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Show STORY OF MODEn ELEVATOR SERVICE Practically all the elevators in use today are driven by electric power, with tho exception of a few old-fashioned elevators of small size which are still driven by water, or hydraulic, energy. There Is nothing now about the elevator. ele-vator. It may safely bo presumed that the original cave-man saw the need of a long grapevine to raise fresh and smoked meats to the safety of his mountain retreat. ""Very probabl., this,' was done. Tho ancient Caesars em-ployed em-ployed horse and hand-power lifts to ascend from the level of the Forum to the Imperial halls. These lifts consisted con-sisted of winding drums, capstans, levers, lev-ers, pulleys, etc. To this very day lifts of this nature aro being operateda . .-. i in ancient monasteries in Europe and A-sia. Eut the first elevator properly began be-gan when Villoyer, a Parisian, invented invent-ed what he called a "flying chair." This first elevator traveled between the wall of his house, from the first to the second floor. The chair was operated by a rope, pulley and counterweight. count-erweight. It has the record of being the first elevator to get stuck between floors. Steam freight elevators, or hoists, made their appearance about 1S50. The first one was installed in a flour mill. In 1852 the old worm" gear for steam elevators was discarded In favor of tho wire rope and drum hoists. The first hydraulic elevator was tho result re-sult of the experiments of Cyrus W. Baldwin, of Brooklyn, in 1S55 One of tho first hotels to install an elevator elevat-or was tho Fifth Avenue Hotel which was built In 1S59 Even in those days this first passenger elevator was caned can-ed a "vertical railway-' It ran up and down, from floor to floor, taking on and discharging passengers. This elevator was of the vertical screw type. In 1S75 tho screw type elevator gave way to tho rope elevator very similar in many respects to the mod ern elevator. At first the necessary $ power was secured from steam and water hut in most modern elevator I systems power is secured from elet- trie motors. High speed elewitors re- iy quiro elaborate safety devices ana Mm signal systems. These are also oper- jdB ated by electricity. ' ' 1 nn ' |