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{Ferris Wheel Research - 2 of 3}
Putting
It All Together
The wheel was assembled piece by piece in Detroit, Michigan
and sent to Chicago in 150 railroad cars in the end of March. The 45 foot
axle was the largest piece of steel ever forged in the world at that time,
weighing 45 tons and having a diameter of 32 inches. The foundation was
composed of eight 20 foot square holes that were 35 feet deep each. The
next problem was how to put it together and in what order. Ferris's partner,
William F. Gronau, was given the responsibility. The 250 foot tall wheel
was supported by two 140 foot steel towers. The circumference of the wheel
was an astounding 825 feet, and the entire structure itself was 264 feet.
Its 36 cars could hold 60 people each.
The Grand Opening
Did Ferris open his wheel in time? The answer is no. The wheel
was not opened until June 21, 1893. Still, its 1.5 million riders brought
in $726,805.50, with a profit of $300,000. This profit was thanks to the
fact that the wheel could hold 2,160 people at a time, and 38,000 people
rode the wheel a day for just 50 cents per person. Riders sat in one of
the 40 swivel stools in each of the trolley sized cars or stood during
their ride. Six cars were loaded at a time. The wheel made six stops for
new passengers and then made one complete rotation once loaded. This made
for a 20 minute ride that included 2 rotations. This first Ferris Wheel
operated on the Midway Plaisance in Chicago for only ten weeks and made
a grand total of 10,000 revolutions while it operated there.
The
End of the First Ferris Wheel
After the Columbian Expedition was over, there was the question
of what to do with the wheel. To move the wheel to New York City, New
York, and rebuild it there would cost $150,000. No one was willing to
spend the money to make this move, so the wheel was reassembled in the
spring of 1895 on Chicago's North Clark Street. Unfortunately, the business
for the ride there was not high enough, so the wheel was reused in St.
Louis for the exposition in 1904. Then this original Ferris Wheel was
torn down and scrapped in 1906.
My
Wheel Is Better...
Soon after the fall of the first Ferris Wheel, other efforts
began to create bigger wheels that were better than Ferris's first. A
man by the name of Walter B. Busset created a wheel for the Oriental Exhibition
in London of 1895 that was 20 feet higher than Ferris's original wheel.
Busset's wheel held 30 passengers per car, including 10 first class and
5 smokers. It also featured a hollow axle that passengers could walk through
for an additional fee. This wheel still stands today at Earl's Court.
A second wheel by Busset included a car with a ping pong table. Busset
created a third wheel in 1897 that was 197 feet in diameter and that included
20 passenger cars. This wheel was the largest in operation until another
one in Japan was built that was 208 feet.