“This thing must have cost a raft of money to build; it beats the old Ferris Wheel to pieces, I should think; and that was a wonder in its day.”
“Yes,” said Andy, “but think of the money they must take in, running it all the time from February up to December. Why, I should think they’d have millions of passengers in that time, and at so much a head it would be like a regular gold mine.”
About that time the car was closed and locked, so that by no mischance could any reckless passenger be tempted to jump when it was high in the air, so as to accomplish a spectacular suicide.
“And they’ve got the windows screened in, too,” remarked Andy.
“They knew you were coming, I kinder guess, and wanted to make sure you wouldn’t lose your head up there so as to fall overboard,” Hiram told him.
The car was crowded, so that they could not see who all of their fellow passengers were. There was also considerable shouting going on, some of those aboard bidding farewell to friends who had been unable to make that trip, as though they fully expected to keep right on going up, once they got started toward the blue heavens overhead, until they landed in Glory.
“Here she goes!” announced Andy, eagerly, as the car was felt to vibrate.
With that they left the ground and commenced to ascend. The motion was fairly steady, as the weights on the other end of the great seesaw had been adjusted to correspond to the number of those in the car, so that after all the engine did not have a great deal of hard work to do in lifting that load.
“Whee! I only hope none of the balancing weight slips off!” said Hiram, who appeared to be rather nervous.
“I’m surprised at you, Hiram,” remarked Rob; “it seems queer for a fellow who aspires to be a bold air pilot some of these fine days, and who has even been up several times as high as three thousand feet, to be shivering with fear now, when at the most we’re only going to get three hundred odd feet from the ground.”