MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
Home

Search Shorpy

SEARCH TIP: Click the tags above a photo to find more of same:
Mandatory field.

Search results -- 30 results per page

Chicks Ahoy: 1927
... I would rather walk the plank than join those ladies in a boat ride. Their eyes look like they've been smokin' left-handed cigarettes. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 1:27pm -

March 23, 1927. Washington, D.C. "Sally Phillips, Fanny Dial, Frances Gore, Georgiana Joyes." View full size. National Photo Company glass negative. Man overboardI think I would rather walk the plank than join those ladies in a boat ride. Their eyes look like they've been smokin' left-handed cigarettes. Those choppers.Apparently, there was no orthodontist within cruising distance. Shark!Man do those teeth give me the willies! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, D.C., Natl Photo)
The Drifter: 1912
... Canby, but otherwise just floated along, with the supply boat tied to ours. Best 110 mile long river trek I have ever done. Lazy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/01/2015 - 11:45am -

Northern California circa 1912. "Boating on the Russian River at Healdsburg." 6x8 inch glass negative by Howard Clinton Tibbitts. View full size. Same Up NorthReminds me of two successive summers boating/floating down the Willamette River from Eugene to Oregon City. Had to make sure to paddle quick to avoid the ferries at Buena Vista and Canby, but otherwise just floated along, with the supply boat tied to ours. Best 110 mile long river trek I have ever done. Lazy RiverLooks like it could be just above Healdsburg looking downriver near Fitch Mountain. Although there have been lot of changes since 1912. An Uncanny ResemblanceTo Paradise. Could have been my grandfatherMy mother was about 3 years old, growing up in Healdsburg, a mile or so off the river. My grandfather was a young man, recently arrived from Italy, by way of NYC. Resemblance to Paradise?The River is not so different today, if you're a mile or so Northeast of town. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Landscapes)
Summer Idyll: 1899
... on the SE corner of Clear Lake just north of the public boat docks right across from Kiesler's campground. It still has a lot of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/10/2017 - 11:33pm -

Waseca, Minnesota, circa 1899. "Chautauqua grounds -- cottages at Maplewood." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Somebody should check on MaudeShe's been sitting in that chair so long the vines are growing over her. Maude's VinesMorning Glories, Perennials - that's what we need, we said! A decade later, they've spread hundreds of feet, covered outdoor furniture, and invaded buildings. Still attractive, but a constant battle to control them. Southwestern LightJudging by the moss (and leaves) on the trees, and position of sun, we are looking south. Our subjects are in late-post-lunch afternoon stupor. Thoughts have not yet turned to the evening meal. A bucolic time was had by all as they engage in "activities" of the then-popular Chautauqua movement. NettingMosquito netting brings back memories of living in logging camps and such when living in the tropics 40+ years ago. Bentwood willow rockerI find the bentwood rocker in the center of the photo quite interesting. I have a photo of the exact same rocker at an old resort in California. The photo is not dated but probably early 1900's. The rocker was in the ladies parlor of the Gilroy Hot Springs Hotel, Gilroy, CA. There are other pieces of furniture from the same company scattered around the parlor room. Web searches have not turned up any manufacturer for this style of furniture. Anybody familiar with this furniture? Still going on!I attended the festival in 2012--the buildings from this time are mostly gone, but the grounds are still on the SE corner of Clear Lake just north of the public boat docks right across from Kiesler's campground. It still has a lot of the old flavor--here's a link. http://discoverwaseca.com/visitors/events/chautauqua/ Waseca is also the home of the descendants of the E.F. Johnson company, which made things like CB radios and a very early cell phone. Now it's Itron (remote meter reading) and Cinch Connectivity. Edgar's home still stands on the SW corner of Clear Lake, and is a private residence. (The Gallery, DPC)
Two Belles: 1906
... It looks like the Belle of Calhoun is a blacks only boat. Can anyone clarify? "Blacks only"?-"clarify"? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/16/2016 - 2:05am -

The Mississippi River circa 1906. "Steamboat landing at Vicksburg, Miss." Starring the paddlewheelers Belle of Calhoun and Belle of the Bends. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Blacks Only?It looks like the Belle of Calhoun is a blacks only boat. Can anyone clarify? "Blacks only"?-"clarify"?Yes blacks only on the roof and as laborers. Didn't you notice all the whites on the second level. Wheelhouse WindowsCan anyone explain the front windows in the wheelhouses of both ships? It appears to be some kind of a wood partition rather than glass like the side windows. Also found it interesting that there would be a wood stove in the wheelhouse of the Belle of the Bends. I thought they would have piped up steam from the boiler for heat. Wheelhouse windowsI think the wood is there because of the boiler stacks positioning in front of the wheelhouse . They couldn't keep the glass clean or the soot from getting into the wheelhouse if the glass was removed . So they take out the glass and then install the wooden baffles to keep the weather out but still allow clear sight ahead. As for the wood stove , its clear there is a steam pipe right by the wheelhouse to supply the whistles . So the stove must be there for when the boilers aren't running. Those are my best guesses. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Johnnie and His Friend: 1908
... basic skills...like reading and math. We've missed the boat somehow. Not wrong, Johnnie! The Not wrong, Johnnie! The Commies ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/14/2007 - 2:19am -

