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River City: 1910
... had that layout. Then it would be a much longer, bigger ship entirely than it appears in the photo, its bow extending way to the left ... station (with a 3-inch on top of it that could fit our ship), not aft as is clearly shown in the photo. They also did NOT have a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/12/2022 - 1:45pm -

Circa 1910. "Jacksonville, Florida, and St. Johns River." Note the sign for the Dixieland Park ferry. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. looks like a M.C. Escher drawing!the chute connects with the warehouse side walkway...Odd! I dare to say this framing was made on purpose. The BarrowsI'm thinking they were used to carry coal for refueling ships. There appears to be some sort of conveyer leading up to the trestle to supply the barrows. BridgeThe bridge in view is the old Florida East Coast Railway - St. Johns River Bridge. It was a single-track, Pratt through-truss swing bridge built in 1889-90. It was replaced by a double-track, through-truss, Strauss Trunnion Bascule lift span bridge in 1925 and is still in use (See: New FEC - St. Johns River Bridge). It runs adjacent to the Acosta Bridge which carries SR 13 over the St. Johns River. I believe The Jacksonville Landing and the entrance to the John T Alsop, Jr. bridge now occupy the foreground. TugInteresting tug side-lashed to a single barge. Approaching the swing bridge. Efficient use of resourcesWhile tall ships classed as fully rigged or square-rigged might have a larger crew, these four-masted schooners might have a crew of just ten to twelve - good ratio of cost of manpower to payload, and practically zero carbon footprint. Upside down barrowsSomething to do with that adjacent chute and unloading, no doubt, but I'm not really getting it. (At first I thought they were wagons but I see only one axle per device and I think I see some handles.) Tall shipsI'm always surprised to see big & tall sailing ships around as late as 1910 -- or even WWII. DD 15 or 16?I think I might have identified the warship at left foreground. It seems a lot heavier than a torpedo boat -- surely the weapon on top of the aft conning station is larger than the 6-pounder identified by SouthBendModel34. Even the existence of an aft conning station suggests it is a destroyer, but the date says it must be an early one. The funnels being so close to the conning station (mostly concealed under an awning) can be explained if it's one of the destroyers that had boiler rooms fore and aft and engine rooms amidships; DD 1, USS Bainbridge, had that layout. Then it would be a much longer, bigger ship entirely than it appears in the photo, its bow extending way to the left of the photo's edge, and explaining why Adam thought it might be a torpedo boat -- we're seeing only a small part of a 4-funneled craft. However, Bainbridge class DD's had their 6-pdrs forward of the conning station (with a 3-inch on top of it that could fit our ship), not aft as is clearly shown in the photo. They also did NOT have a propeller guard, and we can see a little piece of one if we look carefully. Also, Bainbridge class ships had blowoff tubes running up the two aft funnels, which this ship lacks. Looking further down the helpful list of destroyer photos in Navsource (http://www.navsource.org/archives/05idx.htm), I found that USS Worden and Whipple (DD 16 and 15) had plain funnels, 6-pdrs aft of the conning station, and propeller guards. The images in Navsource of these relatively obscure destroyers don't show them clearly enough that I could see any differences between them, so I'm leaving the identification at that. An annoying discrepancy is that photos of Worden and Whipple don't show the small mainmast with battle gaff that appears on the Shorpy photo immediately forward (left) of the 3-inch gun on top of the conning station. However, photos of other early destroyers show masts changing position and size during their careers so it's still, I think, very likely our ship is one of those two. Four-Masted SchoonersThe two "tall ships" are four-masted schooners. The schooner rig lasted longer in commercial service than the square rigger because a schooner requires a smaller crew. The whole crew of a 4-mast schooner might be only 10 or 11 men, all up. The last 4-master sailing in the Atlantic was carrying cargos as late as 1949. (The Schr. Herbert L. Rawding.) These schooners in Jacksonville are likely carrying coal from Norfolk VA. Other possible cargoes for them would be cypress lumber, which was in demand for furniture and door making, or phosphate rock mined in FL for conversion into agricultural fertilizer. Just as interesting as the schooners are the steam yacht and the partially obscured vessel at the coaling wharf. The near vessel is unquestionably Naval - one can see two pedestal-mounted "quick-firing" guns, 6-pounders I think, on either side near the stern. At the very stern is what appears to be a small torpedo tube. The stern itself has a rounded counter. Surely the class of this vessel could be identified by one of our Shorpy Sleuths. It's either a steam torpedo boat or an early Destroyer. (DD) Torpedo boatI was wondering if it might be one like the USS MacKenzie (TB-17)? Coaling in those daysI guess having access to a coaling wharf was a boon in those days. Even with a wharf there was still enough manhandling to do in order to get that coal down below. Not to mention to get it from stowage to the fireholes later on. Just look at USS Texas BB-35: 1900 tons of coal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Texas_%28BB-35%29)! No wharf at Scapa Flow, though. Yuck! Oil is that much more convenient. Just pass the hose, and start the pump. For the birdsGreat birdhouse on nearest warehouse! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Florida, Jacksonville, Railroads)
Free Lancers: 1898
... is the vessel moored directly astern. This old-style 'ship of the line' was authorized in 1816 and completed in 1825, but not ... training vessel before being converted into a "receiving ship", a floating barracks to house naval recruits. In this photo she is moored ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/25/2014 - 5:05pm -

1898. "U.S.S. Free Lance -- officers and crew." This patrol vessel, a converted steam yacht, was loaned to the Navy for service in the Spanish-American War. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Here's Looking at You, FellasToo bad the two seated fellows on the ends, in the front row, were born in the 1860s and 1870s instead of the 1960s and 1970s. They never got the chance to be leading men on the silver screen. A tough looking bunchThe Chief Quartermaster and the 2nd Class Boatswains Mate in the middle row look particularly intimidating. The CO and XO, too, look like they'd stand for no guff! The tall guy in the middle all the way back ...Sure looks like Peyton Manning. Back from the future??All the men with their mustaches and slick hair parted down the centre are appropriate for the late nineteenth century. But check out the smiling sailor in the back row (on the right) whose clean shaven face and mussed up hair looks like he dropped in from 2014 USS New Hampshireis the vessel moored directly astern. This old-style 'ship of the line' was authorized in 1816 and completed in 1825, but not actually launched until 1864. By then her design was obsolete, so she served as a storage and training vessel before being converted into a "receiving ship", a floating barracks to house naval recruits. In this photo she is moored at the New York Navy Yard, which the Free Lancers were assigned to help protect against marauding Spaniards. Time TravelerI had the same thought when looking over the group of sailors and noticed the clean shaven sailor in the back row. This brings up the question - does time travel or time leaps exist. It's an entertaining thought and possibly this face will appear in future photos. :-) I also noticed the knuckles on the right hand of the standing sailor to the far left - possibly Rheumatoid Arthritis or years of hard work? Floating Hat and Gatling GunWho is holding the floating hat? I wonder how that gatling gun was mounted on the deck? [That looks like a bit of a finger at the left edge, so I'd say it's being held out by the sailor with the hint of a playful grin on his face, second from right in the front row. -tterrace] Rank insigniaWhat is the rank of the officer seated on the right with the broad dark stripe on his sleeves? Passed Midshipman? CravatsI guess there were no regulations for NCO neckwear. Those 3 Petty Officers, 2nd row center, Left to right, a bow tie, a conventional necktie and no tie. New Hampshire?Robo: How did you determine that the ship in the background was the New Hampshire? There seem to be no markings. Hello Handsome!The fellow seated at the front left. Oh my! From his manly expression of toughness to his dashing pinky ring. He's swoon worthy! The tell-tale tailOf all the auxiliary ships at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1898, only the two receiving ships—the New Hampshire and her sister ship the Vermont—had sterns built like this one. However, the stern of the Vermont (below) had a different rudder post than did the New Hampshire, and had filigree, while the New Hampshire did not. The last duty station of the New Hampshire had been at New London, Connecticut as a receiving ship. She was decommissioned there in early June 1892, and the next year transferred to the New York State Naval Militia as a training ship. In June 1898, the United States Auxiliary Naval Force (consisting of the naval militias of the various states) was created, and on the 14th the New Hampshire was transferred back to the navy. From then until the end of the war she again served as a receiving ship and also as the headquarters of the Third District of the Auxiliary Naval Force. The Free Lance also served in the Third District. After the war the New Hampshire was returned to the New York State Naval Militia to resume duties as a training ship. She was renamed the Granite State in late 1904 to free up the New Hampshire name for a newly authorized battleship. As the Granite State she continued to serve the Naval Militia as a training ship in the years leading to the First World War. In May 1921 she caught fire and sank at her Hudson River pier. A year later she was refloated and sold for salvage. While under tow to the Bay of Fundy to be scrapped—usually done by beaching and burning to recover the metal fittings—she again caught fire (some of the salvage crew were assumed to have been cooking onboard). As she became engulfed in flames off Marblehead, Massachusetts, the towline parted and as a flaming hulk she drifted to just east of Graves Island off Manchester-by-the-Sea, where she sank in 30 feet of water. Said to be an easy dive, parts of her broken hull can still be seen today. The picture below—taken after she was raised from the bottom of the Hudson—shows the distinct stern. Rakish Lines and Gatling GunsThe Free Lance, later Freelance, was loaned once for the Spanish American War and leased later for duty in WWI. Rakish lines and the Gatling gun installations clearly shown here. The later WWI configuration appears far more 'Navy'. IN both cases, the yacht was returned to its patriotic owner when the wars passed. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Bonus Army: 1932
... Don't know if they were there at the time. Dewey's ship is in Phila and the Constellation in Baltimore now. A different view ... This is probably the 235th post on this topic. The ship was in DC in 1932 and first day covers were postmarked on the ship for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2011 - 7:49pm -

