Frederick Savage (engineer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frederick Savage (3 March 1828 – 27 April 1897) was an English engineer and inventor.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2020) |
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2020) |
Frederick Savage | |
---|---|
Born | (1828-03-03)3 March 1828 Hevingham, Norfolk, England |
Died | 27 April 1897(1897-04-27) (aged 69) Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England |
Resting place | Hardwick Road Cemetery, Kings Lynn, England |
Occupation(s) | Engineer, inventor |
Savage is most notable as a chief innovator in the field of steam powered fairground machinery and later as mayor of Kings Lynn, Norfolk. He was the inventor of a system for running fairground carousels using a horizontally-mounted steam engine at its centre. His carousels were exported all over the world.[1] By 1870, he was manufacturing carousels with velocipedes (an early type of bicycle) and he soon began experimenting with other possibilities, including a roundabout with boats that would pitch and roll on cranks with a circular motion, a ride he called 'Sea-on-Land'.[2]
Savage applied a similar innovation to the more traditional mount of the horse; he installed gears and offset cranks on the platform carousels, thus giving the animals their well-known up-and-down motion as they travelled around the center pole – the "galloping horse". The platform served as a position guide for the bottom of the pole and as a place for people to walk or other stationary animals or chariots to be placed. He called this ride the 'Platform Gallopers'. He also developed the 'platform-slide' which allowed the mounts to swing out concentrically as the carousel built up speed.