Graham guardian., 1900-08-31
A FAMOUS BIG WHEEL
Probable End Of the Great Midway
Feature.
rhs rnvention of FERRIS Has Absut
Served Its Purpose and Will
sooA Find Its Way to
the Scrap Heap.

L shN NNHfNAJ "hl navy puSSc0 All
that oblivion reserved for fads. Ryinl
| machines and perpetual-motion con
trivances. Not that the great Ferri
wheel is any Of these, says the Chicago
Post. but simply because Il never coulc
serye any practical use. because It EN-
bodies no distinctly new principle in
| engineering and because Il has mar
relous faculty Of emptying the Golfers
of those who try TO make its huge bull
earn even small part of the cost ot
maintaining ito say nothing Of the
cost OF original investment.
As one of the wonders OF the worlds
| fair of iS93--perhaps the chief wonder
great size. marvellous construction and
distinct novelty made il not only the
browning feature of the midway. but
the gossip Of four continents During
the continuance OF the exposition more
than q million md o half Of visitors
from all quarters of the globe rode in
it's suspended cars and from height OF
264 feet caught bird's-eye glimpse of
the fair grounds, the lake and the dis
tant city.
Though less than third the height
Of the Eiffel tower OF the Paris expoa-
ton. the Ferris wheel was q much
greater wonder. The Eiffel tower was
merely continuous projection Of sue
cessive towers one upon another. Given
o suitable base. its construction simply
meant the stringing of iron and steel
straight into the air. But in the Fer.
ris wheel something new in construe-
tion was accomplished-new because
OF its great size, II was the projection
OF a gigantic circle. carrying thousands
OF tons of steel and iron suspended
from an axle and readily movable by
the application of machinery. To have
built the Ferris wheel simply to stand
upon its periphery would have been a
comparatively simple task. To sus-
pend this mass of metal from central
point and give it motion was the con-
ception OF genius.
About $4,000 was spent in plans,
tests, etc, before the actual construc-
tion of the wheel began. Some 30 firms
took part in its making and Chicago
Arm saw to its erection. When ready
90 be turned the Ferris wheel had cost
S362,cO0 and had consumed about
s.000,000 pounds Of iron and steel. The
movable part Of it weighed 42O0. 900
pounds, and It required two engines OF
1000 horsepower each TO keep il turn.
ing. And SO nicely adjusted were all
the parts, so well balanced was the
great steel circle with its SO cars,
capable of carrying 2.i60 persons. that
il was under as full control as a sew
ing machine or pony engine. Once or
twice during the worlds fair the mo-
tive power needed adjustment. but the
only results so far as the public was
concerned were humorous incidents,
which gave the newspaper men few
columns Of anything but dull reading
matter.
II is barely possible that had the
worlds fair lasted year or two the
Ferris wheel might have paid for it.
self. This Is based on the assumption
that II would have continued TO be a
novelty for l2 months or more. AS 1t
was the gross earnings of the wheel
during the fair were $s12, 700. About
one-fifth of this went to the stockhold-
ers as profits. The power necessary to
operate the big wheel would have run
cotton factory of 10000 spindles and
5000 looms and employing 5000 opera
nves. The boilers Of the power plant
consumed coal like an ocean liner. No
other single feature Of the great ex.
position represented such an expendi.
ture 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 Il gone from its
place on the Midway direct to the scrap
pile or 20 Coney Island. as was at one
time suggested. more than one Chica-
goan would have been some thousands
OF dollars richer to-day. The wheel
that was such drawing card on the
shores OF Lake Michigan. where the.
surroundings were somewhat proper.
toned TO it's size, was moved to the,
North side Of the city and placed in q
space so small that the cars hung over
other property while the wheel was re-
yolving.
There II has turned occasionally for
the last few years. eating up coal. pill
ing up cost, an eyesore to the neigh bor-
hood and white elephant to It's own
ers. What has the big wheel cost to
date? Deducting the sum paid to stock.
holders during the worlds fair. and
counting as part of the cost what II has
lost TO its owners. II is safe to say that
sl.oOo.0oo will not cover the total. To
move Y from jackson park to the North
side cost alone $175.000. and II is figured
II VIII require an expenditure Of at
least $4,000 to take II down and re-
move Il fiUin where IL now stands.
With the passing OF the Ferris wheel
the questions naturally arise: why was
u bui.t9 What has II Accomplishment
Has Il proved any new and useful prin-
ciple in engineering? Aside from its
being the concrete Of an idea conceived
by its designer, the Ferris wheel uu-
ioubtedly was built to make money.
Those who Invested in II purposed tax. |
ing advantage OF the popular craze for
novelties and fads. but the investment
was too large to permit the popular
craze to outlast II.
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Are Learning.