"B.E.F. camp, Anacostia, 1932." The "Bonus Expeditionary Force" encampment of World War I veterans (the Bonus Army) and their families in Washington, D.C. 8x10 acetate negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size. Headline NewsThe tone of these articles could be characterized as generally indignant that an "army" of able-bodied men in their thirties were trying to shake down the government for early (as opposed to 1945) payment of their World War I bonus. There was also the assumption that besides bona fide veterans, the camp included many with dubious claims to military service, as well as Communist political agitators and anarchists. All in all, not a lot of editorial sympathy for the ragtag B.E.F. Click to enlarge. Two ships - or not the two ships - that is the question.The two ships in the top background of the top photo look like Admiral Dewey's flagship and maybe the Constellation. Don't know if they were there at the time. Dewey's ship is in Phila and the Constellation in Baltimore now. A different viewThis view looks like it was at what is now the intersection of 295 and the 11th Street Bridge. Old IronsidesOld Ironsides (USS Constitution) in the background. This is probably the 235th post on this topic. The ship was in DC in 1932 and first day covers were postmarked on the ship for collectors. I built a Revell plastic kit model of the ship in the late 1950's. It was pretty pricy at $2.98, but it came with the bottom of the hull already painted a copper color to match cladding on ship. Bonus MarchersThis is a fascinating story that has always intrigued me and one that you don't hear mentioned much today. Especially when you consider how many of our future WWII military leaders were involved in it. Great pictures! Earlier ViewThis is a somewhat earlier view (and from a different angle) of the Navy Yard across the river. If those are their NAA radio station towers then the one on the right must have been undergoing rehab or dismantling by 1932. Camp Despair Washington Post, Jul 28, 1982. Bonus Army of 1932: Life Without a Safety Net Chalmers M. Roberts Fifty years ago today the ragtag "bonus army" of jobless World War I veterans was driven out of Washington, an act that symbolized the depth of the Great Depression and the paralysis of the federal government in dealing with America's worst economic disaster. It is worth recalling in order to give some perspective to the current miseries of millions of Americans. Out of that disaster half a century ago came the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt, which constructed the basic ribs of the economic safety net now so severely strained by Reaganomics. But one has only to look at mid-1932 to see what a different America it was before there was any safety net at all. In 1932, unemployment averaged 23.6 percent — over 12 million jobless out of a civilian labor force of 51 million; today 9.5 percent, about 10.5 million out of well over 100 million workers, are jobless. That year over a quarter million Americans lost their homes because of mortgage foreclosures. Unemployed men sold apples for a nickel on thousands of street corners. In such an atmosphere, the capital, as today, was the focus of protest. Father James Cox of Pittsburgh already had led one jobless march on Washington, the Communist Party another. The bonus army began in Portland, Ore., and by early summer some 20,000 vets and family members were here, calling themselves the BEF — bonus expeditionary force. The ostensible purpose was to pressure Congress into voting immediate payment of a veterans' bonus promised for 1945. Rep. Wright Patman's proposal was to have paid $1 for each day served in the United States, $1.25 for those spent overseas. The Democrat-controlled House approved, but the Republican senate refused while thousands of the vets jammed the Capital grounds. Thereupon they sang "America" and peacefully went back to their camps. These were shack villages thrown together at several locations, principally on the Anacostia's east bank and on Pennsylvania Avenue about where the National Gallery East Building now stands. On June 7, as 100,000 watched, some 8,000 vets marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in what The Post called "the strangest military parade the capital has ever witnessed," By mid-July, the White House was "guarded from veterans" by "the greatest massing of policemen seen in Washington since the race riot after the world war." Inside the mansion sat a beseiged President Hoover. Police chief Pelham D. Glassford, World War I's youngest brigadier general, wanted to feed the vets, not fight them. Evelyn Walsh McLean, who owned the Hope diamond, impulsively ordered a thousand sandwiches from nearby Child's; Glassford paid for coffee. But the District commissioners, under White House pressure, ordered evacuation of the camps. Glassford tried persuasion to no avail. Skirmishes turned into a brawl, and then a panicky cop pulled his revolver. One vet was killed, another wounded; he died later. It was 4:30 in the afternoon of July 28 when Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur appeared on the Avenue, with him Maj. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Third Cavalry troopers from Fort Myer, sabers drawn, pranced down the street under command of Maj. George S. Patton Jr., followed by infantry with fixed bayonets, a machine gun detachment, troops with tear gas canisters and six midget tanks, their treads eating into the heat-softened macadam. Some 20,000 rush-hour spectators watched as the troops charged the vets. Tear gas spread a haze over the Avenue as spectators fled; Sen. Hiram Bingham of Connecticut was trampled in the rush. It was quickly over as the bonus marchers retreated toward Anacostia, the flames and smoke from their torched shacks framing the Capitol dome for photographers. The other camps, too were burned. The bitter vets finally straggled out of town. MacArthur claimed the "mob" had been "animated by the essence of revolution." Some of those involved were indeed would-be revolutionaries, but that was not the veterans' motivating force; despair was. One vet put it simply: "If they gave me a job, I wouldn't care about the bonus." USS GrebeThe other ship is USS Grebe, a minesweeper that towed USS Constitution around the country on its tour of the country. Both Sides NowInteresting, every historian has an agenda. Looking at two current college textbooks, they tell a completely different story, a story featuring only the how awful veterans were treated, and how vicious the government was in removing these folks. Thank you Dave! A book on the BEFA book with many details and several pictures was written by W. W. Waters (principal organizer of the BEF) and William C. White. It's titled B.E.F. the Whole Story of the Bonus Army. I have what I believe is the first edition, published in 1933. It has been reprinted a number of times however. Copies are available from several booksellers on the Web. (The Gallery, D.C., Great Depression, Natl Photo, WWI)
Commonwealth Pier: 1913
... be on a seaport. Rare is the sight of a boat, let alone a ship. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Boston, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/20/2023 - 1:55pm -

Circa 1913. "Commonwealth Pier No. 5, South Boston, Massachusetts." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Still There! New name, same faceStill a productive -- and proper! -- Bostonian. But just as is the case with many of us, a facelift was in order. Stand your groundDespite the rest of the area being demolished and rebuilt with faceless towers and renaming Boston Harbor's fish pier the "Seaport District" where the sea is far away from the harbor. Commonwealth Pier still stands surrounded by nouveau riche mundane squatty towers pretending to be on a seaport. Rare is the sight of a boat, let alone a ship. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Boston, DPC, Railroads)
Stacked Decks: 1911
... for the RMS Lusitania. This is sad commentary....a doomed ship in the background and a doomed Captain of his next command in the ... on its ill-fated maiden voyage the following year. The ship behind the Olympic does look like a Cunarder. It looks to me like the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 7:27pm -

New York. June 21, 1911. "White Star liner S.S. Olympic guided by tugboats Kirkham and Admiral." Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Seeing doubleCurious about those over & under double portholes. Were they designed to give additional light and views to upper class passenger cabins? Or improved ventilation for crowded below decks areas? What Hustle...What Bustle!!Lower New York Harbor was alive with small, and BIG craft during the early 20th Century as evidenced here. From just the narrow view of one photograph, I counted a dozen or so small boats and, of course, the two Behemoths. We've identified the Olympic, could the one in the background be a Cunarder? Besides the Kirkham and the Admiral, there are two other tugs toiling up the starboard side of the Olympic as well. Great action shot....thank you, Dave. Note to Jules....The bow configuration looks correct for the RMS Lusitania. This is sad commentary....a doomed ship in the background and a doomed Captain of his next command in the foreground. Jules Is CorrectThe Cunarder in the background is certainly Lusitania of 1907. She differed from her almost identical sister Mauretania in the type of ventilators. Lusitania had a type described often as "pot-lids", with the visible portions looking like a 6-quart stew pot with the lid tilted, rather than the bent-horn type more commonly seen. Lusitania is easily identified by this feature that very few ships (and none anything like her) had. OlympicThis was the Olympic's first arrival in NYC; she sailed from Southampton on June 14. Her captain was Edward J. Smith, who would later be in charge of the Titanic on its ill-fated maiden voyage the following year. The ship behind the Olympic does look like a Cunarder. It looks to me like the Lusitania: PortholesThe double portholes provided light to the 1st and 2nd class dining saloons on D-deck. However, I'm pretty sure that the light was filtered through translucent, leaded glass windows on the interior. A view of the North Atlantic (and the moving horizon) was not deemed desirable for dining passengers. Tug Geo. K KirkhamTug George K Kirkham: built 1900 at Athens, N.Y., 76' long, 95 gross tons. Color reference from 1903 painting by Antonio Jacobsen. Re: PortholesCorrect. Here is what it looked like from the inside: The Old Grey Lady confirms itAn article in the next day's New York Times (entitled "Biggest of Liners Gets Noisy Welcome") confirms that the other ship is the ill-fated Lusitania: "The Cunarder Lusitania swung out into the river at 9 o'clock, just after the Olympic had passed and gave the small army of photographers on the piers a chance for a good picture of the two big ships." The Lusitania failed to salute the Olympic, however, a lapse that the Times treated as an oversight by the Lusitania's skipper. Among the passengers on the Olympic for this voyage was James Bruce Ismay, president of the ship's owner. Ismay was especially proud of the Olympic's squash and racquet court. He noted that "there were a few minor details that might be corrected on the next ship, the Titanic," but "nothing of any importance." Visit RMS Queen MaryThough launched in the 1930s, a generation later than these two fine ocean liners, the Long Beach-moored QM is the only ship remaining to suggest the vast size and elegance of Atlantic liners in service prior to World War 2. I'm so happy it's only a few hours drive from my home and visit at least once every year. In the MoviesI believe I see a movie camera on the Boat Deck. Newsreel? Lucky(?) lady aboardSomewhere aboard the Olympic at the time of the photo was the nurse/stewardess Violet Jessop. She was aboard when the ship was involved in a major collision a few months later. She transferred to service on the then-new Titanic, and we know what happened there. Jessop was one of the survivors. She then went on to work on the Britannic as a nurse during WWI. She was aboard when that ship was struck by a mine and sunk. She survived that incident, too. After all that, Jessop continued her career aboard ocean liners, apparently without further excitement but perhaps with a few extra gray (grey?) hairs. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC)
City of Detroit: 1912
... new City of Detroit III This was a larger sister ship to the City of Cleveland, pictured here a couple of days ago. The City of ... Great Lakes for nearly 50 years. This picture of the ship was taken when it was brand new. In fact, the Detroit Shipbuilding ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 4:24pm -

Circa 1912. "Steamer City of Detroit III, pilot house and bridge." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The Beholder's EyeI find the way they stow the fire-hose interesting. But I am really interested in the sailing rig off the starboard stern. The brand spanking new City of Detroit IIIThis was a larger sister ship to the City of Cleveland, pictured here a couple of days ago. The City of Detroit III was also a side-wheeler and sailed passenger trips and excursions on the Great Lakes for nearly 50 years. This picture of the ship was taken when it was brand new. In fact, the Detroit Shipbuilding Company that built it can be glimpsed on the right. Although the ship itself was scrapped in the 1950s, the beautiful wood paneled and stained glass windowed Gothic Room from this ship can still be seen at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle in Detroit. My grandparents may have sailed on this ship (or the City of Cleveland) on their honeymoon cruise from Detroit to Cleveland in 1922. Shipshape and Bristol styleVery nice vessel. It took a lot of work to keep that much white painted woodwork clean and scuff-less. I'll bet the brasswork gleamed too. I believe the sailing ship in the background is a gaff-rigged topsail schooner. Also on shoreI have seen similar fire hose stowing on shore on Navy sites. Tradition is big in the Navy, aided by a philosophy of enough coats of paint will keep anything from collapsing. The ignored sense As to the fire hose, the pin hanger accordion hose box had yet to be invented, they laid hose just like sailors faked rope, so it wouldn't tangle whilst unspooling. The greatest disappointment I have is in being unable to convey the aroma of these vessels. Modern steel and polymers have nothing on the early use of wood, canvas and grease paint. Even the cushions were filled with horse-hair, redolent with the aroma of it's source. My great-uncle owned and operated a tug in NY harbor, Ole was a taciturn Swede, but his ship was a wonder of sights and smells to an eight year old landlubber. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Maine Man: 1940
... time, I was privileged to salute him when he inspected our ship the USS Power DD839. Down a Peg or Two Not to sink GlenJay's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/03/2023 - 10:00pm -

December 1940. "War boom in a New England industrial town. Portrait of a shipyard worker. Bath, Maine." Photo by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Head start (and still going)U.S. entry into World War II was a year away, but Bath Iron Works had been building destroyers and destroyer-minelayers since 1934. It completed 83 of them by the end of the war with, at peak, a launch every 17 days. It tells us something about the magnitude of America’s industrial accomplishment that the Bath Works ranked 50th in wartime production contracts. Bath Iron Works has been in business since 1884, and is now owned by General Dynamics. It is still building battleships: the USS Carl M. Levin was delivered to the Navy on 26 January 2023 and will be commissioned in June. Response to responses: make that "battle ships"? "ships for battles"? "destroyers of other ships in battles"? I hope he had a decent place to liveAs we already seen with Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Bryant and by whoever lived in these trailers, and are about to see by whoever lived in this shack, housing in Bath, Maine in 1940 was hard to come by. Potatoes Again??That look on his face is priceless -- [He seems to be in a bar. - Dave] Not a BattleshipBut an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. Arleigh Burke was Chief of Naval operations in the 1950's. As a "Tin Can Sailor" at that time, I was privileged to salute him when he inspected our ship the USS Power DD839. Down a Peg or TwoNot to sink GlenJay's battleship, but the USS Carl Levin is a destroyer, not battleship. According to world authority on naval warships Milton Bradley: Battleships [BB] are 4-peggers Destroyers [DDG] are 2-peggers (were 3-peggers in the original version). GlenJay, Thanks for the info. Here's a link: https://news.usni.org/2023/01/30/bath-irons-works-delivers-destroyer-car... Not BattleshipsThe USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) is a United States Navy Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyer, the 70th overall for the class. Haven't built and battleships since WWII. No mo' BattleshipsThe last USN battleships were constructed during WWII. Several have served active duty since the mid-40's but no new BB's have been built, nor are they likely to. They simply cost too much in dollars and sailors and the need for very large ships of that size are not needed for anything other than shore bombardment (which worked nicely during the conflict in the Mideast) but are a very small part of our defense needs now. Even during WWII the aircraft carrier replaced the battleship as an offensive weapon. Current Bath Shipyard BuildThe USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) is an Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyer, the 70th overall for the class. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Portraits, WW2)
Pearl Harbor Burns: 1941
... AV-4. A seaplane tender anchored off Ford Island. His ship was hit hard by dive bombers with one crashing into one of her cranes. A ... aviation fuel was stored for the PBY's they refueled!! His ship was awarded seven battle stars during the war. Dad died in 2005 a proud ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/07/2008 - 6:10pm -

