17,880 Speaker 1: to a not to something that's mounted on the shaft. 529 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:21,040 Speaker 1: It still works on the same principle, right, It's still 530 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:24,080 Speaker 1: got this rotating sheave that is moving the cable through, 531 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 1: but you've just located the sheave on a different part 532 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:29,400 Speaker 1: of the system. So instead of it being part of 533 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:32,360 Speaker 1: the building, it's part of the elevator. Isn't isn't the 534 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:37,400 Speaker 1: Marriott in downtown Atlanta? Um? It could be. I feel 535 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:40,360 Speaker 1: like I could be completely lying, folks. I have no idea. Yeah, 536 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:44,000 Speaker 1: we've got a lot of fancy elevator systems down in Atlanta. 537 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:47,040 Speaker 1: For example, if you ever are in Atlanta and you 538 00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:51,040 Speaker 1: want to have a real treat, you go to the 539 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 1: UH Peachtree Tower and you ride the glass elevator all 540 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,080 Speaker 1: the way up, which is on mounted on the side 541 00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:59,400 Speaker 1: of the building, so you actually have a view of 542 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 1: the outside of Atlanta, and ride that all the way 543 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:04,800 Speaker 1: up to the rotating restaurant called the sun Dial at 544 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:07,680 Speaker 1: the very top of the Peach Tree Towers high. I 545 00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:12,959 Speaker 1: don't know the two floors which is personally comfortable with that. 546 00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:15,560 Speaker 1: I'm sure many of our listeners live in cities where 547 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 1: seventy two floors is not But for Atlanta, that's pretty tall. Yeah, 548 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 1: and it's an exciting right, I gotta say I've I've 549 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:25,440 Speaker 1: gone up there many times. Um. But yeah, So so 550 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:29,000 Speaker 1: we've got We've covered the counterweight, We've covered the sheaveh 551 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:31,720 Speaker 1: We've covered the fact that we use the counterweight to 552 00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:35,320 Speaker 1: help conserve energy and with the idea of the potential energy. 553 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:38,240 Speaker 1: These elevators also have lots and lots of safety features. 554 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,520 Speaker 1: Oh and before I mentioned going to safety features, I 555 00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:45,120 Speaker 1: should also mention the elevator car and the counterweight ride 556 00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 1: on guide rails very important. The rails are what keep 557 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:52,800 Speaker 1: them from swaying when they're going up and down the shaft, 558 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:56,680 Speaker 1: which anyone could tell you is a good thing, right absolutely, 559 00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:58,600 Speaker 1: and it also helps out with some of those safety 560 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:00,600 Speaker 1: features that we're going to talk out talk about in 561 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 1: a second. Yeah. In fact, let's just go ahead and 562 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:05,840 Speaker 1: segue into that, because you know, we need to talk 563 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:08,480 Speaker 1: about the sort of things that keep elevators safe. That 564 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:12,600 Speaker 1: was you know, the little opinion system that OTIS came 565 00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:15,360 Speaker 1: up with, little system the thing that made elevators possible. 566 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:20,560 Speaker 1: That that was one element that was elevator safety. But 567 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:24,280 Speaker 1: of course when we're talking about uh, elevator systems that 568 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:28,480 Speaker 1: can go all the way up to over seventy floors, 569 00:31:28,520 --> 00:31:32,160 Speaker 1: then you want lots of different safety features there, you know, 570 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:36,760 Speaker 1: lots of redundancy, not just uh some some little palls 571 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:38,880 Speaker 1: and some racks that are on the side of the 572 00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:41,800 Speaker 1: elevator shaft. Right right, Yeah, that's that's okay for five stories, 573 00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:43,880 Speaker 1: but I'm less trustful of it first saying, you know, 574 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:46,160 Speaker 1: a hundred um so so. So the main kind of 575 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:48,120 Speaker 1: system that we're working with here is is called a 576 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:52,040 Speaker 1: governor system. Yeah, and it's uh, I was very disappointed 577 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,840 Speaker 1: to find out that it wasn't like a cockney thing 578 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:58,400 Speaker 1: so we could like the governor. The governor, Um, no, 579 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:00,480 Speaker 1: it's and by the way, I did a little arm 580 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:03,680 Speaker 1: thing that you know, you guys don't get the benefit of. 581 00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:05,200 