Tallest boy Johnnie Younts, 72 Kirk Street, Salisbury, North Carolina. Has worked at in Salisbury Mills for 8 years. Began at 7 years old. When can he get any education? Other boy one year in mill. December 1908. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. [At least they could afford nice clothes - Dave] JohnnieI dare say we're educating children for 13+ years now only to discover they don't have the basic skills...like reading and math. We've missed the boat somehow. Not wrong, Johnnie! TheNot wrong, Johnnie! The Commies said they'd do it. My grandmother & her sistersMy grandmother & her sisters only went to school to about the 6th grade. One sister was very smart, so she was skipped up a grade in school. My mom says that was about all the education girls were given then (early 1900s) unless they planned to teach school. Usually if you taught school, you only taught until you married or shortly after marriage as schools wouldn't employ a visibly pregnant woman. My grandmother and one sister died before I was born, but I remember her other sister Essie (the smart one) who could read and write as well as anyone I know. (The Gallery, Lewis Hine, Railroads)
Broad Ripple: 1907
... and also perhaps for sliding heavier items down to the boat instead of carrying down the stairs. Just a guess. Remembering Broad ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/09/2013 - 9:56am -

1907. "White River at Broad Ripple Park, Indianapolis." Where's our picnic basket? 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Wheelchair accessibleGuessing the ramp was an early version of ramps for the walking impaired. Looks a little steep, but ok. Ramp?I think the ramp is for launching & retrieving small boats and also perhaps for sliding heavier items down to the boat instead of carrying down the stairs. Just a guess. Remembering Broad RippleI lived in Broad Ripple from 1982 to 1999. Broad Ripple Park had many incarnations over the years. For the first half of the Twentieth Century, it was the White City Amusement Park. The streetcar line had a turn-around there. In the middle years, it had the world's largest outdoor swimming pool. Johnny Weissmuller once swam there. (Today, there are tennis courts where the pool was.) There were years of decline, and then in the late 80s, it was refurbished. I miss the shady, bungalow-lined streets of Broad Ripple, and walks along the Central Canal Towpath. I don't miss the bars, restaurants, and hair salons. Broad Ripple CrippledNews Flash: Broad Ripple Park Convicted by Two Federal Agencies. The FTC cited Broad Ripple Park for deceptive practices. Shorpy photographic evidence introduced at the hearing showed NO ripples. OSHA cited the park for a ramp exceeding the federal ramp incline standard, and lack of a handrail alongside stairs, also as proven by Shorpy photographic evidence. Park owners were afterward heard to mutter something about sending Shorpy up on Cripple Creek, if they could find out who or what Shorpy is. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Wilson Dam: 1942
... this page. (Look for the third Cape Girardeau , the boat’s original name.) (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Boats & Bridges) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 11:35am -

June 1942. Excursion steamer Gordon C. Green of Cincinnati approaching the TVA's Wilson Dam in Alabama. View full size. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein. “Gordon C. Green”Among other names, Gordon C. Green was later renamed River Queen and was a floating restaurant in St. Louis. It burned and sank at dockside in December 1967. You can see the other names and routes, etc., on this page. (Look for the third Cape Girardeau, the boat’s original name.) (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Boats & Bridges)
Let's Take the Ferry: 1951
... oldest ferry still operating in Florida. This ferry boat consists of a 1914 steel barge, propelled by a converted 1910 Sharpie ... 
 
Posted by fixj - 09/06/2015 - 4:13pm -

One of our annual trips from New Jersey to Florida circa 1951-52. This was pre-Interstate days and we traveled U.S. 17, 301 or sometimes A1A. Not sure which ferry this is. With Mom, sister and older brother. View full size. Nanticoke River at Seaford, Delaware?The Woodland Ferry lies on a possible route between New Jersey and Florida via Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. It is a cable ferry. Here is a link to photo of the 1938 version that was replaced about 1961. The chain does not show in the Shorpy photo but might be explained by photographer standing with back to cable and operator shack. A second ferry ride awaits our travelers when they reach the Chesapeake Bay. My family took the Chesapeake ferry ride in 1947 when we traveled from Jacksonville, Florida to visit my aunt in Trenton, New Jersey. I remember the Chesapeake crossing because my four year old brother and I held our three year old brother over the railing so he could see the water. http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/media/Common/0/5B/23510/t600-pg_7_pic... Looks Like The Fort Gates FerryAnd it's still in service today. This is almost certainly the Ft. Gates Ferry which has been operating since the 1850s, crossing the St. Johns River south of Palatka, Florida, north of Lake George, between the Fort Gates Fish Camp and Salt Springs in the Ocala National Forest. It is the oldest ferry still operating in Florida. This ferry boat consists of a 1914 steel barge, propelled by a converted 1910 Sharpie sailboat that is permanently connected to the barge. The last time we took it the toll was $10, well worth it. [It certainly seems like a possibility, but how do we know it's the Fort Gates ferry? - Dave] Not FloridaThe Fort Gates ferry is reached by 12 miles of dirt road on West and 1 mile of dirt road on East making this an unlikely route for a vacationing family. The ferry in the photo has a deck mounted air vent suggesting an on board engine. The built up area on the shore is also questionable. The ferry Jean LaFitte at the Mayport crossing of the St. Johns River in the 1950s was a much larger vessel with enclosed deck. The vessel in the photo is no match for currents running at mouth of the St Johns River. I grew up in Jacksonville, and as much as it pains me, I vote against Fort Gates. Chilly WeatherJudging from the winter hats and coats being worn, my guess might be that the location is somewhere to the north of Florida. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Bread and Coffee: 1909
... first municipal lodging house fitted up by the city was a boat moored at the foot of East 26th Street in 1895, followed a few years after ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 2:21pm -

