UPFRONT May 21, 2007 Issue

Above and beyond doubt

STEVE GRAHAM,

"I am going to build a vertically revolving wheel 250 [feet] in [diameter]," wrote George Washington Gale Ferris. He was describing his grandiose plan for an attraction to debut at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. It was expressly designed to rival the spectacle of the Eiffel Tower, which had been built for the Paris Exposition of 1889.

Many people doubted the feasibility of what came to be called the Ferris Wheel. It was to propel 36 compartments the size of railroad passenger cars some 300 feet into the sky, each capable of holding 60 people. One can imagine the skepticism he encountered, even among those who supported his idea.

But Ferris was an engineer. His understanding of mathematical and physical principles told him that the project was achievable. And he obviously trusted that understanding enough to put his reputation on the line until his invention proved successful—which it did.

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