Circle Swing

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Circle Swing
Other Name(s) Giant Circle Swing
Flying Circle Swing
Flying Swing
Circle Ride
Spiral Swing
Type Rotating ride
Swinging Rides
Park Section East
Center
Built 1904
Opened 1904
Closed 1926 (Changed name)
Manufacturer Traver Circle Swing Company
Designer Harry G. Traver
Architect North Penn Iron Company
Width 120 feet (36.6 meters) diameter
Height 90 feet (27.5 meters)
Speed 40 mph (64 kph)
Vehicle Type Cars (boat design)
Number of Vehicles 6
Riders per Vehicle 8
Inversions 0

The Circle Swing, also known as the Giant Circle Swing[1], Flying Circle Swing, Flying Swing, Circle Ride[2], and spiral swing[3] was a rotating ride installed in Olentangy Park in 1904.[4] It was invented by Harry G. Traver[5][6] and designed by the Traver Circle Swing Company[7][8][9][10][11]. The Dusenbury Brothers bought the ride from R. S. Uzzell in November 1903[12] and it was built by the North Penn Iron Company of Philadelphia by the next season. It cost over $8,000 ($282,733 in 2024) to construct.[13] It was located near Fair Japan, then moved next to the Loop-the-Loop. It opened to the public sometime during the week of July 31, 1904, after delays in building[14], but the ride worked irregularly for the first few weeks.

Originally built with boat-shaped cars (called "air-ships"), it was updated to have plane-shaped vehicles around 1927 and rebranded as Airplanes or Aeroplanes. It used the tower and superstructure of the original ride.[12] Despite being listed for sale in The Billboard,[15] the ride was moved to the Haenlein Brothers' Zoo Amusement Park in 1938.[2][16]. The ride was razed at Zoo Park in 1956 after Floyd E. Gooding of the Gooding Amusement Company bought the park after the death of Leo Haenlein. According to Elmer Haenlein, it was the oldest of its kind at the time.[17]

Description

The ride operated on the principle of a merry-go-round.[18] It consisted of a 90-foot (27.5-meter)[19] tall steel tower (some sources say 75-foot (23-meter)), which revolves around a vertical shaft. Connected to this shaft at the top of the tower were six radiating arms described as being "like spokes of a great wheel or legs of a gigantic spider." Steel cables extended from the arms to carry cars of passengers. An electric motor at the base spun the arms, cables, and cars with the centrifugal force, raising the cars over 30 feet (9 meters) above the ground at the full speed of 40 mph (64 kph). The circle created at its widest was 120 feet (36.5 meters) in diameter.[19][13][1] At night, the entire structure was lit by hundreds of electric lights.[19] It simulated the feeling of flying.[5] Being one of the earliest Circle Swings, the vehicles were most likely made of wicker/woven rattan.[20][21]

Gallery

  • Vintage postcard (c. 1908-1911) showing the Circle Swing and the Loop-the-Loop at Olentangy Park.

    Vintage postcard (c. 1908-1911) showing the Circle Swing and the Loop-the-Loop at Olentangy Park.

  • Vintage postcard (c. 1907) showing the "Circle Swing" in motion.

    Vintage postcard (c. 1907) showing the "Circle Swing" in motion.

  • Vintage postcard (c. 1905-1906) showing a section of Fair Japan and the Circle Swing.

    Vintage postcard (c. 1905-1906) showing a section of Fair Japan and the Circle Swing.

  • Panoramic photo (c. 1908-1910) of the Circle Swing and Loop-the-Loop.

    Panoramic photo (c. 1908-1910) of the Circle Swing and Loop-the-Loop.

Notable Events

On August 5, kits to display a banner for H. Sage Valentine's mayoral run became tangled in the Circle Swing's lines, stopping the ride's operation.[22]

Injuries

In 1907, Amy Wright, 22, was found unconscious while riding the circle swing. She was taken to her home on North 18th Street by Fisher's ambulance, where she fully recovered[23].

