Another inventor, J. B. McComber, representing the Chicago-Tower Spiral-Spring Ascension and Toboggan Transportation Company, proposed a tower with a height of 8,947 feet, nearly nine times the height of the Eiffel Tower, with a base one thousand feet in diameter sunk two thousand feet into the earth. Elevated rails would lead from the top of the tower all the way to New York, Boston, Baltimore, and other cities. Visitors ready to conclude their visit to the fair and daring enough to ride elevators to the top would then toboggan all the way back home.
In the book "The Devil in the White City," author Erik Larson details an extraordinary proposal by inventor J. B. McComber. He envisioned a monumental structure, a tower soaring to 8,947 feet, which would be almost nine times the height of the Eiffel Tower. The ambitious design included a base of one thousand feet in diameter, designed to be sunk two thousand feet into the ground. This engineering marvel would feature elevated rails extending from the summit to major cities such as New York, Boston, and Baltimore.
Visitors to the fair, who were adventurous enough, could take elevators to the tower's pinnacle and experience the thrill of tobogganing back home. This concept highlighted the era's fascination with innovation and grand architectural designs, reflecting the adventurous spirit of the time while also illustrating the unabashed optimism in technology and transportation methods during this pivotal moment in American history.
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Other quotes in The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
