Hale's Tours of the World
Hale's Tours of the World were an attraction at amusement parks and similar venues in the early 20th century.
They were specially constructed spaces designed to simulate a railway journey. By placing a film camera in front of a locomotive, one could film the train ride. As a result, it became very popular all over the world.
The entrance of one of the several Hale's Tours theaters
A panorama of images would revolve around the "passengers" to simulate the experience of a railway journey. Included was rocking motion, a wind machine and sound effects. It was also knowned as a phantom ride
A cameraman with a filmcamera in front of the locomotive.
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Purpose
Simulation of railway trips.
Market
Amusement parks, fairs and more
Patented
1904
Countries
USA, Mexico, Europe, UK, Norway, Hong Kong.
Presented first time
Exhibition in
St. Louis 1904
Revenue
Uknown. More than 500 theatres wordwide. Sold licence to UK for $100 000.
George C. Hale
George C. Hale was born on October 28, 1849. He was a well travelled and prolific inventor, engineer and Fire Chief of Kansas City, Missouri from 1882 until retiring in 1902.
Interested in the use of film, Hale came across William Keefe who had conceived the idea of an imitation railway passenger car on a circular platform that would remain motionless as a panorama of images would revolve around the "passengers" to simulate the experience of a railway journey.
"Realism" would be increased with staff providing a rocking motion, a wind machine and sound effects. Lacking the financial capital, Fell teamed with Judge Fred Gifford who introduced Fell to Hale who had possibly viewed the phantom rides on tours of Great Britain.
The idea was patented in 1904; Hale and Gifford soon bought out Keefe's interest in the venture.
The Exhibition in St. Louis
The first appearance of Hale's Tours were at the 1904 St. Louis Exhibition. The idea was further refined under the name Pleasure Railway.
The idea then appeared in New York and Chicago and spread throughout the United States and Canada with an estimated 500 Hale's Tours appearing between 1906 and 1911.
In 1906 Wade C. Gifford took Hale's Tours throughout the world in Mexico, the British Isles, Continental Europe and Hong Kong.
St. Louis Exhibition in 1904
In 1904, St. Louis hosted a World's Fair to celebrate the centennial of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. The idea for such a commemorative event seems to have emerged early in 1898, with Kansas City and St. Louis initially presented as potential hosts for a fair based on their central location within the territory encompassed by the 1803 land annexation.
The exhibition was grand in scale and lengthy in preparation, with an initial $5 million committed by the city of St. Louis through the sale of city bonds was authorized by the Missouri state legislature in April 1899. An additional $5 million was generated through private donations by interested citizens and businesses from around Missouri, a fundraising target reached in January 1901.The final installment of $5 million of the exposition's $15 million capitalization came in the form of earmarked funds that were part of a congressional appropriations bill passed at the end of May 1900. The fundraising mission was aided by the active support of President of the United States William McKinley, which was won by organizers in a February 1899 White House visit.
While initially conceived as a centennial celebration to be held in 1903, the actual opening of the St. Louis exposition was delayed until April 30, 1904, to allow for full-scale participation by more states and foreign countries. The exposition operated until December 1, 1904. During the year of the fair, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition supplanted the annual St. Louis Exposition of agricultural, trade, and scientific exhibitions which had been held in the city since the 1880s.
Hale’s Tours of the World, Galveston, 1906
A Profitable
Business
Hale and Gifford profited greatly by their enterprise. It is said that they were paid $100,000 for the British rights.
View from an Engine Front
Barnstaple, England (1898)
This 'phantom ride' along a stretch of partly elevated track through the Devon town of Barnstaple and its main station is an oddly haunting experience.
Aside from two briefly-glimpsed London & South-Western Railway employees waving flags, no human activity is apparent until the train reaches the main railway station - an earlier platform is mysteriously deserted. However, this allows a greater opportunity to appreciate what are still clearly recognisable Barnstaple locations, with good views of the town as the train approaches the station. (Michael Brooke)
Trondheim, Norway
In March of 1907, an English cinematographer came to Trondheim with his camera. He was in Norway on behalf of Hale's Tours of the World, which specialized in so-called "phantom rides", where the audience could experience train tours from around the world with shots from cameras mounted at the front of the locomotive.
He was in Trøndelag to film a "phantom ride" with Meråkerbanen to Storlien, but before leaving the city, the cinema owner had persuaded him to film Trondheim from one of the city's newly installed trams.
The film was shown to Trondheim's audience in Kinografen at the market place in the winter of 1908, when the photographer had returned and supplemented with further shots under the title 'A Train Ride Through Trondheim'.
Trondheim 1907
The beginning and End
1904: St Louis Exhibition
1906: Franchise: England
1907: Over 500 Hale’s Tours theaters in the U.S.
1907: Trondheim film. (Meråkerbanen to Storlien and “På kryss og tvers”)
1912: Discontinued. Cause: Little new content, only trains and trams
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