The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1893-10-13
AN ENGINEERING FEAT.
The Greatness of the Ferris Wheel
Is Now Apparent.

Ihls is an era oil engineering trl-
umphs, but the greatest of all re-
cent successes along that line is ad-
mitted to be the Ferris wheel at the
Chicago Exposition. Conceived al
most in moment, constructed
against the advice Of many of the
most skillful members of the profes-
sion, evolved from the pigmetal in
less than six months, it was set in
motion on June II, and since that
time daily has lifted thousands high
in the air and brought them safely
back to the ground. The notable
achievement of the Paris Exposition
was the Eitfel Tower, but that was
remarkable only for its height. The
Ferris wheel is a massive yet deli
cate piece of machinery-so massive |
that 15O-ton load of human beings
has little more effect upon it than a
fly upon carriage wheel, so delicate
that its great power is exerted with
out the slightest jar.
That the idea of the wheel came
to George w. G.. Ferris like an in
spiration is apparent from his state
ment:
1--WE used to have Saturday af-
ternoon club, chiefly of engineers, at
the Worlds Fair. 1t was at one of
these dinners, down in Chicago
chophouse, that l hit on the idea.
| remember remarking that 1 would
build a wheel--a monster. l got
some paper and began sketching it
out. l 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 COM
plete turn-in short, before dinner
was over | had sketched out almost
the entire detail, and my plan has
never varied an item from this day.
The wheel stands in the Plaisance
at this moment as it stood before
me then"
His fellow-engineers laughed at
the idea, said that it would not
work, and that no way could be
found for revolving the great mass,
and advised him not to risk his
reputation upon such wild pro-
ject. But he persisted, completed
the plans, and, submitting them to
the directory of the fair, asked for a
concession. The managers were
reluctant to give even shadow of
recognition to a scheme so daring,
and it was not until the middle of
December, 1892, that he was assured
of right to exhibit that marvel Of
engineering skill. In five months
the 22OO tons of iron and steel neces-
sary for the wheel were nodded into
form in Detroit, taken to Chicago
and put together, and so perfect
we're the plans that each piece fitted
to its place as accurately as though
formed on the spot.
Only less wonderful than the de-
signing of the wheel was the plan
ming for putting it into position.
The foundations for the towers were
started thirty-fve feet below the sur
face of the ground and were built
twenty feet square and of solid
cement. Heavy steel bars were buried
in this cement and to these the
, towers were bolted, making it impos-
sible to overturn the wheel without
uprooting the foundations. The
axis upon which the wheel turns
weighs seventy tons, and this great
weight was lifted 14O feet in the air
, and settled in its sockets without
, the least difficulty. Segment by
segment the wheel was riveted to
gether and the cars attached and
the moment arrived for setting it in
motion.
!! Many plans had been considered
, for applying the motive power, but
the one finally decided upon was an
endless chain operating on two
y sprocket wheels. To be effective
= the wheel had to be perfect in its
revolutions, and not until the ma.
. chinery was started was the bolC
:, designer sure that success was his
But everything worked as planned
and the great triumph of Mr.. Ferris
= was complete.
!. The wheel itself is $50 feet in dia
: meter, and its highest point reaches
= 26S feet above the earth. The weigh
7 is four times that of the great can't
. lever bridge at Niagara Falls. Sc
- strong is it that the great gale il
:, July, in which the wind reached
L velocity of 40 miles an hour, hat
:, NO perceptible effect upon the struc
. ture. 1t cost $392,OOO, large sun
. to invest in an experiment, but th'
y success of the inventor is bringin,
-, large returns, and he is reaping for
% tune as we'll as fame. The compan
10 which controls the wheel, of whic
- Captain r. w. Hunt, formerly q
;. >. this city, is president, is also "coin
% J, ing money" out of the invention.
4 The points to which Mr.. Ferri
alludes with especial pride are tn
perfection of the pinion wheel an
the success of the tension spok'
He shows that there is less defet
IN ton proportionately in the whet
L. than in the pinion wheel of the fir
60 est watch, and this he believes
or due to the tension spokes. The tel
r sion spoke is less expensive than tn
as stiff spoke, and the latter could nc
% have been used in the wheel on a,
n count of the great weight. NJ
r. Ferris thinks the tension principl
is will come into general use, and i
70 saws il would be feasible to huild