Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-08-11

gines, boilers and derricks and false
work, had to be transported. One hun
dred and seventy-five freight cars were
required to move this material.
A brief resume of the dimensions
and description of the Ferris wheel
may be interesting. The wheel is
built upon the bicycle principle, with
immense tension spokes, 21e-16 IN.
diam. The wheel is $50 feet in diam
eter and stands 264 feet high. In
reality it is two wheels securely
braced together Between the outer
rims of these wheels the eleyen-ton
cars are suspended on 6K inch pins,
six feet long These cars are IL feet
wide, .26 feet long, 8 feet high and
will carry sixty persons each. There
are SO of them, SO the total capacity
of the wheel is 2,160 persons. At sew
eral times in it's history the wheel
has been filled to it's capacity. The
axle Of the wheel is a solid steel forg-
ing, 80 inches in diameter and As feet
long.
The solid bronze bearings upon
which 1t rests are each six feet long
and contain nearly two tons of metal
The weight of the wheel is carried up
on two four-post towers, six feet
square on top and 40x50 feet at the
base These in turn rest upon solid
concrete and steel beam pillars, which
are carried down to solid rock, rs feet
below the surface Of the ground. me
towers are anchored to the bottom OF
this mass of concrete by 2x6 inch eye
bars, so that the wheel is perfectly
safe, even in the most violent storms.
The side vibration of the wheel In an
| 80 mile an hour wind is less than one
half inch. The wheel is run by a
double reversing engine with cylin'
ders 3Ox4S inches, capable Of develop
ing 1000 horse power. The power is
applied through series of cogs to a
sprocket chain which engages wide
cogs on the outside of each rim.
! Two revolutions are given each pas
senger, and the time required is from
20 to 80 minutes The view during
this half-hour ride is most interesting
! and Instructive Gradually, as the
majestic and mighty wheel rolls one
up higher and higher, grand pano
rama unfolds itself to view. A fifty
million dollar exposition in all Its
grandeur is before you. The location
of the wheel in the center of the fail
grounds gives one an opportunity tt
thoroughly familiarize themselve'
with the lay of the grounds and get
! better general idea OF the fair thai
they could by days of tramping Th'
Cascades, the Plateau of States, al
the big buildings, the Pike, Festiva
Hall, the Art Building, Foreign Build
ings, Philippine Reservation, the al
ship enclosure, in fact, every point o
: interest in the grounds can be see
from the big wheel. In addition, on
gets view of ST. Louis, the Missis
sippi river. and the beautiful forests
. hills and dales for fifty miles around
At night, the view of the illuminatio
of the buildings and grounds is simpl
, magnificent. Eye has not seen nor ca
heard of a more striking spectacl
than the night view of the great e.
position from the top of the Ferri
wheel.
Hundreds of thousands of incande'
: cent lights bring the outlines of a
! the buildings in bold relief. The fe'
-tival hall and the plateau of state
: are flooded in turn with white, re
and green lights, making a startlin
1 and very beautiful effect. The bes
: point to view this grand illuminate
: is from the Ferris wheel.
/, When you come to the fair, do M
t fail to ride upon it.