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Tops and Trimmings: 1921
... it is linked to the earlier Alter Car that was made by the Cincinnati Motors and Manufacturing Company, but there doesn't seem to be any physical evidence for that, and the Cincinnati firm did not go out of business until its founder died in early ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 3:07am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "McCaully's garage." Note the bakery-delivery bread box next door. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. It's been a whilesince I had my Carbon burned, probably due to have it done. That's oddDoes anyone have any information about the "Apex Twin Frame Truck" mentioned on that sign? I've never heard of anything with twin frames. Free air!No such thing as free air in my town. All the stations have a "Please deposit 50 cents" air station that takes ten minutes to inflate a tire! Benjamin F. McCaully Washington Post, February 3, 1901. Behind High-Steppers “Horseless vehicles are multiplying fast enough in Washington,” said B.F. McCaully, the well-known whip, last week, “but they are not crowding the thoroughbred to the curb by any means. Good horses and good traps are as valuable now as they ever were. They combine life and action with a certain dignity of appearance that are inseparable to the lover of a stylish turnout. In proof of this, I might say there are more highgrade turnouts in Washington to-day than ever before.” Washington Post, August 1, 1926. Appoints New Manager B.F. McCaully To Be in Charge of Stoneleigh Garage. Stoneleigh Garage, 1630 L street northwest, has just appointed B.F. McCaully, manager. Ben McCaully has long been identified with local transportation problems. For more than half a century, from 1874 until a few years ago he was in the livery business, transferring to the garage business when it was seen that the automobile was destined to replace the horse. Well known to Washingtonians, he furnished carriages for four inaugurations, and had carriage privileges of all the large hotels, including the old Arlington, Shoreham, Willard and Riggs house. He furnished many a “turnout” for noted men, including James G. Blaine and Mark Hanna, as well as for diplomats, senators and representatives in Congress. Washington Post, April 1, 1937. B.F. McCaully Funeral Rites Set Tommorow Was Retired Garage Owner and Formerly Sold Blooded Horses. Funeral services for Benjamin Franklin McCaully, 81, who died yesterday after a two-weeks' illness, will be held at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Chambers undertaking parlors. Fourteenth and Chapin streets northwest. The Rev. W.M. Michael, chaplain of the Stansbury Masonic Lodge, of which Mr. McCaully was a member, will officiate. Born in Lebanon, Pa., Mr. McCaully came to Washington as a young man and entered the livery business. As a driver of fancy horses and rigs he won many prizes in the horse show rings of those days. As a dealer he furnished many horses for the diplomatic set. He later entered the garage business. He retired several years ago. He was an active member of the Society of Natives, and one of its vice presidents. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Annie S. McCaully; a son, William H. McCaully, of Winnetka, Ill.; two daughters, Mrs. James H. Collins, of Hollywood, Calif., and Mrs. H.M. Krarup, of Washington and a granddaughter Vita Krarup. Apex Twin FrameApex Twin Frame. Hamilton Motors CompanyThe company started out in 1914 as the Alter Motor Car Company in Plymouth, Michigan. Some websites claim that it is linked to the earlier Alter Car that was made by the Cincinnati Motors and Manufacturing Company, but there doesn't seem to be any physical evidence for that, and the Cincinnati firm did not go out of business until its founder died in early 1916. The Plymouth based Alter Motor Car Company is said to have produced about 1000 vehicles (only one of which still exists) before the company dissolved in 1917 to allow the formation of the Hamilton Motors Company. The new firm relocated across the state to Grand Haven, where its said that they built just one car. They reorganized again and in late 1917, under the name Panhard Motor Company, began building trucks that featured the twin-frame. A blurb from a later press release explained: "The feature in its construction is a sub-frame of channel steel bolted to the main frame, thus giving the truck the trade name of 'twin frame.'" In September of 1919, after the Panhard et Levassor vehicle company in France complained of trademark infringement, the Grand Haven company revived the Hamilton Motors Company name and began marketing the truck as the Apex (not connected with Apex Motors of Ypsilanti). In May of 1920 the company made a $1,000,000 stock issue for factory expansion, and when Adolf Pricken, a New York real estate investor, promised to subscribe the entire issue, he was made president. By the end of summer the company was producing only a few vehicles a month and production was suspended in September, 1920. In early November Pricken was arrested for grand larceny involving stock fraud connected to a separate warehouse venture. Even though the charges were dropped in July of 1922 due to lack of jurisdiction (and the fact that restitution had been made to any disgruntled investors), the promised stock subscription was not completed and Hamilton Motors/Apex was out of business. At least one Apex truck survives in the Tri-Cities Historical Museum collection in Grand Haven. FramedA photo of the Apex Twin-Frame chassis is below, but it does not appear to be anything especially rigid. The lack of cross members spanning the outer chassis rails, where most of the body and load weight would be carried, would in fact seem to make this frame less structurally sound than a conventional truck chassis with well placed cross members. Photo from the 1920 Chilton Automobile Directory, page 23. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Gas Stations, Natl Photo)
Lena Again: 1908
August 1908, Cincinnati. "Lena Lochiavo, 11 years old, Basket Seller, Sixth Street Market. ... decent life after all. What a country!! (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, Kids, Lewis Hine, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2011 - 10:30pm -

August 1908, Cincinnati. "Lena Lochiavo, 11 years old, Basket Seller, Sixth Street Market. Saloon entrance. 11 p.m. Had been there since 10 a.m. and not yet sold out." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Lena, 11 p.m.At least she sold her pretzels! LenaHer smile makes her look younger, thank goodness! Lena LaterShe looks pretty happy after 12 hours or so on the job. If Joe Manning is right, presuming she died in 1974, she had a pretty good run. Probably had a decent life after all. What a country!! (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, Kids, Lewis Hine, Stores & Markets)
Train Wreck: 1900
1897-1901. "Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton R.R. train wreck below Dayton, Ohio." 4x5 ... October 20, 1897 wreck between the southbound Toledo and Cincinnati Express, and the northbound freight 30 of the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton on board which was Bishop Milton Wright, the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/12/2018 - 10:26pm -

