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