The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-10-13
GRAYpON'S BIG WHEEL
THE WONDER AT EARL's COURT
DRAWING IMMENSE CROWDS.
It's First Season VIII Close with n
Dividend Of 10 Per Cent.-Com-
ments of London Papers.

Lieutenant Grayd0n. United states army,
of this city. has achieved wonderful pepu-
larity and success in London with his i'm
mense wheel, fashioned after the great
Ferris wheel of the worlds fair. His
wheel. however, exceeds the Ferris wheel
in size and accompanying places of amuse-
ment. 1t is 300 feet in diameter and the
top Is ESQ feet from the earth. 1t stands
In Earl's court, London. The Pail Mall
Gazette says of it: Until within a month
the number OF people who had seen Lon
don at a glance or at several glances was
very small. This perhaps has not been the
fault Of the people so much as Of the APP
planes that would enable enc to take a
mental photograph of a city that covers an,
area Of something like seven hundred square
miles. The size alone is a good deal for a
pair Of ordinary eyes TO grasp. but the
mere area is a small matter if the sight
seer desires to identify the various land
marks that rear their heads above the
ocean of stone, brick and mortar. Ever
since the monument was built hundreds of
people have toiled up its 800 steps each
week day in order to enjoy the view from
the summit. 1t used to be the custom, and
doubtless is to this day, to tell visitors to
London that the way to survey the town
was " N1lAAtO ~ "a tOP "a 49, 49, 0hA
see the sun rise.
The great wheel at Earl's court has all
the advantages and none of the drawbacks
that have been mentioned. In the first
place, it strikes the beholder with some
thing like awe. Its proportions are so i'm
mense that if some one in authority were
to say it is six hundred feet in diameter
you would be willing to accept the figures
as accurate. Enter London at almost any
point and a part of the great wheel is
visible, and What is ito is a question
that must have been asked millions of
times. The great wheel is a marvellous sue
cess, as we'll as a marvellous undertaking.
The men who saw it upon paper and put
their money into it possessed courage as
well as cash. From the first time it re-
volyed it has been coming money. Prob
ably not a little Of its popularity is due to
the fact that even before all was in readi-
ness for a start the Princess of Wales, the
Princess Victoria and Maud, the Duke and
Duchess OF York and the Duchess of Fife
made a trial trip and were. delighted with
the experience. The great wheel, as every
body knows now, is three hundred feet in d.
ameter. Attached to it are forty cars. and
each car will hold forty people, so that it's
carrying capacity is LOCO. 1t makes a revo-
luton in about twenty-five minutes, and in
the course of a revolution makes five stops.
At each stop eight cars are .emptied and
tIliiC0 II Oalo Il W lhCI
full capacity, the number taken aboard sell
dom exceeding twenty. The cars are rooted
and the upper parts of the sides are of
glass. There are windows on each side,
and the windows are protected by iron bars.
There is no motion. The cars are so hung
that they always preserve an even balance,
and the sensation for those who are fond
of-looking down from a height Is delight
full. To those whose nerves do not permit
the wheel is devoid of anything unpleasant.
as the cars are furnished with seats, and
to sit down and look out of the windows
is simply to see London. To see London
from a balloon is to see, and in a measure
to feel, that it is dropping away from you.
To see IL from the great wheel is merely to
tanned anywhere else and without a sensa-
ton that need not be experienced on the
earth. The great wheel has carried more
than $4,000 in a day. 1t begins revolving at
1 O'Clock and does not retire to rest until IL
O'Clock at night. London by night from an
altitude of three hundred feet is a sight not
easily to be forgotten. In fact, a trip on
the great wheel in any weather is an ex-
perience worth having"
The wheel has been a financial success
from the beginning. In September a divi-
dend of 10 per cent. was declared, based
upon the earnings until Oct. 10, which were
then about 1850 a day.
The Big Wheel mania is beginning to
spread all over Europe. The great success
OF Court Lieutenant bsg afc Graayd don sn big wheel WI sls at Ea arl,s
as B~lackpool. Cardiff. Liverpool, Manches-
ter and Glasgow, who are, one and all,
longing to set up a similar revolving mon
ster in their midst. Its anne has even
reached the various principal towns on the
continent, who are striving hard to provide
for their inhabitants the unique excitement
of revolving in an altitude of 800 feet from
the ground. 1t is said that the inventor of
the wheel, Lieutenant Graydon, has re-
ceived splendid offers for his invention
from Paris, Lyons, Marseilles, Berlin, Ham
burg. Dresden, Vienna and Buda-Pesth, and
that he is seriously entertaining the idea
of exploiting his patent rights in all these
towns. 1t will be curious to see If the for
eigners will take to the big wheel quite as
enthusiastically as the Londoner and his
country cousin, who are patronizing it at
the rate of 49, passengers per diem"
The wheel is not without some adven-
lures, according to this account in the Bir-
mingham Argus:
1.-THE people enjoying themselves on the
great wheel at EarPS Court on Wednes-
day evening, when, as reported in the Ar
gus yesterday, a hitch in the mechanism
occurred, had an experience which they
will remember for many a long day. The
electric lights In some Of the cars appear
to have gone out. and attempts were made
to communicate with the world below by
shouting down inquiries as to the cause
of the stoppage. All such attempts were
quite futile. Even if it had been possible
in perfect stiffness to have made any vocal
feet up in the air, the hubbub and tumult
of the dense crowd gathered below would
effectually have prevented it. Eleven
O'Clock came. and some of the passengers
then dropped down coins wrapped up In
written messages which they begged might
be telegraphed to their friends. A few
minutes afterwards. however, means were
found for getting the great wheel into mo-
ton again. and as the occupants of the
cars were released many of them gave
vent to their satisfaction by cheering heart
lily. The passengers were all out by about
a quarter to y. having protracted their trip
of about twenty minutes to one of about