The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1906-07-19
WRECK FERRIS WHEEL
DYNAMITE REDUCES WORLDS
FAIR WONDER TO JUNK
Marvel of Two International Expo
sitions Meets an Inglorious
End--History Of Its
Career,

st. Louis.-Blown to pieces by a
monster charge of dynamite, the Ferris
wheel came to an ignominious end the
other day, after a varied career Of IL
years. At its ending 1t was unwept
and unsung.
Constructed as one of the engineer
ing feats of a century, the wheel first
was feature of the Chicago worlds
fair in 1893.
Then for long period Of monumen-
tai and Improbable inactivity 1t tow
cred in an amusement park at North
Clark street and Wrightwood avenue.
It finally was removed to st. Louis to
form for the second time the huge me-
chanical marvel of great exposition.
For more than month heavy wag-
ons laden with the 1900 tons of steel
entering into its construction lum-
bered through Chicago's streets.
The old wheel, which had become
st. Louis white elephant, died hard. II
required 200 pounds of dynamite to put
Il out of business. The first charge
was exploded under the supports at
ing it's foundation and permitting the
wheel to drop TO the ground, matter
OF but few feet.
AS the wheel settled It slowly turned
with its bottom as a support, and then,
after tottering a moment like huge
giant In distress, It collapsed slowly. II
did not fall to one side, as the wreck
ers planned-it merely crumpled up
slowly. Within a few minutes II was
a tangled mass of steel and iron 80 or
40 feet high.
The huge axle, weighing IA tons,
dropped slowly with the remnants of
the wheel, crushing the smaller braces
and steel framework. When the mass
stopped settling It bore no resemblance
to the wheel which was so familiar tn
Chicago and st. Louis and to 100000
amusement seekers from all over the
world, who, in the days when II was in
operation, made the trip to the top OF
its heighth of 264 feet and then slowly
around and down 10 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 thai
supported the pillars on the north side
of the wheel
The wheel was the wonder of two
continents. by reason of its cost oi
1850 900, It's dimensions, and its utter
usclessness. 1t was the rival of tn,
Ei6el tower of Paris. Chicago wai
glad to get rid of n, and st. Louis II
said to have witnessed its destruction
with satisfaction.
George Washington Gale Ferris
president of Pittsburg engineerint
firm, originated the idea of the whee
that bore his name, taking the notior
from a bicycle and adapting the con
structive principles Of steel bridges II
its erection.
Ferris financed the wheel, built 1t II
Pitrsburg, erected It at the Chicag'
Columbian exposition, and took Il
s750,000 at so cents a ride. Then Fer
ris took Kaleidoscope "Trip to Europe
Later he lost all interest in the mon
ster, and died In Pittsburg OF tubercu
losis He was only 40 years old.
The stockholders, who had made 10'
per cent profit out of the wheel II
1893. later leased the ground in Nortl
Clark street, short distance north o
Wrightwood avenue ard reerected 1
there. Ferris wheel park was not 4
success, and the wheel was taken dow
again and removed 10 st. Louis o'
June 3, 1908. The cost of taking dow
the wheel was $4,000. Its ruins ar
estimated as worth $4,000 as scral
iron.