 So let's start off this
story with a possible trick question: Who invented the Ferris wheel?
Was it George Washington, George Washington Carver or George
Washington Ferris?
Actually, Washington was the middle name of the inventor. That
narrows it down a bit; now was it George Washington Carver or George
Washington Ferris?
It was George Washington Ferris. But there were two people named
George Ferris, and they both lived in Carson City, Nev. Was it the
first George Ferris, a bridge engineer who was born on Valentine's
Day on 1859 in Galesburg and moved to Carson City at age 5? Or was
it the second George Ferris, an architect who was born in
Philadelphia two weeks after the first George Ferris and also moved
to Carson City?
It was the first George Ferris. His full name was George
Washington Gale Ferris, and the "Gale" came from his family's
relationship with the founder of Galesburg. When George introduced
his invention at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in
1893, it was hoped that the Ferris wheel would rival France's Eiffel
Tower. More than a million customers paid to ride on it, which led
to receipts of more than $725,000 during the 19 weeks of the fair.
George originally built the Ferris wheel for sightseeing
purposes. At a cost of $400,000 to build, it was 264 feet tall and
had 36 cars; each one was capable of seating 40 people.
So did George Washington Gale Ferris become wealthy and live
happily ever after from the proceeds of his invention? After all,
isn't that what usually happens?
No.
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Contrary to popular belief, that's not the way it usually turns out.
By the time George paid the fair, his suppliers and his employees,
there was very little profit left over for him. After the
Columbian Exposition, they took it down, moved it and reassembled it
near Chicago's Lincoln Park. Then they did the same thing again at
the St. Louis World's Fair. But this was after a bankruptcy sale,
and George Ferris no longer owned his invention. The wheel failed to
cover its expenses when it took in $250,000 at the St. Louis World's
Fair in 1903.
The inventor died bankrupt in 1896 at age 37 and his invention
died 10 years later. The cause of death was a dynamite blast (to the
wheel, not to George).
The portable Ferris wheels that you see at county fairs are
smaller versions of the original invention. They are referred to as
"Big Eli Wheels" because they are made by the Eli Bridge Co. It was
the original Ferris wheel -- at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago
-- that inspired W.E. Sullivan (ever notice how they used their
initials instead of their first names back then?) to found the
company.
The first Big Eli made its debut in 1900 in Jacksonville, which
is where the company is still located. Despite its name, the Eli
Bridge Co. has never built any bridges.
Today the company is run by W.E.'s great-granddaughter. Too bad
George Ferris isn't around to see it.
[By
PAUL NIEMANN]
Paul Niemann is the author of the
"Invention Mysteries" series of books. He can be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2008
(Other
columns)
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