December 1941. "Pearl Harbor burns at Mare Island Navy Yard, California." Color transparency by J.R. Eyerman, Life photo archive. View full size. Remember Pearl HarborI had the opportunity today to be at a breakfast honoring Pearl Harbor survivors. It was mentioned that this would probably be the last one due to the age of the survivors. I think their biggest fear is that they will be forgotten. I hope that never happens. A day that will live in infamy Any information on who this sailor is, or whatever became of him? Thank you for posting this today, by the way. [No idea. If he was lucky he got old. - Dave] TatsWow, what great tattoos. This is well before the whole popularization of tattoos in pop culture. Back when tattoos were a sign of rebelliousness, being a sailor, or a general dreg of society. Poor guy though, doesn't look too fun. Pat AnswerMaybe his name is Pat Kelly. (Is that what the tattoo says? Yes, I know it might be his girlfriend or wife but I'm working with what I got here! Never tattoo your girl's name on your arm ... some things don't last forever and the next girl might not understand why you have someone else's name tattooed on your arm.) Medicinal sprayI wonder what was in that sprayer? My guess is a sulfa compound of some kind. Remember all of the vetsI had the honor of attending two WWII Army reunions with my grandfather before he died two years ago. I think I kind of took for granted that those guys were still around before I went to the reunion. We went to the Truman Library one year and to the World War II Memorial in D.C. the year after it opened. I think a lot of them didn't talk much about the war, except when they were in that situation with other vets--I know my grandpa didn't. Hearing their stories and seeing their reaction to the memorial is something I will always treasure. Last summer, or maybe this summer will be their last reunion as well. As a historian, it's hard to think about what is dying with them. I'm glad I got the opportunity to hear about some of it while I had the chance. Cool & RefreshingI have talked to a few sailors that were burned in Pearl and they all said one thing about what this sailor is doing. "The salt water and iodine spray hurts like hell the first time, but after that you start to look forward to that cool refreshing feeling." Dad at Pearl HarborThey will never be forgotten. Dad was there that day in December on the USS Curtiss AV-4. A seaplane tender anchored off Ford Island. His ship was hit hard by dive bombers with one crashing into one of her cranes. A bomb went through about three decks and exploded when it hit a huge reel of steel cable used to outfit the cranes on board. He told me that if it hadn't hit that reel of steel cable the next deck down was where the aviation fuel was stored for the PBY's they refueled!! His ship was awarded seven battle stars during the war. Dad died in 2005 a proud husband and father of six. We miss him. Do AskWhen I was younger, I knew my great-uncle was in the Navy in the Pacific war but that was all I knew since he didn't talk about it much. If he spoke of his Navy days it was only in the context of his eventual shore duty as a recruiter. It was only after he died (and I got more interested in family history) that I found out he was a boatswain on the USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbor. A little research uncovered he was even written up in the battle report. So, while I was standing right next to someone who was there to see it all and who was drawn right into the middle of it, I was to young/stupid to take advantage of the proximity. By the time I got "smart" enough to get interested and inquire, it was too late to ask. For those of you still with the chance to, take advantage of the opportunity and "ask." Other side of the story.My fiancee's grandfather was on the other side of this story. He was a Japanese pilot during the war, and was present at the bombing of Pearl. I remember her telling me that he wouldn't talk about the attack with the family, and just would divert the subject and move on when asked. It wasn't until a couple years before he died that he finally opened up and explained. Interestingly it came after a trip to the Arizona memorial that he decided to tell his story. According to him, the Japanese pilots weren't told that it was a "sneak" attack until after it had happened. While many of the pilots and crews cheered the attack as being a success, some, such as her grandfather, were saddened by it. He told how his bomb aimer was so distraught that he had dishonored his family's name that the man committed suicide with his own service revolver. He went on to add that after the attack, the Kempei Tai (secret military police) went around and questioned all those who had shown disloyalty to the emperor by doubting the attack. It was a thinly veiled threat to keep quiet or else. Luckily for him though, he was injured in a crash on the carrier deck and medically discharged as being unfit for service. Speaking with her, we've often wondered if his crash may not have been a failed suicide attempt. True Love There was a guy in my Army barracks that had a tattoo on on his right upper arm. It consisted of a heart circled completely by a floral design. A space was left below the heart and above the lower part of the floral design. It was an oblong box where he intended to engrave the name of his one true love, should he ever find her. It sort of reminded me of a doorbell. Reminds me of my grandfatherThe medic in the above picture "Pearl Harbor Burns" reminds me of my Grampa Russ! It couldn't be him though because his service began sometime in 1943 or 1944. He served as a Navy Seaman 1st Class on the Destroyer ship DD-390 Ralph Talbot a.k.a. "The Rat Trap". Here he is in his uniform. I love this photo! Miss you grampa! Russell Petersdorf (Russ Petersdorf) Dad on USS Curtiss in Pearl HarborI'm searching for photos and information on the crew aboard the U.S.S. Curtiss in Pearl Harbor. My dad was the Postmaster on-board. He died in 1977, but I went to one of the crew reunions in San Francisco in 2007, and found one crew member who remembered him. It was a great experience to meet men who had actually been on the ship. I saw a photo on this site of "Plank Owners" of the USS Curtiss. Who would the Plank Owners have been (what duties/ranks)? Pearl HarborJust read the comment from Joe Quinlan. My dad was a young LT.(JG) on the Curtiss who had just turned 20 Nov.19. He told me the same story about he Japanese plane that hit the ship. Wonder if they knew one another. (LIFE, Medicine, WW2)
Titanic Tots: 1912
... of the Titanic disaster whose father went down with the ship. View full size. Lolo, the last remaining male survivor of the ... D, the last lifeboat successfully launched from the ship. Michel Sr. went down with the ship. Titanic Couldn't help but notice the toy being held by the boy on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 2:14pm -

April 22, 1912. New York. Lolo (Michel) and Edmond Navratil, survivors of the Titanic disaster whose father went down with the ship. View full size. Lolo, the last remaining male survivor of the Titanic, died in 2001. G.G. Bain Collection. TitanicI was looking at these kids and wondered how much they could remember, I found this: On the night of the sinking, Michel, Sr., helped by another passenger, dressed his sons and took them to the boat deck. "My father entered our cabin where we were sleeping. He dressed me very warmly and took me in his arms. A stranger did the same for my brother. When I think of it now, I am very moved. They knew they were going to die." Michel, Jr., recalled. The boys were put into collapsible D, the last lifeboat successfully launched from the ship. Michel Sr. went down with the ship. TitanicCouldn't help but notice the toy being held by the boy on the right . . . Toy...Jim Pence wrote: "Couldn't help but notice the toy being held by the boy on the right . . ." Yeah, probably the only compensation White Star ever awarded these orphans... Toy BoatAnyone find it a little macabre that the kid orphaned by a shipwreck is playing with a toy boat? [At least it's not a scale-model iceberg. - Dave] Titanic SurvivorWanted to pass this sad note along, "Barbara West Dainton, believed to be one of the last two survivors from the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, has died in England at age 96." That would leave only Elizabeth Gladys "Millvina" Dean of Southampton, England, who was 2 months old at the time of the Titanic sinking, is now the disaster's only remaining survivor, according to the Titanic Historical Society. I recently finished a photo/video on the sinking ... using much information from the Society .. it is definitely a must-visit website. http://www.titanichistoricalsociety.org/ Also, the youtube piece I produced is located at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwUb0BEkECM if you have chance .. take a look, would love to hear your comments. Dale (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Fires, Floods etc., G.G. Bain, Kids)
Pleasantville: 1910
... they were increased in height after sea trials. The ship on the left is one of two built in Bath, Maine, either Flusser (DD 20) or ... cars up to a higher level for loading directly from the ship when at high tide. A lower level track was on the dock itself, for low ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/06/2019 - 9:07pm -

Circa 1910 comes this most agreeable vista. Who'll be the first commenter to put a name to a place? (Hint: Half the answer is already here.) View full size. UPDATE: As many commenters correctly surmised, the city is Pensacola, Florida. The original caption: "Tarragona Street wharf, Pensacola, Florida." Louisville, KYHome of Hillerich & Bradsby and the former Belknap Hardware Company. The Lewis Bear Co.Your place in Tampa Florida to get a Gonzalo Cigar Half a Chance ..."Bay" St. Louis, Mississippi? Lovely city on the GulfIt's Pensacola, Florida. Here's a photo with the Court of Record still under construction. And while I don't see any dogs lying about, Uneeda Biscuit is here. Good ViewBuena Vista, California. And it is ...San Francisco? I'll hazard a guessPensacola, Florida? PensacolaI can say without a shadow of a doubt this is Pensacola, Florida. The structure in the bottom left is currently the T.T. Wentworth Jr Florida State Museum. It was built in 1907, however, and served as Pensacola City Hall from 1907 - 1985. I don't know wherethis is but suddenly I feel like I needa Biscuit. Chula Vista?Chula Vista, California? PleasantvilleI'm thinking Chula Vista, California. A GuessPensacola, FL [Holding up hand]Port of Tampa? Tampa?The building just to the left of the Coca-Cola billboard building says Tampa, Fla. [Should have stopped at the billboard! - Dave] Some thoughtsWell, I don't see the half of the name, but I do see that this is the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Cannot find a map of that system on line, but it did serve Mobile Alabama and Pensacola Florida. Pensacola, FloridaNice photo. The Lewis Bear Company building mentioned Tampa, Florida. That company got me to Pensacola and after that I found the T. T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum which is in the lower left of this picture. Don't ask me where the cannons went. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad went to Pensacola, but not to Tampa at that time, so that information helped, too. Is it ...Pensacola, Florida? Pensacola FloridaFor Sure! That is the old City Hall in the lower left - now a museum. And the city isSan Francisco? Tampa, FloridaShot in the dark. The Lewis Bear CompanyLewis Bear Company was started in a town that has a water front layout like this -- Pensacola. The building across the street from the official looking building in the foreground could be the one in their 1899 ad. L. & N.R.R. Louisville & Nashville Railroad. I learn SO much on this site! More entertaining AND educational than normal websurfing. PensacolaI will guess Pensacola, Florida, because of "The Lewis Bear Company" on the white building just to the right of the center. It was founded in 1876 in Pensacola. PleasantvilleNever mind that, what about the cannons? Has to be ...Louisville, Kentucky. I'd guessSpanish architecture, L&N Rail Road, and an ad for the Lewis Bear Co leads me to think Florida add in the comment about the agreeable vista and I'm going with Buena Vista, Florida. Even then, a major Navy base.Notice the two early destroyers steaming along the waterfront. The one in the lead (on the right) could be either USS Smith, DD 17, commissioned in November 1909, or USS Lamson, DD 18. According to Friedman's "US Destroyers," these two (built by Cramp in Philadelphia) were the only ones with the No. 2 and 3 funnels paired. The photo shows the original low funnels; they were increased in height after sea trials. The ship on the left is one of two built in Bath, Maine, either Flusser (DD 20) or Reid (DD 21). All these were commissioned in 1909 and belong to the last group of coal fired destroyers built for the US Navy, displacement about 700 tons, and later called the "flivvers" (lightweights) once 1000-ton destroyers became normal in the run-up to World War I. Pensa ... That towerOn the right -- what's it for? [Looks like a fire bell. - Dave] Split-level wharfThe railway docks have been built with a trestled ramp which raised the freight cars up to a higher level for loading directly from the ship when at high tide. A lower level track was on the dock itself, for low tide loading. I've never seen this before. Almost the view from my window!I am seeing this a few days too late to be the first to answer, but I am currently sitting in my office with my windows facing that view, but I am one building to the right of where that picture was taken -- my office window faces the TT Wentworth Museum and the park. I have bricks from the warehouse by the water tower in the picture from when it was demolished back in about 2003, I used them to build a small paver patio in my yard. Pleasantville 1910 and the NavyI see two very early US Navy destroyers behind the wharves. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Florida, Pensacola)
Duluth: 1905
... new Aerial Lift Bridge over the just-renovated Duluth Ship Canal. [This photo is part of a six-frame panoramic view. There's a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 7:04pm -

