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Paternoster eastern europe s elevator of death
A paternoster (/ˈpeɪtərˈnɒstər/, /ˈpɑː-/, or /ˈpæ-/) or paternoster lift is a passenger elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments (each usually designed for two persons) that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping. Passengers can step on or off at any floor they like. The same technique is also used for filing cabinets to store large amounts of (paper) documents or for small spare parts. The much smaller belt manlift which consists of an endless belt with steps and rungs but no compartments is also sometimes called a paternoster.
Contents
- Paternoster eastern europe s elevator of death
- Paternoster lifts dangerous obsolete and quite fun including over the top
- History
- Safety
- Surviving examples
- References
The construction of new paternosters was stopped in the mid-1970s due to safety concerns, but public sentiment has kept many of the remaining examples open. By far most remaining paternosters are in Europe, with perhaps 230 examples in Germany, and 68 in the Czech Republic. Only two have been identified by hobbyists outside Europe: one in Malaysia, another in Peru.
Paternoster lifts dangerous obsolete and quite fun including over the top
History
Peter Ellis installed the first elevators that could be described as paternoster lifts in Oriel Chambers of Liverpool in 1868. In 1877, British engineer Peter Hart obtained a patent on the first paternoster. In 1884, the Dartford, England, engineering firm of J & E Hall built its "Cyclic Elevator".
The name paternoster ("Our Father", the first two words of the Lord's Prayer in Latin), was originally applied to the device because the elevator is in the form of a loop and is thus similar to rosary beads used as an aid in reciting prayers.
Paternosters were popular throughout the first half of the 20th century because they could carry more passengers than ordinary elevators. They were more common in continental Europe, especially in public buildings, than in the United Kingdom. They are rather slow elevators, typically traveling at about 0.3 metres per second (0.98 ft/s), to facilitate getting on and off successfully.
A paternoster was used in the Dalek headquarters in the 1965 film Dr Who and The Daleks.
Safety
The construction of new paternosters is no longer allowed in many countries because of the high risk of accidents (people tripping or falling over when trying to enter or exit). In 2012, an 81-year-old man was killed when he fell into the shaft of a paternoster in The Hague in The Netherlands. Elderly people, disabled people, and children are the most in danger of being crushed or losing a limb.
In 1989, the paternoster in Newcastle University's Claremont Tower was taken out of service after a passenger, attempting to ride the lift as it transitioned from upward to downward travel, became caught in the drive chain. This required a rescue by the local fire service. A conventional lift was subsequently installed in its place.
In West Germany, new paternoster installations were banned in 1974, and there was an attempt to shut down all existing installations in 1994. However, there was a wave of popular resistance to the ban at that time, and to another prospective ban in 2015. As of 2015, Germany has 231 paternosters.
In April 2006, Hitachi announced plans for a modern paternoster-style elevator with computer-controlled cars and standard elevator doors to alleviate safety concerns. A prototype was revealed as of February 2013.
Surviving examples
As a result of safety issues, many paternoster lifts have been shut down, but a few survive around the world. In Kiel, the State Parliament building for the German state of Schleswig-Holstein has had a working paternoster since 1950. In Berlin, the offices of the conservative tabloid Bild use a 19-storey paternoster, whose continued operation was vigorously defended editorially by the newspaper. The Arts Tower at the University of Sheffield has a paternoster said to be the largest in the world. In the late 1990's a paternoster was still in use in a building on King Street, Manchester occupied by branch of the Natwest bank.