1897-1901. "Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton R.R. train wreck below Dayton, Ohio." 4x5 glass negative attributed to Wilbur and/or Orville Wright. View full size. CounterintuitiveThough not standard construction, quite a few 4-6-0 and 4-8-0 type engines, such as we are herein viewing from underneath, were built with blind leading drivers, as it was felt that the four wheel leading truck provided sufficient stability to obviate flanges on them, even at high speed. Omitting this flange allowed the locomotive to better negotiate very sharp curves and turnouts at slow speed in yards and enginehouse areas. Lack of this flanged driver was not a factor in this "head-on" collision. This was the result of a dispatching error or of misinterpretation by one of the engineers of the timetable or of the dispatchers instructions. It's truePeople DO love to stare at a train wreck. 3 ThingsThere are three things I noticed. The blind drivers (no flanges) are on the leading drive axle. All the ones I've seen would have been on the center axle. The monkey wrench laying next to the rail is identical to the one I have that came from The Milwaukee Road many decades ago. The joint bolts in the rail have the nuts all on the same side. Standard practice now is to alternate sides. I assume the idea is to prevent them from all being sheared off by a derailed wheel. The bolt heads are a button type that a wheel would slide past without damage. Is This Not Their Father's Wreck?Isn't this the October 20, 1897 wreck between the southbound Toledo and Cincinnati Express, and the northbound freight 30 of the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton on board which was Bishop Milton Wright, the father of the famous Wright Brothers? See this. Front drivers were never blindOnly some very early rigid framed 4-4-0's of the mid 1800s experimented with using blind front drivers to negotiate sharper curves. It was not a practice continued on other locomotives as swinging pilot trucks would not keep a blind front driver on the rails. On larger engines in the early 1900's blind center drivers were used but in following years better lateral motion devices and improved track geometry all but ended the practice. Once a locomotive was well wore in it was still possible to drop a blind center driver off the rails on a sharp curve and many locomotive rebuilds included putting flanged tires back on. More than likely in this instance in the moments preceding the wreck the brakes were applied sufficiently to heat up the tires on the locomotive which expanded them and they have come off the wheels. As you can see the side rods have been removed and likely the loose tires from the front axle have been removed or broke during the wreck. Monkey wrenchI also have a monkey wrench like the one that Alan spotted. It is all forged and machined. The adjuster has square threads and the wooden handles were hand fitted as well as if they were done by a gunsmith. Modern tools do not compare. A Line of ____Upper right background, there is a line of objects giving the appearance of a string of box cars. Small cabins, maybe? [Looks like a split-rail zigzag fence. -tterrace] This is also trueWhile it is evident that the side rod on the upper side of the lead driver set was sheared off in the collision, the lower side shows no sign that anyone made any effort to remove the side rod nor the tire. Engines were, indeed, built with blind lead drivers. (The Gallery, Railroads, Wright Brothers)
Tommies Too: 1937
... occasionally in Terre Haute, Indiana when going home to Cincinnati on leave and have a cold Sterling. Not a bad brew. (The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 11:03am -

Savannah, Georgia, circa 1937. "38 Price Street." Beer sign by Acme Radio & Neon. Our second look at this mom-and-pop establishment run by Tommie and Clifford Whittington, whose children commented on the first post. 8x10 inch acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. More historyI wonder if the Whittington family has any more history on the business and the people who ran it? Such as years of operation, etc. The Dark SideA more depressing angle on Tommie's place, with the "colored entrance" on display. I clearly remember "colored" water fountains and entrances as a child in the early 1960s, and being puzzled by my parents hustling me away on a hot summer day when I only wanted a cold drink of water. Ah, the innocence of youth. +73 TooBelow is the identical view taken in July of 2010. Family BusinessThanks for the additional pics of our parents' shop -- yes, Tommies did serve a lot of sailors, boat yard workers, and other industrial workers of both races who lived and worked in that area. Times were very hard for most people, including our family. Thanks again. "Welcome"Well, at least it was CORDIAL segregation. What a changeThe building is remarkably unchanged over the years--yet, interestingly enough, looks completely different in its different lives. In the old photo, it looks appropriately like a place of business from its time. It does not look like a house. Yet, in the newer photo, it looks appropriately like a house and nothing like a place of business. It's amazing how much signs and different styles of doors can change a place. "Real" 7up?As opposed to "Simulated" 7up, I suppose? American Pickers delightThanks for the updated photo of Tommies. I wonder if Mike and Frank from TV's "American Pickers" got there in time to grab those great Sterling Beer signs. While in the Air Force, I would stop occasionally in Terre Haute, Indiana when going home to Cincinnati on leave and have a cold Sterling. Not a bad brew. (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston, Savannah, Stores & Markets)
Barefoot Bundle Boy
August 1908. Cincinnati, Ohio. "Bundle carrier Sidney Ashcraft, 10 years old, 517 Hannibal ... (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, Kids, Lewis Hine) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/06/2019 - 4:53pm -

August 1908. Cincinnati, Ohio. "Bundle carrier Sidney Ashcraft, 10 years old, 517 Hannibal Street North." Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Sidney the Barefoot Bundle BoyThis is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. I interviewed Sidney's daughter and have posted his story on my website. He passed away at the age of 68. http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2014/11/26/sidney-ashcraft-page-one/ (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Fourth From Race: 1900
Cincinnati circa 1900. "Fourth Street looking east from Race." Compare and ... can make a difference in tech I guess. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/09/2016 - 10:12pm -

Cincinnati circa 1900. "Fourth Street looking east from Race." Compare and contrast with this view from a decade later. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Fewer Overhead WiresLooks like they buried all those overhead utility lines on the right by 1910. That sweepershould really get longer handles on his tools. I can imagine how his back feels when he gets home after a full day. Anyone know what that flag is in the middle distance? Can't make it out even on the full size image. Where Did All The Wires Go?A decade can make a difference in tech I guess. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Swing Time: 1955
... ball over the center divider. I think we called one game "Cincinnati" for some obscure reason. We also had a circular exposed ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/24/2013 - 5:05pm -