Speaker 1: But I think if you say governor, you have to 582 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:07,680 Speaker 1: do a little like a little little swing your arm. 583 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:11,720 Speaker 1: Just a governor. Um, sorry, all my friends in the UK, 584 00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:16,239 Speaker 1: former friends in the UK. So the governor is is 585 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:19,480 Speaker 1: a safety feature that is supposed to help prevent the 586 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:23,479 Speaker 1: elevator from moving to quickly. And it's it's literally springs 587 00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:26,200 Speaker 1: into place if it does move too quickly. Right, this 588 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,920 Speaker 1: is a this is a second rope system. There's there's 589 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:32,040 Speaker 1: a rope um it's it's looped around the governor sheave 590 00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:34,280 Speaker 1: at the top of the shaft, and then another weighted 591 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:36,560 Speaker 1: sheaf at the bottom. Right. So in this case you've 592 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:39,200 Speaker 1: got the main set of ropes or cables that are 593 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:41,560 Speaker 1: attached to the counterweight and to the elevator which move 594 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:44,200 Speaker 1: the elevator itself and the elevator sheaf, and then there's 595 00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:48,480 Speaker 1: a secondary sheave and cable system that's the governor sheaf. 596 00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 1: This is completely separate. It is connected to that main sheaf, 597 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:54,840 Speaker 1: but but it is attached to the elevator. It's got 598 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:56,600 Speaker 1: these two sheaves, one on the top, one at the bottom, 599 00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:58,680 Speaker 1: and then is connected in the middle to the elevator, 600 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:02,280 Speaker 1: so that when the elevator moves, this rope moves in 601 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,600 Speaker 1: between the two sheaves. Right, the governor sheave is actually 602 00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:09,120 Speaker 1: has flyweights. These are these weights that are held in 603 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:13,320 Speaker 1: place by a high tension spring. They pivot on pins 604 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:16,320 Speaker 1: inside the sheave and uh and and are attached to 605 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:18,120 Speaker 1: each other so that they're not because they've got little 606 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:20,360 Speaker 1: hooks on the ends. Right, they've got the teeth so 607 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:22,880 Speaker 1: that it actually hooks into notches that are on the 608 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:26,160 Speaker 1: inside of the governor sheaf. Okay, so the governor sheaf 609 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:28,720 Speaker 1: has these notches that are stationary. They do not turn 610 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:30,840 Speaker 1: with the rest of the sheep. The fly flyweights do 611 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 1: turn with the rest of the sheep. Now, there's a 612 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:36,560 Speaker 1: tension spring that holds those flyweights in place. But if 613 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:39,880 Speaker 1: the faster that the that the governor sheaf is turning, 614 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:44,000 Speaker 1: the stretchier the spring gets right because of centrifugal force. Correct, 615 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:46,280 Speaker 1: So as the centrifugal force gets strong enough, if it's 616 00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:49,280 Speaker 1: if it's spinning fast enough for the centrifugal force to 617 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:53,520 Speaker 1: to counteract the tension on the spring. Those flyweights spring 618 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:57,800 Speaker 1: out and then they catch on those ratchets on the 619 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:01,160 Speaker 1: inside of the sheet, which again are stationary. The inside 620 00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:03,200 Speaker 1: the sheave is not turning. It's the outside that's turning 621 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:04,880 Speaker 1: in these fly weights that are turning, and so the 622 00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:08,239 Speaker 1: fly weights will hook into it and stop the governor sheave, 623 00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:11,319 Speaker 1: which will stop the rope, which will stop the elevator. Connor, Yeah, 624 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:15,680 Speaker 1: it's it's um. Usually it also enacts a breaking system, 625 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:19,320 Speaker 1: so it's not like it just jerks to a halt, 626 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 1: but it does, in our enact a breaking system that 627 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:26,600 Speaker 1: will make the elevator slow down and then ultimately stop. 628 00:34:26,960 --> 00:34:30,120 Speaker 1: And this is you know, necessary for any elevator system 629 00:34:30,160 --> 00:34:34,279 Speaker 1: where you're going more than a floor. So obviously the 630 00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:38,800 Speaker 1: higher up you are, interestingly enough, the more uh likely 631 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:41,680 Speaker 1: the system will kick into place, because your elevator will 632 00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:44,799 Speaker 1: be accelerating at the speed of that while the accelerati 633 00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:47,960 