|
|
On these Pike Pages, the 50+ Pike attractions and
concessions are divided into several groups:
The approximate
opening date for each attraction is in Green.
Information about similar concessions at the 1893
|
Hunting in the |
Battle Abbey |
Hagenbeck's Zoological |
|
|
|
Mysterious Asia |
3. Rides (this page)
|
Under and
Over the Sea |
New York
to the North Pole |
|
Miniature Railway |
|
Launches and Gondolas |
The Observation Wheel
(or Ferris Wheel) at the 1904 World's Fair
Rides
Under and Over the Sea (opened by May 25)
-- 25˘ adult admission (saw 50˘ ticket)
- Mechanical, scenic, and
electrical illusion of submarine trip to
- 250 'passengers' per trip
- Across the Atlantic
and the
- View coral reefs, fishes, 'monsters', and sunken shipwrecks through 5' by 7' porthole
- In Paris, elevator to the top
of the
- See views of
- Return was via airship,
passing over
- Encountered a terrific
storm before returning to
"Creation" at
the 1904 World's Fair
Creation (Opened by May 10)
-- 50˘ adult admission (25˘ children)
- Designed by Henry Roltair, called "Roltair's Creation"
- Full 'trip' could take two hours
- Boat trip around the 'big blue' dome, illustrating the works of God
- Grand Canyon of the
- Disembark, and see various illusions: living heads without bodies, etc.
- Another boat ride in
labyrinth, to see ancient countries and cities:
- Then disembark, ascend stairs to a platform, and see ... the climax of the display ...
- ... In the great dome, the 6 days of the Creation of the World are presented
- 1st day) The Earth is formed from the nebulous and chaotic into a ball of fire, volcanoes and lava, darkness until "Let there be Light"
- 2nd Day) The Waters appear
- 3rd Day) Dry Land, Trees, and Grass begin
- 4th Day) Sun, Moon, and Stars are created
- 5th Day) Life: Birds and Fish are seen
- 6th Day)
- 7th Day) God rested
- Creation was
reproduction of a
- Creation, Siberian
Railway, and
Magic Whirlpool
-- 15˘ adult admission (children 10˘)
- Boat trip descending around a 60-foot fountain and 80-foot diameter cascades
- Boat goes into submarine channel with tropical gardens - 500' boat trip
- 50,000 gallons of water/minute (good description in Francis)
- Building also housed a café/restaurant
Shoot the Chutes (Water
Chutes, also called Fairyland)
-- 10˘ adult admission (some references say free admission,
and concessionaires (and riders) 'paid' for the attraction)
- Called Fairyland from the brilliancy of the electric lights (more than any 3 others)
- Largest open-air concession, many merchants selling souvenirs
- Ticket sellers were four
Beautiful Women (selected most beautiful in
- Had 'biograph' (moving pictures) of a prize fight to entice passers-by to go inside
- Largest double chutes ever built: boats go down 350' chute into a 380' lake
- Two restaurants on each side with 300' roof gardens
Scenic Railway (Open on May 3)
-- 15˘ adult admission (saw 8 tickets for $1.00, 10˘ ticket, & 10˘ in
guidebooks)
- Double track roller coaster, extended outside the Pike over the RR tracks
- Cars drawn up an incline, then go on a 3 mile trip in just a few minutes
- Two round trips, ends with 3 fast dips and a gentle rise
- Bridges, torrents, tunnels, past many beautiful sights of nature, all in absolute safety
- Scenes of Glaciers,
Everglades,
- Includes 500 seat restaurant
- One of the most beautiful and gorgeously decorated Merry-Go-Rounds ever conceived
- Designed by Parisian artists, $10,000 gold leaf with machinery/equipment worth $55,000
- Sensations of a trip on the 'Ocean Wave', on an undulating circular track
- Note: Perhaps the 'Circle
Swing' was also near this attraction
Hereafter (Opened by May 25)
-- 25˘ adult admission (children 15˘)
- Vision of two worlds, Heaven and Hades (inspired by Dante's Inferno)
- 'Spiritual' trip down through caves, skeletons, and the "Cafe of the Dead", with coffin tables, chandelier of bones, and illusions
- Saw inhabitants of Hades who are being punished for their sins with fire and torture
- Punishment methods by Satan portrayed include electrical & mechanical
- Scenes from Dante's
"Inferno" - cross
- Then through solid rock openings to see angels ascending to 'Heaven'
- Masterpieces from
- Final tableaux (cost $10,000)
shows the Star of
-- 25˘ adult admission (one reference says 10˘ ticket)
- Electrical dancers named for heavenly bodies (sun, moon, cloud, flower, star, storm, and fire)
- Magnificent scenes and mysterious volcanic fires
- Other features: collapsing chair trick (crowd watched), dark winding tunnel, Cave of the Winds (puffs of air from the floor), Hall of Laughter, Mystic Bottomless Well, Spring of Mirth, 3-story circular slide (called Helter Skelter)
-- 25˘ adult admission (children 15˘, saw 50˘ ticket)
- Trip on Atlantic liner "Discoverer", 200' long, 50' wide, surrounded by water
- Fully appointed with costumed crew, gang plank pulled in, ship moved on the ocean
- After a storm at sea, your ship is about to sink, but lifeboats are lowered, and you are 'rescued' by crews in rescue boats
- Inside a theater, you travel through grinding ice bergs, see Aurora Borealis, feel cold air, and 'dash' to the North Pole, where the Stars and Stripes are raised
- North Pole depicted as warm land with tropical vegetation, surrounded by ice
- All in 20 minutes !