February 9, 1955. "PS 122 playground, Kingsbridge Road and Bailey Avenue, the Bronx, New York. Brown & Blauwelt, engineers." Subcontractors: Cheerless & Grimm. Large-format negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Play ...groundMy grade school had similar equipment, thankfully we had grass underneath us. Play At Your Own Risk!I grew up in Queens County, another borough of NYC. I played in a playground similar to this one, and remember them quite fondly. However, you played at your own risk: playgrounds back in 1955, when I was seven years old were not designed to protect against spills and falls. There was no padding: the ground was concrete or ashphalt. If you fell off the monkey bars, you got hurt. If you came down the slide too fast, you skinned your butt. The mother placing the child on the swing reminded me that the seats for young children were L-shaped, with a metal bar that slid up the chains to seat the child, then slid down in front to hold the child in place. That was it! No soft ground padding anywhere.... Vernacular design?I heard of some city that didn't want someone to tear down a chain link fence because that was "vernacular architecture". Ah yes! The Bronx.Now we're getting into my neck of the woods. Didn't quite expect to see this! It certainly looks grim. I just can't believe I survived this style of playground growing up. Those are NY Housing Authority apartments now. School trailers sit where this park was. Just to the north of this view sits Van Cortlandt Park, 1100+ acres of parkland which contains (possibly) the oldest house in the Borough, Van Cortlandt House, built in 1748. The Albany Post Road (aka Broadway aka The Great White Way), begins its trip at the tip of Manhattan and heads north; crosses that unnatural bend in the Harlem River, continues through Marble Hill, alongside Van Cortlandt Park and on through Riverdale (my town), eventually crossing into Westchester at the Yonkers line and losing its famous designation. It becomes just plain Route 9. I happened to grow up on a still existing portion of the Albany Post Road, just down from the other "oldest" house in the borough, Hadley House, which possibly predates Van Cortlandt House. So, while it looks grim here, it gets lovely, green and very historic quite soon. The SwingsetThe swingset appears to have survived. http://tinyurl.com/qg48e5n If you turn the image clockwise, you will see the view of the apartment buildings that is in the photo. My school had a playground like that, too.I went to PS 46 on Staten Island 1961-64. It had a playground that looked like the one at PS 122. Lots of swings and slides, and they all looked very well built. We were never allowed to play on them. The gates were always locked. LitigationIn my lifetime we have become so litigious. Playground bruises, scrapes, cuts, chipped teeth, black eyes, etc. were part of a kid's life. My childhood stomping ground was the Mount Penn (next to Reading) PA playground. Except for the ballfield and some elderly trees it was paved with asphalt. The 3D grid structure to the left was called the jungle gym. The term was also and later applied to various climbing structures and even swingsets. The monkey bars were a horizontal ladder structure 6-8 feet above the asphalt and accessed by a couple of vertical rungs and an upward stretch at each end. Besides traversing the length, it was fun to hang one-handed or by the upside down by the crooks of your legs. Our swings, maybe (beat me daddy!) six to the bar, I recall as having chain and later rubber or plastic seats. You could have a buddy twist you around for a spinning, dizzying descent. The sliding board was kind of tame but the more thrilling one was at nearby Pendora Park which was twice as long with a double dip and a use-pitted dirt landing. We also made bicycle pilgrimages to the Jacksonwald elementary school which featured a tubular steel fire escape from the second floor. A hazard on all of these was involuntary (from fright) or intentional (from spite?) urine puddles at the bottom lip of the slide. The merry-go-round was a heavy lumber and strap steel affair that developed a fearsome momentum when shoved by two or three kids. You were safe on the inside of the steel perimeter bars but would hang on for dear life on the outside. There were a couple of box hockey "arenas". You could play slow (like miniature golf) or fast (kid to kid), which featured stick-ball-stick slams or "frenches" i.e. back and forth sliding moves at each hole. You could also sail the ball over the center divider. I think we called one game "Cincinnati" for some obscure reason. We also had a circular exposed aggregate concrete wading pool with a raised center around the water fountain. Seesaws were very heavy duty. You had to avoid getting your ankles embossed by the bolts under the seats and also malevolent "friends" who might jump off and let you free fall. A basketball court and a pavilion rounded out the scene. Craft sessions were held in the latter and I once made a wallet there for my girlfriend. She visited Mount Penn for two summers and hailed from Orange NJ. Ahhh, sweet youth!!! RenumberedAt some point this school was renumbered P.S. 310. The P.S. 122 designation is now used for a school in Queens. Most NYC elementary schools have a name as well as a P.S. number. P.S. 310 is known as the Marble Hill School as it serves the Marble Hill neighborhood, though it is located just outside the neighborhood. Marble Hill is a geographic anomaly as it is legally part of Manhattan yet located on the Bronx mainland, the result of a 19th Century rechannelling of the Harlem River. Bleak?It looks okay to me. Bright colors were a conceit of the late 50s. We played fine with boxes, wrecked cars and asphalt. DeadlyThose monkeybars or Jungle Gyms could really be dangerous. I was stationed in the Navy with a guy that was only in his late teens or early 20's and he had a full set of dentures. I asked him what in the world happened to his teeth. He said that, when he was younger, he had been playing on the monkey bars and was hanging upside down. His legs slipped and he fell down through the middle of the bars. The last thing he remembered was smashing his mouth on one of the bars and hearing a loud "Chung". When he woke up he was in the hospital with all of his front teeth, upper and lower, smashed and broken off. I still cringe just thinking about it. Re: The SwingsetLilyPondLane's link does indeed take you to the swingset in a Google map image from September 2007. But as soon as you navigate right or left, you're taken to June 2011, and the swing set -- magically, sadly -- disapppears. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Kids, NYC)
G Street: 1925
... I would save my money and then ride the bus to downtown Cincinnati and go to an upstairs office similar to this one to purchase some ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/27/2013 - 12:18pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Merchants Bank Bldg., G Street N.W. -- G.G. Loehler Co." Neighbors include Typothetae of Washington, Huff Duplicating and an Ediphone dealer. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. Driving around with no spareThe car in front of the cafeteria. A Moon sedan, as identified by Hayslip. And I'm not too sure about the Chevrolet Coach and the Ford Fordor in front of The Merchants Bank, either. White Palace CafeteriaPer display ad in the Washington Herald, April 21, 1920: The Place to Dine Well at One-Third Less Than Elsewhere. Self Service Means No Tips, Better Food, and Saves Time. Delicious Entrees, Roasts, Steaks, Salads, and Pastry. The White Place Cafeteria, 314 Ninth Street N. W. "Stamps for Collectors"The "Harry B. Mason, Stamps for Collectors" office window brings back memories for me. As a teenager back in the late 50s early 60s I was a stamp collector. I would save my money and then ride the bus to downtown Cincinnati and go to an upstairs office similar to this one to purchase some older stamps to add to my collection. I still have the collection but it has not been kept current for a long time. Before my timeFifty years later I was working at General Electric a block away at the corner of 14th & H Streets. Walked that area on my lunch hour many times. Tight Spot!Since we can't see what's behind the convertible across the street on the right, I am only guessing that there may be another car CLOSE behind it, and the Harold Lloyd looking guy scratching his head may be trying to figure out how to get out of a tight space without knocking down the motorcycle that's so close to his front fender.... TypothetaeA now-vanished term that referred to a printers' trade association. Landau ironsTheir use as bling instead of for function did not begin with Detroit Iron of the '60s or even customs of the '50s, as the car center foreground amply demonstrates. Opalite The White Palace Cafeteria, 1417 G Street, on the far left end of the photo, was advertised on opening day in 1912 as "The Handsomest Lunch Room South of New York." The same announcement explained that "to ensure the greatest sanitation, the walls of the White Palace Lunch are entirely covered and finished with Opalite, a new and costly finishing material. This is the only lunch room in the United States finished in this up-to-date material." Car IDsFront row L-R: Ford coupe; Hupmobile club sedan; Star? touring. Back row L-R: Moon sedan, Chevrolet coach; Ford Fordor sedan; Jordan phaeton. Mr. Cohan helps with datingThere's a big poster in the window of the cafeteria advertising George M. Cohan's Latest Broadway Success The Song And Dance Man That debuted on Broadway in 1923. I'd say this picture is from '23 or '24 because in '25 he came out with four more Broadway hits. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Incubators of Doom: 1942
February 1942. Cincinnati, Ohio. "A battery of 1,000- and 2,000-pound furnaces roaring threats ... this stuff on airplanes. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cincinnati Photos, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 2:02pm -

February 1942. Cincinnati, Ohio. "A battery of 1,000- and 2,000-pound furnaces roaring threats to the Axis. These are rotary oil-fired melting furnaces at Aluminum Industries Inc. Destination of the finished aluminum products is kept secret." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. View full size. SecretYa wouldn't want anyone to know we used this stuff on airplanes. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cincinnati Photos, WW2)
Mount Adams Panorama: 1909
Circa 1909. Cincinnati, Ohio, the Queen City, from Mount Adams: the two pictures stuck ... View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cincinnati Photos) ... 
 