Speaker 1: of speed of gravity and uh, assuming there's nothing else 634 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,840 Speaker 1: holding it back that's slowing it down, so it actually 635 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:57,440 Speaker 1: will be more likely to to to activate the further 636 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:01,319 Speaker 1: up you are. UM kind of a terrifying thought, but 637 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:04,800 Speaker 1: it is true. Another part of the safety system is, 638 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:07,440 Speaker 1: just like you said, Lauren, just the ropes themselves, because 639 00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:10,720 Speaker 1: they are all so strong. They're made out of steel material, 640 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:13,560 Speaker 1: they're wound around. It's kind of braided in a way, 641 00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:17,320 Speaker 1: braided steel and uh. And like we said, one rope 642 00:35:17,360 --> 00:35:20,240 Speaker 1: can support the weight of an elevator, a full elevator, 643 00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:23,319 Speaker 1: but they usually have between four and eight so that 644 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:26,480 Speaker 1: you don't have to worry so much. If one rope snaps, 645 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:30,279 Speaker 1: the others can hold on just as well. And then 646 00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:35,440 Speaker 1: you've got some electro magnetic brakes that are supposed to 647 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:39,080 Speaker 1: pop into place if the elevator exceeds a certain speed. Right, 648 00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:42,719 Speaker 1: the electromagnets under normal circumstances hold the brakes open, and 649 00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 1: then if something terrible happens, they snap those brakes down. Right. 650 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:50,720 Speaker 1: So these are all the different systems. And then there's 651 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:55,040 Speaker 1: the there's the final uh safety measure in an elevator 652 00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:58,759 Speaker 1: system that's common amongst most elevators. All else fails, and 653 00:35:58,840 --> 00:36:01,240 Speaker 1: the and the elevator car does fall down the shaft, 654 00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:03,359 Speaker 1: there's usually something at the bottom that's going to help 655 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:05,800 Speaker 1: cushion that fall, right, there's usually some sort of shock 656 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:10,120 Speaker 1: absorbent system. It might be a fluid filled system where 657 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:13,480 Speaker 1: it's like a again like a cylinder with a piston 658 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:16,960 Speaker 1: with oil in it, so that uh, the oil in 659 00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:20,759 Speaker 1: the cylinder and then as the elevator makes contact, it compresses. 660 00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:24,280 Speaker 1: It could be a spring system. It could be essentially 661 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:28,560 Speaker 1: what amounts to an elevator style crash pad. Right, It 662 00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:31,360 Speaker 1: all depends on the actual system. But these are you know, 663 00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:34,480 Speaker 1: some sort of shock absorber that will you if you've 664 00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:36,799 Speaker 1: ever seen a seen an open elevator shaft, I mean, 665 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:38,359 Speaker 1: don't go looking for this, but you know, if you've 666 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:40,360 Speaker 1: ever seen a seen the elevator doors open on the 667 00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:43,160 Speaker 1: ground floor and you see some kind of large cylinder 668 00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:45,640 Speaker 1: sort of thing, that's that's what that is. Yeah, Yeah, 669 00:36:45,800 --> 00:36:49,160 Speaker 1: so that covers the the safety. Uh, we didn't really 670 00:36:49,160 --> 00:36:51,920 Speaker 1: talk so much about the doors. The doors do usually 671 00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:54,040 Speaker 1: have some sort of automatic system so that if it 672 00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:57,160 Speaker 1: detects that there is an obstruction, they will open automatically. 673 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:00,440 Speaker 1: That's what's supposed to happen. We'll get into whatppens when 674 00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:03,800 Speaker 1: that doesn't happen in a minute. Um. And then there's 675 00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:06,919 Speaker 1: also the whole idea about selecting your floor. Now, back 676 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:09,480 Speaker 1: in the old days, right, right, you had to have 677 00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:15,680 Speaker 1: an elevator technician bell hop. Yeah, yeah, the I know 678 00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:17,719 Speaker 1: there's I know that there's a specific term and I 679 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:19,160 Speaker 1: can't come up with it either, but yes, you have 680 00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:22,919 Speaker 1: an elevator attendant essentially. But the elevator attendance job would 681 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:25,200 Speaker 1: be you would walk in and you know, you've probably 682 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:27,400 Speaker 1: seen these in movies as someone who's dressed up in 683 00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:30,640 Speaker 1: the fancy outfits this what floor, and then you tell 684 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:33,120 Speaker 1: the person and they make sure that the elevator doors 685 00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:37,800 Speaker 1: are closed. Usually in these systems, the elevator was designed 686 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:40,560 Speaker 1: so that it would not work unless the doors were closed. 