Ferris Wheel
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MONKEYMANN
- 400+ Poster
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- Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2007 1:39 am
- Location: Jopin, Mo
RE: Ferris Wheel
I'd like to see one of the original ferris wheel cars...I wonder if any of those were ever preserved.
Re: Ferris Wheel
It's a well known fact to fair historians that the fair comittee attempted to sell it after the St. Louis fair but couldn't find a buyer, so they demoed it with dynamite and sold most of it for scrap, the rest they buried in one or more of the landfills. Although no one seems to know if they sold the axle or not.ropingk wrote:so why do we think it wa destroyed after the 1904 fair??????
The axle is 32 inches in diameter, 45 feet long, 70 tons. Largest piece of forged steel at the time.
More online investigation than onsite exploration these days.
“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
-Ayn Rand
“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
-Ayn Rand
Re: Ferris Wheel
Thank you i had no idea that it is demoed does any one else wonder WHY how cool would it have been to just leave it up and running Ok so that [probaly wouldnt happen but its a nice thought man 45 feet long was a huge hunking wheel
Sleep is a waste of time,you can sleep when you are dead
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Maxzillian
- 0-99 Poster
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:13 am
- Location: Newton, ks
Re: RE: Ferris Wheel
If you rotate this map 180 degrees, you can see that the ferris wheel once stood somewhere to the East of Wydown Ave. Or, right on the golf course.MONKEYMANN wrote:Does anyone know the original location of the Ferris Wheel? Thats where I'd start.
Also,
After the world's fair I'm sure there was alot of odds and ends of rubbish...
Who's to say that "Back in the Day" they didn't just dig a Pit or Trench and create an onsite dump site.
Doesn't sound completely unfeaseble.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Worl ... s-1904.png
LINK
Last edited by Maxzillian on Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
What's the fun in making something simple?
Re: Ferris Wheel
yup, looks that way.
This book here says the Chicago House Wrecking Company was in charge of demoing the fair. You'll have to copy & paste the link, it won't post right.
http://tinyurl.com/2vory2
Edit by WR: Fixed.
This book here says the Chicago House Wrecking Company was in charge of demoing the fair. You'll have to copy & paste the link, it won't post right.
http://tinyurl.com/2vory2
Edit by WR: Fixed.
Last edited by Nicotti on Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
More online investigation than onsite exploration these days.
“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
-Ayn Rand
“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
-Ayn Rand
Re: Ferris Wheel
looks like falstaff brewery had a beer garden at the fair too...
More online investigation than onsite exploration these days.
“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
-Ayn Rand
“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
-Ayn Rand
-
Batman
- 0-99 Poster
- Posts: 62
- Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:19 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO, Jefferson County, MO
RE: Ferris Wheel
I found a more detailed map of the World's Fair. I think this helps line up things better and you can see the names of all the buildings. One thing I found interesting on the map is an old coal chute. To bad that we can't get to it now....
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/anglerboate ... irblay.JPG
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/anglerboate ... irblay.JPG
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MONKEYMANN
- 400+ Poster
- Posts: 479
- Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2007 1:39 am
- Location: Jopin, Mo
RE: Ferris Wheel
I found this discription on e-bay...they were selling a post card of the Ferris Wheel and they had this discription of it and of it's ultimate demise.
The Ferris Wheel was the engineering highlight of the exposition and one of the most pervasive, lasting influences of the 1893 fair. The Ferris Wheel was Chicago's answer to the Eiffel Tower, the landmark of the 1889 Paris exhibition. The wheel was created by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania bridge builder George W. Ferris. Supported by two 140 foot steel towers, its 45 foot axle was the largest single piece of forged steel at the time in the world. The wheel itself had a diameter of 250 feet, a circumference of 825 feet, and the maximum height was 264 feet. It was powered by two 1000 horsepower reversible engines. It had 36 wooden cars that could each hold 60 people. The Ferris Wheel grossed $726,805.50 during its short time in operation, at 50 cents per ride. The profit of approx. $300,000 was of great benefit toward balancing the books of the exposition. The wheel was dismantled in mid-1894, after the fair, and reused at the St. Louis exposition in 1904. The original Ferris Wheel was scrapped in 1906. But, the influence of the engineering and entertainment marvel can be readily seen by the large number of Ferris Wheels of various types at fairs and entertainment grounds around the world.
Just thought you guys...and gals would find this interesting.
