Such a big problem in fact, that early elevators were essentially limited to cargo. People would never risk using them.
That is, until a young fellow named Elisha Otis (yes, that Otis) came along and invented a safety device. It was a simple concept: the weight from the cabin held a spring in place, which would fly open if the cable broke and therefore release two metal brakes.
Cable in green, brakes in red.
Pretty much every safety system since has been based on this coreSafe elevator principle. Today, if a cable broke, the occupants would hear a bit of a bang as it fell on the cabin, but that would be it. Either the other cables would pick up the slack (each commercial lift now has to have three), or the emergency braking system will kick in.
That being said, there is a way for the cable to never, ever, EVER break.
Even a million years later and even when the lift has rusted into oblivion, you Best elevator companywon’t find a single broken cable on this one lift. I promise you.That black bar in the middle? That’s a giant metal screw.
Lift companies attach a platform or a cabin to it, and with the aid of a nut, passengers will just glide up and down the screw. It’s an incredibly smooth ride.
But the best part?