Posted by Alex - 08/08/2011 - 10:29pm -

Circa 1909. Cincinnati, Ohio, the Queen City, from Mount Adams: the two pictures stuck together to form a panorama! View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cincinnati Photos)
Woman Police Concept: 1909
... in police uniform to illustrate woman police concept." Cincinnati, Ohio. September 23, 1909. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, Curiosities, G.G. Bain) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2011 - 1:03am -

"Suffragette posed in police uniform to illustrate woman police concept." Cincinnati, Ohio. September 23, 1909. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, Curiosities, G.G. Bain)
The Winter of 65
... a collaboration between the the Crystal Bent Glass Co of Cincinnati and designer Walter Hentschel, known for his work with Rockwood ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/20/2017 - 10:19pm -

October 1942. "Health measures for low indoor temperatures. Planning to spend a winter evening at home? Better dress for it the way these attractive government workers do, for homes will be kept to 65 degrees this year due to Federal fuel oil limitation orders. Slacks and warm robes mean comfort under lower temper­atures." Photo by Albert Freeman, Office of War Information. View full size. Love the clockI'm more than confident one of us fellow Shorpyites will help me identifying the make and where I might be able to buy one? Nothing better for low tempsThan a chenille bedspread. “Limited” to 65 Degrees?Really? If my wife sets the thermostat to even a degree higher than that I start to break a sweat! More importantMore important than where to buy one is what language are the hour numbers in? They almost look oriental but I doubt any one in 1942 would have a clock like that. [Exotic Arabic. -Dave] Whose Farm Bloc?It appears she's reading "Whose Farm Bloc?" by Arthur Moore from the October 12, 1942 issue of The New Republic. Balmy TempsDuring the cold months, our mom kept the house at 61. The budget was tight and our rural house in northern Indiana had an inefficient oil furnace. As you'd imagine, the words "put on a sweatshirt" were repeated often. We were fine, especially with the warmth generated by cooking for a family of eight. That and sharing the body heat due to the close proximity of large family in a very small house. My own home is usually at a luxurious 65 in the winter. Must ... have ... that clock The clock seems to have been a collaboration between the the Crystal Bent Glass Co of Cincinnati and designer Walter Hentschel, known for his work with Rockwood Pottery - and possibly the Waltham Clock Co of Waltham, Mass. More here. (The Gallery, Albert Freeman, D.C., Pretty Girls, WW2)
Next Stop: 2007
... during the 50 years of his career as an insurance agent in Cincinnati. Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, on August 15, 1911, he lived part ... have practiced that profession. After working in downtown Cincinnati most of his career, he closed his business and retired at the age of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/28/2010 - 11:37am -

September 15, 1922. Clarence Sherrill, son of the Washington, D.C., superintendent of public buildings. National Photo Co. View full size. Skate-a-mobileWhen I was a kid in the 40s and 50s, we used to make two versions of a thing we called a "skate-a-mobile". These were made from clamp-on roller skates. One skate was pulled apart so that one half became the front wheels and the other half the back. The upright version was like a scooter. It had a footboard with wheels attached, and an upright at the front with a crosspiece nailed to it for handlebars. The flat version had only the footboard, but with "handlebars" at the front. It was rather like a skateboard but we never used it that way. It was used in the manner that this picture shows, or headfirst if you were daring. Helmet, what helmet?Let's not forget those hollow metal two-piece wheels from hell. On asphalt they would spark like flint and slide like skates...till they split in half and almost kill you. The Inventor Of Street Luging?Not really, but if you've ever seen that crazy X-Games style sport you'd recognize the way Clarence is lying on whatever wheeled contraption he's lying on as a classic luger's posture. Of course these days he'd be wearing a helmet. NecktieWas it Sunday? Or did he dress up for the picture? It is hard to imagine him wearing it every day. [September 15 that year was a Friday. There was a lot more tie-wearing back then. - Dave] Irony in ActionI wonder if he ever recalled this scene during the 50 years of his career as an insurance agent in Cincinnati. Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, on August 15, 1911, he lived part of his youth in the Philippines where his father was stationed by the U.S. Army. Although he earned an engineering degree, he appears to never have practiced that profession. After working in downtown Cincinnati most of his career, he closed his business and retired at the age of 75 in 1986. He died at the age of 82 on December 24, 1993, and he was buried next to his wife in Glendale, Ohio's Oak Hill Cemetery. His father, an engineering officer, eventually became a Brigadier General, and he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His younger sister was still living when this photo was originally published on Shorpy in 2007. [We have more about Clarence here. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kids, Natl Photo)
Working on the Railroad: 1901
... The railroad nicknamed "Big Four" was the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway. CCC&StL. Big Four again ... that way from its corporate title cities. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis. The line was a subsidiary of the New York ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/16/2018 - 11:59am -

October 1, 1901. "Track elevation and stone mixer, Chicago." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Big 4I wonder if that refers to Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, Collis P. Huntington, and Charles Crocker - founders of the Central Pacific railroad. They were often referred to as the Big 4. All That ScrapThat wood scrap is treasure today. And to imagine where that tongue and groove, and I'll be guessing, 2 x 6 came from, would be amazing. I would love having some of that wood now. Ridin' the RodsWas never really sure what this meant until I saw the gondola car in this picture; apparently hoboes would crawl up on the brace rods under railroad cars like this one and hang on until their destination. What a ride! Always find it amazingIt wasn't Romance of the Rails so aptly depicted at times. Somebody had to do the actual work. Big FourThe railroad nicknamed "Big Four" was the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway. CCC&StL. Big Four againOfficially known as CCC&StL has appeared in Shorpy before: www.shorpy.com/node/20673 The rods beneath the car are truss rods. These old cars had wooden center sills and the truss rods helped support those sills. As the car aged, the frame would tend to sag, so the truss rods were tightened through turnbuckles, visible in the middle of the rods, to compensate. Where is the Instrument Man?Thirty-two years a surveyor and if I'd EVER left the level alone, my party chief would have shot me. Also, that level now (looks to me like a Wye level), while a genuine antique, would bring between five and ten thousand on the open market. Our division had two of them, both serviceable that one of our bosses ordered thrown out ("Nobody uses them anymore!") Somehow, they never made it to the dumpster. Big fourThe gents you mentioned are the big four of the Central Pacific, but the sign on that car here is the railroad nicknamed that way from its corporate title cities. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis. The line was a subsidiary of the New York Central. (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC, Railroads)
CCC & StL: 1938
... car, side view, 3/7/38." Property of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway. View full size. Known as The ... A Proud Member of the Big Four The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway was also known as New York Central's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/17/2016 - 2:28pm -

