The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1893-10-27
The Great Ferris Wheel.

The managers Of the Worlds Fair
Wefe>>ina great quandary over the
questioned distinctive feature which
would compare with or eclipse the
Eiffel tower of the Paris Exposition.
1t was proposed to build tower fif-
teen hundred feet high, and thereby
beat the Eiffel by five hundred feet,
but when the expense was considered,
togeth er with the other tremendous
amounts to be expended. the scheme
was abandoned. Then it was propos-
ed by the architects to erect building
which would cover the greatest space
ever placed under one roof. But Mr..
Burnham the director of the works
called the engineers and architects
together and that the mere magnitude
of building would not meet the de-
mands of the geople. They must have
some new engineering feat. 1t was at
this point that G. w. G.. Ferris hit
upon the idea of Il great wheel. Mr..
Ferris is civil engineer who gradual
ed in 1881 from the Rensselaer, Poly
technic Institute Of Troy. N. Y.
He was born at Galesburg, H., and
is now thirty i've years old In speak
ing of his first conception of the idea
he said: "While eating dinner down
town in i, Chicago chop house | rem
ember remarking to some engineers
who were with me, that would build
a wheel, monster. | got some paper
and began sketching it out. / fixed
the size, determined the construction,
the number of cars we would run, the
number Of people it would hold, what
we would charge, the plan of stopping
six times in the first revolution, and
loading and then making IA complete
turn.-in short before the dinner was
over / had sketched out almost the
entire detail, and my plan has never
varied an item from that day. The
wheel stands in the Plaisance at this
moment as it stood before me then"
Satisfied that he had hit upon a
feasible plan he drew it up and sub
mitted it to the Worlds Fair Directory
but was met by opposition. The engi-
neers said it was too big to work, that
it would drop into an ellipse, and for
the sake of his reputation he had bet
ter let it alone. Finally they were
won over by his great faith and skill
as an engineer to give it trial, and
granted concession. Then recon-
sidering, they withdrew the grant, and
it was not until December 10Th, 1892,
just four and a half months before the
Fair opened, that he received IL final
concession. With true American
push he plungee into his task and on
June Dist, less than six months after
wards, the wheel began to revolve and
has revolved ever since. 1t is $50 feet
in diameter, and weighs 2200 tons.
The axle is 10 feet long, and % feet
thick, and weighs 70 tons4 The tow
ers on which it revolves are 40 high,
and are anchored by solid cement
piers IS feet high 1t has steel rod
spokes, and is built on the plan of
big bicycle.
Mr.. Ferris, his wife, and a reporter,
went up in the wheel during terrific
gale blowing at 100 miles an hour, hut
it did not swerve the wheel one inch
from its true vertical position. The
bowling wind scared the reporter
almost out of his senses, and terra
firma felt quite delicious to him when
he stepped out of the car. The wheel
cost $392,0O0. The first lay it began
to move, 5000 persons took a view of
the Fair Grounds from its cars, and as
each paid 30 cents it yielded $4,000
that day.
The ewner of the wheel entered into
a contract with the Exposition man.
agement to pay the latter so per cent
of the receipts of the wheel after $780,
600 had been received This mark
Was passed Friday. September 9Th,
and a surplus of $4,000 turned over
to the Exposition. On that day the
receipts were $4,000 If this is kept
up until the close of the Fair, the
management will clear about $4,000
out of the wheel, and the owners about
$4,000 over and above its entire cost.
From the Ferris Wheel one receives
magnificent views of the Fair Ground,
and many are attracted to it for this
purpose, although the majority go up
in 1t more for fun than for anything
else.