Ferris Wheel: Difference between revisions

Public wiki for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition
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{{short description|Ferris Wheel}}
{{SHORTDESC:Ferris Wheel}}
{{Infobox prepared food
{{Infobox FairBuilding
| name            = Ferris Wheel
| name            = Ferris Wheel
| image            = Ferris Wheel.jpg
| image            = Ferris Wheel.jpg
| image_size      = 300px
| image_alt        =
| image_size      = 400px
| caption          = Ferris Wheel
| caption          = Ferris Wheel
| alternate_name  = Observation Wheel
| alternate_name  = Observation Wheel
| country          =
| location        = [[The Trail]]
| creator          =  
| no_buildings    = 1
| course          =  
| construction_cost= $380,000 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|380,000|1904}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}})
| cost            = $380,000 ({{Inflation|US|380,000|1904|fmt=eq}})
| furnishing_cost  =
| admission        = .50 ({{Inflation|US|.50|1904|fmt=eq}})
| profit          = $267,000 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|267,000|1904}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}})
| profit          = $267,000 ({{Inflation|US|267,000|1904|fmt=eq}})
| owner            = Chicago House Wrecking Company
| owner            =  
| architect        = George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.
| main_ingredient  =  
| dimensions       =  
| variations       =  
| adult_entry      = 50¢ (${{Inflation|US|.5|1904}} in {{Inflation/year|US}})
| calories        =  
| child_entry      =
| opening_day      = May 28, 1904
| dedication_day  =
| special_day      =
| other            =  
| other            =  
}}
}}
Located on [[The Trail]], the Observation Wheel built by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. was a symbol of the Fair.
 
Located on [[The Trail]], the '''Ferris Wheel''', built by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. was a symbol of the Fair.
 
==Description==
The observation wheel was 264 feet high. Two steel forks held up a 70-ton, 46 1/2' axle.
 
Two steam engines, arranged in a dual reversing engine provided 2,000hp to rotate the 4,200 ton wheel. The power was applied through a series of cogs to a sprocket chain which engages wide cogs on the outside of each rim. An oversized air brake was used for stopping.
 
The wheel could accommodate 2,160 passengers at a time. 36 cars (13' x 26') were attached to the wheel. The cars were made of steel, clad in wood. Each car held a security attendant, and could hold 60 standing passengers, or 40 passengers sitting on swivel chairs. On October 19, 1893 a record 1,784 were carried on a trip on the Wheel; but typical average ridership was much less.
 
It took about 20 minutes to complete two revolutions, the first involving up to six stops to allow passengers to exit and enter other cars, and the second a nine-minute non-stop rotation.


==Before the Fair==
==Before the Fair==
Built for the Exposition in Chicago, its monumental size overshadowed and dwarfed everything on the fairgrounds. In St. Louis, with the Fair's larger scale quite evident, it looked smaller in terms of the Fair but still impressively large.
===George Ferris===
Ferris was born on Valentine's Day, 1859, in Galesburg Illinois. He graduated from the California Military Academy and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and soon became a bridge-builder in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began his career in the railroad industry and then pursued an interest in bridge building.
 
Ferris understood the growing need for structural steel and founded G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh, a firm that tested and inspected metals for railroads and bridge builders.
 
Ferris claimed that he developed he concept for the Ferris wheel while at a dinner in Chicago.
 
Ferris' one-of-a-kind design was able to carry five times the 1,200 ton capacity limit. In 80 miles an hour winds, the sway of the colossal wheel was less than half an inch.  
 
In November 1892, he started the Pittsburgh Construction Company to build the great Wheel. George Ferris began his efforts to design the great wheel before he even received approval or funding from the Exposition. (There were no funds available for what would be an engineering marvel.) Though his first proposal was rejected by the Fair's organizers, he continued, and his second proposal was accepted and approved in late 1892.
 
The structure was created in Pittsburgh (but sections were made at nine steel mills in Detroit, and in Cleveland and Youngstown Ohio, Pittsburgh and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania).
 
Ferris thought the 1893 fair management had robbed him and his investors of his cut in the $726,805 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|726,805|1904}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}) profit that his wheel had brought in.  


