Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-22


seize the nearest support as an assurance that
you are still safe Is almost inevitable. Soon,
however, the roofs Of the buildings below ap-
pear in view, and with q breath Of relief that
the experience 10 over you reach the platform
only to find that the wheel revolves again be-
fore you are permitted to walk on solid ground.
At Its present rate of speed nineteen minutes
are required to complete two revolutions.
DinicuIty in Securing TN. Concessions.
About two years ago Mr.. G.. W. g. Ferris, a
prominent civil engineer Of Pittsburg and the
inventor and builder of the gigantic wheel
which bears his name, FIRST planned the work
which has now proved such q success. After
some difficulty he succeeded in organizing the
Ferris Wheel Company. capitalized at $500, 600.
Half that smount IN bonds we're issued and sold.
and Mr. Ferris started for Chicago. After
securing u concession from the ways and means
committee of the fair to build the wheel some
doubt was expressed by the committee as to
the paying quality of the enterprise and the
contract was revoked Discouraged. but not
disheartened, Mr. Ferris again argued his case
before the committee, and in December, 1892,
secured . second concession, guaranteeing to
give the fair so per cent of all receipts after the
wheel had paid for itself, and under this con-
esssion the wheel is now being operated.
How the Wheel Was Built.
In less than seven months and with an ex-
penditure Of not less than s4oo. 900 the entire
work of construction has been done. The
shaping Of the iron was begun las: January and
the first scsfolding erected in March. The
wheel was built from the ground upward, 400
mea being employed in its construction and
the many carloads OF iron that were hauled I'D
the eide tracks near he Midway Plaisance
hare been skilfully joined until the big wheel is
now the landmark OF the fair. The diameter of
the wheel Is ESQ feet and the circumference
measures s25 feet. the structure being raised
ffteeu feat fru.n the ground Two twin vbeaIs
thirty feet apart, connected BY iron rods and
struts. which do not approach nearer than
twenty feet to the outer edge, constitute the
frame work Outside o. these rods the cars
are suspended from steel bars. about five inches
I'm thickness extending from oue wheel to the
other. Each wheel has for its outline n curved
iron beam. 25ie By 10 inches. Forty feet in
aide Is another beam, forming smaller circle
From these beams extend the massive iron
truss WORK holding them together.
The great axle on which the wheel turns is
the largest piece O. steel ever forged. being
thirty-three inches in diameter. forty-fve and
one-siIth feet loag. weighing ffty-siX tons ard
costing SIS. 900. 1t is fastened 10 each OF the
twin wheels in a steel hub sixteen feet in diam
ster. The two pyrsmidal steel towers. at the
top of which the axis Is placed, are 40 feet
high. forty b. fifty feet at the base and six feet
square at the top. Each tower has four claw
like supports resting on 20-foot cube concrete
foundations extending thirty-fye feet below the
surface Of the ground Underneath these are
cross bars OF steel The skeleton of the wheel
consists OF az inch steel rods. arranged to run
GU: in pairs from the a1le TO spread thirteen
feet apart from the circumference. They do
not look strong enough to hold tho wheel to-
gether. and in stopping and starting rattle and
culver in q way that terriies many a passenger.
fhis rafting is caused By the fact that there is
not enough OF load in the cars to straighten
out the rods