With all hydraulic elevators of which I have cognizance, as much water is required to raise the empty cars as though they were loaded to maximum capacity. Still, to be available for passenger purposes elevators must have capacity of upward of 2,500 pounds, particularly in hotels, where the cars are often arranged with separate compartments underneath for baggage. In general use it is exceptional that passenger elevators are fully loaded; on the contrary less than half a load is ordinarily carried, and for this reason it would appear that no actual benefit is derived from at least one-half of the water consumed. In this connection it has occurred to me that passenger elevators could be built at no great additional cost, with two cylinders, small and large, the two piston rods of which could be connected so as to both operate the same cable, either or both furnishing power, the smaller cylinder to be used for light loads, the larger for heavy work, and the two together for full capacity, this independent valve arrangement to be controlled by a separate cable running through the car. Whether this plan is practicable or not must be left to elevator manufacturers, but it seems to me that with the Hale-Otis elevator for instance (which is conceded to be one of the best) it could easily be accomplished. Certainly some such arrangement would effect a great saving of water, and perhaps bring water bills to a point that this class of consumers could afford to pay. Hydraulic elevators where the water is used over and over again, by being pumped from the discharge to elevated tanks, cut little or no figure in connection with a city's water supply. When fuel, first cost, attendance of an engineer, and the poor economy of the class of pumps usually employed to perform this work are considered, the cost of operating such elevators is greatly in excess of what it would be if power were supplied direct from water mains, at any reasonable rate. The following remarks will then relate almost exclusively to that class of hydraulic elevators supplied with power directly from the water mains.