Term Paper help needed
P.S. I will post it when I am finished as it has multiple references to CB's editorials on Ed Markey and Government regulations.
Thanks!
*** This post was edited by Etrain 4/9/2003 11:59:08 PM ***
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If you have a problem with clones, the solution is real simple—Stop traveling.
For more immediate needs, I would suggest using google.com using various key words.
Some background on the Flip-Flap:
The mid-to-late- 1800s was a time of experimentation for gravity rides. Creating a gravity-defying loop-the-loop coaster was the holy grail for these inventors. Mr. Lina Beecher created the first (?) looper in 1888 and installed it at Capt. Paul Boyton's Sea Lion Park in 1895. The train consisted of a single car with a two passenger capacity. The coaster was a failure because riders could not withstand the forces induced by a 25' circular loop. It closed before Luna Park replaced the park in 1903.
Edwin Prescott's Loop-the-Loop, installed at Coney Island in 1901, was much more successful. A larger, elliptical design greatly reduced neck strain. However, there were still safety risks in the design. Safety restraints were far from adequate and the train had no other wheels than those on top of the track - meaning only centrifugal acceleration kept the train on the tracks! Limited capacity (four riders with five minute intervals) kept LtL from being financially viable.
If memory serves, it was not until Arrow's corkscrew design in the 1970s that roller coaster inversions became safe and common design elements.
Here are a link examining the modern coaster loop-the-loop, the clothoid loop:
http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/211_fall2002.web.dir/Shawna_Sastamoinen/Clothoid_Loop.htm
I hope some of this helps. Good luck on your paper!
- Rob
*** This post was edited by robfb 4/10/2003 9:18:41 AM ***
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"Do what you believe in and believe in what you do," Jeffrey E. McCants
And if you really didn't want to injure yourself, you could lie.
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"It's not a Too-mah!" - Arnold after riding Batman the Ride
Etrain said:
I am currently writing a term paper for my senior English class on Government regulation for coasters and coaster safety. I am in need of a Internet or published source which has information on the old and unsafe coasters like the Flip Flap, ect. If you know of any please post ASAP! I am explaining how rides were unsafe before but due to new technology and importance for safety, rides are now safe.
(etc)
I think I fundamentally disagree with your premise, and I think you'll be hard pressed to find much information that supports your claim.
Your thesis presupposes that amusement rides used to be dangerous, but are not anymore. The truth is quite different. Amusement ride manufacturers and operators have emphasized patron safety since the dawn of the industry, because accidents are bad for business. No ride operator has ever awakened in the morning and said to himself, "I wonder how many customers I can injure today."
That's not to say that there have not been changes. And that's not to say that the changes have not improved rider safety. But the technological improvements in ride safety have been based on eliminating potential hazards, and removing opportunities for riders to get themselves hurt. Ride safety has improved, more or less in spite of regulatory action. But the fact that rides are more safe today than they once were does not necessarily mean that older rides are significantly more dangerous, or are inherently dangerous. They may be more succeptible to failure, but any ride that was actually dangerous wouldn't operate for long. After all, injuries are bad for business.
For a pretty good history of the roller coaster, I second the recommendation for Cartmell's book. Any other book you find that talks about the history of the roller coaster is more or less going to just summarize the content of The Incredible Scream Machine.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
However, those ice slides were pretty dangerous...and the last time I went to a sno-park, I had to sign a waiver...right next to frozen blood in the snow!
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"It's not a Too-mah!" - Arnold after riding Batman the Ride
While there were a couple of exceptions, most of the early looping coasters failed not because they were dangerous but because they were uncomfortable and uneconomical to operate. It's hard to make money on a coaster that carries only two passengers and has a very long cycle time.
Now wait a minute, you might want to investigate safety improvements on third-rails. They were at one time, operated by individuals who would try to make the ride as 'exciting' as possible. Nowadays, Mack has a version that is computer controlled. Check it out. Interesting side-note in coaster history.
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"It's not a Too-mah!" - Arnold after riding Batman the Ride
*** This post was edited by janfrederick 4/10/2003 12:33:39 PM ***
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If you haven't rode Raging Bull in the back row you haven't lived. The feeling on that first drop cannot be explained in words!
For example, at Steeplechase Park in the 1930s there was a headlining attraction called the Steeplechase roller coaster. At its exit, guests had to negotiate a maze which led to a stage where gusts of air were used to blow up ladies skirts and a clown used an electric rod to shock men between their legs. Hardly a "safe" practice by today's standards.
Inadequate fire protection caused the destruction of the entire park of Dreamland at Coney Island in 1911. An electric short ignited tar at the Dante's Inferno attraction.
The strongest argument for amusement park safety is the economic incentive. Since these attractions are only for amusement (leisure), no one would be willing to pay if there is a significant risk of injury or death.
Conversely, we must also remember that communication was not nearly at the level that we enjoy today. Thus, many incidents could occur before word was spread far enough to deter customers from buying a ride (especially traveling carnivals). Safety systems can be costly and, as in any industry, unethical designers/operators may compromise this unseen benefit for higher profitability.
However, with the Internet and ubiquitous media, it is a major news story if a roller coaster has a problem, even when no one is hurt. Thus, regardless of government regulation, economic pressure continues to grow on amusement park operators to ensure safety is a critical component for attractions.
"I must admit I did not put much thought into it as I was planning on writing about Cedar Point but she said I has to prove a point."
I'm sure as an English teacher, she is looking not only for critical thinking skills, but writing skills as well. Be careful and have someone look it over for mistakes before submitting it.
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"It's not a Too-mah!" - Arnold after riding Batman the Ride
*** This post was edited by janfrederick 4/11/2003 4:10:30 PM ***
I do however believe coasters were unsafe back then. I don't see a nurse in the station of MF or see people suffering from broken necks after Raptor so something must have changed cause they are safer.
*** This post was edited by Etrain 4/11/2003 5:07:49 PM ***
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"It's not a Too-mah!" - Arnold after riding Batman the Ride
The ride had a flaw. It snapped passenger's necks.
Now, when we see a sentence like that, our natural reaction is to assume that "snapped" in this case is as you might break a twig over your knee. And yet, the ride operated for possibly as long as fourteen years. I have not put much research into this, but I am almost certain that this is not what Dr. Cartmell had in mind when he wrote the book. I suspect that if you were to investigate further you would find that the ride generated whiplash complaints, not broken necks. If the ride were breaking necks, they'd either fix it or shut it down.
(The last time a major coaster was caught breaking necks, the park did, in fact, modify the ride in such a way that it should solve the problem. And I'll leave it at that.)
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
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