. Bulletin. Science. Figure 21.—The first widespread use of electricity in the eleva- tor field was to drive belt-type mechanical machines and the pumps of hydraulic systems (see p. 14) as shown here. (From Electrical World, Jan. 4, 1890, vol. 15, p. 4.) The Tower's Elevators A great part of the EifTel Tower's worth and its raison d'etre lay in the overwhelming visual power by which it was to symbolize to a world audience the scientific, artistic, and, above all, the technical achievements of the French Republic. Another con- sideration, in Eiffel's opinion, was its great potential value as a
. Bulletin. Science. Figure 21.—The first widespread use of electricity in the eleva- tor field was to drive belt-type mechanical machines and the pumps of hydraulic systems (see p. 14) as shown here. (From Electrical World, Jan. 4, 1890, vol. 15, p. 4.) The Tower's Elevators A great part of the EifTel Tower's worth and its raison d'etre lay in the overwhelming visual power by which it was to symbolize to a world audience the scientific, artistic, and, above all, the technical achievements of the French Republic. Another con- sideration, in Eiffel's opinion, was its great potential value as a scientific observatory. At its summit grand experiments and observations would be possible in such fields as meteorology and astronomy. In this respect it was welcomed as a tremendous improvement over the balloon and steam winch that had been featured in this service at the 1878 Paris exposition. Experiments were also to be conducted on the elec- trical illumination of cities from great heights. The great strategic value of the Tower as an observation post also was recognized. But from the beginning, sight was never lost of the structure's great value as an unprecedented public attraction, and its systematic exploitation in this manner played a part in its planning, second perhaps only to the basic design. The conveyance of multitudes of visitors to the Tower's first or main platform and a somewhat lesser number to the summit was a technical problem whose seriousness Eiffel must certainly have been aware of at the project's onset. While a few visitors could be expected to walk to the first or possibly second stage, 377 feet above the ground, the main means of trans- port obviously had to be elevators. Indeed, the two aspects of the Tower with which the Exposition com- missioners were most deeply concerned were the adequate grounding of lightning and the provision of a reliable system of elevators, which they insisted be unconditionally safe. To study the elevator problem, Eif
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