Duluth, Minnesota, circa 1905. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Familiar facadesMany of the buildings in this photo still exist. The large stone building in the upper left is the old Central High School, now the Central Administration Building for the ISD. It was built in the 1890s. I wonder if the Pickwick sign is a company associated with the operators of the Old Saloon at the original Fitgers Brewery. This turned into the Pickwick restaurant, which is still in operation. One of the train cars is a Fitgers Beer reefer. Railyard playgroundI find the variety of people and animals hanging around the railyard in almost every photo on here interesting. Here we see a bunch of kids playing around the freight cars. The days before Thomas the Tank Engine! The other day it was free range chickens! Just interesting is all, how different we are today. Hey you kids!Look at all the little boys running around! Plus the barefoot kid on top of the boxcar and his friend down below. Doesn't seem prudent but I bet it was fun. Ol' swaybackSeriously overload gondola car, on our far left. So many still aroundMany of the companies and products seen on signs in this picture are still around after more than 100 years. Armour Foods, Quaker Oats, Coca-Cola, Duluth Paper, both Pabst and Hamm's beer, National Biscuit (Nabisco), probably others. Must be JulyNo snow and the water isn't ice. School TimeThe Old Central High School with its two wings and clock tower was, and remains, a very imposing building. Duluth TodayAs a Duluth resident,I greatly enjoyed this photo! Many of the buildings in the photo are still around - notably the tall-spired one in the left-center. That's the former Central High School. Duluth is undergoing a renaissance today and appreciation of the old buildings, the spectacular setting on Lake Superior and the rugged hills has never been greater! I love living there! Old downtownLooks to be a shot across Main Street in what is today's old downtown section. Houses are built all the way to the top of the bluff today. Note the boatsNot only trains but boats here. A lot to see. American Plan! It's so cool to see this outdated term on a hotel sign. FloatingSeems like the photographer must be situated somewhere on the waterfront. Any ideas on his vantage point? [Many of the Detroit Publishing city views were taken from water towers. - Dave] Duluth & Iron Range R.R.The reporting marks on what appear to be early hopper cars and the much abused gondola are for the Duluth & Iron Range Railroad (predecessor of the current Duluth Missabe & Iron Range). Presumably the ore cars are hauling ore from the Soudan Mine, which makes me wonder if some idiot filled a gondola with iron ore. Probably not though. My guess is that it's an old car filled with stone, coal or clinker. Lake AvenueThe bridge crossing the tracks appears to be South Lake Avenue. The tracks have since been replaced by I-35. The stone building to the left with the clock tower is the (still standing) historic Central High School. Can you spot the cannon?What a great photo, so much going on. I'll keep coming back to this one. Thanks to all who provided the local updates and building identification. Is the cannon still there? AwesomeThanks once again for a picture of my local area. Like others said some of these buildings are still around. Amazing to see this area when it was a real working class place rather than the tourist area it has become. Thanks again Shorpy About face, perhaps?It would be wonderful if, before climbing down, the 1905 photographer had also turned his camera in the opposite direction (east), to capture the sparkling new Aerial Lift Bridge over the just-renovated Duluth Ship Canal. [This photo is part of a six-frame panoramic view. There's a photo of the bridge here. - Dave] FunnyI'm hoping the lumber sash and door place sold better stuff than what was on the building. RecyclingThe cannon was sold as scrap iron in 1942 and was melted down and used during World War II. Because there was so much protest over the sale of the cannon, a flag pole was erected in 1949 on the spot where the cannon stood. Details here. Boy of the North CountryWhere was Bob Dylan born 36 years later? Saved the BestCentral High School Building is fantastic. You could get lost in the details and beauty of this Architecture. Sorry about the cannon, but the Building survives! Railroad NutBecause I am a nut about railroad history, I just love those old railroad cars. Love these Duluth photos!Its hard to believe my grandpa was 16 years old and living in Duluth when these photos were taken. Maybe he's one of those kids playing by the tracks A lonely survivorWho would have guessed that the Tremont, along with its ghost sign, was a survivor? We can fix ol' swaybackThat old gon could be straightened out by adjusting the turnbuckles under the car. Those cars had truss rods supporting them. If it's not too far gone a big wrench and a level will fix it. So Much to See I have one of these panoramas framed in my home. Everytime I look at it I see something new. The tram, the Central Tower, and down by the Steam Plant, which used to be the place to stay away from (bowery area). Wouldn't the photographer be shocked to see Canal Park today! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Duluth, Railroads)
Brooklyn Bridge: 1903
... Can you imagine the insanity on the river? There's even a ship hitting a bulkhead while turning into its dock. Lucky for them the wind ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 2:56pm -

New York circa 1903. "East River and Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan." Among the many signs competing for our attention are billboards for "Crani-Tonic Hair Food" and Moxie. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Carter's Liver PillsCarter's Liver Pills may not have had the exposure that Chas H Fletcher's had on these billboards but they gave them a run for the money. Those early 1900 nostrums lasted into the post WW2 Era and even after that. The public finally caught on and I don't believe they're easily found anymore. However the pharmaceutical ads of today are blasting the same cure-all messages but they cost a lot more money. Lots of LaxativeCharles H. Fletcher certainly made his presence known in this vicinity. According to Wikipedia, he was a very successful laxative maker. Did Manhattan need it very badly? Ferry BoatsWonderful collection of vessels on this very busy waterway. In contrast, an almost leisurely pace on the bridge. Top o'the World?This view looks like it was taken from the top of the New York World Building on Park Row, which was seen earlier on Shorpy. Although the advertised height of the World Building (349 feet) was somewhat exaggerated, the top was still pretty high up! Hard to starboard !Looking to the right of the bridge,on the Brooklyn side,you'll see a ferryboat at a really bad angle! She's tilting hard to port while making a starboard turn, churning up the water real bad. Almost looks like she's trying to avoid the dock. Land Ho!What an amzaing picture. Could study it for days and not get bored. From Uneeda Biscuit, to Carter's Small Pill - Small Dose - Small Price Pills; to the two railcar ferries, to the WHOA! WAIT A MINUTE! What's up with the ferry listing hard to port with lots of propwash behind it heading for Brooklyn, just south of the bridge?!? Looks like it's trying hard to bank to port with props in reverse to avoid slamming the pier (but looks like it's too late to miss it!). Maybe the captain had to go too fast to make it across the busy water traffic and didn't have enough room to slow down. But if the captain hadn't sped up, there'd have been a collision. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. The captain probably needed one of the many advertised tonics after that ferry landing! What a country!The year this was taken was during the huge migration from Europe which lasted several decades. Just imagine the amazement of those often poverty-stricken, downtrodden, oppressed people arriving at Ellis Island with everything they owned on their backs and being brought to the city in which they must now make a new life and seeing, for the first time in their lives, this magnificent panorama of mind-boggling industrial activity, ships from around the world, sky scrapers everywhere, phenomenal bridges and modes of transportation, bustling well-dressed, smiling healthy people, ads everywhere for appetizing, abundant food and other worldly pleasures, religious steeples and domes, the smells of ocean and fumes and foods all mingled together and offering an endless buffet of opportunity and freedom. I find this beautiful picture breathtaking. Thank you Shorpy from a descendant of the huddled masses. For those of you good at spotting details:Did anyone notice any "Fletchers Castoria" ads? Mixed trafficIt must be the rush hour. Look how close the electric elevated train from Brooklyn with the trolley poles is to the cable Bridge Only train in front of it. The white disk on the front of the cable train tells which cable, set of interlaced rails, and station platform it is using. The elevated train uses its trolley poles when it runs on the ground beyond the end of the El structure in the outer reaches of Brooklyn. I want more Chas. H. Fletcher ads!Wonderfully detailed photo. I could study it for hours. Ah, memoriesWow, think there are enough ads for Fletcher's Castoria? I remember that gawdawful stuff from my childhood. Whenever we'd visit my grandmother she'd slip us a dose in some chocolate milk. Apparently daily BMs were high on her list. HyphenatedDon't forget the billboard for Pe-Ru-Na! One more thingAnd at least eight signs for Fletcher's Castoria! Steeplechase Park Bargain10 cents for five hours! Heck, I'd give $100 for five hours to be able to travel back to 1903 to experience Tilyou's Steeplechase Park. From the old photos and video clips of it I have seen, it was a happening place. Even today with all our technology, I'd bet folks would still have a wonderful time! Decisions, decisionsWith this dime burning a hole in my pocket I could either buy two Cremo cigars or spend five hours at Steeplechase Park. My BridgeWhat a wonderful picture of my bridge that I just bought last week from a nice man who told me that I could buy the Brooklyn Bridge for a few hundred dollars. Looking at this picture I believe it was a good investment. Running the gauntlet on the Brooklyn BridgeHaving a close eye on the rails for the El, interesting that they are running a gauntlet track on both sides across the bridge...no switch points, just a frog. Under a closer look, it looks like there is a cable between the rails for a...cable car? Seen just past where the switch points would be if it was a normal switch. BTW, first post here at Shorpy! Love the site!! Chas. H. FletcherI believe I count at least 21 Chas. H. Fletcher signs. Some are a bit obscured, but the text is quite distinctive so I believe I have it correct. If I ever get catapulted back in time, I am opening a sign company! Must have been a lucrative business. Fletcher's CastoriaI found 20 signs in this photo and there might be more! World SeriesNow that it is World Series time, in the middle of it actually; can anyone from New York confirm that it's called the World Series because the New York World newspaper promoted the first of these events, and the Series name has no international implications? [That notion is debunked here. - Dave] Fletcher AdsI found 20 of these ads. There might be more! 22 Fletcher Signs !!One wonders what his advertising budget was - apparently unlimited - Personally, I feel this was overkill and would be annoying enough to cause me to choose the other brand - I easily counted 22 if his signs, including 5 on the Brooklyn side of the river. Scuffy the TugboatThis fantastical scene reminds me of the old Golden Books story of Scuffy the Tugboat, when the two children were peering over the bridge on the harbour, watching Scuffy, as he found himself in a bewildering maze of giant ships all around him. What's with the ferry steamer in the upper right side of the photo? His paddles look "full-ahead," while the vessel is listing hard aport and about to ram the wharf? Uh-oh! Great photo; begging to be colorized by some Shorpy artista. Blowin' in the WindThere are almost as many rooftop clotheslines loaded with laundry as there are Fletcher's Castoria signs. It is interesting to note that even though the Brooklyn Bridge had been open for twenty years, the ferries were still running and would continue to do so until 1924. Hang On!Lots o' signs, yes, but my attention was drawn to that hard heeling-to-port ferry approaching the pier on the opposite shore (right in the photo). Was somebody showing off for the citizenry, or were they perhaps initially headed into the wrong berthing space? [Probably not. - Dave] TrafficCan you imagine the insanity on the river? There's even a ship hitting a bulkhead while turning into its dock. Lucky for them the wind was in their favor. (I now see Denny covered this the first comment. D'oh.) And Castor Oil had a predecessor? I never knew. Why pilots are regular officersInteresting factoid about castor oil: WW1 airplane engines were lubricated with it and sprayed a steady stream of the stuff back into the pilot's face, with predictable consequences. More RecentlyI was told that this Fletcher's Castoria sign at Henry & Market Streets, on NYC's Lower East Side, was around until about 2003. There are probably others that are still visible. Cable Power on the Brooklyn BridgeThe original Brooklyn Rapid Transit line that ran over the Brooklyn Bridge to the Park Row terminal was indeed a cable-powered line. The line was eventually electrified. Rapid transit service over the Brooklyn Bridge ended permanently in 1944 when the NYC Board of Transportation decided to terminate Brooklyn elevated train service at Jay Street/Bridge Street station. Trolleys then were briefly used on the Bridge tracks. The huge Sands Street and Park Row terminals were later torn down and the Bridge itself was rebuilt in 1952 and converted solely to automobile use. Today, there are three lanes in each direction on the Bridge for cars. The innermost lanes are the rights of way for the rapid transit/trolley lines. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)
Shenango of Fairport: 1909
... full size. Is it the angle? From this view, the ship looks like it's missing a rudder! [That's because there's no rudder! ... the Col. Schoonmaker, is moored at Toledo as a museum ship. It was launched in 1911, and taken out of service in 1980. The Boyer was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 2:05pm -