"Bread & Coffee." The new Department of Public Charities municipal lodging house at 432 East 25th Street in New York, which opened in February 1909 after four years of construction. "The first municipal lodging house fitted up by the city was a boat moored at the foot of East 26th Street in 1895, followed a few years after by the building at 398 First Avenue, just north of 23rd Street." (NYT) 8x10 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Tin CupsMaybe these men asked for tin cups because they held more, but I'm wondering who got to use the china cups? May God bless every oneLife is hard and I'll bet that none of these guys ever thought he'd be in a place like this. I wouldn't, either - and I'll bet YOU wouldn't, either! Life can be full of unpleasant surprises that many or most of us looking in on these pictures, from the vantage of our middle-class conceits, would never foresee. All of these men are dead now and their life-stories have ended. Ours are still being told. Who knows what may be down the road for us? Cheap philosophy, I know - but still ... (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, G.G. Bain, NYC)
Owana at Toledo: 1912
... , 1884. Sidewheeler Frank E. Kirby , 1890. Fire boat James Battle , 1900. Steamship Tionesta , 1900. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/29/2012 - 10:42pm -

Toledo, Ohio, circa 1912. "Steamer Owana ready to leave for Detroit." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Sidewheeler OwanaThe Owana operated a daily schedule departing Detroit in the morning, and Toledo in afternoon. Launched as the Pennsylvania in 1889 by Detroit Dry Dock Company, Wyandotte, Michigan. Renamed Owana in 1905, Erie in 1925, T. A. Ivey in 1934, a return to Erie in 1964, broken up 1981. Gross tonnage 747, net tonnage 420, length 201 ft., beam 32 ft. Passenger and cargo ferry: the forward part of her main deck could accomodate wagons and automobiles. Another photo of the Owana, most likely from the same day, at Smoke and Mirrors: 1912. Other vessels on Shorpy built at same Wyandotte shipyard: Sidewheeler Idlewild, 1879. Sidewheeler City of Cleveland,1880. Sidewheeler State of New York, 1883. Sidewheeler railroad ferry Michigan Central, 1884. Sidewheeler Frank E. Kirby, 1890. Fire boat James Battle, 1900. Steamship Tionesta, 1900. Freighter S.S. Utica, 1904. Sidewheeler City of Cleveland, 1907. Sidewheeler City of Detroit III, 1912. Sidewheeler Seeandbee, 1912. Cresceus ... A Plaster Horse?     I was curious about the word "cresceus" on the side of Toledo Supply and thought it might be some sort of plaster but much to my surprise a search led to an amazing horse of that era. CRESCEUS WITH HIS OWNER GEORGE H. KETCHUM      Cresceus owed his life to the disobedience of the superintendent. The colt had no more than turned a yearling when he was stricken with a severe attack of distemper. As it had settled in the throat, a heavy blister had been applied to that section. The youngster rubbed off the blister and looked so terrible that Ketcham ordered him destroyed as he thought the animal would be worthless. The Rest Of The Story. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Toledo)
Canoemobile: 1902
... Very hybrid What's being hauled is an Adirondack guide boat, itself a hybrid - not a canoe, not a rowboat, but the best of both. It's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 6:48pm -

The Adirondack Mountains, New York, circa 1902. "An Adirondack hand cart carry." Yet another example of hybrid transportation. 8x10 inch glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Tree on the Left of FrameWhat's with the tree on the left it appears to have its bark peeled away in several bands. One at its base somewhat large, then two smaller above that one both about the same size, then one much larger above those. [Horizontal peeling is typical of the white and paper birch. -tterrace] Very hybridWhat's being hauled is an Adirondack guide boat, itself a hybrid - not a canoe, not a rowboat, but the best of both. It's been around since the early 19th century. In the photo, it's probably moving between lakes or ponds over a "carry," many of which connect the Fulton Chain of Lakes in the eastern side of the Adirondacks. I did this For two or three summers, I did portage, or haulage as you will, humpin' anything the camper couldn't or wouldn't. Skiffs, dorys, canoes and home built, though they were some heavy clunkers, I wanted to lecture them on the virtues of birch and cedar over oak and hemlock. But at the end of most trips, I must say they all tried to shoulder out their craft. I miss them, because now I camp alone on Benson Lake. TreesWhite birch = paper birch. Both are common names for Betula papyrifera (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, W.H. Jackson)
Time and Tide: 1915
... looks to have put down his cane in the foc's'cle of the boat. [Right-shin guy's "bandage" is a splash. - tterrace] (The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/05/2015 - 2:44pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1915. "Atlantic City bathers and Steel Pier." 5x7 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Bathing suit evolutionI was surprised that this one wasn't sooner than 1920, because of the fact that the bathing suits still looked like 10-15 years earlier while, just a couple years later, they were wearing the wool sleeveless suits that exposed most of the thigh. I wonder if it was regional, in part, that the skimpier suits started farther south and worked their way farther north. A few of them in this photo have shorter sleeves, but most still look like they are wearing the lighter corsettes under them. The wool suits, scratchy as they sound, would have been quite liberating over all the layers and layers. I just had another thought, though. When they got wet, they would have made the girl smell like a wet sheep! Walking Wounded?Three fellows caught my eye: one has a bandage on his left shoulder, one has a bandage on his right shin, the other looks to have put down his cane in the foc's'cle of the boat. [Right-shin guy's "bandage" is a splash. - tterrace] (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Stinson 10A: 1943
... day his engine quit at sea and he was later picked up by a boat. After the war, one of the German sub commanders responded that it was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2007 - 6:13am -