687 00:37:40,719 --> 00:37:42,920 Speaker 1: It's not true in the case of every elevator, but 688 00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:44,960 Speaker 1: it was one of those safety features, right. And those 689 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:48,160 Speaker 1: those original elevators had had two sets of doors. They 690 00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:51,120 Speaker 1: had interior doors attached to the cab to to the 691 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:53,200 Speaker 1: car of the elevator that um that would that would 692 00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:56,799 Speaker 1: lock into place, or that the that the cabby would 693 00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:59,480 Speaker 1: would look into place. And then the exterior doors were 694 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:03,160 Speaker 1: opper rated external externally. Yeah, you had to have the 695 00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:05,360 Speaker 1: external door so that people wouldn't just wander up and 696 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:08,080 Speaker 1: fall down an elevator shaft, which has happened and I'll 697 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:11,719 Speaker 1: cover that, but they were all manual, right yeah, so, um, 698 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:13,720 Speaker 1: so what would happen is you would tell the elevator 699 00:38:13,719 --> 00:38:15,880 Speaker 1: operator where you wanted to go, like what floor you 700 00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:17,920 Speaker 1: wanted to go on, and then they would hit a 701 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:21,000 Speaker 1: switch which would essentially be climb or descend, and then 702 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:23,040 Speaker 1: once you got to the place that you were going, 703 00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:25,080 Speaker 1: they would turn it off and you would get off 704 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:27,319 Speaker 1: the elevator. And a good elevator operator would be able 705 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,839 Speaker 1: to stop the elevator. So we was right there at 706 00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:32,720 Speaker 1: the floor and you didn't have like a list step 707 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:35,640 Speaker 1: up and down, yeah, which could cause problems. You could 708 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:38,680 Speaker 1: you could trip and fall or something. Um. Now, of course, 709 00:38:38,719 --> 00:38:41,880 Speaker 1: these days we have computer systems that automate all this 710 00:38:41,960 --> 00:38:47,560 Speaker 1: where you've got a panel of lights or sorry, go ahead, yeah, 711 00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:49,080 Speaker 1: I'm sorry. Yeah, you were you were talking about the 712 00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:52,560 Speaker 1: external That's completely right, Lauren, I was. I was talking 713 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:56,360 Speaker 1: about buttons because I think buttons light up. But you 714 00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:58,240 Speaker 1: know the button, when you press a button, it tells 715 00:38:58,480 --> 00:39:01,080 Speaker 1: essentially sends a signal saying that this elevator needs to 716 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:04,279 Speaker 1: go to this floor. How does the computer know what 717 00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:08,200 Speaker 1: floor the elevators already on Lauren. Huh uh. That that 718 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:10,520 Speaker 1: is done by a series of of of lights or 719 00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:13,240 Speaker 1: magnets or other indicators along the wall of a shaft, 720 00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:16,719 Speaker 1: and as the as the elevator car moves past them, 721 00:39:16,719 --> 00:39:19,239 Speaker 1: the computer takes note of where it is. Right, So 722 00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:22,879 Speaker 1: essentially the computer is counting what floors you are on, 723 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:25,759 Speaker 1: and that's how it senses it. Now, you can get 724 00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:28,399 Speaker 1: into more advanced sensors these days, but that's that's sort 725 00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:32,080 Speaker 1: of the classic way, right, So uh yeah, it's it's 726 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,040 Speaker 1: pretty simple stuff. You know, you hit a button and 727 00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:37,000 Speaker 1: it just sends a signal saying this elevator needs to 728 00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:39,959 Speaker 1: go to this floor, and the mechanics do the rest 729 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:42,840 Speaker 1: once the computer has processed that request. And there's a 730 00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:46,400 Speaker 1: couple different levels of computer sophistication that are involved. The 731 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:51,000 Speaker 1: classic ones will just go up until no one has 732 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:53,640 Speaker 1: pressed up anymore, and then we'll start to collect the 733 00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:58,560 Speaker 1: down calls again. Right. In other words, if you've got, uh, 734 00:39:58,719 --> 00:40:01,000 Speaker 1: if you've got three people in the elevator, someone's hit to, 735 00:40:01,239 --> 00:40:04,440 Speaker 1: someone's hit four, someone's hit eight, But there's someone on 736 00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:07,120 Speaker 1: floor seven who wants to go down, that elevator is 737 00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:09,279 Speaker 1: not going to stop for the person on seven until 738 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:12,600 Speaker 1: it's let off the person from eight uh and and 739 00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:16,000 