The Ferris Wheel was the engineering highlight of the exposition and one of the most pervasive, lasting influences of the 1893 fair. The Ferris Wheel was Chicago's answer to the Eiffel Tower, the landmark of the 1889 Paris exhibition. The wheel was created by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania bridge builder George W. Ferris. Supported by two 140 foot steel towers, its 45 foot axle was the largest single piece of forged steel at the time in the world. The wheel itself had a diameter of 250 feet, a circumference of 825 feet, and the maximum height was 264 feet. It was powered by two 1000 horsepower reversible engines. It had 36 wooden cars that could each hold 60 people. The Ferris Wheel grossed $726,805.50 during its short time in operation, at 50 cents per ride. The profit of approx. $300,000 was of great benefit toward balancing the books of the exposition. The wheel was dismantled in mid-1894, after the fair, and reused at the St. Louis exposition in 1904. The original Ferris Wheel was scrapped in 1906. But, the influence of the engineering and entertainment marvel can be readily seen by the large number of Ferris Wheels of various types at fairs and entertainment grounds around the world.
Just thought you guys...and gals would find this interesting.
Re: Ferris Wheel
I know I am a simple person but I just cant figure out WHY they would trash it it was a huge hunking peice of history and I guess they didnt really worry bout that stuff then and just wanted to get rid of it----did you notice that it says the axle was 1 peice??? 45 foot long and man 2000 HP engins this was a awesome peice of engering at that time
Sleep is a waste of time,you can sleep when you are dead
Re: Ferris Wheel
Well, in that book preview I posted, it said they tried to keep the Pike entertainment area, but Washington University complained that it would be too much of a distraction for it's students and faculty. So if they couldn't keep that, I doubt the ferris wheel would have stayed.
Plus I'm thinking that after the fair it would have been hard to keep up the profits needed to run it. I don't think they would have been able to get enough business to keep it going.
They did try to sell it to Coney Island to no avail.
Plus I'm thinking that after the fair it would have been hard to keep up the profits needed to run it. I don't think they would have been able to get enough business to keep it going.
They did try to sell it to Coney Island to no avail.
More online investigation than onsite exploration these days.
“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
-Ayn Rand
“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
-Ayn Rand
Re: Ferris Wheel
It would be pretty expensive to keep 2 1000 Hp engins running plus it did say Wooden cars so there is a ton of up keep
I hate to admitt but i am a wuss I cant even hardly look at a farris wheel it just gives me the shivers i have seen them double wheels and it almost makes me just pass out ok so i am a wuss
I hate to admitt but i am a wuss I cant even hardly look at a farris wheel it just gives me the shivers i have seen them double wheels and it almost makes me just pass out ok so i am a wuss
Sleep is a waste of time,you can sleep when you are dead
Re: Ferris Wheel
scared of heights much? 
More online investigation than onsite exploration these days.
“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
-Ayn Rand
“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
-Ayn Rand
Re: Ferris Wheel
hahaha and the faculty.Nicotti wrote:Well, in that book preview I posted, it said they tried to keep the Pike entertainment area, but Washington University complained that it would be too much of a distraction for it's students and faculty.
"Where's Proffessor Compton?"
"Oh, he ditched lecturing to go ride the ferris wheel."
Dust!
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MONKEYMANN
- 400+ Poster
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- Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2007 1:39 am
- Location: Jopin, Mo
RE: Ferris Wheel
Yea...I'm not a big fan of heights....my dad was an elevator repairman and he used to take me to the top of buildings where the machine rooms were...he would also lower the elevator to a point that he and I could get on top of it...and we would ride up and down the shaft...scared the crap out of me....
Incidently, most elevators have a manual start stop/up down auxilliay control mounted on the top of the cars!
The little hole in the top of most elevator doors is for a special key/tool that releases the doors and allows them to open manually...
Yea...I got off track a little with this one...but I thought if you ever need to know that info...while exploring...might help...very dangerious...wouldn't recommend anyone try it....
Incidently, most elevators have a manual start stop/up down auxilliay control mounted on the top of the cars!
The little hole in the top of most elevator doors is for a special key/tool that releases the doors and allows them to open manually...
Yea...I got off track a little with this one...but I thought if you ever need to know that info...while exploring...might help...very dangerious...wouldn't recommend anyone try it....
Re: Ferris Wheel
Not really like you would think I can climp the old forest towers and I love to go to like look out points but man you show me a farris wheel and it just freaks me out and the other really ODD thing is them BIG metal power giants you see out in big feilds they look mean to me and i know they really cant come after me and eat my brains but you tell me that as I am driving far far away really fastNicotti wrote:scared of heights much?
remember I am verry OLD
Sleep is a waste of time,you can sleep when you are dead