Lawsuits

In February 1906, the Traver Circle Swing Company sued the park for $2,392 ($83,600 in 2024) due to non-payment of royalties.[7]

Related Patents

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Giant Flying Circle Swing at Olentangy Park." The Hocking Sentinel (Logan, Ohio), July 13, 1905. Page 4. Accessed through Newspapers.com on April 11, 2017. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10215101/the-giant-playing-circle-swing-at/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Barret, Richard E. 1984. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." Columbus and Central Ohio Historian No. 1, April 1984. Page 11.
  3. ↑ "Ohio: Columbus." The Billboard, 17 (20): 9. May 20, 1905. Accessed through the Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/sim_billboard_1905-05-20_17_20/page/8/
  4. ↑ "Olentangy Park, Theater and Zoological Garden." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 1, 1904. Page 29.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Oswald, Alison. 2019. "A Swinging Amusement." Smithsonian National Museum of American History. September 20, 2019. Accessed on August 5, 2024. https://invention.si.edu/swinging-amusement
  6. ↑ Snedden, Jeffery. 2016. "Harry Traver took Beaver County on thrilling roller coaster ride." The Beaver County Times (Beaver County, Pennsylvania), May 24, 2016. Accessed on August 8, 2024. https://www.timesonline.com/story/lifestyle/around-town/2016/05/24/harry-traver-took-beaver-county/18574055007/
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Sue for Royalties." Columbus Evening Dispatch, February 2, 1906. Page 10.
  8. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1904. "Roundabout." U.S. Patent No. 830,688, Accessed through Google Patents https://patents.google.com/patent/US830688A
  9. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1905. "Circle-swing." U.S. Patent No. 830,687, Accessed through Google Patents https://patents.google.com/patent/US830687A
  10. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1905. "Amusement apparatus." U.S. Patent No. 842,276, Accessed through Google Patents https://patents.google.com/patent/US842276A
  11. ↑ Traver, H. G. 1904. "Car for swings." U.S. Patent No. 790,989, Accessed through Google Patents https://patents.google.com/patent/US790989A
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Uzzell, R. S. "Passing of Olentangy." The Billboard, April 23, 1938. Page 42. Accessed through the Internet Archive.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Olentangy Park, a Coney Island Rival" The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 1, 1904. Page 4.
  14. ↑ "Summer Amusements." The Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 31, 1904. Page 4.
  15. ↑ Advertisement, The Billboard. April 16, 1938. Page. Page 41. Accessed through the Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/sim_billboard_1938-04-16_50_16/page/40
  16. ↑ "Zoo Amusement Park Has Established Its Popularity." Columbus Dispatch, June 2, 1929. Page 14-A.
  17. ↑ "Airplane Ride is Razed." Columbus Dispatch, April 24, 1956. Page 8B.
  18. ↑ "New Thrills for Visitors to Coney." The Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, Kansas), March 14, 1903. Page 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-leavenworth-times-new-thrill-for-vis/152821022/
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 "Giant Flying Circle Swing." Richwood Gazette (Richwood, Ohio), July 13, 1905. Page 2. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/richwood-gazette-giant-flying-circle-swi/152765120/
  20. ↑ "Captive Aeroplanes/Rockets." The Lagoon History Project, Accessed on August 5, 2024. https://lagoonhistory.com/project/attractions/the-rockets/
  21. ↑ Advertisement, 1904. The Street Railway Journal. Street Railway Publishing Company. Page 18A. Accessed through Google Books https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Street_Railway_Journal/92dJAAAAYAAJ?q=&gbpv=0#f=false
  22. ↑ "Mayoralty Fight Not Lacking in Real Originality." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. 8 August 1909. Pg. 3.
  23. ↑ "Young Woman is Made Unconscious by Circle Swing." Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 31, 1907. Page 2.


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