Figure Eight Toboggan
| Other Name(s) | Figure Eight Toboggan Figure 8 |
|---|---|
| Type | Roller Coaster Track Rides |
| Park Section | North |
| Built | 1902 |
| Opened | 1902 |
| Closed | 1928 |
| Manufacturer | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) |
| Designer | Henry B. Auchy |
| Materials | Wood |
| Vehicle Type | Car |
The Figure Eight Toboggan was the first track-based roller coaster built at Olentangy Park and the first mechanical ride built after the Dusenbury Brothers bought the park in 1899.[1] It cost $15,000 ($561,680 in 2024) to build.[2] Opening in July 1902,[3] "roller coaster" was a new term for rides where riders coasted on rollers inside their toboggan "cars."[4][5] The ride was in the shape of a figure-eight and was located on the north plateau south of the location of Fair Japan, the original Miniature Railway, and Swimming Pool.[6][7] The ride started to suffer from "nonsupport" by 1916,[8] appears damaged sometime after the Band Shell was built in 1919,[9][10] and was operational until it was partially removed 1928 to make way for the Tumble Bug.[11][12][13] Despite its unusable state, the structure remained standing and is visible in a photo about the park's closure in 1937.[14]
Description
The ride had a wooden frame and was described as a "figure-eight" design[15] and, at times, a "three-way figure eight toboggan slide."[7] This described how the riders go around the loops three times. The cars would travel freely on a multi-level track, and wooden side rails were included to keep them on track.[16]
The Roller Coaster Database says it was designed by Henry B. Auchy and manufactured by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC).[17] The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Columbus made the Spur Haul Up Chain used to power the ride.[18]
Injuries
A person fainted on the ride in August 1902, landing the term "roller coaster" in quotation marks in its reporting in the Columbus Evening Dispatch.[4]
On September 21, 1902, Albert Jenkins received several broken ribs and a broken leg on the ride. He was released from the hospital on October 30.[19]
In May 1906, Thomas Callis, a pipe organist and insurance salesman, was spooked by the flashing lights and accidentally stepped off a nearby platform and injured his right ankle bad enough that amputation was considered. He was sent to Grant Hospital for treatment.[20]
References
- ↑ "Olentangy Then and Now." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 3, 1914. Page 46.
- ↑ Advertisement, Sunday Columbus Dispatch, July 27, 1902. Page 17.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park—Tassin's New Comedy." Friday Columbus Dispatch, August 1, 1902. Page 7.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Brevities." Columbus Evening Dispatch, August 18, 1902. Page 8.
- ↑ Clay Record, 1903. Clay Record Publishing Company. Accessed through Google Books https://www.google.com/books/edition/Clay_Record/c6pPAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
- ↑ "Geisha Girls are to be Attraction." Columbus Evening Dispatch, January 2, 1905. Page 5.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Columbus Railway & Light Co." Street Railway Review., 26 (2): 70.
- ↑ "Park in Full Operation." The Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 1, 1916. Page 16.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park swimming pool." Ohio History Connection Selections, Photograph. Published August 3, 2011. Last modified May 2, 2012. Accessed through OhioMemory.org https://www.ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/11697
- ↑ "Swimming Pool at Olentangy Park, photograph." Columbus Metropolitan Library, Photograph. ClHS00031. Accessed through the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Digital Collections https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/memory/id/12923
- ↑ "Figure Eight Gives Way to a 'Bug'." The Columbus Dispatch, April 5, 1929. Page 5.
- ↑ "Bathrooms and Rink." The Columbus Dispatch, April 14, 1929. Page 85.
- ↑ Barret, Richard E. 1984. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." Columbus and Central Ohio Historian No. 1, April 1984. Page 11.
- ↑ "$2,000,000 Housing Project to Replace Olentangy Park." Columbus Evening Dispatch, April 1, 1938. Page 1.
- ↑ Postcard, "Olentangy Parks' Figure Eight roller coaster, postcard." Columbus Metropolitan Library, 708O450002. Last modified on January 6, 2021. Accessed through the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Digital Collections https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/ohio/id/11430/
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." Sunday Columbus Dispatch, May 10, 1903. Page 6.
- ↑ "Forest Toboggan." Roller Coaster Database, https://rcdb.com/3156.htm
- ↑ "Jeffrey Chain Used in Amusement Park Ride." Ohio History Connection Selections, Photograph. Published on September 14, 1910. Accessed through OhioMemory.com https://www.ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/9127/rec/381
- ↑ "Jenkins Leaves Hospital." Thursday Columbus Dispatch, October 30, 1902. Page 6.
- ↑ "Peculiar Accident." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, May 20, 1906. Page 6.