Ground crew making a routine overhaul of a Civil Air Patrol plane (Stinson 10A) at base headquarters of Coastal Patrol #20, Bar Harbor, Maine. June 1943. View full size. Kodachrome transparency by John Collier. "Pesky yellow airplanes"General aviation was prohibited during the war except for the Civil Air Patrol. Many private aircraft owners volunteered their aircraft and their services to patrol the coast for submarines. If one was spotted, they would report it to the Navy. I had an old friend that flew his Fairchild 24 off the coast of North Carolina until one day his engine quit at sea and he was later picked up by a boat. After the war, one of the German sub commanders responded that it was those "pesky little yellow airplanes' that worried him the most as they could rarely be seen or heard. (Aviation, John Collier, WW2)
The Good Old Summertime: 1910
... their rescues. They still use them today. You can see the boat on the horizon. Thanks Dave Through your website, you have given us ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/27/2015 - 9:08am -

Circa 1910. "Surf bathers at beach, possibly Atlantic City." Bathing-stockings optional! 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Asbury parkCompare other photos, short beach, posts and ropes, has to be Asbury Park. LifeboatAtlantic city life guards has always used life boats in their rescues. They still use them today. You can see the boat on the horizon. Thanks DaveThrough your website, you have given us all what we all secretly desire.... our own time machine. Most everyone here comments about what is seen, imagined, discovered and we are invited to peak in and share real people living life. Thanks. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Open and Shut: 1921
... the building. "Pram" could be derived from the small boat of the same name, or it might be a truncation of "perambulator" My ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/31/2017 - 10:58am -

San Francisco circa 1921. "Chalmers touring car at Lurline Baths, Bush side of Bush and Larkin." An open car whose "California top" is fitted with windows on the driver side. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. Wheels Not TurnedWhen I learned to drive in S.F. the police would hand out tickets to drivers who parked on hills without turning their front wheels into the curb (to prevent runaway vehicles if the parking brakes failed). It is somewhat difficult to tell but it looks like this car is pointed downhill and the wheels are still straight - yet no ticket on the windshield......yet. Wheels Not TurnedWhen I learned to drive in S.F. the police would hand out tickets to drivers who parked on hills without turning their front wheels into the curb (to prevent runaway vehicles if the parking brakes failed). It is somewhat difficult to tell but it looks like this car is pointed downhill and the wheels are still straight - yet no ticket on the windshield......yet. -24At the Lurline Baths in 1897, courtesy the Edison company and the Library of Congress. Splash Apron Modesty PanelClassy solution to the usual practice of leaving the forward mounting nuts of the rear leaf springs exposed in gaping access holes. PerambulatorAt the extreme right of the image, one can see a wicker perambulator, more commonly known as a "pram", parked up against the wall of the building. "Pram" could be derived from the small boat of the same name, or it might be a truncation of "perambulator" My parents had one of these, though not wicker. I can actually remember sitting in it. I have clearer memories of my little brother sitting in it. And, of course, when it had outlived its usefulness after the fifth offspring, its wheels became part of a home-made coaster! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
More Manhanset: 1904
... position of all the flags, as well as the idle sail of the boat, the wind was moving from left to right. So, the smoke or steam likely ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/24/2019 - 1:29pm -

Shelter Island, New York, circa 1904. "Landing at Manhanset Manor." The sidewheeler Nantasket coming abeam. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Re: Steam or SmokeJudging from the position of all the flags, as well as the idle sail of the boat, the wind was moving from left to right. So, the smoke or steam likely came from the far (left) side of the dock. The machine at the left edge of the photo could be some sort of pile driver, though I could find nothing resembling it on the web. The poles and lumber lying on the pier may have been part of a maintenance effort. If this machine was steam-driven, then it's possible it was the source of the smoke. [That's a ferry landing; the "pile drivers" are counterweights for ramp. - Dave] Steam? Or sea spray?What is the steam or sea spray at the bottom left third? The water looks fairly calm, so I'm presuming it's steam, but from where? Airing OutNot very often these days do we see a vessel (in this case a gaff-rigged catboat) left in its slip with its sails still hoisted. But, until the advent of modern synthetic fabrics, leaving sails aloft for awhile was commonly practiced in order to dry the heavy cotton canvas from which they were made. Moisture-induced mildew, rot, and rust were a constant plague in the days of wooden ships and iron men. Item of Interest to the Shelter Island Colony Brooklyn Life (Brooklyn, New York) 30 Oct 1915, Sat • Page 25 SmokeWhat do you think is causing the big cloud of smoke at the shore end of the pier? It looks like it is coming from underneath the water. When did this pier (as everything else of the era) burn down? (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Small Towns)
City of Ottawa: 1907
... at Union Dry Dock, Buffalo Shipbuilding. I suspect the boat may have been named for Pennsylvania congressman William Lawrence Scott ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/22/2018 - 11:21pm -