Washington, D.C. "U.S. News. Freight car, side view, 3/7/38." Property of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway. View full size. Known as The Big Four RouteThis large subsidiary of the New York Central formed its network of lines in the Midwest. An excellent map is here. CCC & StL also known asThe "Big Four". Although affiliated with NYC System for many years, they even lettered their equipment Big Four for many years. Visible to the car's right is a B&O "wagon top" boxcar. B&O built many boxcars and some covered hoppers to this unique design, with some in revenue service into the 1970's. CompositionNice long second look, tie all elements of photo together and...voila, beautiful composition out of nothing. No offence to railroad buffs. A Proud Member of the Big FourThe Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway was also known as New York Central's Big Four Route. It along with the New York Central was folded into the Penn Central in 1968. That railroad shortly thereafter experienced the largest ever US bankruptcy to date. (Search for the video "Penn Central 1974" to get an idea of the conditions.) The remainder of Penn Central and several other railroads was folded into Conrail in 1976. After a shaky start that railroad prospered to the point it was purchased at great cost and segmented by Norfolk Southern and CSX. So that's a boxcar!I've always wondered what they looked like without the graffiti. Note the brake wheel on this carIt is in the horizontal position as they were on all freight cars, originally. Freight cars also had walkways across the tops. Brakemen rode the tops of these cars during switching operations; a rather scary part of their occupation. Eventually, this dangerous practice was outlawed and the brake wheels were moved to the ends of the cars, but in a vertical position. This can be seen in the B&O "wagon top" boxcar next to it. A brakeman's job still has its hazards particularly in cold snowy climates. One major improvement is the introduction of continuous voice-to-voice contact with the engineer now available through technology. It also meant that cabooses were dropped from the consist and freight train crews were reduced to two-person operations. G (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Railroads)
Man of Letter: 1904
... and 60 Wall Tower, all in New York; Union Station in Cincinnati, the Trinidad Naval Air base and the Republic Steel plant in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/23/2020 - 9:31am -

1904. Washington, D.C. "H.D. Watts, 6th Street." Proud alumnus of Maryland Agricultural College. 5x7 inch glass negative from the C.M. Bell portrait studio. View full size. He gave his alma mater the Byrd tooIn addition to Ritchie Coliseum, H.D. Watts Construction Co. also built the University of Maryland's first football stadium. It opened in 1923 and was named for Harry "Curley" Byrd, the segregationist football coach who commissioned it. That stadium became known as Old Byrd Stadium after the current stadium (now known as Maryland Stadium) was completed in 1950. And the man in the photo is ...Harry Dorsey Watts (b. 28 Apr 1885 in Baltimore; d. 27 Jul 1952, East Hampton, N.Y.) This is his Class of 1904 photo in uniform. ~ Stephen P. Hall An Old LinerThis was what became the University of Maryland. They were known as the Old Liners (Maryland being the Old Line State). However appropriate that name might seem in football, they became Terrapins in the 1930s because people wanted an actual mascot. And future architect?Ritchie Coliseum, home arena for the U-MD basketball and boxing teams, was built in 1931 by the H.D. Watts Construction Company, which was owned by Harry Watts, an alumnus who played as a fullback on the football team from 1901 to 1903. https://www.revolvy.com/page/Ritchie-Coliseum Mansard or GambrelOh, the paths Shorpy takes one down. Looking up Maryland Agricultural College took me to the wiki for University of Maryland. There I learned that the oldest building on campus (the only unscathed survivor of The Great Fire of 1912) is Morrill Hall, built in 1898 in Second Empire architectural style. Clicking further, I learned that Second Empire was popularized in France during the reign of Napoleon III and characterized by a mansard roof similar to the gambrel roof style commonly seen in barns. "What's the difference between mansard and gambrel?" I wondered. A gambrel roof has vertical gable ends and overhangs the facade, whereas a mansard roof is hipped and usually does not overhang the facade. Thank you H.D. Watts and Shorpy! One more thingInspired by Zcarstvnz's research, I thought that Yawkey isn't a very common name, and wondered if Elsie might be related to Tom Yawkey, for many years the owner of the Boston Red Sox. And I found the following: From the Reno Evening Gazette, Nov 14, 1944, p. 6 Red Sox Owner Divorced Here Elsie Sparrow Yawkey Monday divorced Thomas A. Yawkey, millionaire owner of the Boston Red Sox. All this inspired by one Shorpy photo. Thanks, Shorpy. Decorated ConstructionistThe New York Times July 28, 1952 Harry Watts Dies; A Building Leader Ex-President and Chairman of James Stewart & Co. Won the Navy's Service Emblem.         Southampton, L. I., July 27 -- Harry Dorsey Watts of 1 East End Avenue, New York, and East Hampton, former president and chairman of the board of James Stewart & Co., contractors of New York, died today in Southampton Hospital after a brief illness. His age was 67.         Born in Baltimore, the son of John H. C. and Mary Dorsey Mitchell Watts, he was a descendant of Col. Harry Dorsey, first Secretary of the State of Maryland.         After being graduated in 1904 from the University of Maryland, he began his career as a time-keeper and engineer with Wells Brothers Company, later becoming vice president. From 1915 to 1923 he headed the H. D. Watts Company.         Mr. Watts joined the Stewart construction concern in 1924, beginning as manager of the southern territory and assistant to the president. He became vice president in 1926, executive vice president in 1937 and president in 1940. He served as president and chairman of the board from 1942 until his retirement in 1946.         The Stewart concern participated in the construction of many notable buildings, including the United States Chamber of Commerce, Department of Labor and Home Owners Loan buildings in Washington, D. C.; the United States Court House, New York Postoffice, Federal Building, New York Central Building and 60 Wall Tower, all in New York; Union Station in Cincinnati, the Trinidad Naval Air base and the Republic Steel plant in Chicago. It also worked on the West Side Express Highway in New York.         Mr. Watts received the Navy's Meritorious Civilian Service Emblem. He had been president and director of One East End Avenue Corporation.         He had been a member of the United States Chamber of Commerce, the West Side Chamber of Commerce in New York and Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. His clubs had included the Deepdale, Metropolitan, Bankers, Cloud, Atlantic Beach, Devon Yacht, Seawane Country and Pilgrims, the Maryland of Baltimore, the Elkridge of Maryland, the Piedmont Driving of Atlanta and the Metropolitan of Washington.         Surviving are his widow, the former Mrs. Elsie Sparrow Yawkey; a son, Harry D., Jr.; three daughters, Mrs. Thomas Crabbe, Mrs. Harold McTigue and Mrs. Haley Fiske 2d; a brother and three sisters. Harry's first wife, Idoline Lochrane Austell Watts, whom he had married in 1907, died in 1943. They are both buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. Time for an upgrade?Surely, Mr. Watts deserves elevation to the Handsome Rakes category here on Shorpy. He's 116 years overdue, by my estimation. (The Gallery, Bell Studio, D.C., Handsome Rakes, Portraits, Sports)
An Exciting Moment: 1908
An exciting moment at the Newsboys’ Picnic, Cincinnati. August 1908. View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, Kids, Lewis Hine) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 2:38pm -