Speaker 1: there's there's lots of newer systems coming out that that 740 00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:21,200 Speaker 1: will assess traffic patterns and send alternate elevators to alternate 741 00:40:21,239 --> 00:40:24,160 Speaker 1: floors at different times of the day, depending on who 742 00:40:24,239 --> 00:40:26,160 Speaker 1: needs to go where it's It can get a lot 743 00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:28,640 Speaker 1: more complicated than that. So for example, here in the 744 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:31,920 Speaker 1: building we work in in the morning, there's almost always 745 00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:35,200 Speaker 1: at least one elevator at the ground floor already because 746 00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:38,200 Speaker 1: not enough people have arrived for those elevators to be 747 00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:41,840 Speaker 1: used in between floors. Right, it's usually ground floor to 748 00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:44,839 Speaker 1: whatever your destination is, and if it's early enough, it's 749 00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:47,680 Speaker 1: only people coming in and small groups. So you walk 750 00:40:47,719 --> 00:40:50,520 Speaker 1: in and you press the button and immediately a door opens. 751 00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:52,719 Speaker 1: It feels like it's magic. Sometimes there's already a door 752 00:40:52,719 --> 00:40:54,520 Speaker 1: open before you even get in there. There have been 753 00:40:54,520 --> 00:40:56,399 Speaker 1: times where I've walked in no doors have been open. 754 00:40:56,440 --> 00:40:58,000 Speaker 1: Before I can even hit the button, it goes bing 755 00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:00,440 Speaker 1: and I think that's security, just do that for me, 756 00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:04,799 Speaker 1: But um or are they watching me? I don't know. 757 00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:07,799 Speaker 1: But either way, they have been more sophisticated and in 758 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:10,440 Speaker 1: fact they've even gotten so sophisticated, as in some buildings 759 00:41:10,440 --> 00:41:13,280 Speaker 1: that have lots and lots and lots of floors. Instead 760 00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:16,000 Speaker 1: of just hitting up or down, you actually end up 761 00:41:16,040 --> 00:41:18,920 Speaker 1: indicating what floor you're going to floor, and then and 762 00:41:18,960 --> 00:41:21,480 Speaker 1: then you're told which elevator to go wait in front of, 763 00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:24,239 Speaker 1: and then it'll take you to your floor. Um. There 764 00:41:24,239 --> 00:41:27,200 Speaker 1: are plenty of buildings I've worked in that had express 765 00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:29,480 Speaker 1: versions of this, where it just gave you a block 766 00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:31,960 Speaker 1: of floors that the elevator could serve, and it was 767 00:41:32,400 --> 00:41:35,160 Speaker 1: it would skip all the other floors, which, if it's 768 00:41:35,239 --> 00:41:37,919 Speaker 1: high enough, means it's almost guaranteed to make your ears 769 00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:41,920 Speaker 1: go pop. Yeah, yeah, it's always fun. All right. So 770 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:46,080 Speaker 1: let's talk about elevator accidents, which I had not planned 771 00:41:46,120 --> 00:41:48,759 Speaker 1: on talking about, but I sent out the message on 772 00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:52,200 Speaker 1: Twitter before we record this podcast and receive a request 773 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:56,560 Speaker 1: from Nannie, and Nannie says, always see elevators crashing on 774 00:41:56,600 --> 00:41:58,879 Speaker 1: TV and movies. Has it ever happened in real life? 775 00:41:59,680 --> 00:42:03,040 Speaker 1: The ord answer is yes, it has a lot. Not 776 00:42:03,120 --> 00:42:06,439 Speaker 1: a lot. Let's not say a lot, Laurence. We work 777 00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:09,840 Speaker 1: in a building where there's an elevator, it doesn't happen 778 00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:13,360 Speaker 1: a lot. It has happened over the course of history. 779 00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:16,520 Speaker 1: It's happened a few times, right now. Let me there's 780 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:18,440 Speaker 1: a lot of news stories about it. They're kind of 781 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:22,359 Speaker 1: gruesome that the stories are awful, which make it seem 782 00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:25,760 Speaker 1: like a like a lot um and and and even 783 00:42:25,960 --> 00:42:28,120 Speaker 1: you could argue one time is too many, and I 784 00:42:28,160 --> 00:42:31,040 Speaker 1: would not argue against that, because obviously you're talking about 785 00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:34,160 Speaker 1: people's lives, and I treat that very seriously. But no, no, 786 00:42:34,239 --> 00:42:35,960 Speaker 1: I mean, in the grand scheme of the universe, a 787 00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:38,800 Speaker 1: very few elevator accidents happen these days. Yeah, let me 788 00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:41,760 Speaker 1: give you a statistic. According to the U. S. Bureau 789 00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:45,279 Speaker 1: of Labor Statistics and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the 790 00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:50,719 Speaker 1: estimate is that elevator accidents caused twenty seven deaths per year. However, 791 00:42:51,239 --> 00:42:56,840 Speaker 1: elevators make about eighteen billion passenger trips per year, So 792 00:42:56,880 --> 00:43:00,239 Speaker 1: out of eighteen billion trips of taking people up and 793 00:43:00,280 --> 00:43:04,080 Speaker 1: down floors, seven people die, and out of those number 794 00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:10,000 Speaker 1: the most The most frequent victims of elevator accidents are 795 00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:13,320 Speaker 1: maintenance