The Opelousas courier., 1900-07-14
FATE OF THE FERRIS WHEEL,
fHE PASSING or THE cENTuRY's
GREATEST ENGINEERING FREAK.

| ONEA 1881 ENGtNEE KING fREAk.
The Chief Wonder OF the Werld's Fair Is
TO :be Sent TO the Scrap Heap-The
The History Of Its Conception and
euilding-it Never Paid.
When the Ferris wheel is sent to the
scrap heap-a thing likely soon to hap
pen-the greatest engineering vagary
OF the century will have passed into
that oblivion reserved for fads, flying
machines and experimentation con-
trivances, says the Chicago Post. Not
that the great Ferris wheel is any Of
these, but simply because 1t never
could serve any practical use, because
1t embodies no distinctly new princi-
pie in engineering, and because it has
a marvellous faculty Of emptying the
Golfers Of those who try to make its
huge bulk earn even O small part Of
the cost Of maintaining ito say moth
Ing of the cost Of original investment.
AS n Of the wonders Of the Worlds
Fair Of 1S93-perhaps the chief Won
der-the Ferris wheel stood unique. Its
great size, marvellous construction
and distinct novelty made it not only
the GROWING feature of the Midway,
but the gossip of four continents. Dur
Ing the continuance of the exposition
more than a million and a half Of visi-
tors from all quarters Of the globe rode
in its suspended cars and from a
height Of 264 feet caught a bird's-eye
glimpse of the fair grounds, the lake
and the distant city.
Though less than q third the height
Of the Eihel Tower of the Paris Expo
greater wonder. The Eiffel Tower was
merely O continuous projection of sue
cessive towers one upon another. Civ
en- a suitable base, its construction
simply meant the stringing Of iron and
steel straight into the dir. But in the
Ferris wheel something new in con-
struction was accomplished-new be-
cause Of its great size. 1t was the pro-
lection of a gigantic circle, carrying
thousands of tons of steel and iron
suspended from an axle and readily
movable by the application Of machin-
cry. To have built the Ferris wheel
simply to stand upon its periphery
would have been a comparatively sim
pie task. To suspend this mass Of
metal from O central point and give it
motion was the conception of genius.
Eiffel and his engineers were three
years building the tower in Paris.
The Ferris wheel was constructed and
carrying passengers within four
months. The idea Of erecting this
great wheel came to George Washing
tom Gale Ferris, a native Of Illinois
and an engineer for the Pittsburg Iron
Company, about a year before the
opening Of the Worlds Fair. Mfr.
Ferris was then known as one of the
most expert bridge builders in Amer
lea, Il not in the world, but when his
scheme was mentioned to other engi-
neers it YVES promptly pronounced
chimerical. Some went ven SO far
as to laugh at him, and not one
dreamed of the project yer would get
beyond the speculative stage. But Mr..
Ferris was persistent, and besides had
faith in himself. Courageously he set
to work and succeeded In interesting
sufficient capital to warrant him In or
dering material for the wheel.
About $4,000 was spent in plans,
tests, etc., before the actual construc-
ton Of the wheel began. Some thirty
firms took part In it's making and a
Chicago firm saw to its erection. When
ready to be turned the Ferris wheel
had cost $500 900, and had consumed
about 100000 pounds Of iron and
steel. The movable part of 1t weighed
4,2O0,0OO pounds, and 1t Required two
engines of 1000 horse power each to
keep 1t turning. And SO nicely adjust
ed were all the parts, SO well balanced
was the great steel circle with its
thirty-six cars, capable Of carrying q
100 persons, that it was under as full
control as q sewing machine or q pony
engine. Once or twice during the
Worlds Fair the motive power needed
adjustment, but the only results so far
as the public was concerned were
humorous incidents, which gave the
newspaper men a few columns Of any
thing but dull reading matter.
It is barely possible that had the
Worlds Fair lasted a year or two the
Ferris wheel might have paid for it
self. This is based Oh the assumption
that 1t would have continued to be a
novelty for twelve months or more.
As it was, the gross earnings of the
wheel during the fair were $4,000.
About one-fifth Of this went to the
stockholders as profits. The power
necessary to operate the big wheel
would have run q cotton factory OF
100000 spindles and 5000 looms and
employing 5000 operatives. The boil
ers of the power plant consumed coal
like an ocean liner. No other single
feature Of the great exposition repre-.
scented such an expenditure OF energy,
But the fair lasted only six months,
and the Ferris wheel ceased paying
dividends with the closing of the ex-
position gates. Had it gone from Its
place on the Midway direct to the
scrap pile or to Coney Island, as was
at one time suggested, nor than one
Chicagoan would have been some thou.
sands Of dollars richer to-day. The
wheel that was such q drawing card