Modeled on a bicycle wheel, Pennsylvania bridgebuilder George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., an engaging and social visionary, created the mammoth structure in Pittsburgh (but sections were made at nine steel mills in Detroit, and in Cleveland and Youngstown Ohio, Pittsburgh and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania).
Constantly in litigation, Ferris continued to create smaller wheels, selling them mostly to amusement parks across the U.S., but he made little profit. Ferris desired to build and sell bigger and better wheels, but demand was sporadic.  


Born in Galesburg, Illinois in 1859, Ferris attended Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute in New York, where he graduated in 1881 with a degree in engineering.
After his wife left him in 1896, Ferris suffered from depression. He died alone on Nov. 21, 1896, bankrupt at the age of 37, in Pittsburgh's Mercy Hospital. Ferris never saw his masterpiece creation rise again in St. Louis.  


Ferris claimed that he developed he concept for the Ferris wheel while at a dinner in Chicago.
Ferris never sought or received a patent for his marvelous wheel-invention. George Ferris Jr.'s design for the observation wheel was copied by owners of resorts (such as Coney Island).


With massive steel "forks" which held a 46 1/2 foot long, 70 ton axle (the largest piece of steel ever forged in the united States), the huge Observation Wheel was 264 feet high. It carried 36 wooden passenger cars  each holding a security attendant, incidentally the chairs could swivel.  Each car could fit 60 people standing or 40 sitting people. Two 1,000 horsepower steam engines powered the 4,200 ton monstrosity and an oversized air brake was used for stopping.  
===Chicago's World Fair===
The Ferris Wheel opened to the public on June 21, 1893 (50 days after the exposition's May 1st opening day). The first riders included George Ferris, his wife, special invited guests, the Chicago City Council, and the 40-piece Iowa State band. The wheel operated daily, from 8 AM to 11 PM for the duration of the Fair.


Three people died building the great Observation Wheel.
The Exposition ended in October 1893, and the Wheel closed in November 1893. Beginning in April 1894, it was dismantled in about 10 weeks, and was stored on a railway siding until the following year.


Ferris' one-of-a-kind design was able to carry five times the 1,200 ton capacity limit. In 80 miles an hour winds, the sway of the colossal wheel was less than half an inch.  
===Ferris Wheel Park===
In 1895, the Wheel was rebuilt on Chicago's North Side, on Clark Street near Lincoln Park, next to an exclusive neighborhood. A '''Ferris Wheel Park'' was created for this one-of-a-kind attraction.


The wheel was run by a double reversing engine with cylinders 30x48 in., capable of developing 2,000 horse power. The power is applied through a series of cogs to a sprocket chain which engages wide cogs on the outside of each rim.
However, few were happy with this giant ride being in their neighborhood. William D. Boyce, a local resident representing a large contingent of opposing residents, filed a Circuit Court action against the owners of the wheel to have it removed; but his efforts failed.
The wheel operated on Clark Street from October 1895 until 1903, when the Chicago House Wrecking Company (CHWC) purchased the great Wheel for $8,150 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|8150|1904}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}) at auction. They planned to sell, re-use, or salvage the giant wheel.


George Ferris Jr.'s design for his observation wheel was copied by owners of resorts (such as Coney Island), added to that, Ferris thought the 1893 fair management had robbed him and his investors of his cut in the 726,805.50 dollar profit that his wheel had brought in. Constantly in litigation, Ferris continued to create smaller wheels, selling them mostly to amusement parks across the U.S., but he made little profit. Ferris desired to build and sell bigger and better wheels, but demand was sporadic. After his wife left him in 1896, Ferris suffered from depression. He died alone on Nov. 21, 1896, bankrupt at the age of 37, in Pittsburgh's Mercy Hospital. Ferris never saw his masterpiece creation rise again in St. Louis.  
The CHWC was a large, profitable, family-owned salvage company that also had purchased and salvaged much of the remains of Chicago's 1893 Columbian Exposition. Their previous experience also included the demolition and salvage of other large structures and world's fairs (Omaha 1898, and Buffalo 1901). In 1904 the CHWC was the largest salvage company in the USA.


Ferris never sought or received a patent for his marvelous wheel-invention.  
==St. Louis==
178 freight cars brought the huge attraction the St. Louis at a cost of $150,000 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|150,000|1904}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}). However, the wheel recouped its relocation coats in only four months of operation.  


