An Anxious Moment at the Eiffel Tower.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 387, 24 July 1889, Page 4

An Anxious Moment at the Eiffel Tower.

At the Eiffel Tower yesterday an experiment was performed which, says the Paris correspondent of the 'Times,' produced a strong impression on those present. Mr Condamin, inspecting 1 engineer of the Exhibition, in presenco of M. Eiffel, M. Salles, engineer, his son-in-law, and Mr Brown, engineer, of the American firm of Otis, subjected to the Otis lift to a final test before handing it over for public use. The lift, which consists of two apartments, one above the other, weighs 11,000 kilogrammes, and loaded with 3, 000 kilogrammes of lead — that is to say, weighing 14,000 kilogrammes — was raised to a considerable height. There it was fastened with ordinary ropes, and this done it was detached from the cables of steel wire with which it is worked. What Avas to be done was to cut the ropes, and allow the lift to fall, so as to ascertain whether, if the steel cables were to give way, the breaks would work properly and support the lift. There were 25 or3opersonspresenfc. After waiting two hours (the correspondent continues) we were told that the experiment was going to be made. Two carpenters, armed with great hatchets, had ascended to the lift, and wero ready to cut tho cables on a signal to be given by Mr Brown. There was greab anxiety. M. Eiffel asked Mr Brown if he was alarmed, to which the latter replied, with American coolness, ' Only two things can happen.' Then, turning to the carpenters, Mr Brown said, ' One, two, three.' A blow cut the rope. The enormous machine began to fall. Everyone was startled ; but in its down ward course the lift began to move more slowly, it swayed for a moment from left to right, stuck on the break, and stopped. There was general cheering. Not a pane of glass in the lift had been broken or cracked. A powerful arm seemed to have caught the lift in its descent, and to have stopped it without a shock ab a height of 10 metres above the ground.