Harry G. Traver
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Harry Guy Traver (1877-1961)[1] created the Circle Swing, later rebranded as Airplanes, and the Tumble Bug at Olentangy Park.[2]
He was inspired to create the Circle Swing by seagulls circling a mast of a ship he was lying on.[3][4][2] Similar to an earlier version of the ride created by Charles Braaf and a carousel maker, Traver's version was faster and first installed at Chutes Park in Los Angeles in 1902.[5] The ride was "to provide the occupants with the pleasurable sensation of the ordinary roundabout with increased speed and gradual rise from and return to the ground."[6] The vehicles on the rides were either boats, airships, baskets, or cars.
He started the Traver Circle Swing Company with Richard Garvey and George E. Griffiths in New York in 1903 with $100,000 ($3.5 million in 2024) initial capital to make and sell amusement devices.[7] The ride gained popularity after patenting it in 1904.[3][1] The company later moved to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. In 1919, he grew the company by partnering with J. W. Zarro and later, buying out his factory for $140,000 (over $2.5 million in 2024). He expanded the factory and created Traver Engineering Company. By 1924, the company was the largest producer of amusement rides. In 1922, he patented the "Collapsible Passenger Carrying Car for Aeroplane Swings,"[8] which could be the vehicles of the Airplanes ride. Traver sold the company in 1932 to Ralph E. Chambers after suffering losses due to the Great Recession. Chambers operated it until 1962.[2][3]
Related Patents
- Amusement apparatus. (1904) U.S. Patent No. 758,341 https://patents.google.com/patent/US758341
- Car for swings. (1904) U.S. Patent No. 790,989 https://patents.google.com/patent/US790989A
- Circle-swing. (1905) U.S. Patent No. 830,687 https://patents.google.com/patent/US830687A
- Roundabout. (1905) U.S. Patent No. 830,688 https://patents.google.com/patent/US830688A
- Amusement apparatus. (1905) U.S. Patent No. 842,276 https://patents.google.com/patent/US842276A
- Collapsible passenger carrying car for aeroplane swings. (1922) U.S. Patent No. 1,436,371 https://patents.google.com/patent/US1436371
Rides
See Also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Oswald, Alison. "A Swinging Amusement." Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Published 20 September 2019. Accessed 5 August 2024. https://invention.si.edu/swinging-amusement
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Harry G. Traver." UltimateRollerCoaster.com. Roller Coaster History Ride Designs. Accessed 5 August 2024. https://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/designer/traver.shtml
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Snedden, Jeffery. "Harry Traver took Beaver County on thrilling roller coaster ride." The Beaver County Times (Beaver County, Pennsylvania). Published 24 May 2016. Accessed 8 August 2024. https://www.timesonline.com/story/lifestyle/around-town/2016/05/24/harry-traver-took-beaver-county/18574055007/
- ↑ "Captive Aeroplanes/Rockets." The Lagoon History Project. Accessed 5 August 2024. https://lagoonhistory.com/project/attractions/the-rockets/
- ↑ "New Thrill For Visitors to Coney." The Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, Kansas). 14 March 1903. Pg. 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-leavenworth-times-new-thrill-for-vis/152821022/
- ↑ Traver, H. G. (1904). Amusement apparatus. U.S. Patent No. 758,341. https://patents.google.com/patent/US758341
- ↑ "State Capitol News." Times Union (Brooklyn, New York). 3 November 1903. Pg. 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-state-capitol-news/152822990/
- ↑ Traver, H. G. (1922). Collapsible passenger carrying car for aeroplane swings U.S. Patent No. 1,436,371 https://patents.google.com/patent/US1436371