In mid-1894, the great  wheel was sold at a bankruptcy auction in Chicago for $8,150. Rather that being scrapped, the Ferris Wheel was shipped to St. Louis and reassembled for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. 178 freight cars brought the huge attraction the St. Louis at
The Ferris Wheel would open four weeks after the opening of the fair, on May 28, 1904.  
a cost of 150,000 dollars.  


==Description==
Operating the Ferris Wheel required 44 persons, including guards, platform guides, an engineer and a fireman. The boiler required four tons of coal for each day’s operations. Three million people were carried without injury. The wheel carried approximately 7.5 percent of the paid admissions to the Fair each day.
The Ferris Wheel was erected at the very center of the fair, near but not in the “Pike.” Operating the Ferris Wheel required 44 persons, including guards, platform guides, an engineer and a fireman. The boiler required four tons of coal for each day’s operations. The wheel carried approximately 7.5 percent of the paid admissions to the Fair each day (over twenty million people attended in total)


Fair goers in St. Louis could load the giant Observation Wheel with up to 2,160 persons, as it made its four revolutions per hour. Three  million people were carried without injury. The ride gave visitors a look at the Fair that rivaled a bird's view. They could plan their route to other attractions and scout out their day's attraction better than using a map.
On July 12 1904, Mrs. Maud Nicholson, of Lagonda, Indiana, a dare-devil made one entire revolution of the huge Observation Wheel standing on top of one of the cars.   


The wheel recouped its relocation coats in only four months of operation.  
===Erection===
The Ferris Wheel was erected at the very center of the fair, near but not in [[The Pike]]. After the foundations were prepared, two 140-foot steel towers were constructed amid massive wooden scaffolding and lifts. Then the 71-ton axle was carefully lifted and locked into position on these towers. Then the connecting rods were attached to the flanges, to begin to build the steel girder framework for the wheel.


On July 12 1904, Maud Nicholson, a dare-devil made oneentire revolution of the huge Observation Wheel  standing on top of one of the cars. 
<gallery |="" class="center" mode="packed-hover" widths="150px" heights="150px">>
File:Wheel-Construction 1.jpg  | Scaffolding Erected
File:Wheel-Construction 2.jpg  | Bases Erected
File:Wheel-Construction 3.jpg  | Support Posts
File:Wheel-Construction 4.jpg  | Axle Ready to be placed
File:Wheel-Construction 5.jpg  | Axle in place
File:Wheel-Construction 6.jpg  | Outer Rim Start
File:Wheel-Construction 7.jpg  | Outer Rim Continues
File:Wheel-Construction 8.jpg  | Outer Rim 
File:Wheel-Construction 9.jpg  | Outer Rim
File:Wheel-Construction 10.jpg  | Outer Rim
File:Wheel-Construction 11.jpg  | Outer Rim
File:Wheel-Construction 12.jpg | Outer Rim
File:Wheel-Construction 13.jpg | Initial cars placed
</gallery>


===Weddings===
Individual cars could be rented out for weddings and other special engagements.  
Individual cars could be rented out for weddings and other special engagements.  
There were 50 marriage ceremonies on the great  wheel, in fact it became so popular (one couple was married on horseback in one of the car, while another pairing  was married on top of one of the cars), that a special car, complete with a piano was designated for the Observation Wheel ceremonies. 


There were 50 marriage ceremonies on the great wheel, the firs happening on opening day of the Wheel. Weddings became so popular that Car #19 was decorated for weddings, and even had a piano in it at times. On July 16, one couple was married inside Car #19, sitting on horseback. Another daring wedding even took place on a platform constructed on top of one of the large cars!


There were 50 marriage ceremonies on the great wheel, in fact it became so popular (one
===Deaths===
couple was married on horseback in one of the car, while another pairing  was married on top of one of the cars), that a special car, complete with a piano was designated for the Observation Wheel ceremonies.  
Three people have died building the great Observation Wheel. One steelworker was killed during the construction of the Wheel, and another died during disassembly when he fell from the axle.


