How Did The Wave Machine Work?

In 1913, the Schenck brothers began to construct what would be billed as the largest outdoor saltwater pool in the world at Palisades Amusement Park. It would be as wide as a city block and three times as long, with an island at its center on which swimmers could recline.

But the Schencks wanted more than just the world's largest pool. The brothers hired William F. Mangels, a well-known inventor who five years earlier had patented the system that gave carousel horses their galloping movement, and they directed him to design and install a wave-making machine for their novel swimming pool. This is how the wave machine worked.

The 1 2 million gallons of saltwater needed for the pool were siphoned from the Hudson River at high tide by enormous pumps. Before entering the pool, the water flowed through six large filters to clear it of any contaminants.

On June 8, 1913, the large pool officially opened at Palisades Park. Billed as being able to accommodate ten thousand swimmers, the pool was constructed entirely of concrete. Its depth ranged from a few inches to fourteen feet; at the deepest end, diving boards built from hickory timbers lined the sides. Bathhouses were divided equally among the sexes and provided accommodations for more than two thousand bathers. The Park even offered free swim instructions to all patrons.

Every night at eleven o'clock the entire pool was drained, a process that took an average of five hours to complete. Six barrels of lime were used to thoroughly clean the bottom and all the walls. The pool was then refilled in plenty of time for the early morning bathers.