workers, people who are working in elevator shafts to 796 00:43:13,360 --> 00:43:17,000 Speaker 1: fix it right, and someone has failed to enact the 797 00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:21,120 Speaker 1: proper safety features to prevent an elevator from moving up 798 00:43:21,120 --> 00:43:24,040 Speaker 1: and down while the maintenance work is being done. That's tragic, 799 00:43:24,200 --> 00:43:26,960 Speaker 1: but that does seem to happen the most frequently. Behind 800 00:43:27,040 --> 00:43:32,280 Speaker 1: that behind maintenance workers are people who, for some reason 801 00:43:32,400 --> 00:43:35,799 Speaker 1: or other choose to get out of an elevator car 802 00:43:35,880 --> 00:43:40,040 Speaker 1: while it's in a shaft and either in an attempt 803 00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:43,640 Speaker 1: to escape a car that has been stuck, or to 804 00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:47,720 Speaker 1: do something like elevator surfing, which is an incredibly stupid 805 00:43:47,760 --> 00:43:50,320 Speaker 1: thing to do. You do, do not do just because 806 00:43:50,320 --> 00:43:53,520 Speaker 1: you see that happening like die Hard does not mean 807 00:43:53,560 --> 00:43:55,520 Speaker 1: that it's a good idea. No, don't do it. It's 808 00:43:55,560 --> 00:43:59,399 Speaker 1: it's almost it's almost a guarantee for severe injury, if 809 00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:03,879 Speaker 1: not death. Don't do it. Uh. Elevators in reality do 810 00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:06,600 Speaker 1: not work the way you see them in movies. The 811 00:44:06,680 --> 00:44:11,040 Speaker 1: elevator chefs are dark, they're nasty. Everything is covered in 812 00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:13,560 Speaker 1: in in oil and grease because it has to be 813 00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:17,520 Speaker 1: lubricated to allow elevators to pass and uh, and they 814 00:44:17,680 --> 00:44:19,960 Speaker 1: cramped the same the same way that air events do 815 00:44:20,040 --> 00:44:23,279 Speaker 1: not perfectly fit a human person or two human people. Yeah, 816 00:44:23,280 --> 00:44:25,439 Speaker 1: I was very disappointed to find that air events don't 817 00:44:25,440 --> 00:44:29,320 Speaker 1: come in Bruce Willis size, like it's not just a standard. Um, 818 00:44:29,320 --> 00:44:33,680 Speaker 1: it was very disappointing to me. Yeah, the same same principles. 819 00:44:33,719 --> 00:44:37,160 Speaker 1: Elevator chefs are not fun places to hang out. Yeah. So, um, 820 00:44:37,239 --> 00:44:40,319 Speaker 1: let's talk a little bit about some actual accidents, right, yeah, 821 00:44:40,400 --> 00:44:42,319 Speaker 1: and and so so so so some some of these 822 00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:45,160 Speaker 1: accidents are caused by the way that the doors work 823 00:44:45,280 --> 00:44:48,719 Speaker 1: in modern elevators. Um, there's usually a motion sensor that 824 00:44:48,800 --> 00:44:51,400 Speaker 1: prevents them from closing if someone is standing in the way. 825 00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:53,200 Speaker 1: I'm sure that you've seen that. And I want to 826 00:44:53,239 --> 00:44:55,759 Speaker 1: mention before we really get into this, some of these 827 00:44:55,760 --> 00:44:58,200 Speaker 1: descriptions could turn out to be a bit gruesome. So 828 00:44:58,320 --> 00:45:01,160 Speaker 1: if that is something that does bother you, I would 829 00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:04,480 Speaker 1: completely understand if you end listening to the podcast right 830 00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:06,520 Speaker 1: now and wait for our next episode, where we'll probably 831 00:45:06,520 --> 00:45:09,479 Speaker 1: talk about puppies. But um, because I'm gonna need something 832 00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:13,080 Speaker 1: after this people. But yeah, maybe we'll talk about some 833 00:45:13,200 --> 00:45:16,759 Speaker 1: of those robotic dogs or something. But but yes, we 834 00:45:16,840 --> 00:45:20,080 Speaker 1: are going to talk about some some fairly famous accidents 835 00:45:20,280 --> 00:45:23,319 Speaker 1: and uh and not and and they're they're not they're 836 00:45:23,360 --> 00:45:27,480 Speaker 1: not pleased. I've actually got them by chronological order. So 837 00:45:27,560 --> 00:45:30,280 Speaker 1: before we get into any other ones, specifically about the doors. 838 00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:33,759 Speaker 1: All right, so we're back. Uh. This is not the 839 00:45:33,760 --> 00:45:35,640 Speaker 1: first time there was an elevator accident. It's just the 840 00:45:35,680 --> 00:45:38,840 Speaker 1: first one that I took a I listed. UM, I 841 00:45:38,880 --> 00:45:41,760 Speaker 1: did a kind of a search for elevator accidents in general, 842 00:45:41,760 --> 00:45:45,840 Speaker 1: and then picked a few. In eighteen nine, U. S. 843 00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:50,600 Speaker 1: Congressman Isaac Jordan's died after he stepped into an open 844 00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:55,040 Speaker 1: elevator shaft. What had happened was he had called an elevator. UH. 845 00:45:55,080 --> 00:45:57,840 Speaker 1: He was talking with a friend of his when the 846 00:45:57,880 --> 00:46:03,120 Speaker 1: doors had opened the elevator. He essentially spent too long 847 00:46:03,280 --> 00:46:07,000 Speaker 1: speaking to his friend. The elevator then moved changed floors, 848 00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:11,960 Speaker 1: but the doors failed to close, and so the Congressman Jordan's, 849 00:46:12,480 --> 00:46:15,560 Speaker 1: upon concluding his conversation with his friends, stepped back into 850 00:46:15,640 --> 00:46:18,239 Speaker 1: what he thought was the elevator but was in fact 851 00:46:18,280 --> 00:46:22,000 Speaker 1: an open elevator shaft, and he fell to his death. UH. 852 00:46:22,160 --> 00:46:25,799 Speaker 1: Nineteen o three in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Uh, this was one 853 00:46:25,840 --> 00:46:30,280 Speaker 1: of those cases where it was UM, the the accident 854 00:46:30,440 --> 00:46:34,560 Speaker 1: was was due to the behavior of the passengers, because 855 00:46:35,360 --> 00:46:37,439 Speaker 1: not in not every case is it's something where there's 856 00:46:37,480 --> 00:46:40,480 Speaker 1: a mechanical failure. Because the elevator itself was poorly maintained. 