The Tucumcari news. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1906-07-14
WRECK FERRIS WHEEL
DYNAMITE REDUCES WORLDS
FAIR WONDER TO JUNK.
Marvel of Two International Expo
sitions Meets an I~nglorious
End-History OF Its
Career,


St. L.OuiS.-BiOwn 10 pieces by n
monster charge of dynamite, the Ferris
wheel came to an ignominious end the
other day, after Il varied career of Is
years. At its ending it was unwert
and unsung.
Constructed as one of the engineer
ing ieats of a century, the wheel first
was 4 feature of the Chicago worlds
fair ir 1898.
Then for Il long period of monument
tai and Improbable inactivity it tow
cred in an amusement park at North
Clark street and Wr!ghtwood avenue
II finally was removed to st. louis to
form for the second time the huge mo-
Chanical marvel of a great exposition.
For more than a month heavy wag-
ons laden with the 1900 tons Of steel
entering into it's construction lum-
bered through Chicago's streets.
The old wheel, which had become
St. Louis white elephant, died hard. 1t
required 200 pounds OF dynamite to put
1t out of business. The first charge
was NNIlcbNu ulluCi NhC ouplOibS ~
the north side of the structure, wreck
ing its foundation and permitting the
vince! to drop to the ground, II matter
of but 4 few feet.
AS the wheel settled 1t slowly turned
with its bottom rs a support, and then
after lettering a monlen like a huge
giant in distress. it collapsed slowly. 1t
did not fail to one side, as tho wreck
ers planned-it merely crumpled up
slowly. Within a few minutes it was
a tangled mass of steel and iron 80 or
40 feet high.
The huge axle, weighing "a tons,
dropped slowly with the remnants of
the wheel, crushing the smaller braces
and steel framework. When he mass
stopped settling il bore no resemblance
to the wheel which was so familiar 20
Chicago and st. Louis and to $500, 900
amusement seekers from all over the
world, who, in the days when it vas in
operation, made the trip TO the top of
its heighth of 264 feet and then slowly
around and down to the starting point.
following the blast that wrecked the
wheel, but which failed to shatter its
foundations, came an explosion Of an
ether charge of 100 pounds of dyna-
mite. The sticks were sunk in holes
drilled in the concrete foundations that
supported the pillars en- the north side
Of the wheel.
The wheel was the wonder of two
continents, by reason of its cost of
$3.50 ,00o, iys dimensions, and its utter
usclessness. 1T was the rival of the
Eifel tower of Paris. Chicago was
glad 20 get ria Of It, and st. Louis is
said 20 hav. witnessed its destruction
with satisra ction.
George Washington Gale Ferris,
president OF a Pittsburg engineering
firm. originated the idea of tie wheel
that bore his name, taking the notion
strurtjve principles OF steel bridges Ia
its erection.
Ferris financed the wheel, built It In
Pitlsburg. erected it at the Chicago
Co,umbian exposition, and took IA
S7i0,G00 1T 80 cents a ride. Then Fer
ri" took 4 Kaleidoscope trip to Europe,
Lister he lost all interest in the mon
st?r, and died in Pittsburg OF 'Tbcrcu-
l'siS. He was only 40 years old.
The stockholders, who had made 100
FER cent. profit out of the wheel in
1899, later leased the ground IN North
Clark street, a short distance north OF
Wrightwood avenue and regretted il
thara iarriu Whanl nor u WnG Itnf q
success, and the wheel Was taken dowr
again and removed to St. Louis or
Jane 2. 1903. The cost OF taking down
the wheel was $4,000. It's ruins arc
estimated as worth $4,000 as scraI
iron.