The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-08-05
THE FERRIS WHEEL.

The description of the construction
of the gr at wheel given in the Chicago
Tribune will be of interest, and we
make the following abstract;
The wheel is composed of wo wheels
OF the same size, connected and held
together with rods and struts, which,
however. do not appro ,ch closer than
twenty feet to the periphery. Each
wheel has for is outline curved,
hollow, Squa c iron beam. ?5jg xl0
inches. At a dist nee of forty feet
within this circle is another circle of
lighter beam. These beams are
called crowns, and are connected and
held together by an elai crate truss
work. Within tbs smaller circle there
are no beams, and at n d stance there
appears to be nothing. But at the
center of the great wheel is an inn
mense iron axle, 81 inches thick and 81
feet IN length. Each of the twin wheels
where the axle passes through it, is
provided with large iron hub 10 feet
in diameter. Between thee hubs and
the inner crowns" there are no on
nections except spoke rods, = i inches
in diameter, arranged in pairs, - feet
apart at the crown connection. At a
distance they look like mere spider
webs, and the wheel seems To be dan.
gerously devoid of substantial support.
The explanation of this i, that the
Ferris wheel at least inside the
smaller crowns-is constituted on the
principle of bicycle wheel The
lower half is suspended from the axle
by the spoke rods running downward,
and the upper half Of the wheel is sup
ported by the lower half. All tue
spoke rods running from the axle
north, when it is in any given pc ition,
IN ght be removed and the wheel
would be as solid as it would be with
them. The only difference is that the
Ferris wheel hangs by its axle, while
a bicycle wheel rests on the ground,
and the weight is applied downward
on the axle.
The tnirty-six carriages OF the great
wheel are hung on its periphery at
e Iual intervals. Each car is twenty
seven feet long, thirteen feet wide and
nine feet high. IL has heavy frame
of iron but is covered externally with
wood. 1t has a door and five broad
plate glass wind WIS on each side. IL
co tains forty revolving chairs, made
of wire and screwed to the floor. IL
weighs thirteen tons, and with it's forty
passengers will weigh three ions more.
~ IL NusDcuucu tnC VI
the wheel by an iron axle six aud one
half inches in diameter, which runs
through the roof. IL is provided with
n conductor to open the doors, preserve
order and give information. TO avoid
accidents from panics and to prevent
insane people from jumping out, the
windows will b. covered with an iron
grating.
II is being considered whether each
car shall not have telephone connec-
ton with the Office on the ground. 1t
is thought that this would be an at
traction, both as "a sort OF amusement
for people who wished to converse
with their fliends below or in another
ear and as n TT OF reinsurance to
timid people. The Thought of being
detained mp in the clouds. a> IL were,
by accident and not being able to
learn what IL is or when il will be
remediel, might Brighten some timid
people out of making the trip. IL is
not very difficult. however, TO climb
by the wheel itself to any car, and
there will always be men ON the
ground who can do this.
The wheel. with Is ears and passen-
gers. weighs about 1850 tons, and
there ore needs something substantial
to hold 1t up. Its axis is supported, !
therefore, on two skels ton iron tow
ers, pyramidal In FORM one at each
end OF IL They are 40x50 feet At the
bottom and feet square 1T the top,