857 00:46:40,520 --> 00:46:43,759 Speaker 1: In this case, there was a big conference that was 858 00:46:43,800 --> 00:46:47,120 Speaker 1: going on in Pittsburgh, and uh, there were all these 859 00:46:47,160 --> 00:46:50,920 Speaker 1: people in this one building and seventeen of them crowded 860 00:46:50,960 --> 00:46:54,000 Speaker 1: into an elevator that was designed to carry at maximum 861 00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:57,640 Speaker 1: like ten people. Seventeen people crowded into this elevator and 862 00:46:57,760 --> 00:47:01,520 Speaker 1: in the Donnelly Building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the elevator 863 00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:05,439 Speaker 1: fell six stories and then the cable and assembly fell 864 00:47:05,520 --> 00:47:08,239 Speaker 1: on top of the elevator. Yeah, because it was it 865 00:47:08,280 --> 00:47:10,560 Speaker 1: was too much weight, and it pulled the whole thing down. 866 00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:16,040 Speaker 1: Four people out of the seventeen died, so the others survived, injured, 867 00:47:16,120 --> 00:47:19,160 Speaker 1: but they were survived. They survived. And again the accident 868 00:47:19,200 --> 00:47:21,000 Speaker 1: was blamed on the fact that too many people crowded 869 00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:23,080 Speaker 1: into the elevator at once. And this is part of 870 00:47:23,080 --> 00:47:25,879 Speaker 1: why there are floor sensors and most elevators these days, 871 00:47:25,920 --> 00:47:29,040 Speaker 1: which we'll we'll do that really high pitched annoying dinging 872 00:47:29,080 --> 00:47:31,680 Speaker 1: thing if you or buzz or whatever when you load 873 00:47:31,719 --> 00:47:35,160 Speaker 1: too many people onto an elevator and telling you to 874 00:47:35,320 --> 00:47:37,160 Speaker 1: get some that weight out of there because it is 875 00:47:37,200 --> 00:47:40,680 Speaker 1: too much, right, and and the elevators these days, almost 876 00:47:40,719 --> 00:47:45,359 Speaker 1: all the ones that have this system, and that's they will, right. 877 00:47:45,440 --> 00:47:47,960 Speaker 1: And I've I've been in elevators that have done that. 878 00:47:48,080 --> 00:47:50,560 Speaker 1: I mean, while while we're on this topic, I just 879 00:47:50,600 --> 00:47:52,200 Speaker 1: wanted to mention I kind of meant to mention it 880 00:47:52,239 --> 00:47:54,359 Speaker 1: back when we were talking about computers. But um, but 881 00:47:55,200 --> 00:47:58,400 Speaker 1: when you if you're trying really hard to get somewhere 882 00:47:58,480 --> 00:48:01,520 Speaker 1: on an elevator and the eleva leaders are very busy, 883 00:48:01,840 --> 00:48:05,600 Speaker 1: only press the direction that you want to go. Because 884 00:48:05,719 --> 00:48:10,040 Speaker 1: the computer systems actually pretty advanced. It knows what it's 885 00:48:10,040 --> 00:48:12,920 Speaker 1: doing and it can do its job better if you 886 00:48:13,040 --> 00:48:17,439 Speaker 1: tell it what you need. Don't here, don't here, don't 887 00:48:17,480 --> 00:48:21,680 Speaker 1: keep both up and down if you're playing on going up. Correct. 888 00:48:22,600 --> 00:48:24,319 Speaker 1: I had to have a little levity in there because 889 00:48:24,320 --> 00:48:27,520 Speaker 1: some of the other accidents are just so awful. Here's 890 00:48:27,600 --> 00:48:33,120 Speaker 1: here's one that's a remarkable story and remarkable for multiple reasons. 891 00:48:33,160 --> 00:48:38,399 Speaker 1: It's both awful and amazing at the same time. Um. 892 00:48:39,520 --> 00:48:42,520 Speaker 1: That was the year when a bent Fi bomber flown 893 00:48:42,560 --> 00:48:47,560 Speaker 1: by Lieutenant Colonel William Franklin Smith Jr. Uh was flying 894 00:48:47,600 --> 00:48:51,400 Speaker 1: through a heavy fog bank missed the airport landing strip, 895 00:48:51,480 --> 00:48:54,480 Speaker 1: and instead crashed into the north face of the Empire 896 00:48:54,560 --> 00:48:59,359 Speaker 1: State Building. Goodness, yeah, not many people know about this 897 00:48:59,480 --> 00:49:03,799 Speaker 1: accident compared to uh, the the the terrorist attack on 898 00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:06,560 Speaker 1: nine eleven, which obviously there are parallels, right, but this 899 00:49:06,640 --> 00:49:09,799 Speaker 1: was this was an aviation accident. It wasn't done, it 900 00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:13,440 Speaker 1: wasn't a purposeful attack. But yes, it slammed into the 901 00:49:13,440 --> 00:49:15,759 Speaker 1: north side of the Empire State Building and among the 902 00:49:15,800 --> 00:49:18,839 Speaker 1: people who were injured was a woman named Betty Lou 903 00:49:18,960 --> 00:49:21,120 Speaker 1: Oliver who was an elevator attendant and she was on 904 00:49:21,160 --> 00:49:24,040 Speaker 1: the seventy five floor at the time. She was knocked 905 00:49:24,040 --> 00:49:28,680 Speaker 1: down and she was burned by jet fuel essentially airplane fuel, 906 00:49:29,440 --> 00:49:33,200 Speaker 1: and so firefighters were able to put the fire out 907 00:49:33,760 --> 00:49:36,560 Speaker 1: in about forty minutes. I think it was the highest 908 00:49:36,760 --> 00:49:40,560 Speaker 1: fire any firefighters have been able to uh to extinguish. 909 00:49:40,800 --> 00:49:44,600 Speaker 1: And then the rescuers they found Oliver and they knew 910 00:49:44,600 --> 00:49:47,120 Speaker 1: that they needed to get her to an ambulance, so 911 00:49:47,480 --> 00:49:50,040 Speaker 1: they put her in an elevator, but that elevator had 912 00:49:50,040 --> 00:49:54,200 Speaker 1: been weakened. The elevator doors closed, and then the cable 913 00:49:54,200 --> 00:49:58,239 Speaker 1: snapped and the elevator plummeted seventy five floors, landed on 914 00:49:58,280 --> 00:50:01,920 Speaker 1: the crash pad, then the assembly and cable hit on 915 00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:05,920 Speaker 1: top of it. She survived, They pulled her out of 916 00:50:05,920 --> 00:50:08,080 Speaker 1: the rubble she was, she survived and they were able 917 00:50:08,120 --> 00:50:11,600 Speaker 1: to get her to the hospital. Yeah. Pretty insane at 918 00:50:11,640 --> 00:50:16,000 Speaker 1: any rate. So these were all early accidents, uh, and 919 00:50:16,200 --> 00:50:18,799 Speaker 1: accidents still happen. Part of the reason why a lot 920 00:50:18,880 --> 00:50:20,879 Speaker 1: of the safety features that exist today have been put 921 00:50:20,920 --> 00:50:24,520 Speaker 1: into place, right exactly that these accidents showed that there 922 00:50:24,520 --> 00:50:27,360 Speaker 1: were other safety measures that needed to be there, and 923 00:50:27,440 --> 00:50:31,880 Speaker 1: once in a while, uh rarely an accident still happens, 924 00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:36,800 Speaker 1: maybe you know, involving the elevator doors or some other system. 