==After The Fair==
==After The Fair==
The Chicago House Wrecking Company took complete possession of the St. Louis Fair on December 1, 1904. Some 1,200 “dismantlers” were employed in the taking down and sorting of the resulting materials. And, of course, the Ferris Wheel, which the Chicago House Wrecking Company attempted to sell to the operators of Coney Island amusement park in New York. The estimated costs of taking down and re-erecting the wheel there would have been approximately $166,500, while the salvage value, if the wheel were wrecked, was approximately $75,950. The 264 foot high Observation Wheel  was deemed too expensive to ship (and to house); it was decided that on May 11th, 1906, Ferris'
The Chicago House Wrecking Company attempted to sell the Ferris Wheel to the operators of Coney Island amusement park in New York.  
masterpiece would be toppled and sold for scrap. Their profit 1,800 dollars. 100 pounds of dynamite was need to do the job and collapse the monstrosity into a 90 foot-wide mass of wreckage. The wheel was dismantled, and sadly used for war.
 
The estimated costs of taking down and re-erecting the wheel there would have been approximately $166,500 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|166,500|1904}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}), while the salvage value, if the wheel were wrecked, was approximately $75,950 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|75,950|1904}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}).  
 
After Coney Island declined to purchase the wheel, it was deemed too expensive to ship (and to store); it was decided that on May 11th, 1906, Ferris' masterpiece would be toppled and sold for scrap. Their profit was $1,800 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|1,800|1904}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}).  
 
100 pounds of dynamite collapsed the wheel into a 90 foot-wide mass of wreckage.  


===The Axle===
===The Axle===
There has been an insatiable curiosity about the Wheel's axle. One long-standing rumor that the axle was it buried buried near Skinker Avenue in Forest Park.  
[[File:Last Axle.jpg|200px|left|Article describing the Ferris Wheel Removal.]]
The axle, 45 feet long, 32 inches in diameter, it was cast of hardened steel, and hollow (about 15-16 inches); thus, it was 8-9 inches “thick”. With its “spiders” (flanges for rod connection), it weighed over 71 tons (over 140,000 pounds). Because of the sheer size of the axle, many rumors and myths circulated that the axle was impossible to cut up or haul away and had been buried on the site of the fair [[Forest Park]].
 
In May 2007, a cesium magnetometer survey around the wheel's 1904 location reported finding some evidence of a long metal artifact buried under Skinker Boulevard (possibly the axle).
 
While there is no photographic evidence of the axle removal, consider the following facts:
*The axle had previously been moved three times by the CHWC. They had two special flatbed train cars built for the purpose.
*After the wheel was blown up, removal of the debris (including the axle) would likely not have been "newsworthy".
*The CHWC owned the Ferris Wheel and was under contract to remove the wheel and all other remnants of the fair from Forest Park.
*The axle alone was worth close to $1,000 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|1,000|1904}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}})  as salvage.
*There are several documented reports of the axle being taken back to Chicago:
** Eleanor Harris, daughter of CHWC president Abraham Harris saw the axle in the company’s “scrap yards for several years” … and that it was eventually "cut up for scrap" <ref> Norman Anderson, ''Ferris Wheels: An Illustrated History'', pg. 74 </ref>
** A memo from Frank Harris stating that he is opposed to selling the axle at a give-away price. Further, he assigns a salvage value to the axle, based on its weight. He states "I would prefer shipping it to Chicago and dispose of it at some future date, even if we do have to keep it two or three years." <ref> Abraham Harris, company president, to Frank Harris, company Treasurer, Memo, September 10, 1906</ref>
** A letter stating ''the axle was returned to the Chicago yard of the Chicago House Wrecking Company; when oxy-acetylene torches became strong enough to cut up the hardened steel of the massive 70-ton axle (c.1918-1919), it was cut up for scrap.'' <nowiki></ref></nowiki> Mr. Mortimer B. Harris (vice president of the Harris Brothers Company, the successor to the Chicago House Wrecking Company), and T. J. Riordan, an active CHWC employee, Letters, October 1951 <nowiki></ref></nowiki>
** Leo Harris, the grandson of Frank Harris, who was Treasurer of the Chicago House Wrecking Company, wrote “…the giant axle of the wheel was returned to the yards of the CHWC, where it remained until it was cut up for its steel content at the beginning of World War I.” <ref> Wrecking to Save World’s Fairs, Ephemera Journal, 2011 </ref>
**A report on the Ferris Wheel: "The last of the Ferris Wheel has been taken away. The seventy-ton steel axle, which imbedded itself in the ground when the wheel was dynamited, was pulled from its resting place by a huge derrick. It was found necessary to blow off the flanges from the axle with dynamite before it could be loaded on a car." <ref> ,''Clinton Register'', 1 Feb. 1907 </ref>
Based on these facts  the axle of the Ferris Wheel was returned to Chicago in 1906, and eventually cut up for scrap around 1918-1919.


