Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 03.djvu/578

ELEVATOR 504 ELOAB ated by pulling an endless rope over a driving sheave which is geared to the winding machine. Safety features of elevator. — With the exception of the plunger type of eleva- tor, practically all elevators are provided with what is known as a Safety Device, designed to grip the guide rails and stop DRiV/NG SMEWS' ROPING FOR GEARLESS TRACTION ELEVATOR the car if for any reason the speed of the elevator becomes excessive or if, due to the breaking of the lifting cables, the car starts to fall. Additional safeties are provided to automatically stop the car at the upper and lower terminal landings in case the operator neglects to do so, and if the car runs by these landings, to cut off the supply of cur- rent, apply the brake, and bring the car to rest. In connection with high-speed traction elevators, the gearless type of which is used for passenger service in the modern office buildings of our large cities, it is usual to provide oil-cushion buffers un- der the car and under the counter- weight. If, due to accident, the car runs gast the upper or lower landings, these uffers are compressed, bringing the car gradually to rest and at the same time reducing the traction between the lift- ing cables and the driving sheave. This is a very important safety feature as it prevents any further travel of the car or the counter-weight. Taking the borough of Manhattan in the city of New York as an example, more than double the number of pas- sengers are carried vertically in elevators than are carried by the surface, subway, and elevated lines combined, while the percentage of accidents to passengers traveling in elevators is very much less. This is due to the exceptional safety features provided in connection with passenger elevators. ELF, a little sprite supposed to inhabit wild and desolate places, and to exer- cise a mysterious power over man; a fairy, a goblin. ELF ARROWS, ELF BOLTS, and ELF- SHOT, popular names in Great Britain for stone arrow-heads, and other similar ancient barbarian weapons. They are superstitiously worn as charms against lightning. They are said to appear in great quantities where the day before there were none. ELGAR, SIR EDWARD, an English composer. He was born at Broadheath, Worcestershire, in 1857, and was edu- cated at Littleton House and privately. He acted as organist for a time, but soon engaged in musical composition, and since 1896 has produced many musical publications. His works in- clude: "King Olaf," "Caractacus," "Variations," "Sea-pictures," "Dream of Gerontius," "The Coronation Ode." "Gerontius" was produced in Diisseldorf in 1901, and repeated at the Nieder- rheinische Musik-Fest in 1902. "The Apostles" was produced at the Birming- ham Festival in 1903; the concert over- ture, "In the South," Elgar Festival, Covent Garden, 1904; the oratorio, "The Kingdom," Birmingham Festival, 1906. "The Apostles" was also produced in German at the Niederrheinische Musik- Fest in Cologne, 1904. Other of his works include: Symphonies, violin con-