Ecorse, Michigan, circa 1909. "Freighter Shenango on the ways." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Is it the angle?From this view, the ship looks like it's missing a rudder! [That's because there's no rudder! - Dave] What yeardid the catastrophic scaffold collapse happen? Ready to launchFrom the Buffalo Evening News, May 1, 1909. LARGEST FREIGHTER ON THE GREAT LAKES. The largest freighter on the lakes was scheduled for launching today at the Ecorse yards of the Great Lakes Engineering Works. It is the SHENANGO for the Shenango Steamship Company, a 607-footer. The new boat has a beam of 58 feet and a depth of 32 feet. Her cost completed will be $475,000. Capt. Henry Peterson will bring out the SHENANGO in June. That scaffolding is wild!`No way you would catch ME up there! Fearless duoIf I were one of the two guys standing there, I'd be afraid to cough! Fearless duoIf I were one of these two guys, I'd be afraid to clear my throat! HistoryApparently it was renamed five times and finally rested-in-peace in 1984. http://www.sea-corps.com/retired.htm A Familiar HullSome of the straight decked bulk freighters from this period have remained in service until the present day, since the freshwater of the Great Lakes is a lot easier on steel hulls than saltwater. The E M Ford, launched in 1898, was just decommissioned and scrapped in 2008. The Willis B. Boyer, formerly the Col. Schoonmaker, is moored at Toledo as a museum ship. It was launched in 1911, and taken out of service in 1980. The Boyer was also a product of the yards at Ecorse Michigan, and has a remarkably similar stern. Up or under?I'd take the scaffolding rather than be under the ship on the port side any day of the week! Great picLove this image, I used to work in a historical photo library refiling in their 200,000 print file print collection and this image is the exactly the sort of image that used and still does catch my eye. It has it all, fascinating. Side LaunchingThe hydrodynamic loading in a side launch is huge. It is likely the rudder was routinely left ashore until after the big event or it would be damaged. In stern-first launchings (more common on the ocean coasts) rudders were often fixed in position with temporary reinforcement to help them survive the still-substantial impact with the water. There is a picture of this in the recent book "Live Yankees" by W. H. Bunting. How Did They Do It?The collective historical knowledge of Shorpies never ceases to amaze me. Okay, so the rudder wasn't fitted until after launch, but then how did they do it? With the ship in the water, fitting a big old rudder on her stern would present quite an engineering challenge. [They did it by putting the rudder on before the launch. - Dave] Fairport serendipityInteresting to see the side launch ways - would the ship be launched using hydraulic rams? The "Great Eastern" which was the largest ship in the world at the time (1850s) was launched into the Thames this way, but needed three or four attempts. I was highly amused to see this lovely photo posted in mid August, as I have just attended the annual 3 day Fairport Shenango (or at least, shindig) in Cropredy near Oxford in the UK. This is a big music festival started by the band Fairport Convention, who named themselves after the North London house belonging to the father of a founder member. Cropredy village should really twin with Fairport Harbor! Prop MadnessThis propeller looks to be made of steel not bronze. Each blade is attached to the hub separately and has a hole near the tip possible for a shackle. This makes it easer to change an ice damaged blade by the crew instead of being towed to a shipyard. My instructors would tell stories of changing the prop at dockside and having to carry any moveable object forward in order to get the stern high enough out of the water to get to the propeller nut. Shipwrights weIt took me forever to count all the people in this one. Mr. Gangplank was obvious, but I see at least a dozen others. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Buffalo Pup: 1900
Circa 1900. "U.S.S. Buffalo , ship's company." A certain amount of mugging for the camera here, as well as ... At least one of them seems to be visiting from another ship (right end of the third row). Queen of Hearts Back row, third from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/22/2013 - 1:07pm -

Circa 1900. "U.S.S. Buffalo, ship's company." A certain amount of mugging for the camera here, as well as various props and a canine mascot. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Edward Hart, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Popcorn and peanuts and ...The swabbie with the dog could have modeled as Sailor Jack and Bingo on the Cracker Jack box. USS MassachusettsAt least one of them seems to be visiting from another ship (right end of the third row). Queen of HeartsBack row, third from the right. Wondering about the significance. What time was that photo shoot?And the guy atop the bridge seems to be thinking: "Oh, shoot - I overslept; hope I can sneak into the picture without the captain seeing that I got there late" U.S.S. Busby BerkeleyAll of these seamen & petty officers, but only one CPO that I can see. Chiefs would probably be 20% of the crew these days. VittlesThe sailor in the back row center is holding up lunch, a hardtack biscuit, and probably made by The National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) in 1861. Buffalo SailorsAn interesting but brief career for the Buffalo, designated both as an auxiliary cruiser and, later, a destroyer tender, she was only in service with the USN for about 20 years. Built at Newport News, VA she wasn't built for the Navy but was purchased from Brazil 5 years after being launched. This photo is far from the ship's entire company as she carried 350 men and only 80 or so are pictured here. The chief is a boatswain's mate as is one of the petty officers so I'd guess these are the deck crew, sometimes known in the vernacular as "deck apes". I doubt the squid with the Massachusetts hat is a visitor (or that the one with an Iowa band on his hat is either) but just hasn't switched the band from his previous duty station. I can't believe that 20% of enlisted men are CPOs in the modern navy, either....too many chiefs, not enough Indians. Takes a long time to become chief and typically there aren't more than one to a division aboard ship. I'd be surprised if they were 5% of the enlisted crew. UniformsCompared to the modern Navy these sailors look pretty disheveled. Those "flat hats" continued to get modified to be smaller in diameter until eventually being discontinued sometime after WWII although we were issued flat hats in boot camp in 1962 but they were not authorized for wear. Most navies of the world declare their ships on hat ribbons but the U.S. Navy changed that with the disappearance of the flat hat and sailors now wear shoulder patches with their ship's name. Don't know what the significance of the white lanyards are other than those might be Boatswain Mate strikers (seamen working towards the designation). The Chief appears to be a Bo'sun but the guy to his right looks like a Gunner's Mate (who wouldn't usually be in the Deck crew). The white ring around the right shoulder indicates a Seaman (pay grade E-3). There was no designation for pay grades E-1 (Seaman Recruit) or E-2 (Seaman Apprentice). Seaman was sometimes called Able Seaman or Seaman First Class. The white stripe disappeared after WWII and was replaced by three stripes on the arm. No names on tallies from 1940 onTo landtuna: The U.S. Navy ceased the practice of issuing tallies (the ribbons that were worn with the enlisted men's flat hat) with the names of ships or shore installations in 1940, prior to the start of WWII. The rationale described here suggests that the change was made due to security reasons ("to restrict knowledge of ship's movements") but it has also been said to be due to rapid expansion of the U.S. fleet. At that time the specific tallies were to be replaced with tallies reading "U.S. Navy" or "U.S. Naval Reserve." The Coast Guard also issued tallies that read "U.S. Coast Guard." The Navy ceased to issue flat hats altogether in early 1963. My father served during the Korean War and shortly thereafter and was issued a flat hat with the standard "U.S. Navy" tally, which he still owns to this day. I don't think he wore it much if at all during his enlistment. Tin in the foregroundCan anyone identify that tin container? Biscuit box, perhaps? ["Seabury's Corrosive Sublimate Gauze" - tterrace] Re: Uniforms landtuna, the answer to the lanyard can be found in this previous comment on Shorpy. Great Photo!I'm a retired Chief Machinist's Mate and I'm happy to see another MM in the front row (far left - Second Class Machinist's Mate). Man, I loved being a Second Class. A little authority, but not enough to be a hassle. If it paid better I'd have been happy to stay an MM2 forever. This can't be the Ship's Company - no Officers - but there's mixture of rates here. There's another Snipe (Engineering), a First Class Electrician's Mate - on the right in front of the guy with the HUGE hat. Several Boatswain's Mates (pronounced Bosun's Mate) from Deck (lovingly called Deck Apes), the Gunner's Mate and a boat load of Non-Rates. There are TWO Chiefs in the photo. The Bosun Chief in the crowd and another looking out the porthole. The First Class PO sitting behind the dog has FIVE hashmarks (Service Stripes). Each represents 4 years of service. It looks like the Bosun Chief only has two. Finally, the number of Senior Enlisted is capped by law at about 9%: ~6% for Chiefs (CPO) and 3% total for Senior and Master Chiefs (SCPO and MCPO). (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Dogs, DPC, E.H. Hart)
Leviathan: 1905
... no other reference to more than one "William G. Mather" in ship form. Can anyone shed some light on this? [Google and ye shall find . - Dave] William G. Mather This ship is still around and on display in Cleveland behind the Rock and Roll Hall ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 12:37am -

Ecorse, Michigan, 1905. "S.S. William G. Mather, stern view before launch." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Size mattersWow. Difficult to even imagine standing beside something that huge. Must have been a little scary for the men who were dwarfed by this massive thing they'd helped to build ... or perhaps would help to crew. Long gestationI believe the William G Mather was "born" in 1925. http://wgmather.nhlink.net/wgmqf.shtml [Not the same boat. - Dave] Not the 1925 version?This appears to be a different "William G. Mather" than the one all over Google: http://www.hnsa.org/ships/mather.htm The one here and Google image results of the stern of the 1925-built one have some significant differences. Yet both were built in Ecorse, Michigan, and I find no other reference to more than one "William G. Mather" in ship form. Can anyone shed some light on this? [Google and ye shall find. - Dave] William G. MatherThis ship is still around and on display in Cleveland behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. http://www.greatscience.com/mather_museum.php [Same name, but not the same ship. - Dave] S.S. William G. Mather 1905-1996This bulk carrier had four names over the course of its long life. Launched October 1905 as the William G. Mather. Named after the owner of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company. 1925: Renamed J.H. Sheadle when the second William G. Mather (currently a floating museum) was launched. 1955: Renamed H.L. Gobeille. 1965: Renamed Nicolet. 1996: Scrapped in Port Maitland, Ontario. PropsI wonder how they determined the exact number of poles needed to hold that beast up. They look a little spindly to my lubber eyes. Lots of steel close byIn all my 40+ years of living in Detroit, I never knew that they ever built ships like this in Ecorse (downriver). I guess it helps explain why Great Lakes Steel and McLouth Steel were just a few miles away. I'd always thought their steel was primarily for the automotive industry, although it had always looked like the steel plants were much larger than they needed to be. Does anybody know just how long shipbuilding of this size continued in Ecorse? [Great Lakes Engineering Works, also known as GLEW, was in business from 1902 to 1960. Photos here and here on Shorpy. - Dave] Watch out for that first step!I'd close that hatch, but then again, I'm all about safety. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Victory: 1943
... Maryland. "Electric welders working on the Liberty ship Frederick Douglass at the Bethlehem-Fairfield shipyards." Photo by ... Douglass and Theodore Dwight Weld. British rescue ship Rathlin rescues all hands (40-men merchant complement, 29-man Armed Guard, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/22/2013 - 10:46pm -

May 1943. Baltimore, Maryland. "Electric welders working on the Liberty ship Frederick Douglass at the Bethlehem-Fairfield shipyards." Photo by Roger Smith for the Office of War Information. View full size. V for VictoryWith apologies to our British friends. Family connectionAlthough I do not know who the two guys in the photo are, my maternal grandfather worked in the same shipyard during WWII. The late Senator Robert Byrd also worked in one of the Baltimore shipyards building ships during the war. No Liberty todayMaryland Shipbuilding and Drydock, the last name of this facility, was a B&ORR customer of mine in the 1970's, and a shadow of its WWII self. The site where Liberty ships were cranked out at a rapid rate for liberty, is today a facility for imported Japanese automobiles. Way back in the 1960's, my banker father helped MSD set up a pension and profit sharing program for its employees.To show their gratitude, MSD for many years sent a liveried driver by our house at Christmas time with a giftwrapped bottle of fine scotch for pop. SOSAbout five months later: On September 20th, 1943, German submarine U-238 attacks the New York-bound convoy ON-202, torpedoing U.S. freighters Frederick Douglass and Theodore Dwight Weld. British rescue ship Rathlin rescues all hands (40-men merchant complement, 29-man Armed Guard, and one female stowaway) from Frederick Douglass, which remains afloat until finished off later the same day by U-645. Theodore Dwight Weld sinks so quickly that 20 of the 42-man merchant complement and 13 of the 28-man Armed Guard perish. Rathlin rescues the survivors. Ref - Cressman R. J., Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in WWII Kilroy Was HereI half expect that any minute Kilroy will pop his nose over the top edge of that steel plate. SS Frederick Douglass Afro-American, May 22, 1943. Frederick Douglass Launching Saturday BALTIMORE — The Liberty Ship Frederick Douglass will be launched at the Fairfield, Md., yards of the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipbuilding Company at noon on Saturday, Willard Briscoe, company public director, said this week. … It was James Drury, local port agent for the National Maritime Union, who several months ago first requested the U.S. Maritime Commission to name a Liberty Ship after some famous Negro American. Later, officials of Local 43 asked that such a ship be launched from the Bethlehem-Fairfields yards here. Atlanta Daily World, May 24, 1943. Race Captain at Helm of Douglass WASHINGTON — A Negro captain and a colored and white crew were awaiting completion of the SS FREDERICK DOUGLASS at the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards, in Baltimore Md., this week, following the launch of the third Liberty Ship named for an outstanding Negro on May 22. The vessel was christened Saturday afternoon by Anne Wiggens Brown, Baltimore-born concert singer and original staff of “Porgy and Bess,” as the Negro master, 51-year-old Capt. Adrian Richardson, and three members of his crew witnessed the ceremony. Also present at the launching was Frederick Douglass III, grandson of the former slave who once worked as a ship caulker in the Baltimore area and who escaped from there in 1838 to become an internationally famous abolitionist, orator and editor. The grandson is now a public school teacher at Dunbar High School in Washington D.C. … The first Liberty Ship named for an outstanding Negro American, the SS BOOKER T. WASHINGTON, is already in active service under a Negro master, Capt. Hugh Mulzac. The second, the SS GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER, was recently launched at the Kaiser shipyards in Richmond, Cal. Captain Adrian RichardsonBaltimore Afro-American - Oct 5, 1943 (The Gallery, Baltimore, Boats & Bridges, WW2)
The Wild Bunch: 1905
... real life, capturing a second in time, long ago. The ship on the right is listing to port, probably unloading cargo. Oh yes, we ... the bananas were unloaded by hand from the hold of the ship. No nets or other mechanical devices appear to be in use that might damage ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:15pm -