A few scholar have tireless studied official documents that have put a stronger light on the axle's fate.
==Gallery==
<gallery | class="center" | mode=packed-hover | widths=150px heights=150px>>
File:Wheel 1.jpg  | Ferris Wheel
File:Wheel 2.jpg  | Ferris Wheel
File:Wheel 4.jpg  |Ferris Wheel
File:Wheel 5.jpg | Ferris Wheel
File:Wheel 3.jpg | Base of Ferris Wheel
File:Wheel - Gears.JPG  | Machinery to move the Wheel
File:Wheel - Interior.jpg | Looking inside from a car
File:Wheel - After Fair.jpg  |After the close of the Fair
</gallery>


The giant axle of the wheel was returned to the yards of the Chicago House Wrecking Company, where it remained until it was cut up for its steel content at the beginning of World War I.
==See also==
==See also==


Latest revision as of 20:03, 30 November 2022

Ferris Wheel
Alternative namesObservation Wheel
LocationThe Trail
No. of Buildings1
OwnerChicago House Wrecking Company
Construction
Construction Cost$380,000 ($11.5 million in 2021)
Proft$267,000 ($8.05 million in 2021)
Entry
Adult Entry50¢ ($15 in 2021)
Architecture
ArchitectGeorge Washington Gale Ferris Jr.


Located on The Trail, the Ferris Wheel, built by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. was a symbol of the Fair.

Description[edit | edit source]

The observation wheel was 264 feet high. Two steel forks held up a 70-ton, 46 1/2' axle.

Two steam engines, arranged in a dual reversing engine provided 2,000hp to rotate the 4,200 ton wheel. The power was applied through a series of cogs to a sprocket chain which engages wide cogs on the outside of each rim. An oversized air brake was used for stopping.

The wheel could accommodate 2,160 passengers at a time. 36 cars (13' x 26') were attached to the wheel. The cars were made of steel, clad in wood. Each car held a security attendant, and could hold 60 standing passengers, or 40 passengers sitting on swivel chairs. On October 19, 1893 a record 1,784 were carried on a trip on the Wheel; but typical average ridership was much less.

It took about 20 minutes to complete two revolutions, the first involving up to six stops to allow passengers to exit and enter other cars, and the second a nine-minute non-stop rotation.

Before the Fair[edit | edit source]

George Ferris[edit | edit source]

Ferris was born on Valentine's Day, 1859, in Galesburg Illinois. He graduated from the California Military Academy and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and soon became a bridge-builder in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began his career in the railroad industry and then pursued an interest in bridge building.

Ferris understood the growing need for structural steel and founded G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh, a firm that tested and inspected metals for railroads and bridge builders.

Ferris claimed that he developed he concept for the Ferris wheel while at a dinner in Chicago.

Ferris' one-of-a-kind design was able to carry five times the 1,200 ton capacity limit. In 80 miles an hour winds, the sway of the colossal wheel was less than half an inch.

In November 1892, he started the Pittsburgh Construction Company to build the great Wheel. George Ferris began his efforts to design the great wheel before he even received approval or funding from the Exposition. (There were no funds available for what would be an engineering marvel.) Though his first proposal was rejected by the Fair's organizers, he continued, and his second proposal was accepted and approved in late 1892.

The structure was created in Pittsburgh (but sections were made at nine steel mills in Detroit, and in Cleveland and Youngstown Ohio, Pittsburgh and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania).

Ferris thought the 1893 fair management had robbed him and his investors of his cut in the $726,805 ($21.9 million in 2021) profit that his wheel had brought in.

Constantly in litigation, Ferris continued to create smaller wheels, selling them mostly to amusement parks across the U.S., but he made little profit. Ferris desired to build and sell bigger and better wheels, but demand was sporadic.

