Module 13.2: Ferris Wheel
Jessica Fontenot, Kyle Mitsunaga, Karina Myles, Kaleob Busmann
The feature that our group selected is the ferris wheel, one of the most popular attractions at the 1893 World’s Fair. Based on our own definition of engineering, the ferris wheel qualifies as an engineered structure in many ways. First: the ferris wheel was constructed of raw materials such as; steel, wood, and glass. Second: the time, calculation, and planning that had to go into building such a large and oddly shaped feature was enormous. Third: obstacles such as; the weather, union workers, and acquiring enough steel stood in the way of George Ferris and the progress of the wheel. A plan never goes directly from an idea on paper to a standing structure without issues. It was hard work, collaboration, and vision that led to the opening of the ferris wheel on Wednesday, June 21, 1893.
In an article by Patrick Meehan in 1964 (1), a secondary source, the ferris wheel is described in great detail. The author elaborates on the ferris wheel’s architect, George Ferris, and his background. The author then describes the ferris wheel itself and its massive size. This article goes into length about the difficulty it took to not only create this enormous structure, but all of the hardships faced during construction.
In the article by Patrick Meehan, the author holds more of an objective view about the ferris wheel. The article goes into detail about the facts and materials needed to complete the wheel, as well as explaining the difficulty it took to build this structure. Erik Larson and Patrick Meehan both really enjoyed the story of the ferris wheel. Both discuss the struggle it took to complete this section of the exposition and, we believe, they would not have done this if they did not find the construction of the ferris wheel compelling. There are many reasons as to why their views could be interpreted differently. Larson, the author of Devil in the White City, is telling a story and using the detail explained to give further insight into the plot and character analysis. Patrick Meehan is giving us the details and facts as it happened in history, while Larson is describing the details of the ferris wheel in the time period of 1893.
We find the article by Patrick Meehan to be the most persuasive interpretation. The information is concise and to the point. It focuses on the before, during, and after of the events surrounding the World’s Fair and the Ferris Wheel. We think this article does a better job of explaining how hard it was in the beginning for Ferris to be taken seriously and all of the obstacles he faced. The impossible deadline he was given, how he was taken advantage of, and the fact that nothing like this had ever been built before makes for a interesting view of George Ferris. Most of the articles and books that we read had similar information and they all describe the Ferris Wheel as a main attraction, running smooth and quiet, and offering great views.
The Ferris Wheel was built to rival the Eiffel Tower. Burnham wanted the World Fair to have a distinct feature that was,”novel, original, daring, and unique” (1) and was designed and built by an American. This was to show the world that America was the leader when it came to architecture and engineering innovation.
Money and ability play a major role in these types of innovative ideas. It was a very hard sell and took a lot of time, dedication, and calculations to get the approval of the committee. Armed with the needed financing and plans, that had been reviewed and approved by other notable engineers and architects for accuracy, Ferris was able after several attempts to get the approval he needed. Even with the approval he was not given a spot on the main grounds and had to agree to give a substantial amount of the proceeds to the Exposition. Without dedication and hard working American’s like Ferris, we would have never built something that was one of the architectural monuments of the World’s Columbian Exposition.
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