Figure 41 . — Recent view of lower car of the 

 Edoux system, showing slotted cylindrical 

 guides that enclose the cables. 



Epilogue 



In 1 900, after the customary 1 1 -year period, Paris 

 again prepared for an international exposition, about 

 5 years too early to take advantage of the great prog- 

 ress made by the electric elevator. When the Roux 

 machines, the weakest element in the Eiffel Tower 

 system, were replaced at this time, it was by other 

 hydraulics. Built by the well known French en- 

 gineering organization of Fives-Lilies, the new ma- 

 chines were the ultimate in power, control, and general 

 excellence of operation. As in the Otis system, the 

 cars ran all the way to the second platform. 



The Fives-Lilies equipment reflected the advance 



of European elevator engineering in this short time. 

 The machines were rope-geared and incorporated 

 the elegant feature of self-leveling cabins which com- 

 pensated for the varying track inclination. For the 

 1900 fair, the Otis elevator in the south pier was also 

 removed and a wide stairway to the first platform 

 built in its place. In 1912, 25 years after Backmann's 

 startling proposal to use electricity for his system, the 

 remaining Otis elevator was replaced by a small 

 electric one. This innovation was reluctantly intro- 

 duced solely for the purpose of accommodating visitors 

 in the \vinter when the hydraulic systems were shut 



PAPER 19: ELEVATOR SYSTEMS OF THE EIFFEL TOWER 



39 



