Murder At The Carousel

Who knew carousels could be so deadly? This non-fiction book shows just how dangerous carousels could be, with most of the incidents occurring between the 1890s to early 20th century.The book centers on the tragic death of a 17-year-old carousel engineer killed by a rider. On Friday, June 17, 1892, William R. Weaver was working as an engineer at a carousel in Niagara Falls, N.Y., when he was shot and killed. William's father joined in on the search for the killer as a newly-appointed deputy. The search crossed several states and involved several suspects over the following year. The book additionally tells the story of other fatal accidents where a carousel was involved. In 1914, a stray bullet killed a father watching a carousel with his children in Greensboro, N.C. A carousel pole fell down and gravely injured a Rochester N.Y. man in 1900. In 1892, a four-year-old jumped between wooden horses and was severed by a merry-go-round cable in Camden, NY. An electrician working on an Atlantic City carousel in 1918 was crushed in its gears, while the machine was spinning with riders.While this may book details 'the darker side of carousels', it's an interesting look at an earlier time.