The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-06-11
London,s Biz Wheel.

For some months past there has been gradually rising to view in the exhibi- ton grounds at Earls Court a steel
 structure, which has now reached a final altitude of three hundred feet from
 ground-leveI to summit, and which in
 clear weather is visible for many miles
 around. This is the gigantic wheel,
 which Is an enlargement upon and a | modification of it's prototype which at- tracted so much patronage at the Chi
 cago exhibition. The present structure 1 consists of the largest wheel ever built,
 the axle being carried on eight support ing columns one hundred and fifty feet
 high, at which level there will be two
 large promenade or recreation rooms,
 having balconies around them, and
 communicating with each other by a
 passage way through the axle, which
 is seven feet in diameter. Around the
 periphery of the wheel will be suspend
 ed at regular intervals on steel shafts
 forty cars, Whichare rather larger than
 ordinary tram-cars, being twenty-four
 feet long by nine feet wide and ten
 feet high externally. Each car is capa-
 ble of carrying thirty passengers, giv-
 ing @ total complement of twelve hum
 dred persons.
 Ten of these cars have been elegantly
 fitted and furnished at cost of about one hundred pounds each, and will form first-class cars, five being for the smok- ing and five for the non-smoking por-
 tion of the public. The remaining thir- fxyn hox fpf i,, o oIoi i,,o style. Passengers will have access to the cars from platforms which will be erected a short distance above ground level. There will be eight of these plat forms on either side of the wheel so that eight cars can be relieved of pas sengers on the one side, and a fresh complement of passengers taken in on the other side. Thus, with five stop pages, the whole of the forty cars can be loaded with a total freight of twelve hundred passengers, when a complete revolution without stoppages will be made, and this will constitute the usual ride given to the public. As the cars leave the platforms the passengers will be raised above the ground gradually, and will first be able to overlook the surrounding houses and then to look down upon them, and in clear weather to obtain a splendid view of London, with it's numerous public buildings, while from the summit the surrounding country, stretching away even as far a Windsor Castle in one direction will be within view.
 Access to the promenade at the top of the columns forming the towers which carry the wheel will be gained by dou- ble funicular railway or water-bal- anced lift. This consists of two cars by hauling-gear and each having a. water-tank in it's base. These cars will balance each other, and will slide up and down two of the columns which are rectangular in section, and are placed at am angle. At the top of each column is a storage tank for wa ter, which will be pumped up from a | reservoir under the ground. When | car at ground-level has received it's | of passengers, the base .ank of the car at the top will be filled | with water, and on the brakes being re- eased the car will glide down the col nm at moderate speed, and at the same time will haul up the freighted | ,ar on the other leg. Arrived at the the water in the car-tank will be discharged into an underground ank, to be again pumped up to the top # the towers
 The wheel will be rotated by means of powerful chain gearing driven by steam bower. Two endless chains will be lsed, each passing around either edge of he wheel through a series of guide brackets, over pulleys, and through a ubWay to the engines The chains are | # the short-link type, and each one is yer one thousand feet in length and weighs about eight tons. They are ope- ated by two f1fty-horse- power Robey ndertype engines placed in an engine ouse at the foot of the wheeI-towers Either of the two chains is capable of irving the wheel by itself, so that there eed be no fear of stoppage. At night he wheel will be lighted by electricity. Times