Dumbwaiter
– Description:
– A dumbwaiter is a small freight elevator used to carry food between multiple floors.
– Most dumbwaiters have a capacity of 45 to 450kg (100 to 992lbs) and are controlled by ropes and pulleys.
– Early 20th-century dumbwaiters had fireproof walls, self-closing doors, and specific features for movement control.
– Dumbwaiter lifts were popular in London homes for delivering laundry to prevent carrying it through the house.
– Modern dumbwaiters use electric motors, automatic control systems, and can support heavy loads up to 450kg (1000lbs).
– Regulations governing construction and operation:
– Building codes in North America have regulated dumbwaiters since the 19th century.
– Dumbwaiters in the US and Canada must comply with ASME codes similar to those for passenger elevators.
– Construction, operation, and usage of dumbwaiters vary widely across different countries.
– In history:
– Thomas Jefferson used dumbwaiters at the White House and Monticello to reduce the number of servants near dining areas.
– Whittaker Chambers hid stolen documents in a dumbwaiter in Brooklyn, leading to a significant historical event involving Alger Hiss and Harry Dexter White.
– In popular culture:
– A dumbwaiter is a key element in Harold Pinter’s play “The Dumb Waiter.”
– In the film “Zathura: A Space Adventure” (2005), a dumbwaiter is featured prominently.
– Gallery:
– Images of dumbwaiters in China, Japan, and historical settings like the Robert Toombs House.
– Matot rope-pulled dumbwaiter from circa 1940 is also included.
A dumbwaiter is a small freight elevator or lift intended to carry food. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial, public and private buildings, are often connected between multiple floors. When installed in restaurants, schools, hospitals, retirement homes or private homes, they generally terminate in a kitchen.
The term seems to have been popularized in the United States in the 1840s, after the model of earlier "dumbwaiters" now known as serving trays and lazy Susans. The mechanical dumbwaiter was invented by George W. Cannon, a New York City inventor. He first filed for the patent of a brake system (US Patent no. 260776) that could be used for a dumbwaiter on January 6, 1883, then for the patent on the mechanical dumbwaiter (US Patent No. 361268) on February 17, 1887. He reportedly generated vast royalties from the patents until his death in 1897.