New York circa 1905. "Unloading at banana docks." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Normal lifeI love that this photo doesn't look staged. It's just real life, capturing a second in time, long ago. The ship on the right is listing to port, probably unloading cargo. Oh yes, we have bananasI hope the guy in the white shirt made enough money that day to buy the other suspender and the other half of his haircut. Watch your step!That dock looks like a pratfall waiting to happen. Work EthicWow, it never changes does it: A bunch of people standing around while one or two people do all the work! Ha! ArmedI think the guy in the bowler on the right is packing a Colt under his coat. What a fantastic pictureAll the detail. All the action. All the people standing around doing nothing. Old Time BananasThese bananas look to be of different shape (more like plantains) than the modern commercially available variety. They are probably "Gros Michel"(Big Mike), which were the bananas commercially exported before "Panama disease" fungus ravaged commercial banana plantations. The switch was made to a resistant variety (Cavendish) in the 1950s and that variety has become ubiquitous at least in North America. Supposedly, the older Gros Michel bananas were better tasting, but I've yet to have one. Hemmenway's Sail Loft Recreation, Vol. 3, 1895 S. Hemmenway & Son, 60 South St., New York City. Yacht and Canoe Sails. Flags and Burgees. Tents. Canvas Covers and Camp Furniture of Every Description. Send 5-cent stamp for our Tent and Flag Catalogue. Highly inefficientIt took way too many supervisors to unload bananas back then. Bananas R UsThere certainly are a lot of serious men with a deep and abiding interest in bananas. I presume they are the brokers or buyers of bananas. It also appears that the bananas were unloaded by hand from the hold of the ship. No nets or other mechanical devices appear to be in use that might damage the fruit. Hey Mr. Tally Man!Judging by everyone's faical expressions, nobody wants to be on that damn boat. Day, me say day, me say day......Come Mister tally man, tally me banana.... Yes, we have no bananasThese must be the "Big Mike" (Gros Michel) variety of banana. Susceptible to a fungus, it was virtually extinct by 1960. Same scene in 1954February 1954 at New Orleans, our Navy destroyer tied up next to an unloading banana boat where bunches that were yellow were discarded at the dock. We had a field day until we got sick of them. StickyMagnetic hats -- who'd have thought. Many bananas laterImage from Google Street View: Looks like only one building from those days survived. Here it is in a shot near FDR Drive, looking up Wall Street. I knew the Shorpy photo was taken near there, because the Hemmenway sail company was located at the foot of Wall Street. A bunch of ...Took me a moment to grasp the "Wild Bunch" allusion. I was too busy thinking "Torrid Zone" (basically, The Front Page on a banana plantation), and wondering if Jimmy Cagney had gotten that shipment loaded. BananappealThe present banana variety does not taste nearly so good as the one I ate as a boy. I loved those bananas. The new variety I eat only as an addition to some other dish. BTW, I heard the other day bananas are Walmart's biggest selling item. Second: Avatar. Proto AT&TCan anyone identify the tallest building in the picture? Pretty conspicuous for this era but I've never seen it before. MetacommentaryI love Shorpy and often feature the pictures on my blog - here's a little writeup I did after the reaction I got to posting this picture. Sixty Wall BuildingThe tallest building on that photo is Sixty Wall Building. Built 1905, razed 1975 along with other buildings. Until 1987 a parking lot. 60 Wall Street built in 1989 is there now. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Horses, NYC)
Hauling Mass.: 1905
"A tow entering the St. Clair Ship Canal," circa 1905. The Hackett Line tug Home Rule , built in 1890, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/17/2023 - 12:26pm -

"A tow entering the St. Clair Ship Canal," circa 1905. The Hackett Line tug Home Rule, built in 1890, wrecked in 1924; and the bulk freighter Massachusetts, built in 1882 and wrecked on the St. Lawrence, 1923. At the rear: the tug Frank W. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Forward wheelhouse-- the mark of a lake boat. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Detroit Photos, DPC)
Military R.R.: 1865
... The monitor noted by others is most likely a Passaic-class ship and probably the Lehigh. The primary assumption is that the ship is perpendicular to the line of sight (as are the other ships). In that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 8:53pm -

City Point, Virginia, circa 1865. "Gen. J.C. Robinson" and other locomotives of the U.S. Military Railroad. From views of the main Eastern theater of war, the siege of Petersburg, June 1864-April 1865. Wet plate glass negative. View full size. Robinson ahead by a nose Seems that the Lt. Genl. Grant is running a close second. The named locomotives are from the Wm. Mason Machine Works in Taunton, Mass. The engine ahead of both seems unnamed. Might be an "American" locomotive or a Wm. Mason. LocationThe terrain and the enormity of the facilities in place makes me almost certain that this was taken at City Point, Virginia, the Union's main supply depot for the area at the time. [Another clue would be the first three words of the caption. - Dave] Who's DrivingThe engineer is definitely not Buster Keaton. Any ideawhat the black things are in the upper right hand portion of the picture? When I looked at the blown up picture it looked a little bit like a lot of black socks hanging on a clothesline but that's obviously incorrect. [It's a scratch in the emulsion. - Dave] A bigger nameHard for me to see, but appears to be "Lt Gen. US Grant" on loco behind the Robinson machine. I am amazed at the hillside, ships and living conditions of the period. Grant's Iron HorseSaturday we saw Grant's horse "Cincinnati;" today we see Grant's Iron Horse, "Lt. Genl. Grant," on the left. Union IroncladA turret of a Union ironclad can be seen in the background over the top of the pier-side warehouse. This could be the USS Onondaga, which was stationed at City Point to prevent Confederate ironclads from breaking out of the James River and attacking the supply base. The problem is that the USS Onondaga had two turrets and I only see one. Grant and Lee There is a photo so similar to this one in the book "Grant and Lee" by William A. Frassanito that it must have been taken about the same time. It is in the City Point chapter view 8. The tents and buildings on top of the bluff were part of the Railroad Hospital. The wharf shown is a replacement for one that was blown up by saboteurs on August 9,1864. The explosion killed 43 laborers and according to Mr. Frassanito narrowly missed General Grant who was in front of his headquarters tent at the time. His books have photos taken during the Civil War and then the same scene in modern times. IroncladIn regard to the comment by Excel08 about the ironclad. Also according to Mr. Frassanito there would be about 200 vessels anchored off of City Point on any given day by the fall of 1864 including the ironclad ram "Atlanta" with one stack. Poor LightingAmazing that all the headlights on these locomotives were a kerosene lamp in a box with a magnifying lens. Spectre-visionNifty ghost in front of main tent! Hillside erosionAttention troopers! Gen. Grant has authorized the issuing of hazard pay due to the hillside erosion and the location of the outhouse. It is further recommended that only those soldiers who know how to swim should make use of the facilitiesafter dark. Buster Isn't ThereI'll bet he is out visiting Annabelle Lee. InterestingAlmost as interesting as the locomotives are the view of the ships in the harbor. OopsHow did I not see that? Boy, is that embarrassing. Hey youget back to work. 25 years of progressIt amazes me to think that these beautifully turned out engines are only one generation away from the dawn of American railroading (think Tom Thumb and iron-plated wooden tracks). A person born in 1820 grew up with horse, foot or canal-boat travel, when 50 miles was a good day's journey. During their adult years, they saw the rise of well-established railroads that could travel fifty miles per hour. This, together with the telegraph, was the dawn of the "shrinking world." The Third LocomotiveThe locomotive moving forward between the "Lt. Genl. Grant" and the "Genl. J.C. Robinson" is the "Governor Nye." This 4-4-0 was built by the Richard Norris & Son locomotive works in Philadelphia, and was acquired new by the USMRR on February 18, 1863. Sent to North Carolina in 1865 to work on the USMRR, it was still in the USMRR inventory in April 1866. Another photo taken within minutes of this one shows it in the yard. Watch that last step...I don't think that cliff-side staircase meets any imaginable safety regulation. Bridge Of Beanpoples & Cornstalks General J.C. Robinson 4-4-0 (Construction # 124) Formerly known as the USMRR locomotive General Haupt and acquired new by USMRR on January 17, 1863. Renamed General J.C. Robinson. Sold to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1865. http://www.nvcc.edu/home/csiegel/USMRR%20Locomotives.htm "That Man Haupt has built a bridge over Potomac Creek, about 400 feet long and nearly 100 feet high, over which loaded trains are running every hour, and upon my word gentlemen, there is nothing in it but beanpoles and cornstalks." Monitor identityThe monitor noted by others is most likely a Passaic-class ship and probably the Lehigh. The primary assumption is that the ship is perpendicular to the line of sight (as are the other ships). In that case comparing the monitor's funnel (tall thin light-colored tube to the left of the turret) to the turret, they are signifiicantly closer spaced than would be the funnel-turret distance for a Canonicus-class ship, the only other type which fits what is visible. This marks it as a Passaic. To identify it as the Lehigh is the stretch. At least three Passaics were known to have been in the City Point area at this time; the Lehigh, Patapsco, and Sangamon. The Patapsco and Sangamon were both confusingly identified as having a white ring at the top of the turret/base of the rifle shield. There is no ring visible on the turret of this monitor. The Lehigh was all black. O Scale model Civil War model railroadBernie Kempenski is building a model railroad with these kinds of locomotives, etc. His is dated 1862. http://usmrr.blogspot.com (The Gallery, Civil War, Railroads)
The Kaiser Comes Calling: 1912
... of the salute and coming up the side. Curious what ship this is. And yes, those searchlights all had radial shutters that could ... proximity to the bridge (or conning tower on this pre-WWI ship) or signal station. Even the smaller signal lamps could reach the horizon ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 11:19am -

