news from the front

[rm]

So, I was just in an elevator at the office with a few other people and there was a noise like a frigging gunshot and then the elevator sort of jerked a bit. Which, you know was unpleasant enough without the following exchange, between the other two people in the elevator.

1: Look's like this one is going to go too.
2: This building's elevators are terrible.
1: You know why the middle one is out, right?
2: No....?
1: The cable snapped.
2: Was there anyone in it?
1: Of course! I heard it was up on ten when it happened.
2: I hope she had shins of foam.
1: Well, she does now.

Comments

[wcg.livejournal.com]

For what (little) comfort this might provide, when an elevator cable breaks the elevator's brake automatically engages. So the elevator car just stops wherever it is instead of falling. This still results in people having to be gotten out of the elevator car by emergency crews, but nobody plunges to their death.

[gina-r-snape.livejournal.com]

Hey, actual useful information. So it's not just like in the movies.

Also? OOOF. The things that come out of people's mouths sometimes.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

That is some comfort. I've been in some dodgy elevators and it always freaks me out.

[delchi.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I was going to post this myself. I used to have mortal fear of the elevators in the office I used to work in , in NYC. In order to combat it , I just did all the research.

The original patent drawings for the elevator emergency brake are kinda interesting.