An exciting moment at the Newsboys’ Picnic, Cincinnati. August 1908. View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Bus Triptych: 1943
September 1943. Cincinnati, Ohio. "Loading baggage on a Greyhound bus at the bus terminal." ... for the money." (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Cincinnati Photos, Esther Bubley) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/24/2017 - 1:36pm -

September 1943. Cincinnati, Ohio. "Loading baggage on a Greyhound bus at the bus terminal." Medium-format nitrate negatives by Esther "Burst Mode" Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size. FedEx and UPS back in the dayWhenever I tell young people that when I worked in a statewide political campaign in Alabama in 1978 we used to send all of our election paraphernalia (yard signs, billboards, bumper stickers, etc.) by Greyhound and Trailways, they think I'm kidding. There was no other alternative any faster. The Original3D Tetris player 60 years early. No Louis Vuitton or GucciMost of this luggage looks like it has seen a lot of wear and tear and much of it is tied together with ropes or tape, so it is surprising that none of it seems to have burst open, as I've seen lots of airline luggage on the arrival turntables that just could not withstand the handling and comes through in pieces. Also, having this job would keep one from having to work out at the gym because there was no automated moving carousels, etc. and it was sheer strength and manpower moving this stuff around. Can't help but wonder how much a baggage handler would have made in 1939. Talk about "working hard for the money." (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Cincinnati Photos, Esther Bubley)
Manned by Women: 1942
... they work. I had experience with that, too, operating a Cincinnati Bickford radial drill press (also of World War II vintage) for Brad ... for a couple of summers. Old Grinder That is a Cincinnati centerless. I ran several for 30+ years. The wheel on the left is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/01/2014 - 12:26pm -

August 1942. Republic Drill and Tool Co., Chicago. "Pioneers of the production line, these two young workers are among the first women ever to operate a center­less grinder, a machine requiring both the knowledge of precision measuring inst­ruments, and considerable experience and skill in setting up. In this Midwest drill and tool plant, manned almost exclusively by women, centerless grinders have been efficiently operated by women for more than a year, and company prod­uction figures have continued to soar." Medium-format nitrate negative by Ann Rosener for the Office of War Information. View full size. Curious captionThe caption nicely puts to bed all those arguments that women can't do men's work, simply by stating that they can and have been doing so, rather successfully. Then all those women had to skedaddle home to make room for their husbands in the factories when the war ended, because this is men's work. They're glowingAugust of '42 in a machine shop in Chicago. I'd say it was pretty warm in there. Women Can Do It!Even my 20-something sons have said they notice the "lack of respect for women" just watching movies from the 1970s. The center won't hold.Can anyone more mechanically inclined explain what a centerless grinder is, and what they're used for? It certainly seems like an impressive, complicated gizmo. Centerless grindingWikipedia. I worked in machine shopsI worked in machine shops during the summer in Chicago and, yes, it was hot. For one summer I did rough-machining of the outside diameter of cast pistons used in Diesel locomotives, this at the plant of the Electro-Motive Division of GM. I put the casting on a pre-war Ingersoll machining lathe where I removed a good deal of stock. The final machining was done by a centerless grinder (made by Rockford, I think). The piece sits on a small platform between two rotating wheels, operating in the same direction but at differing speeds. One wheel is stationary with an abrasive surface to remove stock, while the other advances laterally pushing the piece against the other wheels' surface, that movement controlled by the operator to determine how much stock is removed (generally using micrometer calipers). By the late '60s when I was doing this sort of thing numerical control was becoming prevalent, reducing (somewhat) the need for operator skill. I guess you could say I was doing center grinding, while the finish operation was centerless grinding. These women are undoubtedly machining stock to a certain diameter that will be turned into drill bits and reamers, considering where they work. I had experience with that, too, operating a Cincinnati Bickford radial drill press (also of World War II vintage) for Brad Foote Gear Works in Cicero for a couple of summers. Old GrinderThat is a Cincinnati centerless. I ran several for 30+ years. The wheel on the left is the movable wheel or the rubber wheel, the stone wheel is on the right. The device on the left is the dresser for the rubber wheel. We ground front bearing retainers for truck/car transmissions, the shaft that the thro-out bearing rides on. Center grinders needed either centers drilled into the work or a device with centers that the work could be mounted. Our grinders were still in use in the mid 1990s. (The Gallery, Ann Rosener, Factories, WW2)
Risky Business: 1915
Cincinnati circa 1915. "Western & Southern Life Insurance Co., Fourth and ... very much there and so is the company. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/09/2017 - 3:25pm -

Cincinnati circa 1915. "Western & Southern Life Insurance Co., Fourth and Broadway." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Already TakenWestern & Southern -- a name a railroad executive would die for. Oh, the irony. Still there!The building is still very much there and so is the company. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC)
Where's the Fire?
... This is a 1917 Ahrens-Fox Model K-1 fire engine (made in Cincinnati), manufacturer's serial number 645, originally of Engine Company 28 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/29/2012 - 8:45pm -

April 10, 1922. Wreck of truck and fire engine, location not specified. Are there any clues here? View full size. National Photo Company Collection. While scouring for clues...I counted only six heads without benefit of hats, and TWO lucky dogs cradled in the arms of ladies. Sure wish we'd all go back to wearing hats. Looks sharp! I count two hats...I count two hats without a head! Look on top of the bell on the fire engine and also on top of the cylinder in front of the spherical accumulator and you will see two fireman hats. A similar hat is worn by the gentleman in the white shirt at the far right of the photo next to the fire engine. Fire Apparatus DamagedAn accompanying photo in the Post shows that this news article concerns the above accident. The location is near Embassy Row, a few blocks from Dupont Circle. Washington Post, Apr 11, 1922 Fire Engine and Auto Crash; 2 are Injured Two persons were injured when engine No. 9, of the district fire department, while responding to a fire, and an automobile truck, collided at Twenty-first and Q streets northwest yesterday. Clarence Hewitt, 45 years old, residing at 729 North Capitol Street, who was operating the truck, was hurled several feet into the roadway, and at the Emergency hospital was treated for lacerations to the head and face. Private Alexander Elliott, on the engine, was injured about the left shoulder. Private J.A. Mayhew, who was operating the fire apparatus, escaped injury. Hewett, who was later arrested and charged by the police with colliding and failing to give right of way, was released on $40 collateral for a hearing today. Both the fire apparatus and the automobile truck were badly damaged. No. 645This is a 1917 Ahrens-Fox Model K-1 fire engine (made in Cincinnati), manufacturer's serial number 645, originally of Engine Company 28 in Washington, transferred to Engine 9 in 1921, not long before this accident. This fire engine went to the junkyard in 1940. See "Five-Alarm Candy: 1925"https://www.shorpy.com/node/5519. See above for another (3 1/2 years later) mention of fireman J.A. Mayhew, operator of Eng 9's wrecked fire engine. In 1949, he became DCFD's Fire Chief. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Fires, Floods etc., Natl Photo)
Slim and Slimmer: 1923
... major leagues. Ewell Blackwell was 6 ft 6 and played for Cincinnati in the late 40's and early 50's. His best season was 1947 with 22 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/29/2014 - 4:45pm -

