GREAT AMERICANS—ELISHA OTIS THE ELEVATOR MAN

Without his ceaseless ingenuity we might not have seen the revolution in architecture, cities and the way we live in them. Although the concept of a powered hoist had been around for some time--hoist systems had existed since at least the time of the ancient Romans--none of them had been safe. Elisha Otis designed the first elevator that could lift and lower people and cargo safely. Born to a Vermont farmer in 1811, young Elisha preferred hanging around the blacksmith's forge to working on the farm. Otis's interest in tools and in making things led him to innovate everywhere he worked. He helped his brother, Chandler, who was a builder, by designing a hoist system to transport materials two or three stories high. And working for a bed manufacturer, he built a machine that sped production by a factor of four.

Otis designed the first safe elevator when he needed to lift heavy building materials, while converting a sawmill into a factory in Yonkers, New York. He made toothed wooden guide rails to fit into opposite sides of the elevator shaft, and fitted a spring to the top of the elevator, running the hoisting cables through it. The cables still guided the elevator up and down, but if they broke, the release of tension would throw the spring mechanism outward into the notches, preventing the cabin from falling. As usual his designs were simple but elegant.

Otis, with his two sons, started the Union Elevator and General Machine Works Company. He showed his safety elevator invention at New York's Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1853. Otis's demonstration increased orders for his "hoist machines." He made numerous improvements to his elevator and patented other inventions, but he never could manage a successful business. He died in 1861 without ever seeing the revolution he had created. His sons were left to run the company, but with better business and managerial skills. Otis's safety elevators would be used in tall landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, becoming a brand name and key component in the skyscrapers that defined modern cities around the world.