After his wife left him in 1896, Ferris suffered from depression. He died alone on Nov. 21, 1896, bankrupt at the age of 37, in Pittsburgh's Mercy Hospital. Ferris never saw his masterpiece creation rise again in St. Louis.

Ferris never sought or received a patent for his marvelous wheel-invention. George Ferris Jr.'s design for the observation wheel was copied by owners of resorts (such as Coney Island).

Chicago's World Fair[edit | edit source]

The Ferris Wheel opened to the public on June 21, 1893 (50 days after the exposition's May 1st opening day). The first riders included George Ferris, his wife, special invited guests, the Chicago City Council, and the 40-piece Iowa State band. The wheel operated daily, from 8 AM to 11 PM for the duration of the Fair.

The Exposition ended in October 1893, and the Wheel closed in November 1893. Beginning in April 1894, it was dismantled in about 10 weeks, and was stored on a railway siding until the following year.

Ferris Wheel Park[edit | edit source]

In 1895, the Wheel was rebuilt on Chicago's North Side, on Clark Street near Lincoln Park, next to an exclusive neighborhood. A 'Ferris Wheel Park was created for this one-of-a-kind attraction.

However, few were happy with this giant ride being in their neighborhood. William D. Boyce, a local resident representing a large contingent of opposing residents, filed a Circuit Court action against the owners of the wheel to have it removed; but his efforts failed. The wheel operated on Clark Street from October 1895 until 1903, when the Chicago House Wrecking Company (CHWC) purchased the great Wheel for $8,150 ($245,798 in 2021) at auction. They planned to sell, re-use, or salvage the giant wheel.

The CHWC was a large, profitable, family-owned salvage company that also had purchased and salvaged much of the remains of Chicago's 1893 Columbian Exposition. Their previous experience also included the demolition and salvage of other large structures and world's fairs (Omaha 1898, and Buffalo 1901). In 1904 the CHWC was the largest salvage company in the USA.

St. Louis[edit | edit source]

178 freight cars brought the huge attraction the St. Louis at a cost of $150,000 ($4.52 million in 2021). However, the wheel recouped its relocation coats in only four months of operation.

The Ferris Wheel would open four weeks after the opening of the fair, on May 28, 1904.

Operating the Ferris Wheel required 44 persons, including guards, platform guides, an engineer and a fireman. The boiler required four tons of coal for each day’s operations. Three million people were carried without injury. The wheel carried approximately 7.5 percent of the paid admissions to the Fair each day.

On July 12 1904, Mrs. Maud Nicholson, of Lagonda, Indiana, a dare-devil made one entire revolution of the huge Observation Wheel standing on top of one of the cars.

Erection[edit | edit source]

The Ferris Wheel was erected at the very center of the fair, near but not in The Pike. After the foundations were prepared, two 140-foot steel towers were constructed amid massive wooden scaffolding and lifts. Then the 71-ton axle was carefully lifted and locked into position on these towers. Then the connecting rods were attached to the flanges, to begin to build the steel girder framework for the wheel.

  • Scaffolding Erected

    Scaffolding Erected

  • Bases Erected

    Bases Erected

  • Support Posts

    Support Posts

  • Axle Ready to be placed

    Axle Ready to be placed

  • Axle in place

    Axle in place

  • Outer Rim Start

    Outer Rim Start

  • Outer Rim Continues

    Outer Rim Continues

  • Outer Rim

    Outer Rim

  • Outer Rim

    Outer Rim

  • Outer Rim

    Outer Rim

  • Outer Rim

    Outer Rim

  • Outer Rim

    Outer Rim

  • Initial cars placed

    Initial cars placed

Weddings[edit | edit source]

Individual cars could be rented out for weddings and other special engagements.

There were 50 marriage ceremonies on the great wheel, the firs happening on opening day of the Wheel. Weddings became so popular that Car #19 was decorated for weddings, and even had a piano in it at times. On July 16, one couple was married inside Car #19, sitting on horseback. Another daring wedding even took place on a platform constructed on top of one of the large cars!

Deaths[edit | edit source]

Three people have died building the great Observation Wheel. One steelworker was killed during the construction of the Wheel, and another died during disassembly when he fell from the axle.

After The Fair[edit | edit source]

The Chicago House Wrecking Company attempted to sell the Ferris Wheel to the operators of Coney Island amusement park in New York.