1912. "German port call. U.S. battleship in Hampton Roads to greet German squadron." Harris & Ewing Co. glass negative. View full size | More here. Searchlights GaloreIn the pre-radar days, men o'war sported lots of searchlights. [Were any of these used for signaling? - Dave] Two guns fired thereThat's one way to signal. How cool that the shot was taken at that time. Slop chuteThey're firing a saluting gun in honor of the dignitary. You'd think a visiting honcho wouldn't have to boat through the bilge discharge and they'd at least hoist the slop-chute inboard for the duration of the salute and coming up the side. Curious what ship this is. And yes, those searchlights all had radial shutters that could be opened to transmit blinker-messages in morse. There were a lot of them because they were subject to gunfire, being mostly glass. EnlightenedJughead may be on to something but most of the lights here have the main function of searchlights. They certainly could be for signaling but strict signal lamps were usually smaller, more nimble, and located in proximity to the bridge (or conning tower on this pre-WWI ship) or signal station. Even the smaller signal lamps could reach the horizon day or night though that was not always a good thing. The larger searchlights were generally for utility (e.g. cargo operations), emergency (e.g. man overboard or other search and rescue), or during warfare for night action (e.g., WWI against torpedo boats, WWII Battle of Savo Island). Radar changed the game and the need for banks of lights. Meeting the MoltkeWashington Post Jun 3, 1912 Norfolk Va., June 2 - The American battleships Utah, Delaware, and Florida exchanged salutes with the German cruiser-battleship Moltke this afternoon as the three former ships sped through the Virginia capes en route to Hampton Roads. The firing of the salutes on Sunday is not customary, naval officers say, and the fact the the Utah, which led the three American ships as they passed the capes, boomed a salute to Rear Admiral von Reuber Paschwitz, commanding the German squadron, was regarded as an unusual compliment for the German commander. The big guns of the Moltke answered the salutes from the Utah, and the officers and crew lined the decks and waved their hats to the American ships. Everything is in readiness for the visit of President Taft in the Hampton Roads tomorrow. The German ships are expected to leave Lynnhaven Bay about 7 o'clock tomorrow morning so as to arrive in Hampton Roads about the same time the Mayflower gets in with President Taft. U.S.S. FloridaThe battleship is either the USS Florida or the USS Utah. The Florida was scrapped in 1932. The Utah was sunk at Pearl Harbor. Lynnhaven BayJust wanted to put this out; the article quoted cannot be completely correct. There is no possibility that at the time a new capital ship such as Moltke or her two escorts could have entered Lynnhaven Bay; Lynnhaven Bay's shallow channel allowed sailing ships of 8-11 foot draft to enter, but Moltke would have drawn 16-18 feet, minimum, as a cruiser-battleship highbred (a type which would eventually be called a Battlecruiser). In addition, Lynnhaven Bay does not, technically, open into Hampton Roads, but is located almost literally at the mouth of the Chesapeake; Hampton Roads, proper, is some 5 miles further north, beyond the small bay at Littlecreek (which is now a US Naval Amphibious base, and is the the far right star shaped bay on the Wikipedia entry's photo of Hampton Roads). [Or, the fault may lie in incomplete knowledge on our part about the Lynnhaven Bay of 100 years ago. The "Movements of Naval Vessels" columns in the Washington Post and New York Times from 1900 to the 1920s contain dozens of references to battleships at Lynnhaven Bay. Below are some examples from 1910-1915. - Dave] "Firing Salutes back and forth"Somehow, I have this eerie feeling about reading the article and seeing the future foes, only 5 years from combat against each other, fired salutes back and forth at each other. I get the impression that hilarity would have ensued if the article had ended with something along the lines of: "After a rollicking 10 gun salute from USS Florida, followed by an additional 10 gun salute from USS Utah was answered by SMS Moltke's own 10 round salute, the enthusiastic friends continued to salute each other for the next few hours until Moltke lit off a massive pyrotechnic display near her forward armory and then slipped off, to the delight and cheers of the men of Florida, Utah, and Deleware. In an unrelated story, 1053 sailors from SMS Moltke were lost in a freak training accident off the Virginia Capes. The US Navy is currently enroute to look for survivors." The Main GunsThe ship looks relatively new. How big are the main guns? They look surprisingly small compared to the monsters that were on the WWII battleships. USS FloridaUSS Florida and USS Utah would have both been a year old at the time of the photo. SMS Moltke would have been the same age. They all had 10 280mm main guns for the main batteries. Cagy QuestionCan anyone explain what the purpose of the two cages on either side of the smoke stacks? What were used they were for? Just a fancy ladder? Cage Masts Cage masts, found on every battleship built in the USA from about 1910 to 1920, allowed spotters to direct artillery fire. The structure was designed to take multiple hits from enemy fire without collapsing. Big GunsUtah, Florida and Delaware all mounted ten 12 inch guns in five turrets. By comparison the last battleships completed for the US Navy, the Iowa class, mounted nine 16 inch guns in three turrets. The biggest guns ever mounted on a battleship where the nine 18 inch guns in three turrets on the Japanese Yamato class. In fact the Japanese were actually planning a "Super Yamato" class with 20 inch guns. I salute the battleship geeks!Seriously, the range of knowledge here is very impressive and much more interesting than the postings of the railfans (I'm one) when a locomotive photograph appears. U.S.S. FloridaThe U.S.S. Florida. Click to enlarge. Thanks Dave!It puts the top picture really into perspective. It's amazing the differences in design philosophy between the British/German dreadnought battleships and the Americans. Still didn't stop them from becoming ridiculously obsolescent fast and into scrap in 10 years. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Harris + Ewing)
Shipshape: 1898
... concerns, life aboard a man-of-war continues whether the ship is afloat or up on blocks. Propulsion I see the drummer entering ... dock? "Cat head" Interesting that this ship retains the method of securing the anchor used by wooden sailing ships of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 4:22pm -

Circa 1898. "U.S.S. Massachusetts in dry dock." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Edward H. Hart, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. It's where they liveUnless the crew needs to be removed due to safety concerns, life aboard a man-of-war continues whether the ship is afloat or up on blocks. PropulsionI see the drummer entering into the lower bow and, of course the oarsmen are already seated on their benches, dreading the coming order for "Ramming Speed!" Scrollwork and swabbiesI love the scrollwork on the bow - you won't see that anachronism on a modern destroyer. For those who are/were in the Navy - why would sailors be actively on a boat that's inactively in dry dock? "Cat head"Interesting that this ship retains the method of securing the anchor used by wooden sailing ships of previous centuries. Much more pronounced on the old sailing ships, but here it is in stubby form. High and DryThey keep some men on board to do work that the shipyard workers would not do. Also if there were not billets for all the men some would be quartered aboard the ship. I have a friend who spent the last 18 months of his four year enlistment aboard a submarine that was in dry-dock for refitting. There were still watches to stand and regular day to day activities that go on aboard ship. Someone has to push the papers around on the desk. Parked Depending how long the ship in dry dock will dictate what's to be done with the crew. In the mid 1960s my ship was dry docked in Baltimore. Some of us were sent to Fleet schools and some stayed aboard. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, E.H. Hart)
Icemobile: 1905
... to use a younger pair and move them to the front of the ship, many of the cast and the movie itself would eventually win Oscars and VHS ... at those wheelhouses, I don't think I've ever seen a ship built with a mansard roof. Particulates The lack of pollution ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 5:25pm -

Circa 1905. "Grand Trunk car ferry crossing the Detroit River in winter." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Pullman carsSome interesting information and illustrations here. Seems there are examples at his museum, and a few in other countries. Titanic Worries!"What was that, Hon? You want me to sit with you in the rail car? No thanks. I think I'll just stay out here in the lifeboat if you don't mind." Just Chillin' on the VerandaBut what a smoke screen those poor passengers had to endure. I wonder what sort of sturdy craft the photographer was perched on in order to "get the shot." The hardy occupants of the coach nearest the camera had apparently already weathered a nasty storm on the rails; that car's frosted like a wedding cake! [The "sturdy craft" was land. - Dave] ExtraordinaryWhat a captivating and dramatic riverscape. Maybe the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen are heading out on another adventure? VestibulesNice shot of the railroad ferries that plied many waters on the Great Lakes. Similar ships were used, for instance, on the Straits of Mackinac for decades. The picture is a great illustration of one of the real innovations in passenger cars - vestibules at the ends of the cars that allowed passengers to move from car to car through the train while it was in motion. Better yet, the photo shows the car on the left with the earlier, so-called open vestibule (still had some open platform) while the car on the right was the newer, fully-closed vestibule. Not only did the vestibules make moving between cars easier but the Pullman Company (which invented and patented them) tried to convince passengers that they strengthened the cars in the event of a collision. The tighter coupling was said to prevent the cars from telescoping into one another. This had been a real problem in the old open-platform cars. It was such a great idea that the designs were quickly knocked off by the other passenger car companies and it became the standard of the industry. Thanks DaveI am planning on building a model of the Lansdowne and the definition on this photo shows detail I have not seen before. The Lansdowne was built in 1884 for the Grand Trunk Railway. She was powered by a pair of horizontal low pressure engines working at 55 psi, until some engineer forgot to drain one on startup in 1971 and blew the cylinder head off it, instantly converting it to a barge. She was pushed by a tug for a few years then laid up and converted to a restaurant on the Detroit waterfront. Her hulk still rests partially submerged in Erie, PA. Being a sidewheeler with each paddle capable of independent operation, she was considered a very good ice boat. RivetedJust what I was thinking, Jeff! Very steampunk looking. Great shot. Here's How It WorksThe couple on the Stern may be setting the scene for a film to be made some 90 years later. The Director electing to use a younger pair and move them to the front of the ship, many of the cast and the movie itself would eventually win Oscars and VHS tapes would be handed out to purchasers of Happy Meals. The Addams Family at SeaLooking at those wheelhouses, I don't think I've ever seen a ship built with a mansard roof. ParticulatesThe lack of pollution control back in the day is startling. The amount of thick black smoke would certainly not be tolerated today. It would take several more years until emission control standards would be adopted. [Several more decades! - Dave] The Lansdownewas towed from Erie to Buffalo in 2008 and broken up there that year. Life as a restaurantPictures of the Lansdowne as a floating restaurant on the Detroit waterfront are hard to come by (see below). She lost one side wheel and a pair of funnels, and had a steel structure built on top with two old railroad observation cars at one end. The interiors (and exteriors) were just cheap 1980s ersatz "luxury," with little connection or even acknowledgment of her Victorian past. It could have been built on any old barge and been the same. By the end of its restaurant career, it was dirty, poorly managed and had awful food. Photo SourceTry as I might I can not locate this image on the LOC site. Did you obtain it from them? I'd like to play with the full size Tiff copy they usually have on the site. [It's here. You can find these by searching LOC for the filename (for this one, "4a15742" -- right-click on the Shorpy image, choose "properties" or "view image info") - Dave] Restaurant Observation CarsThe observation cars on the photo of the Lansdowne as a restaurant photo that bigguy1960 posted are a pair of Milwaukee Road Skytop Observation Cars that were built in 1949 when they re-equipped their Hiawatha trains. Ten of these were built, six in the original design with the extended skypod observation area and four with a shortened skypod; the latter class are the cars on the Lansdowne. They were withdrawn from service in 1970. Apparently the railcars were undamaged when the Lansdowne sank at Erie, but couldn't be salvaged intact and were each cut into three pieces. There was reportedly an effort underway to salvage them to make one complete car out of the two but I have no knowledge of whether this was carried out. Update: To answer swissarch's question, several of the ten Skytop cars have survived. One that I know of for sure, Cedar Rapids, is operational and sometimes used on excursions. She would be a true sister of the cars on the Lansdowne. The car is owned by a group called "Friends of 261" and can even be rented for whatever reason. At least two other cars Coffee Creek and Dell Rapids either still exist or are in the process of being restored. ExtraThat's what I'd pay to ride in one of those Obervation Cars. It must have been truly exciting to be in one of those thundering along at about 80 mph, watching the world rush by. Shame they're lost; were any saved? Spectacular shotQuestion for the boat engineers. It seems that a lot of the inland vessels back then used paddlewheels. What is the advantage of a paddlewheel over a screw? Why were they so popular then and not now? And why are some sidewheelers and some sternwheelers? Postcard based on the photographFound on the Web. [Very nice -- it looks like a watercolor. - Dave] (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)
The Horrors of Pandemonium: 1865
... the top center of the image to the left of the sailing ship. It is identified by its distinctive white paint job extending halfway up ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 3:04pm -

