STORY:
Millennium Wheel On End in London

450 foot Ferris Wheel raised as a centerpiece from millennium activity

A huge 450-foot high Millennium Wheel was being slowly dragged upright from a flat position over the River Thames across from Big Ben in London. Known as the British Airways London Eye, the huge Ferris Wheel is three times as high as Tower Bridge, four times wider than the dome of St Paul's Cathedral and will be the fourth tallest structure in the city.

The Millennium Wheel will play a key role in London's New Year's Eve activities. The 80 'spokes' will consist of a total of nearly four miles of cables. There's enough steel in the wheel to make it heavier than 250 double-decker buses, 280 adult African elephants or 1,200 rugby league teams according to This is London.

The Wheel will turn continuously an average of 6,000 times every year. The 32 hi-tech passenger-carrying capsules can take up to 15,000 visitors a day. On a clear day, passengers will be able to see more than 25 miles in each direction.

The Wheel has been designed by husband-and-wife London architect team David Marks and Julia Barfield who first came up with the idea as an entry for a millennium celebration competition.

DATE: 9/10/99

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