are satisfactory where only one or two cars are in- 

 volved, with a reasonably short travel to each. Al- 

 though such mechanical devices are satisfactory under 

 the conditions described, they are a positive annoy- 

 ance to the waiting passenger when there are a num- 

 ber of elevators in a group, it being obvious that a 

 passenger on any floor must first note the position 

 and the direction of the movement of all the indicator 

 hands upon the elevator enclosure in order to de- 

 termine which of the elevators is nearest the floor, 

 moving in the direction he wishes to go. 



The carrying capacity of the elevators can be 

 largely augmented and the efficiency of operation 

 increased by the installation of the Armstrong Flash 

 Light Signal for signaling to operators and waiting 

 passengers. This system has been installed in the 

 fifteen passenger elevators in the Singer Building. 



It is usual to provide at the ground floor a dial 

 for each elevator, these dials having numbers repre- 

 senting the various floors and each provided with a 

 movable pointer, operated by the respective eleva- 

 tor's machinery so as to show the position of said 

 car in the hatch. 



Owing to the large number of openings served 

 by the elevators in the Singer Building and the 

 limited space that was at the disposal of the engineer 

 for a dial for each one on the ground floor, it was 

 found impracticable to use a mechanical equipment 

 for this purpose. Instead, an electrical system con- 

 sisting of rows of miniature lamps, each row repre- 

 senting one elevator with a separate lamp for each 

 opening, was installed at the ground floor for each of 

 the three groups of elevators. 



In the Chief Engineer's office was placed another 

 position indicator board showing multiple indications 

 of those given above for all elevators in the building, 

 by means of which the Chief Engineer can, at all 

 times, tell the location of the elevators in any hatch, 

 'whether they are performing their proper duty and 

 service, and, if in difficulty, he is able to tell at what 

 point in the hatch the elevators are in distress. 



Each group of elevators is equipped with an "up" 

 and "down" push plate on the elevator enclosure at 

 each floor for signaling to the operator. Each car 

 is provided with a signal light, which operates one 

 and a half floors in advance of the floor on which 

 the button has been pushed. 



On the elevator enclosures are provided an "up" 

 and "down" light under push button control and set 

 so that the signal will be given to the waiting pas- 

 senger two and a half or three floors in advance of 



INTERIOR OF CAR, SHOWING STARTING AND STOPPING 

 MECHANISM, TELEPHONE AND MEGAPHONE 



the arrival of the car at the floor on which the button 

 has been pushed, this service being arranged so that 

 only "up" passengers are served and receive signals 

 on the upward passage of the car, and the "down" 

 passengers when the car is traveling downward. 



Each of the elevator cars in the Singer Building 

 is provided with a telephone and megaphone, as 

 shown in the illustration, over the 

 stopping and starting mechanism. 

 This illustration also shows, at the 

 right, two folds of the fourfold door, 

 folded back into the panel. The 

 telephones are connected, through swinging cables 

 and wiring, with a switchboard in the Chief Engi- 

 neer's office. It has a hinged key board, having a 

 capacity of fifty answering jacks and signals, pro- 



49] 



TELEPHONE 

 AND 



MEGAPHONE 

 SERVICE 



