The San Francisco call., 1906-05-14
BIG FERRIS WHEEL
BLOWN To PIECES BY
CHARGE OF DYNAMITE
Amusement Feature at Two Worlds
Fairs Comes to an In
glorious End.
Regarded 40 q sWhtts Elephant an,
Reduced 70 q Mass 81
Wreckage.
Millions of Persons Have Viewed Ex
position Scenes From the
Structures Top.

CHICAGO, May 12-Blown to pieces
by q monster ohargeg Of dynamite. ths
Ferris wheel came to an ignominious
end on Friday at st. Louis after a
varied career of thirteen years. At Its
ending 1T was unwept and unsung.
Constructed as one OF the engineer
ing fsats OF the century, the wheel
first was Q feature Of the Chicago
Worlds Fair IN 1888.
Then for q lsng period Of mon1-
mantd and improbable inactivity IT,
lowered In an amusement park at
North Clark street and Wrightwood
avenue. It finally was removed to st.
Louis to form for the second time tho
huge mechanical marvel Of a great sx-
position.
For more thahn month heavy wag-
ons lA6sn with ths 600 toms e< steel
entered into. IT. construction fum-
bered Through Chacago's streets.
The old wheel. which had become 81.
Louis white elephant died hard. II
required 200 pounds Of dynamite to put
II out Of business. The first charge
was exploded under the supports at the
north side Of the structure, wrecking
It's foundation and permitting the
wheel to drop to the ground. q mat
ter Of but few feet.
As the wheel settled It slowly turned,
with its bottom as support, and then.s
after tottering a moment like a huge
giant In distress. 1t collapsed slowly.
Within a few minutes 1t was a tangled
mass Of steel and iron thirty OF forty
fest high
Thhe huge axle, Weighing seventy
four tons. dropped slowly with the
remnants of the wheel. crushing the
smaller braces and steel framework.
When the mass stopped settlh 1t bore
no reseemblancbe to thhe wheel which
was 30 familiar to Chicago and ST.
Louis and to 7.5oo, 900 pleasure seekers
from all over the world. who, In the
days when It was in operation. made
the trip TO the top Of It's height Of
2e4 feet and then slowly around and
down to the starting point
Following thhe blast that wrecked
the wheel, but which failed to shatter
It's foundation. came another charge of
100 pounds of dynamite. The sticks
were sunk in holes drilled In the con-
crete foundations that supported the
pillars on theh north side OF the
wheel
The wheel was the wonderr OF two
continents. by reason OF its cost Of
$685. It's dimensions and It's uttei
uselessness. It was the rival OF the
Eiffel tower Of Paris. Chicago was
glad to get rid Of 1t. and st. Louis is
said to have witnessed it's destruction
with satisfaction.
George Washington Gale Ferris,
president Of a Pittsburg engineering
firm. originated the idea Of the wheel
that bore his name. taking his notion
from a bicycle and adapting the con-
strucuve principles OF steel bridges in
Its erection
Ferris financed the wheel. bufit Il
IN P1ttsburg. erected II at the Chicago
Columbian Exposition and took In
$3.50. 900 at 30 cents ad ride. Then Fer
ris took kaleidoscopfc trip to Europe
Laater he lost all interest In the
monster and died In Pittsburg Of tu-
berculosts. He was only 40 years old
Thhe stockholders. who had made
100 per cent out Of the wheel, later
leaased the ground In North Clark
street and re-erected 1t there. Ferris
Wheel Park was not q success, and the
wheel was taken down again and re-
Tho cost Of taking down the wheel
was $4,000. It's ruins are estimated an
worth 5000 a. scrap from