The estimated costs of taking down and re-erecting the wheel there would have been approximately $166,500 ($5.02 million in 2021), while the salvage value, if the wheel were wrecked, was approximately $75,950 ($2.29 million in 2021).

After Coney Island declined to purchase the wheel, it was deemed too expensive to ship (and to store); it was decided that on May 11th, 1906, Ferris' masterpiece would be toppled and sold for scrap. Their profit was $1,800 ($54,287 in 2021).

100 pounds of dynamite collapsed the wheel into a 90 foot-wide mass of wreckage.

The Axle[edit | edit source]

Article describing the Ferris Wheel Removal.
Article describing the Ferris Wheel Removal.

The axle, 45 feet long, 32 inches in diameter, it was cast of hardened steel, and hollow (about 15-16 inches); thus, it was 8-9 inches “thick”. With its “spiders” (flanges for rod connection), it weighed over 71 tons (over 140,000 pounds). Because of the sheer size of the axle, many rumors and myths circulated that the axle was impossible to cut up or haul away and had been buried on the site of the fair Forest Park.

In May 2007, a cesium magnetometer survey around the wheel's 1904 location reported finding some evidence of a long metal artifact buried under Skinker Boulevard (possibly the axle).

While there is no photographic evidence of the axle removal, consider the following facts:

  • The axle had previously been moved three times by the CHWC. They had two special flatbed train cars built for the purpose.
  • After the wheel was blown up, removal of the debris (including the axle) would likely not have been "newsworthy".
  • The CHWC owned the Ferris Wheel and was under contract to remove the wheel and all other remnants of the fair from Forest Park.
  • The axle alone was worth close to $1,000 ($30,159 in 2021) as salvage.
  • There are several documented reports of the axle being taken back to Chicago:
    • Eleanor Harris, daughter of CHWC president Abraham Harris saw the axle in the company’s “scrap yards for several years” … and that it was eventually "cut up for scrap" [1]
    • A memo from Frank Harris stating that he is opposed to selling the axle at a give-away price. Further, he assigns a salvage value to the axle, based on its weight. He states "I would prefer shipping it to Chicago and dispose of it at some future date, even if we do have to keep it two or three years." [2]
    • A letter stating the axle was returned to the Chicago yard of the Chicago House Wrecking Company; when oxy-acetylene torches became strong enough to cut up the hardened steel of the massive 70-ton axle (c.1918-1919), it was cut up for scrap. </ref> Mr. Mortimer B. Harris (vice president of the Harris Brothers Company, the successor to the Chicago House Wrecking Company), and T. J. Riordan, an active CHWC employee, Letters, October 1951 </ref>
    • Leo Harris, the grandson of Frank Harris, who was Treasurer of the Chicago House Wrecking Company, wrote “…the giant axle of the wheel was returned to the yards of the CHWC, where it remained until it was cut up for its steel content at the beginning of World War I.” [3]
    • A report on the Ferris Wheel: "The last of the Ferris Wheel has been taken away. The seventy-ton steel axle, which imbedded itself in the ground when the wheel was dynamited, was pulled from its resting place by a huge derrick. It was found necessary to blow off the flanges from the axle with dynamite before it could be loaded on a car." [4]

Based on these facts the axle of the Ferris Wheel was returned to Chicago in 1906, and eventually cut up for scrap around 1918-1919.

Gallery[edit | edit source]

  • Ferris Wheel

    Ferris Wheel

  • Ferris Wheel

    Ferris Wheel

  • Ferris Wheel

    Ferris Wheel

  • Ferris Wheel

    Ferris Wheel

  • Base of Ferris Wheel

    Base of Ferris Wheel

  • Machinery to move the Wheel

    Machinery to move the Wheel

  • Looking inside from a car

    Looking inside from a car

  • After the close of the Fair

    After the close of the Fair

See also[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Norman Anderson, Ferris Wheels: An Illustrated History, pg. 74
  2. ↑ Abraham Harris, company president, to Frank Harris, company Treasurer, Memo, September 10, 1906
  3. ↑ Wrecking to Save World’s Fairs, Ephemera Journal, 2011
  4. ↑ ,Clinton Register, 1 Feb. 1907
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