Cleveland circa 1907. "Steamer City of Ottawa entering Cuyahoga Creek." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. What is supporting that bridge?Was this photo somehow manipulated or am I just not seeing the bridge/ferry landing properly? The shadows do not look correct, nor does the water beneath it. Is the dark pile which is barely visible made of steel, and all that is bearing the weight? [It's a swing bridge in the open position. -tterrace] Thanks Dave...makes perfect sense now! I hadn't considered that it was pointing 90 degrees from its normal orientation :-) (even though I have a defunct center pivot one close by) The Name GameCity of Ottawa had a pretty long life on the lakes, a nearly went further. Christened the INDIA in 1871, she joined sister ships in service known as CHINA and the JAPAN. From the annals of the Toronto Maritime Society, these were no run of the mill steamers plying the Great Lakes. "...The passenger cabin of each was a veritable palace compared to other ships then operating. The staterooms opened off a long open passageway in which the dining tables were set at mealtimes. At the forward end of the cabin was the men's smoking room, while at the after end of the passenger area the cabin opened out into a spacious and luxuriously appointed ladies' cabin, complete with grand piano. The woodwork up to the level of the clerestory was varnished, while the deckhead was painted white. Woodcarvings were in evidence everywhere. The entire cabin was fitted with carpeting and an elegant companionway led down to the main deck where the purser's office was located. As usual for the period, bathroom facilities were not provided in the staterooms but each room did boast "running water" in that reservoirs mounted over the sinks were filled daily by the stewardesses and after that gravity did the rest. The galley was located on the main deck and the food (of excellent repute) was brought to the cabin by means of a primitive lift." Ironically, while she went by City of Ottawa renaming for most of her sailing days, the ship started as INDIA and ended that way as well, while being refitted for saltwater use during WWII. She was sent down the Mississippi River to New Orleans but deemed too old and unfit, was eventually laid up along Lake Ponchartrain, where it's believed she meet her end to scrappers in 1945. Launched on June 20, 1871 at Buffalofor the Atlantic, Duluth & Pacific Company by Gibson & Craig and the King Iron Works, the India was the first of a trio of state-of-the-art iron passenger and freight vessels running between Buffalo and Duluth, the others the China and Japan. Beginning the next year and for the next decade it ran for the Lake Superior Transit Company, allied with a pool of railroad-related steamship companies and after that with the Anchor Line, part of the Pennsylvania Rail Road. Sold in 1906 to the Montreal & Lake Erie Steamship Company, reflagged Canadian, repowered, and renamed the City of Ottawa, the vessel operated as the firm's name implies. Its passenger accommodations were removed in 1913 when Canada Steamship Lines Ltd. acquired the vessel and placed it in the package freight trade between Hamilton and Montreal. Laid up in 1926, the City of Ottawa was sold back into American registry briefly in 1928 and renamed India, and the next year back into Canadian registry for the Algoma Central Railway Company and renamed Sault Ste. Marie, running between Fort William and Toronto. In 1930 it again entered American registry and reverted again to the name India, cut down to a coal barge. Requisitioned by the Maritime Commission for war service in 1942, the India was brought down the Chicago River, Sanitary and Ship Canal, and the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers for a conversion that never occurred. The India was dismantled on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain in 1945. The William L. Scott was built at Buffalo in 1890 by the Union Dry Dock Company for that city's Hand & Johnson Tug Line. It was abandoned and dismantled in 1915, probably at Erie, Pennsylvania. Swing bridge?Never was a real fan of bridges that move. Really like them sitting still and anchored. Getting A LiftFor fans and non-fans of moving bridges, the current edition at or near that same spot is a rather impressive rail lift bridge, rather than swing version. Everything's up to date in Cleveland. Tugging at your heartThe tug WILLIAM L. SCOTT, built in 1890, was steam powered and of wood construction, weighing 54 gross tons, with dimensions of 67.9 x 17.4 x 10 feet. It was dismantled in 1915 at Union Dry Dock, Buffalo Shipbuilding. I suspect the boat may have been named for Pennsylvania congressman William Lawrence Scott (1828-1891). (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Ontario in the Ice: 1905
... Tracks, we don't need no stinkin' tracks, we're using a boat ! Now they've done it They cracked the Lake! Vintagetvs ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 3:06pm -

Circa 1905. "Canadian Pacific transfer steamer Ontario in the ice." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. I can hear it now from across the border !Tracks, Tracks, we don't need no stinkin' tracks, we're using a boat ! Now they've done itThey cracked the Lake! VintagetvsCongrats on one of the top ten comments of all time! Yeah, you know someones in trouble now. HA. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)
Palm Walk: 1897
... door-to-door salespeople. At least the ones arriving by boat. Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree And don't sit under the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/28/2018 - 1:25pm -

