| Ferris Wheel |
Article Index for Ferris |
Website Links For Ferris |
Information AboutFerris Wheel |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT FERRIS WHEEL | |
| amusement rides | |
| ferris wheels | |
|
A Ferris wheel (or, more commonly in the UK, '''big wheel''') is a Nonbuilding Structure consisting of an upright wheel with passenger gondolas suspended from the rim. Ferris wheels are a common type of Amusement Park Ride and may also be found at many Urban Parks and public places around the world. Ferris wheels usually hold about 50-100 people. HISTORY The Ferris wheel is named after Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. , who designed a 264 foot (80 meter) wheel for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois in 1893. It was designed as a rival to the Eiffel Tower , the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris Exhibition . This first wheel could carry 2,160 persons at a time; The Ferris wheel was the largest attraction at the Columbian Exposition standing over 250' tall and powered by two 1000 HP steam engines. There were 36 cars each the size of a school bus that accommodated 60 people each (20 seated, 40 standing). It took 20 minutes for the wheel to make two revolutions - the first to make six stops to allow passengers to exit and enter; the 2nd a single non-stop revolution - and for that, the ticket holder paid 50 cents. The wheel was moved twice after the 1893 Fair and was eventually destroyed (by controlled demolition) in 1904 after it was used at the St. Louis exposition of that year. At 70 tons, its axle was the largest steel forging of the time. It was 26 stories tall, only a quarter of the Eiffel Tower's height. Erik Larson . (2003) '' The Devil In The White City '', page 258. The Travels of Peter Mundy, 1608-1667 describes and illustrates "Several sorts of Swinginge used in their Publique rejoyceings att their feast of Biram" in the Ottoman Balkans. Among means “lesse dangerous and troublesome” only for children was a ferris wheel “like a Craine wheele att Customhowse Key” where the passengers swing on short swings, sometimes sitting sometimes hanging trapeeze fashion. The illustration here is of a different Turkish design, apparently for adults. Another famous Ferris wheel with a height of 65 meters (213 feet), dating back to 1897 , is the Riesenrad in Vienna 's Prater in the second district of Leopoldstadt . It was designed by Hubert Cecil Booth . See also World's Fair ... London , UK had its very own 'Gigantic Wheel' built at Earls Court in 1895 , which was modelled on the original one in Chicago. This wheel stayed in service until 1906 by which time it had carried over 2.5 million passengers. It was built by two young Australian engineers named Adam Gaddelin and Gareth Watson and was the first of over 200 ferris wheels that they built world-wide. For the 1900 Paris Exposition a 'Grande Roue', of similar size and design to Ferris', was constructed and kept in operation until its demolition in 1937. The French wheel operated 40 cars (as opposed to Chicago's 36), and is clearly visible in photos of the 1900 exhibition . [http://www.hydeparkhistory.org/ferrisfollowup.html] , Jiangxi Province , this new Ferris wheel measures 162 meters high. At 65 meters (212 feet), The Texas Star at Fair Park is the largest ferris wheel in the Western Hemisphere . The wheel opened in 1985 and has a maximum capacity of 260 persons.''''' OBSERVATION WHEELS See Also: Observation wheel Recent large Ferris wheels have been marketed as "observation" wheels to differentiate them from the smaller Ferris wheels, but ironically are more similar to the original Ferris wheel than the smaller modern wheels. One of the world's most famous observation wheels is the London Eye in London , United Kingdom , operated by British Airways . Its great popularity has led to a number of other cities, including Manchester , Birmingham and York ( The Yorkshire Wheel ), Moscow , Nanchang , Las Vegas , Shanghai , Melbourne , Kuala Lumpur and Singapore erecting, or proposing to erect, similar wheels. DOUBLE AND TRIPLE WHEELS in the 1920s, and still operates at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park. A replica of this Ferris wheel can be found in Disney's California Adventure Theme Park .]] In the mid to late 1970s, coaster giant Intamin AG invented a new twist on the common ferris wheel. Using long arms to hold the massive wheels, they created a way to load and unload ferris wheels more quickly. In 1976, 2 Sky Whirl s opened at Marriott's Great America (IL, CA) and were the first triple wheels. Triple Wheels were attached to three long arms mounted equal distance in a circle on a central tower. When loading/unloading passengers, the 3 arms would rotate until one arm was at the loading area and hydraulics would bring that arm/wheel to the ground. A two-arm version titled "Zodiac" was also installed at Kings Island in Ohio as well as Hersheypark in PA titled "Giant Wheel." The double wheels were attached to a long, straight arm. The arm was mounted in the center on a central tower. When the hydraulics lowered one side, the other raised. The Kings Island Zodiac was relocated to Australia's Wonderland. Australia's Wonderland closed in 2004. All models featured 8-10 passenger cages. The cages were attached to the wheels by chains. When the wheel was in the loading position, it was horizontal and all cages could be loaded at once. As the arm raised or rotated, the wheel moved to a vertical position and provided a typical ferris-wheel ride, only much higher from the ground. Another version of this ride existed at Magic Mountain in CA titled "Galaxy." This ride was similar to the Zodiac, except the arms did not raise as far off the ground. The arms on this ride were shaped more in a "V", than a straight line, and the central tower was shorter. On each wheel were 4 smaller wheels that also rotated, providing a double vertical rotating movement. A 4th version of the ride was installed and removed at Astroworld in TX titled "Astrowheel." It was also similar to the Zodiac model, but had the shorter tower/"V" arm configuration of the Galaxy. This was a great advance in capacity on the ride and loading time. This was one of the most spectacular appearing amusement rides to date. But today, none of them operate in the US. MORE FERRIS WHEELS AND MANUFACTURERS
LIST OF WORLD'S LARGEST FERRIS AND OBSERVATION WHEELS A list of world's largest Ferris and observation wheels. This list is incomplete and should be completed and corrected, if necessary. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
Ride Manufacturer Sites |
|
|