My friend Joyce Harvey and I share responsibility for a weekly
historical column in our local newspaper, the Lancaster (Ohio)
Eagle-Gazette.  Here's an excerpt from her column this week.
It contains a call for assistance, and I don't know any carousel
experts except those who lurk around here:

  - - -

Jacob L. Tidd (1851-1925), "a popular employee of the Bletzacker
Furniture Co. for several years," was pictured in the Daily Eagle
(21 Dec. 1905) with an important announcement.  He had just been
granted a patent on an electric novelty merry-go-round that he had 
been working on it for several years.

"It is impossible to give a full description of this invention here
for want of space.  It consists of a loop shaped track of spiral design,
the lower portion of which is on the ground extending back into an
enclosure where roller boats or special cars are used, while the track
proper is erected in circular form, 150 feet in circumference and 48
feet in diameter running from the ground to an elevation of 12 feet at
the highest point ... each car will carry six passengers ... At a point
above the seats on the side of the cars is an opening or fissure in the
mountain side through which the passenger may look into the wonderland
which exists beyond, as that part is to be fitted up with waterways,
jungles, lakes, boats with singers, moving pictures and many spectacular
sights, as one rides by."

After two years of hard work and several hundred dollars it was
announced in the Gazette (25 Oct. 1906) that Tidd had completed a model
of his merry-go-round and "the trial run was highly satisfactory."
The model was placed in Bletzacker's show window for the holiday season,
and each of its 14 cars carried a merchant's ad.  Tidd wanted to
organize a stock company to build a full size merry- go-round but no
record of such a company was found.  Also, no photo of the model nor
information about what happened to the model was found.  Maybe a
descendant or reader will know.

  - - -

(Joyce and I have been friends for years, occasionally pushing each
other off our library's lone microfilm machine as we do our research
for the column; we publish alternate weeks.)

Does anyone know anything?  I don't think that there are any helpful
photographs, but I'll check to make sure.

Mark Kinsler - wannabe hero