WCE - Certificate of Riding the (first) Ferris Wheel
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What La Tour Eiffel was to the Paris Exposition of 1889, the Ferris Wheel was to the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Located near the center of the Midway, it was a giant that stood above all else at the fair. It was built by the engineer George G. W. Ferris despite the censures of a host of engineers and experts who insisted that a construction of such magnitude would surely collapse under its own great weight. Such did not happen. On December 16, 1892, final arrangements were consummated to allow the construction of the wheel on the Midway. This allowed about 4 1/2 months (on May 1, 1893, the exposition would open to the public) to forge the parts of the wheel, transport them all to the fair site, and then assemble the wheel. Few people besides George Ferris and his backers could imagine that such an enormous undertaking could be accomplished in such a short time. Although the May 1 deadline was not met, the great wheel was ready by June 21. Engraved invitations were sent out to a select group of dignitaries, and at three o'clock in the afternoon of June 21, the first ride on the first ferris wheel was taken. Mr. Ferris had several of the largest iron works in the East entirely devoted to his enterprise. One or two companies could not have turned out all the material in time, so it is amazing that so many iron works (8 in
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