San Francisco Aeroscope T-shirt
by William
(San Francisco)
(CafePress)
The Aeroscope was THE RIDE at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco from Feb 20 to Dec 4, 1915.
The Aeroscope was designed by J. B. Strauss, a bridge engineer from Chicago. Strauss is perhaps best known for designing the Golden Gate Bridge rather than amusement park rides.
He got his patent for the Aeroscope in 1912, but was only built in 1915 expressly for the PPIE.
Riders would enter a two story enclosure (floors were connected by stairs and riders could move about as they wished) Each floor measured 19 feet (5.7m) by 38 feet (11.5m) and 118 people could take the 10 minute ride at a time.
The car was raised on the end of a giant arm using a water filled counterbalance, and once raised would rotate to afford the riders great views. They would be at a height of 265 feet (80m), which would be like a 26 story building.
Over 300,000 people rode this during the fair. It was disassembled at the end of the fair, never to be built again. Certainly not the ride for those suffering from Vertigo