Florida circa 1897. "Palm walk on Lake Worth, Palm Beach." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson. View full size. CoconutsWhy Floridians of the past wore hats? OK, that and the "sun" thing. Just what every neighborhood needsA cannon to fend off those pesky door-to-door salespeople. At least the ones arriving by boat. Don't Sit Under the Apple TreeAnd don't sit under the coconut tree either unless you want a fractured skull when one of those things falls off and connects with your brain box. The cannonThey just found one of those old cannons buried along the waterway. (The Gallery, Florida, W.H. Jackson)
Passing Through: 1915
... west chamber, Panama Canal." Just the thing to float your boat. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Canal Zone ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2014 - 7:20pm -

Circa 1915. "Bolton Castle in Gatun Locks, west chamber, Panama Canal." Just the thing to float your boat. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Canal Zone SentryDown the slope behind the nearest mule is a US soldier propertly kitted out in the uniform of the period: M1911 campaign hat, woolen shirt and breeches, russet leather shoes and canvas leggins, and armed with the M1903 Springfield. Looks good, but not the best suited uniform for the Canal Zone. Skinny ShipThe Bolton Castle looks anorexic compared to some the ships that just barely squeeze through the locks now. Mules and MogulsThere's so much of interest to me in this photo, apart from the nearly new Clyde-built steamship. I count six of the original GE mules running on their 5' gauge rack and adhesion track, there's two Western Wheeled Scraper side-dump wagons on the left of the lock, and way off in the right background there's an Isthmian Canal Commission Alco-Cooke 2-6-0 switching cars. I'd love to step back in time and spend the day here. :) (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)
Bi-Biplane: 1917
... was a complete failure. The machine veered off the boat into the river, almost drowning the pilot, a fellow named Manley. A few ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/01/2013 - 5:48pm -

1917. "Langley, Samuel Pierpont. Secretary, Smithsonian Institute. Experimental tandem biplane on Potomac embodying Langley principles." Last seen here. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Professor LangleyThis must be the later reconstruction of Samuel Pierpont Langley's 1903 aircraft. Langley, who was the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, got a substantial congressional appropriation ($50,000, I believe) to build a heavier-than-air aircraft. The machine was ready for testing in December, 1903. It was to be catapaulted into the air off a houseboat floating in the Potomac River. The test (which was photographed) was a complete failure. The machine veered off the boat into the river, almost drowning the pilot, a fellow named Manley. A few days later, in North Carolina, the Wright brothers successfully tested their aircraft, virtually without publicity. Langley's machine was fished out of the river and the whole venture came to an end. A few years later, after aviation had been significantly advanced, the Langley machine was modified and managed to get into the air. On the strength of the later flight, the Smithsonian (which had a substantial amount of prestige invested in Langley's efforts) maintained until the early 1940s that Langley had built the first Heavier-than-air machine capable of flight. This was nonsense (the 1903 machine was not flightworthy), but politics and prestige kept it going for decades. Not a repro of the 1903 attemptThe original 1903 "aircraft" was a tandem monoplane, so not a reproduction. This biplane does appear to be based on "Langley's Principles", in that it doesn't appear to have any way of controlling the roll axis. Lack of ability to provide full control of the airplane is what doomed all of the early experimenters including Langley, and why the Wrights succeeded where others had failed. Langely was depending on controlling the roll axis indirectly by including a large amount of dihedral, which permitted the rudder to side-slip the airplane, and allowing the dihedral to roll the airplane and also creating some sembalnce of roll and yaw stability. The Wrights went out of their way to do just the opposite, remove any inherent roll and yaw stability and provide direct control. That's why you see the wings "drooped" in pictures of the first flight, they put in negative dihedral (anhedral) to cancel this effect, which causes significant issues when trying to compensate for side winds, etc. Later attempts to fly Langley's airplanes required Glenn Curtis to make a lot of modifications before they were safe, and this was in 1914 - long after the requirements for reasonable control were well-known. (The Gallery, Aviation, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
For Faster Service
... - a travelling merchandiser. Can you spot the River Boat Kit? View full size. Riverboat That was a TV series from 1959 ... 
 
Posted by drm - 06/08/2012 - 10:26pm -

One of grandpa's slides from the 50s or 60s, probably somewhere in Indiana. He setup displays for Ace Hardware - a travelling merchandiser. Can you spot the River Boat Kit? View full size. RiverboatThat was a TV series from 1959 to 1961 starring Darren McGavin. That Riverboat model likely was tied to the series. Hey Diddle Diddle was a board game dating from the early 60's Rock-A-Stack was a toy that Fisher Price first came out with in 1960 I cannot figure out what 'Pougi' (as it reads to me, anyway) could be. The black/white box immediately to the left of 'Pougi' looks like it could be a Colorforms package There is one corner visible of a Visible Man (or Woman) also dating to 1959 (1960) from Renwal Going strictly by color, the 3 blue/turquoise boxes on the bottom shelf (with red marking on the side) may well be a Sorry! boardgame. And I bet those red/white candy-striped boxes at back of the top shelf contain plaster of paris. There are several tank kits and what seem to be jet plane kits on the middle shelf -- oh for a bit more clarity! I'd say late 60sHard to be sure, but those car model kits look like the ones I was buying the late 1960s. This hardware store could have been any one of thousands back in those days. I absolutely loved them. The Dating GameMy yeardar says 1962-64. "For faster service""Please bring purchases to the checkout counter." Well that would seem the logical thing to do, I suppose you could just dash out the door with them but that might take longer if you get caught. Ebay Bonanza There is a fortune to be made on Ebay with all those toys. If we only knew! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Central High Shell: 1927
... is generally credited to John C. Babcock of the Nassau Boat Club in New York, who used them on a single in 1857 and on a six-oar in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 9:44am -

