An Anxious Moment at the Eiffel Tower.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 171, 20 July 1889, Page 3 (Supplement)

An Anxious Moment at the Eiffel Tower.

At fche 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 engineer of the Exhibition, in presence of M. Eiffel, M. Salles, engineer, his son-in-law, and Mr BroWH, engineer, of the American firm of Otis, subjected to the Otis lift to a final test before handing ifc over for public use. The lifb, which "consists of two apartments, one above the obher, weighs 11,000 kilogrammes, and loaded with 3,000 kilogrammes of lead— that is to say, weighing 14,000 kilogrammes — waß raised to a considerable height. There ib was fastened wifch ordinary ropes, and this done it was detached from the cables of steel wire with Which it is woiked. What was to be done was to cub bhe ropes, and allow the lift to fall, so as to ascertain whether, if the steel cables were fco give way, the breaks would work properly and support; fche lifb. There were2s or3opersonspresenb. Afber waibing bwo hours (fche correspondenb continues) we were told fchafc fche experiment was going to be made. Two darpenters, armed with great hatchets, had ascended to fche lifb, and wero ready to cut the cables on a signal to be given by Mr Brown. There was great anxiety. M. Eiffel asked Mr Brown if he was alarmed, fco which the latter replied, with American coolness, ' Only two things can happen.' Then, burning to the carpenters, Mr Brown said, 'One, two, three.' A blow cut the rope. The enormous machine began to fall. Everyone was startled ; bub in its downward cours. fche lifb began to move more slowly, ib swayed for a moment from left to righb, sbuok on bhe break, and stopped. There was general cheering. Nofc a pane of glass in the lift had been broken or cracked. A powerful arm seemed to have i caught the lifb in its descent, and to have i stopped ifc without a shock at a height of : 110 metres above bhe ground.