April 28, 1923. Washington, D.C. "McGrew of Nationals, Harriss of Athletics." Two tall pitchers -- Washington's Slim McGrew goes up against Philadelphia's Slim Harriss. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. See folks,Groom & Clean leaves your hair looking soft and natural, the other brand leaves it wet & greasy looking. A Battle of the MediocreNeither pitcher was terribly successful. Harriss (born William Jennings Bryan Harriss) was 10-16 with a 4.00 ERA in 1923, 95-135/4.25 lifetime) and McGrew (born Walter Howard McGrew) was 0-0/12.60 in 1923 and 0-1/6.60 lifetime. Neither team was very good in 1923 (Philadelphia in particular was pretty bad) so that didn't help either pitcher's record. There are no results for a game on Saturday April 28, 1923, so the game must have been rained out. They played to a 10-10 tie on the 27th (12 innings) and Philly won 3-2 on the 29th. No word on when the tie might have been completed. Statistics courtesy of BaseballReference.com Tall PitchersThis pic reminds me of the first of the very tall pitchers in the major leagues. Ewell Blackwell was 6 ft 6 and played for Cincinnati in the late 40's and early 50's. His best season was 1947 with 22 wins and only 7 losses. He came very close to pitching two consecutive no hitters once but Eddie Stankey broke it up in the ninth inning with a hit. After commenting above paragraph I read in the paper where the AA Arkansas Traveler ball club has a pitcher that is 7 ft 1. Not only is he the tallest pitcher, but he is the tallest professional baseball player to ever play the game of baseball. His name is Loek Van Mil and he is signed with the Los Angeles Angels. Cheek to cheekNo dancing involved. Love the pic! "Slim" McGrew?According to baseball-reference.com, Slim McGrew was 6'7" and 235. He couldn't have been that slim. It also says that Slim Harriss was 6'6". From the picture it would seem that Harriss was the taller man however. A year away from gloryThe '23 Nats finished 75-78 under Donie Bush, still good enough for fourth place behind the juggernaut Yankees. Second baseman Bucky Harris would take over as player-manager the following season. Fielding essentially the same starting lineup but with an improved bench, the Harris-led Nationals would win the 1924 AL pennant and go on to win the World Series in 7 games over the Giants - still the only baseball world championship in Washington to date. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports)
Spanish Gallons: 1907
... arrows through the crossbow slots. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, S-A War, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/02/2014 - 2:34pm -

Circa 1907. "The Water Tower -- Fort Thomas, Kentucky." Combining a 100,000-gallon standpipe and Spanish-American War memorial. View full size. Ft. Thomas KentuckyHere is some history about Ft. Thomas. The history also has some information about the Stone Water Tower. Here is what it looks like today... View Larger Map Looks Like!When I was a lad growing up in England, my parents lived in a small town that had a Keep (a forward warning point for the castle) that was still standing and it looked just like that. I remember playing in it with my brothers and shooting imaginary arrows through the crossbow slots. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, S-A War, Streetcars)
Night Game: 194x
... New York circa 1940s. "Night baseball at Ebbets Field -- Cincinnati Reds vs. Brooklyn Dodgers." International News photo. View full ... If this is from that date this would be the game where Cincinnati pitcher Johnny Vander Meer threw the second of his two consecutive ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/17/2018 - 12:16pm -

New York circa 1940s. "Night baseball at Ebbets Field -- Cincinnati Reds vs. Brooklyn Dodgers." International News photo. View full size. Bush league infieldIs that a group of photographers I see right up there beside the batter? That's something I've never seen! But I also haven't ever watched a lot of baseball, especially of this vintage. I've also seen just enough baseball to know that that infield looks like it could use a little maintenance. Field standardsI'm always surprised at the standards of today with regard to turf when I see old photos or film of sports venues from 70 or 80 years ago. This is not a case of incompetent turf maintenance, it was the standard. Golf is the same way. Look at the greens in old Bobby Jones film and you'll see grass that would get a course superintendent fired immediately. Even in those made-for-TV golf tournaments in the early '60s you can see how far turf maintenance standards have come. Photogs on the fieldIt used to be commonplace back in this era for press photographers to be on the field, and not just at home plate. Here is a good article discussing what it was like. A Couple of Changes Since ThenYes, photographers used to be allowed on the field. That practice stopped in the National League in 1954. Also, you will notice the lack of an umpire at second base. Four-umpire crews did not become standard in the major leagues until 1952. Date of gameI believe this is might be a photo of the first night game ever played at Ebbetts Field June 15, 1938. The last year the Dodgers wore white caps at home was 1938 and the opponent is correct. If this is from that date this would be the game where Cincinnati pitcher Johnny Vander Meer threw the second of his two consecutive no-hitters (the only pitcher ever to do this) Why did the photogs need to be that close?Film was slower (ASA 400 Tri-X was a fifties invention) and grainier, thus the 2"x3" or 4"x5" Graphics and flashes (to support the high shutter speed necessary to stop action and the smaller aperture to get good depth of field). Telephotos were not common, so to get a good resolution shot, you needed to be close. The Reds have experience at this night stuff...They were the first Major League team to play a game under lights in 1935.... http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mlb-holds-first-night-game (The Gallery, NYC, Sports)
Marie's Baskets: 1908
Cincinnati, August 1908. "Marie Costa, basket seller, lives at 605 Elm Street. ... and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, Kids, Lewis Hine) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/16/2016 - 6:48pm -

Cincinnati, August 1908. "Marie Costa, basket seller, lives at 605 Elm Street. Sixth Street Market, 9 p.m. Had been there since 10 a.m. Sister and friend help her." View full size. Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Bricks, Mortar, Money: 1900
Cincinnati circa 1900. "Lafayette and Franklin Banks and Masonic Temple, Third ... Publishing Co. View full size. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/09/2016 - 11:47am -

Cincinnati circa 1900. "Lafayette and Franklin Banks and Masonic Temple, Third Street." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Pain's Spectacle: 1905
... This libretto comes from the pyrodrama's appearance in Cincinnati in 1891. Pain required a sizable down payment to bring the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/09/2016 - 5:55pm -