Washington, D.C. Central High shell crew on the Potomac at the Key Bridge in 1927. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Rowing historyPlease keep coming with these historic rowing photographs. As a former eight oar shell rower in the sixties I like them very much! @Anonymous Rower, about Sliding Seats The invention of sliding seats is generally credited to John C. Babcock of the Nassau Boat Club in New York, who used them on a single in 1857 and on a six-oar in 1870. RowersAs a former eight myself I find myself wondering about a couple of things Alex will appreciate. 1. When did the sliding seat come into use. 2. That's one BIG coxie 3. I guess 6 seat can't work that hard if he needs a big sweater like that, and how does he keep it from getting in his way. Dave (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports)
Self-Contained: 1939
... recall feeling deprived. Most people were in the same boat. (The Gallery, Cats, Dogs, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/23/2018 - 2:46pm -

March 1939. "Home of fisherman squatter on shores of Nueces Bay. Corpus Christi, Texas. Photographs show squatters and migrants in shanty town along Nueces Bay area. Tents, shelters constructed from old boats, tar paper, automobile licenses, boxes. Privy made of automobile body." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Kitten finds fantasy living arrangementThat cat on the doorstep must know that he will have fish and seafood aplenty as long as he sticks around with fishermen squatters and he is not planning to leave this location. How lucky can one cat get? It was worse than we knowMy father (1907-1983) often said that I or my children could never imagine the hunger, squalor and hopelessness of the Great Depression. Kitten!There has never ever been a building or a place around fishing that didn’t have a cat or two. And these people, though poor, at least kept the area around their shack swept and picked up. [There's also a big dog. - Dave] ForagingOne thing I remember during the depression is foraging for extra food. We'd pick dandelions to be had for greens. Not too bad, as I remember. My dad had no job til about 1939, so we lived a while with my grandmother, and later out west on my aunt and uncles ranch. At least we wern't relegated to a shack. I don't recall feeling deprived. Most people were in the same boat. (The Gallery, Cats, Dogs, Russell Lee)
Flame War: 1905
... it was quite a spectacle: "Fall of Pompeii", "Submarine Boat", "Midget City, 300 Lilliputians", "Peter F. Dailey, A Paris Novelty" -- ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/10/2015 - 10:51am -

New York circa 1905. "Fighting the Flames, Dreamland, Coney Island." The exterior of this thrilling attraction. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. 'Mowgli' the Missing Link?"Giant orang-utan, Wildman of the Woods." How curious. Cashing in on the Kipling craze, I guess. Mowgli wasn't listed in the opening-day lineup, described below in a May 8 1904 ad from The Sun. Sounds like it was quite a spectacle: "Fall of Pompeii", "Submarine Boat", "Midget City, 300 Lilliputians", "Peter F. Dailey, A Paris Novelty" -- sounds rather ooh-la-la -- and of course "4,000 People Fighting the Flames." Full-sized image: http://stuffnobodycaresabout.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Coney-Island... The Politics of AmusementFascinating story of how this place came to be. Why give people free access to the beach when we can charge them to see an orangutan? (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, NYC)
"Silhouette on the Sassafras 1950
... Corp. in Camden, New Jersey. This was the third boat he built for personal use. The other two were wooden Class sloops: "Patsy ... and finally sold her in 1962. The couple who purchased the boat cruised the East coast, the Caribbean, Central and South America, ... 
 
Posted by microanne - 03/07/2011 - 10:15am -

"Silhouette" was designed and built by my Dad from 1946-1948. At the time, he was vice president of New York Shipbuilding Corp. in Camden, New Jersey. This was the third boat he built for personal use. The other two were wooden Class sloops: "Patsy Anne", an 18' Seagull, #216 and "Patsy Anne II" a 19' Lightning, #1004. "Silhouette" was a monumental undertaking because it was a 40' all welded, steel hull, beautifully crafted pleasure yawl with a hydraulic lift centerboard. She was unique, one of a kind. He never built another and finally sold her in 1962. The couple who purchased the boat cruised the East coast, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Portugal, France and Gibraltar. They published very descriptive articles in Motor Boating and Sail attesting to the superiority of Silhouette's sea-worthiness. Dad died in 1986, but I'm certain he would be happy to know that "Silhouette" is still going strong and now makes her home in Uruguay, South America. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Boats-n-Buggies: 1940
April 1940. "Abandoned boat along Mississippi River waterfront. Dubuque, Iowa." Photobomb by the A.A. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/23/2019 - 5:11pm -

