Eiffel Tower replicas and derivatives and one in the Isle of Man and sold shares to potential investors, including many prominent Blackpool families. When the corporation got into financial difficultly John Bickerstaffe stopped the scheme from collapsing and ensured the scheme was a success. The Blackpool Tower, though one of the oldest, is not a true replica of the Eiffel Tower and differs from the Paris tower in a number of ways: it is approximately half the height of the Eiffel Tower (158 m compared to 324 m), it is not freestanding and the base contains buildings which house entertainments including the Tower Circus and
Eiffel Tower to explain various features. Most of the party chose to stop at the lower levels, but a few, including the structural engineer, Émile Nouguier, the head of construction, Jean Compagnon, the President of the City Council, and reporters from "Le Figaro" and "Le Monde Illustré", completed the ascent. At 2:35 pm, Eiffel hoisted a large Tricolour to the accompaniment of a 25-gun salute fired at the first level. There was still work to be done, particularly on the lifts and facilities, and the tower was not opened to the public until nine days after the opening of the exposition on