(Chuckman’s Collection)
The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition was a celebration of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the New World, and the achievement of a city. Countries all over the world, businesses across the United States, and inventions were among the featured showcases at the exposition. Among the showcased industrial firms was the Edward P. Allis Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
(More or Less Bunk)
On May 1, 1893, President Grover Cleveland addressed the multitude of people who were attending the opening day of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The president pulled a lever that engaged the 3,000 horsepower quadruple expansion Reynolds-Corliss engine, built by the E.P. Allis Co, nicknamed the “Pride of Machinery Hall.” The engine powered two dynamos that could power approximately 20,000 lightbulbs and other equipment for the duration of the fair. The engine took up 3,000 square feet of floor space in Machinery Hall. The whole engine weighed an astonishing 325 tons, and its flywheel was 30 feet in diameter. (Read more here)
(Sustainable Chicago)
To learn more about he exhibits at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition read the fair’s official guide.
Austin M. Frederick 