April 1940. "Abandoned boat along Mississippi River waterfront. Dubuque, Iowa." Photobomb by the A.A. Cooper Wagon & Buggy Co. Acetate negative by John Vachon. View full size. Logo placement FTWWelcome aboard the bonny vessel Shorpy. We'd sail with you anywhere, Dave. Mussel memoryCould this be one of the boats used to collect mussels for button making in eastern Iowa? Button making was a big industry along the Mississippi from about 1890 to 1950. Missed the turn of the centuryIn the late 19th century, the A.A. Cooper Wagon & Buggy Co. was the largest business in Dubuque, and its operations consumed 27 acres in the city (including a levee warehouse). Henry Ford came to Dubuque in an effort to convince A.A. Cooper to build chassis for automobiles. Cooper declined, and stubbornly stayed out of the auto business. The company's final work was making wagons for use by the U.S. Army during World War I. By then, Cooper had conveyed his stock to his sons (and daughters, who conveyed it to their brothers) but his sons gave too little heed to two other 20th century changes - the income tax and excess profits tax. A dubious report that Cooper died penniless led a granddaughter to obtain a new executor's appointment. In 1923 a federal jury found the sons guilty of violating federal tax laws. In 1927 the sons settled with the feds after reversing their convictions, before their retrial would have begun. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Factories, John Vachon)
Fireboat 44: 1905
... here and renamed in 1923 the MV Angus J. McDonald. That boat was replaced in 1931 and the company disbanded in 1954. Brave men ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/08/2018 - 6:58pm -

Boston circa 1905. "Fireboat, Engine No. 44." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Tall ShipsInteresting to see so many wind-powered ships in the background- some steam assisted ones too. Ten years after this photo, every ship, no matter what its propulsion, was being pressed into service because of the pressures of WW1. Seeing so many sailing vessels still active in 1905 helps one to understand how there happened to be lots of sail powered ones available for service through the war. 1895-1954Sept. 1, 1895 – Fireboat Company 44 was organized on the south side of India Wharf, off Atlantic Avenue, downtown, at a berth formerly used by fireboat Engine Company 31. The company was assigned a new fireboat, seen here and renamed in 1923 the MV Angus J. McDonald. That boat was replaced in 1931 and the company disbanded in 1954. Brave menThe fireboat appears to be made of wood. Brave to come up to burning ships in such a vessel, to put it mildly. [That's not what fireboats are for. They fight fires in the warehouses and docks along the waterfront. - Dave] Interesting as well to see no smoke coming out of the funnel, but the ship is leaving a wake. I wonder what she's burning--either a coal fire is burning down in the firebox, or could it be an early adopter of fuel oil? In which case the men are doubly brave, I dare say. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Boston, DPC, Fires, Floods etc.)
Her First Kissel: 1922
... the Chrysler outboard motor operation and the Bayliner boat company, among other enterprises. Could that be the understudy’s scarf ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/11/2016 - 12:36pm -

San Francisco circa 1922. "Kissel Tourster at Golden Gate Park." The driver evidently an understudy for Isadora Duncan. 5x7 glass negative. View full size. Isadora LiteEvidently one must work up gradually to the full-throttle version. She's a beauty, the car that is, and is presently represented by one surviving example per KisselKar Klub. It’s a 1921 Kissel Model 6-45 Sport Tourster. Kissels were produced in Hartford, Wisconsin and were known for their high quality. The factory building is still with us, having housed the Chrysler outboard motor operation and the Bayliner boat company, among other enterprises. Could that be the understudy’s scarf hanging out the door? [Hence the gag ... so to speak. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Cherry Street Bridge: 1909
... cart attending to something going on with that shallow boat by the shore at the bottom of the photograph; and so much more to be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/18/2016 - 4:13pm -

Circa 1909. "Water front -- Toledo, O." The Cherry Street Bridge over the Maumee River. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. The vessel on the left is the Warrington, built 1868 at Detroit by J. H. Jones for the Prindiville interests of Chicago and named for a Chicago investor allied with Prindiville. It served the lumber trade until sold to the United States Lighthouse Service in 1870 and renamed simply Warrington. Its duty then was to carry building materials and other supplies to lighthouse installations on the lakes. It is undoubtedly shown loading such goods at Peoples Building Supplies. Sold to Chicago's Hines Lumber Company in early 1911 it would not last long. It sprung a leak in heavy weather August 21, 1911, and stranded a total loss near Charlevoix, Michigan, with no loss of life. The vessel ahead of it is the O. E. Parks, built 1891 at Saugatuck, Michigan, by James Elliott for Captain R. C. Brittain and others and named for Captain Oscar Parks who would be its first master as well as one of its owners. It also ran in the Lake Michigan lumber trade. Its steeple compound steam engine and boiler removed in 1928, its life as a powered vessel was resurrected the next year when Samuel Shields of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, dropped a 4-cylinder Kahlenberg Diesel into it and the vessel resumed the freight trade, but not for long. While off Thunder Bay Island, Lake Huron, on May 3, 1929, on its first trip as a motor ship the Parks encountered a storm that, reportedly, shifted the new engine's bed, opening the vessel's seams. It sank rapidly, its crew rescued by the local Coast Guard. The new Kahlenberg engine was salvaged and placed into the tug Betty D. in 1930. Holy ToledoWow, so much to see here: the stacked-up lumber across the river at the Western Mfg Co.; the moodiness of the outlines of trees and buildings disappearing into the smoke/haze; the grand church; the numerous trades and products exhibited on the signs (saddler, hardware, foundry, seeds, blacksmithing, doors, stone, tiles, piano, lumber, marine gas engines); the lengths of pipe in different sizes piled up at both ends of the bridge; the gentle traffic on the bridge itself; the group of men with the horse cart attending to something going on with that shallow boat by the shore at the bottom of the photograph; and so much more to be revealed upon further scrutiny. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Toledo)
« first‹ prev…14 [15]16next ›last »
Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.