Lindsay Haskins, Indea Bennett, Jake Hinson, Taylor Archuleta 

I believe this structure would be classified as an engineered structure for the reason that it contained a large number of mathematics and scientific thought to create such a large structure. Not only is it grand in size but it also rotates around it fixed base. Everything that went into the designing of the wheel required precise measurement.  Our definition of engineering being; encompassing many different sections like chemical, structural and electrical, applying science to actual use. Specifically civil engineering, applying science and math to buildings and waterways and or systems.

The Book of the Fair describes the mechanical pieces of the ferris wheel almost as if it was describing the different aspects of a famous painting. Specifically describing the axle on the ferris wheel: “This axle is forty-five feet long, thirty-two inches in diameter, and seventy tons in weight. It is the largest piece of steel ever forged.” The description in this specific sections seems to be examining all of the mechanical parts of the ferris wheel. The ferris wheel was huge for civil engineering during that time period. It would seem important to highlight all of the mechanical pieces that went into allowing the ferris wheel to function. The terrifying size of the structure is equivalent to the mechanics that were required for the movement of the ferris wheel, exemplified in this section of The Book of the Fair.

In Engineering: The Ferris Wheel on the Occasion of its Centennial, Henry Petroski’s description of the ferris wheel as well as its engineer, is very similar to that in  The Book of the Fair. Petroski discussed the parts of the ferris wheel as they were arriving to Chicago. Describing the biggest piece of the ferris wheel as being much like a gigantic bicycle wheel, continuing to describe all of the pieces connected to the gigantic tires, creating the seats of the ferris wheel and all of the stiff trusswork. Petroski described antecedents of this monster of a piece, the “pleasure wheel” that is already in use in other parts of the country. Making it known that though there were please wheels before this one, none engineered with the size and capacity that the one at the fair had.

I think that Larson focused on the grandeur of the ferris wheel in his descriptions in his book. On page 258 he says; “The rim arced through the sky at a height of 264 feet, as high as the top most occupied floor in Burnham’s Masonic Temple, the city’s tallest skyscraper.” I think that during this time the sheer size of the ferris wheel is what was so amazing to everyone that saw it. I am sure that the engineering that went into the structure was also part of that awe, but less so because it is not something that is as apparent as the height. I think this is why his descriptions focus on the size of the structure.

I think that Henry Petroski had a much more persuasive interpretation of the ferris wheel and would it stood for. Petroski, built attention by giving the reader an illustration from the beginning, first by narrating the original sketch, and continued by pairing an engineering idea  with a successful investment. The idea of “The Ferris Wheel” was exciting to the Engineering industry, as most previous advancements in engineering have been made with the design/building of square like  towers. The author clearly illustrated the added excitement of a multi-story structure that was unique because of the shape, its ability to rotate, and the shear size of the mechanical parts (specifically at its hub). The author continues to build suspense by narrating the doubt and fear felt by unruly critics, ending with a heartfelt trusting ride by the Engineers spouse, in wind that reached 110mph. By clearly illustrating the sheer magnitude of the mechanical parts involved and a first person account of trust in the Engineering I feel Petroski persevered as a more persuasive author.

The way the sources differ in the view in which the Ferris Wheel is being looked at. The Devil in the white city provides both fact and personal account , its a more humanistic lense of how the World Fair effected it’s participants of that time period.

“The scene burst on me with the beauty of a full blown rose.” The official history of the fair estimated that a quarter of a million people packed Jackson Park on Opening Day. Two other estimates put the total at 500,000 and 620,000. By day’s end there was every indication that Chicago’s fair would become the most heavily attended entertainment in the history of the world. (devil in the white city)

Without a doubt the fair was an iconic moment in North American history. It was a meshing of technology and ideas from around the world that acted as a herald to the advancement of society. By contrast Petroski gives the reader the specifics of the wheels dynamic undertaking. Which is necessary in understanding the sheet miracle of both the Fair as well as the Ferris Wheel succeeding.The fair took a long time to come to fruition so pr for the event would have been a constant anticipatory thing for both the public and the engineers.  “they gave the go-ahead again, on December 16,1892. The fair was to open on May 1,1893. He had to raise $350,000 and locate, fabricate, ship and assemble 2,100 tons of material in a matter of months” a factual perspective that combined with the devil of the white city gives are more completed pictured.

Cited Information

Petroski, Henry. 1993. “Engineering: The Ferris Wheel on the Occasion of Its Centennial”.American Scientist 81 (3). Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society: 216–21. http://www.jstor.org/stable/29774913.

Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America. New York: Crown Publishers, 2003.

“The Dream City: The Ferris Wheel.” The Dream City: The Ferris Wheel. August 26, 1998.http://columbus.iit.edu/dreamcity/00024024.html.

Of all of the exhibits at the World’s Fair, the Ferris Wheel was by far the greatest. It was the Eiffel Tower of Chicago; it was an innovative structure portraying some of the newest and greatest engineering strategies to date. Although a slow and gentle ride, there was an element of danger. The structure was constructed based on careful calculations and expectations of what its design and materials could support; there had never before been such a structure, and it was untested against unpredictable elements that you cannot account for on paper.

 

The definition of engineering is “the branch of science and technology concerned with the design, building, and use of engines, machines, and structures.” This closely fits my own definition of engineering, and the Ferris Wheel falls into all of these categories. It was idea that combined creativity, imagination and wonder with design, engineering and architecture. It was fell into all three categories of a machine, a structure, and an engine (for an engine powered the giant creation).

 

Larson’s view of the feature was one of excitement and some apprehension. The anticipation of the structures completion was being talked about all over the world. The entire fairgrounds stopped to watch the giant wheel take its first turn on the giant axle. The successful first turn resulted in a push for work to be faster and for the project to be completed; it was truly going to be the “Eiffel Tower” of the fair. This interpretation of the fair is why Larson portrayed the wheel in this way; the entire project of the World Fair was based on being grand and exciting and impressive, and this was its main feature.

 

The Book of the Fair describes the Ferris wheel from more of a structural standpoint, and talks about the history behind the idea. It goes on to describe the cars, and the splendor of the wheel when viewed at night. Finally, it compares the Ferris wheel to the Eiffel Tower. This author described the structure from a more neutral and unbiased viewpoint. I think this is because while Larson in the book describes the Ferris wheel as someone who is experiencing the fair and the people involved and their emotions, the author of the Book of the Fair is describing the structure from a more objective standpoint.

 

The final source was a description from the Smithsonian. This description was briefer than the other two; it is a secondary source that does not have as much detail as the Book of the fair, nor the narrative element of Larson. There is a description of ideas that came before the final proposal of the Ferris wheel. Numbers drive the impressive size of the wheel, rather than an adjective description. It ends on a relatively negative note, in the Ferris wheel’s ultimate destruction.

 

I think the best description of the wheel was Larson’s. It describes the wheels key features and many of its structural qualities, but also captures the emotional aspect of building such a structure. It was a time period that we don’t and won’t fully understand, with such great growth and new technology coming to light. Such things have already been built, so although we may be impressed, we do not feel the danger and excitement like people did then. Larson does a good job of capturing this excitement, while bringing the Ferris wheel to life for the reader and maintaining the historical accuracy.

 

By Madison Klein, Amanda Lennox and Jake Sparhawk

 

Sources:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-ferris-wheel-180955300/?no-ist

“The Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson

“The Book of the Fair”- http://columbus.iit.edu/bookfair/ch24.html