What is the meaning of the phrases "put it" and "missing support" in the context?

Question

While reading a part of the passage, I saw the phrases "put it" and "missing support" and looked them up on the dictionary but it's hard to find the actual meaning.

It Happened at the World’s Fair

The first Ferris wheel was made by and named after George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. He designed it for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. It was the tallest attraction there, standing 264 feet high.

However, visitors to the fair were impressed by the size of the ride as well as the mechanics of it. In 1893, anything that was not turned by hand was considered a sight to see. And the wheel, which was a machine, was truly incredible to see. Further, as one visitor put it, the wheel was amazing because it seemed to be missing support. That is, it did not look like it could stand on its own. And yet it did and even rotated!

Q1: Based on the prior sentence, we can understand the meaning of the sentence "Further, as one visitor put it" is one visitor agreed that this machine is incredible ? Is that correct?

Q2: Another question is: the wheel was amazing because it seemed to be missing support. What is the meaning of the phrase "missing support"?

Please feel free to give your ideas, and share your source you find its meaning, then we can learn more.

Thank you so much.

Answer 1

Put it, in this context, is referencing the specific wording used by the person in question. It's commonly used to indicate that a particularly apt turn of phrase comes from a certain individual, not from the writer. An alternative would simply be said. Using put it also indicates that the writer likely agrees with the person being quoted. So to answer Q1:

one visitor agreed that this machine is incredible ? Is that correct?

Not precisely. I would say that in the words of one visitor, <quotation> is more accurate.

In context, missing support means that the wheel does not have the amount of supporting structure that observers would have expected such a large construction to need.

If we look at a picture of the Ferris Wheel in question, the one from the 1893 Worlds Fair, we can see more precisely what was meant. Here's a picture from Google:

Notice that the spokes around the core of the wheel are extremely thin for such a large structure. The visitor was expressing amazement that the structure seemed to have quite inadequate supporting structures, and yet it stood safely and turned.

The meaning of the paragraph is thus:

And the wheel, which was a machine, was truly incredible to see. Further, as one visitor said, the wheel was amazing because it "Seemed to be unsupported. That is, it did not look like it could stand on its own. And yet it did and even rotated!"