Brooklyn circa 1905. "Oriental Hotel and bath house, Manhattan Beach, N.Y." At left, a sign pointing the way to the bicycle track as well as "Pain's Spectacle in Fireworks." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. No YorkKnowing NY, I'd venture to guess the signpost (behind the benches on the right) is a long list of the things not allowed on the grass. Early weather serviceAt far right there appears to be a rooftop weather station. My, they were big back then. Pain's Spectacle in FireworksJames Pain was a British entrepreneur who presented a dramatic version of Giovanni Pacini's operatic extravaganza The Last Day of Pompeii. The extravaganza was presented at Coney Island from 1879 to 1914. "Pain staged his pyrodrama in at least 37 U.S. locations, including Los Angeles in 1905. This libretto comes from the pyrodrama's appearance in Cincinnati in 1891. Pain required a sizable down payment to bring the spectacle to a city, usually for a one- to two-week run. Civic authorities had to build a multi-acre venue with a large body of water, a long platform, and seating for approximately 10,000 viewers. Efficient public transportation was also critical. The actors, however, were secondary, and local performers trained by Pain's staff played most roles." Pain also produced an updated show depicting the Battle of San Juan Hill in Aurora, Illinois in 1899. It included 300 people on stage and 12,000 square yards of oil painting. That is 2.5 acres. Whichever show the patrons saw (Pompeii of San Juan Hill), They got their money's worth. Gentility & Simplicity Early 1900's seems to have been an encouraging time. Shorpy's brilliant photos and clever descriptions has made me especially fond of this specific American period. Thank you, for this enchanting portal allowing us all a glimpse into the past. Are we experiencing a *theme* day?Here, we have a great billboard pitching Pain's Spectacle in Fireworks, and just earlier, The Great Creatore - *both* featured in a single scene of The Music Man! p.s: In light of John J's comment, it's clear that Meredith Wilson was writing from current events of the setting. In the Music Man scene, the fireworks "spectacle" in question was even "The Last Days of Pompeii"! A nifty mapMy favorite images on Shorpy are Coney/Brighton ones! The NYPL has a nice excerpt from a Fire Insurance map of this area. http://nyplmaps.tumblr.com/image/25718182000 Our photographer stands with the Brighton Beach Hotel right behind him. The Manhattan Beach Baths to the right, and the background is the Oriental Hotel. I don't believe I've ever seen a photo of the Manhattan Beach Baths before. So this is, to me, a real treat! (The Gallery, DPC, Kids, NYC)
Battle Wagon: 1921
... - Dave] With Six You Get Bedroll I've lived in Cincinnati many decades, but the Sayers Six is a new one on me. Avondale was one of Cincinnati's plushest neighborhoods in the Twenties, so that was likely the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/19/2019 - 10:12am -

San Francisco circa 1921. "Sheridan touring car at Palace of Fine Arts." A product of the Sheridan Motor Car Co. of Muncie, Indiana, one of the more obscure entries in the Shorpy Catalog of Discontinued Conveyances. And evidently the buggy of choice for Civil War reenactors. Glass negative by Chris Helin. View full size. Nothing Up His Sleeve It appears the Veteran Has an empty right sleeve. [Except for the white thing coming out the end, which is his arm. - Dave] Not Dead YetSayers and Scovill still exist as S&S Coach Company, outfitters of hearses and funeral limousines. They started building horse-drawn buggies, commercial wagons and funeral vehicles in 1876. They built the first motorized ambulance in 1906, and their first hearse automobile in 1912. Their only passenger car seems to be the Sayers Six in the picture, built from 1914 through 1924, with annual output rarely more than 200 per year. After that, they specialized in funeral vehicles. Although the company was sold several times, the brand remains active today. The real thingI expect that the standup passenger is not re-enacting anything, but is a veteran of the conflict. The last veteran died about 35 years after the date of this picture, so having a live veteran was not unusual at the time. [The fiftyish fellow with the spirit-gummed mustache isn't old enough. Below, actual Civil War veterans at Gettysburg in 1913. - Dave] With Six You Get BedrollI've lived in Cincinnati many decades, but the Sayers Six is a new one on me. Avondale was one of Cincinnati's plushest neighborhoods in the Twenties, so that was likely the source of the car's model name. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, Civil War, San Francisco)
Water Park: 1904
Cincinnati circa 1904. "Reservoir and pumping station, Eden Park." 8x10 inch ... building is hidden behind some trees. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Industry & Public Works) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/02/2019 - 10:49am -

Cincinnati circa 1904. "Reservoir and pumping station, Eden Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. VestigesPart the reservoir wall still remains, looking like the ruins of a medieval castle. The old pumphouse is still there; the smokestack is in view, but the building is hidden behind some trees. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Industry & Public Works)
Grease: 1925
... at Altoona, Bridgeville and Uniontown; Akron and Cincinnati, Ohio; Atlantic City and Woodbridge, New Jersey, Charlotte, Chicago, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/22/2012 - 10:54am -

"Bob McDonough, Laurel race." On his ribbon: "Baltimore-Washington Speedway DRIVER. Inaugural Opening. Saturday July 11, 1925." View full size. Just look at those eyesHe's exhausted. He's dirty. His hands and feet are probably still shaking. He could've died this day, horrible and bloody. He might die in the next race. And he wouldn't have it any other way. Error on the boards.McDonough was initially declared the winner of the instant event, but after the scoring cards were checked Pete DePaolo was granted the win. Yum!Nothin' like a lime after a hot, dirty race! About those board tracks(Details adapted from my magazine article "Racing on Wood"): There were 24 board tracks in the U.S. from California to New Hampshire, ranging in size from a half mile to two, with seven in California (Beverly Hills on Wilshire Boulevard near today’s Rodeo Drive; Cotati, Culver City, Fresno and San Carlos, plus two circle tracks, Oakland and Playa del Rey); three in Pennsylvania at Altoona, Bridgeville and Uniontown; Akron and Cincinnati, Ohio; Atlantic City and Woodbridge, New Jersey, Charlotte, Chicago, Des Moines, Miami, Omaha, and Tacoma, plus Kansas City, Missouri; Laurel; Salem, New Hampshire; Sheepshead Bay in New York. Most were designed and constructed by a former self-titled world champion high-wheel bicycle racer, Englishman Jack Prince. Playa Del Ray was the first built, in 1910, and the last major board track race was at Woodbridge on 10/18/1931. Average track life was just four years. Not much was known about protecting wood without using slippery creosote and the stock market crash didn't help. Frank Lockhart did the fastest ride ever on the boards, a race qualifying lap of 147.229 mph in a Miller 91 on the mile and-a-half Atlantic City 45-degree banked track near Hammondton on May 7, 1927. BTW Laurel's track was banked 48 degrees. Bob cleaned up real goodHere's McDonough at Laurel on 10/24/1925 holding a funnel covered with a cloth strainer while his fuel tank is topped off. Below that is a self-explaining Laurel poster. Played byBears a strong resemblence to Paul Newman, who became noted for his sports car racing skills, primarily in Datsuns. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports)
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