The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-15
REBUILDING THE FERRIS WHEEL.
The Monarch of the Midway Again To
BE an Attraction I'm Chicdxo.
From the New York SUI.

! From the New York Sun.
The big Ferris wheel. which everybody
who even so much as heard Of the Chicago
worlds fair knows all about, and which
everybody who visited the fair remembers
with vast amount Of interest. after he
ing housed in small sections for a wear or
more more IS again TO be set up in the Windy
city, TO afford Chicagoans a chance IN yet
ABOVE their atrocious atmosphere ana
nave an occasional glimpse of the sun.
mere nave been all sorts of sugeestIons
ol new site for the wheel, and some ne
eouatlohs looking toward its purchase "a
an attraction FOR various summer resorts
AT one tlme II was almost settled that IL
was 10 DO set up at Coney Island. But
these various schemes fell through and
hhaiiy the company owning IL. and which
operated II during the fair, has decided 10
,e.ei ks the wheel IN Chicago as the Lead
ing feature Of a new excursion resort ON
the northern outskirts of the city.
several notable copies of the big wheel
haFo peen Duilt In Europe. and one that
echpses the Midway giant In the mere
matter OF night is an attraction at the ern-
pre- or India exhibition now rrnniro %
EarPs Court, London. Rut nona - -.
limitations has eclipsed, II even eouaIIed.
the ferris wheel as a triumph of clever
designing and engineering. The absolute
perfection of the gigantic structure IN I'D
every part ana as a whole is being made
more evident in the rebuiIdfng thar
seemed apparent at it's first setting nn
Inc solid steel axle, measuring thirtv-
tnree inches in diameter and weiqbin-
nity-sH tons, retains its pre-eminence az
the largest steel casting ever made.
me Wneel IS being set up on open ground
al Wrightwood avenue and North CLARK
street, at the opposite end of Chicago from,
Whefe the worlds fair was held. The
company owning the wheel has leased a
large area of land and will spend sl5OO00 in
making OF 1t pleasure resort with the
wheel as one of the attractions. There
VIII be dancing payilions, concerts cafes
an electric fountain, and other features
ADMISSION to the grounds will include the
privilege Of riding around in the bia
wheei as often as desired Already the
work OF setting up the machinery has be-
gun, three months having been occupied
In nndlng and making firm foundation.
ana u IS expected that the whole of the
work will be completed by Aug Is.
The work of transporting and pecon-
structing the wheel is a remarkable engi-
neering undertaking, and it has attracted
much interest from engineers all over
the country. The machinery forming the
wneel weighs 100000 pounds, and it is
being transported a distance OF thirteen
miles through the city streets on trucks
hauled by teams OF horses alone. The
DIG axle and the engines are the only ex-
armor-plate cars by rail- temporary
tracks being laid from the railroad main
line to the exhibition grounds Thirty
teams and trucks are engaged in the
work, and the cost Of removing and recon-
structing the wheel will be about $4,000.
The wheel cost 100000 originally, but
could now be built for less than that
sum.
What is most interesting to the engi-
neers is the fact that although the wheel
was designed within three months after
the idea Of making 1t first occurred to
Mr.. Ferris. the estimates were made with
such precision, and the parts formed
with such nice accuracy, that in putting
together the mass Of machinery second
time. not a change OF any kind has been
found necessary. AS the superintendent
in charge of the work puts II:
I'VE havnt had to whittle down so
much as a single bolt. and there are q. 900
of them used in holding the wheel to-
gether."
The only difficulty in regard to rebuild
ing the wheel has been in finding suffi-
GENTLY stable foundation II was only
after going twenty-five feet through sand.
water, auckland, and clay that a SUM-
GENTLY firm basis on which to begin the
concrete foundation was found.