925 00:50:36,840 --> 00:50:40,480 Speaker 1: But the important thing to remember is that uh that 926 00:50:40,520 --> 00:50:43,960 Speaker 1: you know, eighteen billion trips is that's a lot of trips, 927 00:50:44,040 --> 00:50:48,600 Speaker 1: and so they are phenomenally safe. It's just that when 928 00:50:48,600 --> 00:50:51,920 Speaker 1: you hear about the accidents, they seem they seem, uh, 929 00:50:53,000 --> 00:50:55,719 Speaker 1: they capture our imagination, right, It's I mean, it's it's 930 00:50:55,719 --> 00:50:59,160 Speaker 1: one of those things that that can easily overwhelm a 931 00:50:59,280 --> 00:51:02,000 Speaker 1: person and you can start concentrating on it too much. 932 00:51:02,000 --> 00:51:04,080 Speaker 1: It's kind of like getting into a plane, this this 933 00:51:04,160 --> 00:51:07,799 Speaker 1: idea that you're giving up control. Um, But but we 934 00:51:07,840 --> 00:51:11,520 Speaker 1: should you know, I definitely want to stress that the 935 00:51:11,600 --> 00:51:14,600 Speaker 1: elevators that are in use today, especially the ones that 936 00:51:14,680 --> 00:51:18,120 Speaker 1: are in public buildings where they have to undergo regular 937 00:51:18,840 --> 00:51:22,960 Speaker 1: uh investigations, a regular regular maintenance and share checkups, you know, 938 00:51:23,040 --> 00:51:26,520 Speaker 1: all of that sort of stuff, are remarkably safe. Yes, 939 00:51:26,600 --> 00:51:29,359 Speaker 1: and and also furthermore, um, the lessons that we can 940 00:51:29,400 --> 00:51:31,719 Speaker 1: take away from from some of the things that we 941 00:51:31,800 --> 00:51:34,600 Speaker 1: did not mention that have happened more recently are just 942 00:51:34,719 --> 00:51:36,840 Speaker 1: that if you if you are stuck in an elevator, 943 00:51:36,880 --> 00:51:39,040 Speaker 1: I myself been stuck in an elevator for not too long, 944 00:51:39,080 --> 00:51:42,400 Speaker 1: maybe half an hour or so. Um. If if that happens, 945 00:51:42,440 --> 00:51:46,080 Speaker 1: you know, don't don't panic. There's usually call box in there. 946 00:51:46,520 --> 00:51:49,920 Speaker 1: Use that. Also, don't try to pry open the doors yourself, 947 00:51:50,040 --> 00:51:54,040 Speaker 1: and and don't try to uh to leap dramatically action 948 00:51:54,080 --> 00:51:56,640 Speaker 1: hero style out of the elevator if it if it 949 00:51:56,719 --> 00:52:00,120 Speaker 1: seems like bad things are happening, probably bad things are 950 00:52:00,160 --> 00:52:03,319 Speaker 1: not happening, And you have more likelihood of um, of 951 00:52:03,320 --> 00:52:06,279 Speaker 1: getting caught in in a door mechanism and injured that 952 00:52:06,320 --> 00:52:09,640 Speaker 1: way than you do of the elevator actually falling right. Yeah, 953 00:52:09,680 --> 00:52:13,080 Speaker 1: it's um, you know, it's it's definitely one of those 954 00:52:13,080 --> 00:52:18,000 Speaker 1: things where a lot of the deaths and injuries could 955 00:52:18,000 --> 00:52:22,399 Speaker 1: be avoided if people follow the proper safety protocols. Uh, 956 00:52:22,440 --> 00:52:27,000 Speaker 1: specifically with the maintenance workers. Um, it's you know, it's 957 00:52:27,160 --> 00:52:31,680 Speaker 1: it's it's technology. Sometimes technology fails, but but I would 958 00:52:31,719 --> 00:52:34,279 Speaker 1: say that it's one of the most reliable ones that 959 00:52:34,320 --> 00:52:37,799 Speaker 1: we have out there. Uh. And of course, remember where 960 00:52:37,880 --> 00:52:42,759 Speaker 1: humans really bad at factoring in odds, So things like, 961 00:52:43,239 --> 00:52:46,920 Speaker 1: you know, the odds of of operating a vehicle safely 962 00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:50,680 Speaker 1: are actually worse than the odds of having a safe 963 00:52:51,120 --> 00:52:54,600 Speaker 1: flying and which are you know, the same like taking 964 00:52:54,600 --> 00:52:58,160 Speaker 1: an elevator ride safely. So I don't want to make 965 00:52:58,160 --> 00:53:00,960 Speaker 1: everyone feel like they have to the stairs from here 966 00:53:00,960 --> 00:53:03,719 Speaker 1: on out. That's not the case. It's very healthy. It 967 00:53:03,800 --> 00:53:06,879 Speaker 1: can be unless you're at the top of the seventieth floor, 968 00:53:06,920 --> 00:53:09,480 Speaker 1: in which case you kind of have to pack a lunch. 969 00:53:10,160 --> 00:53:13,400 Speaker 1: But you know, it's it's definitely that's not the message 970 00:53:13,400 --> 00:53:16,960 Speaker 1: that we're trying to send here. Certainly not all right, Well, uh, 971 00:53:17,440 --> 00:53:21,279 Speaker 1: thank you for that question, nanny. You've taught me a 972 00:53:21,360 --> 00:53:25,759 Speaker 1: valuable lesson, and that is not googling elevator accidents. No, 973 00:53:25,920 --> 00:53:29,680 Speaker 1: I read way more than what I described, and uh, 974 00:53:29,760 --> 00:53:32,840 Speaker 1: and and yeah, it's there's no point in going over it. 975 00:53:32,920 --> 00:53:37,560 Speaker 1: These are all the exceptions, and uh, there's nothing but 976 00:53:37,640 --> 00:53:40,759 Speaker 1: just it's just disturbing. But it turns out again like 977 00:53:40,800 --> 00:53:44,640 Speaker 1: these are all exceptions, not the rule. So um, yeah, 978 00:53:45,200 --> 00:53:49,000 Speaker 1: don't be terrified. All right, I'm glad that I've stressed that. Now, Guys, 979 00:53:49,160 --> 00:53:52,600 Speaker 1: if you have any questions, any comments, any suggestions for 980 00:53:52,680 --> 00:53:55,480 Speaker 1: future episodes of tech Stuff, I highly recommend you get 981 00:53:55,480 --> 00:53:57,680 Speaker 1: intest with us and let us know because it's kind 982 00:53:57,680 --> 00:54:00,479 Speaker 1: of how we choose these things. Send us an email 983 00:54:00,520 --> 00:54:03,560 Speaker 1: our addresses tech stuff at Discovery dot com, or drop 984 00:54:03,640 --> 00:54:05,520 Speaker 1: us the line on Facebook or Twitter or handle up. 985 00:54:05,520 --> 00:54:08,040 Speaker 1: Both of those is text stuff H. S. W And 986 00:54:08,160 --> 00:54:16,759 Speaker 1: Lauren and I will tell you again really soon for 987 00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:19,200 Speaker 1: more on this and thousands of other topics. Does it 988 00:54:19,280 --> 00:54:30,200 Speaker 1: how staff works dot com