Richmond, Virginia, in April 1865 showing the burned district along the James River. From photographs of the main Eastern theater of war and fallen Richmond compiled by Hirst Milhollen and Donald Mugridge. View full size. As the sun rose on Richmond, such a spectacle was presented as can never be forgotten by those who witnessed it. All the horrors of the final conflagration, when the earth shall be wrapped in flames and "melt with fervent heat," were, it seemed to us, prefigured in our capital. The roaring, crackling and hissing of the flames, the bursting of shells at the Confederate Arsenal, the sounds of the Instruments of martial music, the neighing of the horses, the shoutings of the multitudes, gave an idea of all the horrors of Pandemonium. Above all this scene of terror hung a black shroud of smoke through which the sun shone with a lurid angry glare like an immense ball of blood that emitted sullen rays of light, as if loath to shine over a scene so appalling. Then a cry was raised: "The Yankees! The Yankees are coming!" — Richmond resident Sallie Putnam Upon evacuation of the city, the Confederate government authorized the burning of warehouses and supplies, which resulted in the destruction of factories and houses in the business district. Before the charred ruins of Richmond had cooled, General Robert E. Lee, with the remnant of his army, surrendered to Ulysses Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. [From Embattled Capital, on the National Park Service's Richmond National Battlefield web page.] What was the purposeof burning everything? [To keep it from falling into the hands of the enemy. - Dave] Libby PrisonThe infamous (as were all of the prison camps, North & South) Libby Prison can be readily seen in the Full Size View. Look along the top center of the image to the left of the sailing ship. It is identified by its distinctive white paint job extending halfway up the sides. Added I believe as a means to silhouette prisoners attempting escape. I've never seen it from this perspective, which clarifies its location in Richmond. http://www.uwm.edu/~sdornbos/pages/libbyprison.html Then & NowAre any of the buildings shown in the photograph still standing and also, are there any recent photographs taken from the same perspective? Richmond Then and NowGoogle "Richmond Then and Now" and there is a site of old and new(er) side by side. I don't recall this particular one, though. Burning EverythingClassic war tactic, psychologically punish the other side, also to keep them from reusing anything of value and swing the fighting back into the other side's hands. Probably the buildings left standing would not even be safe for use since it is known that buildings which have been burned like that classically are unsafe for occupation, so in effect leaving little or no shelter from the elements of winter or summer for the perceived enemy. As a Richmonder...it's appalling to consider this extensive devastation occuring in my hometown. I can't begin to imagine what citizens at the time went through seeing their city in ruins. PerspectiveThe only buildings in this photo that are still standing are probably the old Tredegar Iron Works, but I haven't been able to identify them in this shot. If I can figure out where this was taken, I'd love to get out to take a photo of the same spot now in 2008. Tredegar Iron WorksI have also wondered where the Tredegar Iron Works is in this image. Comparing a well detailed keyed map with landmarks identifiable in the photgraph I've determined that the Tredegar Works are not in this image. They would reside off frame to the right along the river. Link to map: http://www.mdgorman.com/images/Hospital_Map.jpg Richmond 1865This image is taken looking over downstream toward the east. Tredegar Iron Works would be to the right and rear of the photographer. The bend in the river is the key. The bridge to the right is what will become Mayo's Bridge (14th Street Bridge). Church Hill is in the upper left corner; Chimborazo Hill is in the upper center, with Shockoe Bottom in center mid-view where the sails can be seen. Fulton Bottom and Rockett's Landing are in the distance downriver from the bridge. Richmond then and nowI've been a photographer in the Richmond area for 5 years or so, and I've always wanted to take historical photos like this and do a "before" and "after" kind of thing. I took the city map linked to above and laid it over the same area of Richmond in Google Earth (which took some doing; I still can't get it exactly right). Using that, I was able to get this image which shows the 1865 map at about 50% transparency laid over slightly out of date satellite imagery from 2007 with 3D renderings of buildings as they were in 2007. The site the original photo was shot from is up on Gamble's Hill on what is now the headquarters of Ethyl Corp. I went there earlier today to shoot an "after" photo of what that area looks like. I wasn't able to get up as high as I'd've liked; there was a fence in the way. Still, this is roughly the same view. The Dominion Power building is on the site of the Turning Basin, to use as a landmark. The street in the foreground is S. Fifth Street; I don't think it's visible in the original photo, I want to say that building in the foreground is blocking it. The brick structure in the left foreground is a parking deck that was just finished; Byrd Street runs just in front of it. That's the same street the two wagons are on in the 1865 photo. The tall building at the center is the Federal Reserve, and the low glass building to the right is the new MeadWestVaCo headquarters which either just opened, or is still under construction; I'm not sure. Neither this building nor the parking deck were there when the satellite imagery Google has was taken in 2007. I also have a collection of photos of Richmond on Flickr if anyone's interested. I'm going to try to do more of these "before and after" photos in the near future. Burned RichmondI remember as a child going down into that area and still being able to see the burn marks on a lot of rebuilt warehouses. They didn't tear down the wood that was not completely destroyed, like they do today, because lumber and supplies were shipped up north to rebuild first. (Panoramas, Civil War, Fires, Floods etc., Richmond)
Good Night: 1897
... I'm trying to figure out where this would be on this ship.I'm thrown by the ornate wooden doors on the right, the steam heat ... steering but it can't be.But then again !! Footnote; My ship had an aft steering wheel almost identical the air pump wheel but padded ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 12:16am -

Circa 1897. "Aboard the U.S.S. Brooklyn -- good night." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Edward H. Hart, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Posers"Now lie down and pretend you're asleep whilst I take this picture." Well, this is timely:"The first African American to graduate from the Naval Academy died this week, 63 years after being commissioned into the Navy. "Retired Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Brown died Tuesday evening. "He was 85." ... "At the time Brown was trying to enter the academy, Navy physicians looked for reasons to find the young African American man unfit to attend. "The only defect they could find was an overbite. After an African-American congressman complained, they gave Brown a second look and deemed him qualified." Author is one Tina Brown, treed@capgaznews.com so I guess she works for capgaznews (Capital Gazette News? Not at my newsstand.) There's a little more in the article, which you can probably get with a Google. According to the Register of Alumni, he stood 372nd in a class of 790 (Class of '49). Bet he had a miserable Plebe Year. Sleeping with hankDo you suppose the hank of rope everyone appears to have been issued (at least those lucky enough to be issued a hammock) is to lash one's self in when the seas are rough? Odd compartment!I'm trying to figure out where this would be on this ship.I'm thrown by the ornate wooden doors on the right, the steam heat radiator in the middle and what looks to be a ships wheel on the right! With the wheel there, I'd say aft steering but it can't be.But then again !! Footnote; My ship had an aft steering wheel almost identical the air pump wheel but padded around the rim.Not all ships wheels have handles. Re: Rope The ropes seen in this photo were most likely used for lashing up the hammocks when not in use. Note the one that is lying on the deck and is being uses as a pillow by the young lad who seems to feigning sleep. Sleeping in a hammock on a moving ship would not be difficult at all. as the ship rocked the hammock would remain stationary, acting somewhat like a pendulum. the sleepers weight would pull it downward whilst the ship rotated around it. Now, to be honest, rough seas that caused the ship to pitch (rise and fall) rapidly would be a different story. Interesting to see that this ship has a mixed crew and that the sleeping quarters are not segregated. IntegrationWe have a mixed race crew who seem to be comfortable in each others company. I thought that the military was segregated until Truman's Presidency. [Racial segregation in the US Navy began under Woodrow Wilson's administration. -tterrace] Nevermind the LongjohnsThey've likely set up their hammocks to escape stuffy or overly warm regular quarters. I think the sailors are on an exterior sheltered deck toward the stern, where the auxillary/docking steering would be found. Exterior doors of that louvered type were quite common on ships of that era and don't in and of themselves suggest any interior space (though I doubt you'd find them in an area not well sheltered by a deck above). Air Pump?For Oldmanmac: The wheel at left isn't the ship's wheel. Too small, and there aren't any handles on the ends of the spokes. I think it's actually part of a hand-operated air pump for supplying fresh air to hard-hat divers. Compare it to this slightly smaller example from the Museum of London. If you look closely at the Brooklyn's pump, you can see one of the crank handles has been reversed and stuck through the wheel spokes, probably to prevent "owies" in the cramped below decks area. So much for integrationAnyone notice that the two minority sailors seem to be hammockless? At least there are no empty/rolled hammocks in sight. Re the salt sleeping on the deck, I think the fact that he's not bothered to remove his shoes or deploy his bedding indicates he recently came onboard and is soon due to go on duty. Lines, not RopesThose spare bits of line are used to trice up the hammocks, as when the order 'All Hands Heave Out and Trice Up' is passed at reveille. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, E.H. Hart)
King Copper: 1905
... at Pieces of Eight, then my grandmother and I boarded the ship (with her car loaded aboard) for the trip across the lake for a family visit in Ann Arbor. The weather turned rough and the ship soon had that distinctive odor of vomit wafting through it. Wishing to be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 10:49am -

Houghton, Michigan, circa 1905. "Loading copper on steamer Juniata." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Suspended in TimeWhy did suspenders go the way of the buggy whip? We don't depend on horses as our main source of locomotion any longer, but men still have the need to keep their pants up. As the reluctant owner of a 1950's vintage male body I find that suspenders are far superior than a belt in preventing my britches from suffering the cruel and embarassing effects of gravity. Relative costsClearly, this was a time when machinery was expensive (if it existed) and labor was cheap. Arc storyThe carbon arc lamp is suspended on a cable and pulley system, with wiring long enough to reach the ground. The lights, while bright, required frequent adjustment. Love It.This is one hell of a good Photograph! Thank You. Still AroundLooks like she's still around. To summarize: The Milwaukee Clipper, another passenger steamer. Built in 1904, she served as a passenger/package freighter for the Pennsylvania Railroad marine division called the Anchor Line as the Steamer Juniata. In 1940, after several years in layup, she was sold and converted to an excursion steamer between Muskegon & Milwaukee. Laid up in the 1970s, she lingered for 30 years before returning to Muskegon as a museum. Doesn't look much like the photo anymore though. In 1970I rode the Milwaukee Clipper from Milwaukee to Muskegon when I was 12. Once. The family and I had a nice lunch at Pieces of Eight, then my grandmother and I boarded the ship (with her car loaded aboard) for the trip across the lake for a family visit in Ann Arbor. The weather turned rough and the ship soon had that distinctive odor of vomit wafting through it. Wishing to be discreet, and despite the bad weather, I went topside and ralphed all over the upper deck. Queen of the Great LakesLaunched in 1904, the SS Juniata is still afloat as a maritime museum in Muskegon, Michigan. Renamed the SS Milwaukee Clipper, she was rebuilt twice before 1937. The ship museum's website details her long history at www.milwaukeeclipper.com Arc Sequel By that time (1905) the arc lamp in all it forms had reached a rather 'mature' design state... the mechanisms to keep the carbons feeding properly (and the arc itself stable and consistent) were cleverly designed and well known for more than 50 years. One still had to supply new carbons, as of course they were consumed in the process. So most of the reasons for suspending the lamps on pulleys was to enable replenishment without resorting to tall ladders on horse-drawn wagons or pole-climbing and cross-arm hanging. Some info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_lamp As side note, a friend has several WW-II era carbon-arc searchlights which he rents out for advertising; I have operated and maintained them for him, and further I have experience with commercial cinema and have at times been called to run a few carbon-arc projectors (now very rare) - those require some fancy choreography in the projection booth to keep things bright and the audience happy. And on the manual labor issue - if those ingots weigh (conservatively) 30 pounds each, I count over 30 on the barrow in the foreground - that's nearly 1/2 ton loaded and pushed up to the start of the ramp and who knows where in the hold of the ship. Note the rope attached to the barrow on the ramp -- so at least they were using a winch to haul the loads up. But: how many of those trips did each man make in a day? Most of them don't even have gloves. Puts some perspective on what folks did to earn a living. The Effort InvolvedThe man wheeling a barrow from the far end of the ship demonstrates how much effort was needed to roll those loaded barrows before the rope was attached. They knew what they were doing: note how the peak of each pile of ingots is usually centered over the axle for balance when the wheeler picks up the handles and stands straight. The long handles on the barrows are needed for leverage to swing that massive load up into balance. If that's copper, I wish that pile was mine, with today's prices. Arc Lamp This has to be one of the best photos of an enclosed dual globe arc lamp in service that I have seen to date. The lamp pictured is a GE "interchangeable type" of about 1900-1906 production designed for parallel circuit service. Note the wood box on the pole which likely has a switch to turn the lamp on and off. This would be a low voltage (110) lamp, as a higher voltage lamp for series service could not be safely switched off. An up-close view shows both the inner enclosing globe surrounding the carbon rods and the outer globe with removable brass collar and attached safety chain. The inner globe allowed the carbon rods to burn in an inert atmosphere, making changes of carbon rods less frequent. a typical lamp needed trimming only once a week under regular use. These lamps were once very common but nearly all were destroyed in scrap drives for the two world wars. Operational examples are extremely rare. The attached photo shows a still operational example of this exact lamp showing the clutch mechanism and current limiting inductance transformer above. [Another interesting arc lamp here. -Dave] Awesome!I've been through Houghton and in a few of the copper mines in Copper Harbor! All things being equal Those pig ingots are 15 pounders, The end slugs are two and a half pounds each and the two center 'Big Pigs' are five pounds each. Even so, at today's prices, there has to be over 500 dollars worth of copper on each barrow! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Mining)
Launch Party: 1905
... What a majestic image with such movement, I feel as if the ship is going to coast right through my computer screen. Ladies Who Launch ... the answer to that previous post about the rudder when a ship is launched sideways. Perfect. Wow ... That's exactly why I love ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 7:16pm -

September 2, 1905. St. Clair, Michigan. "Launch of steamer Frank J. Hecker." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. CinematicI think this picture ranks among my very favorite here at Shorpy. What a majestic image with such movement, I feel as if the ship is going to coast right through my computer screen. Ladies Who LaunchGet all their clothes wet. Looks pretty cold for this very same day 105 years ago. 3-D would be nice. 3-D ... pfffftWe're always talking here on Shorpy about how we'd like to go back in time into one of the scenes photographed, but ... I really really want to go back in this one and be one of those people getting a front row seat for this! It must have been simply overpowering. Just looking at the photo gives me goosebumps. Wonderful MovementIt's wonderful how frozen in place yet full of motion this pic is. Beautiful. Or.."Let's do launch" 1905-1961LAUNCH OF A NEW STEAMER. -- The new Gilchrist Transportation Company steamer FRANK J. HECKER, building at the St. Clair yards of the Great Lakes Engineering Works, will be launched tomorrow, and a number of prominent marine men will be on hand to witness it. She will be fitted out as soon as possible. Buffalo Evening News Friday, September 1, 1905 FRANK J. HECKER, U. S. 202475, bulk carrier. Renamed PERSEUS 1913, foundered about 90 miles NNW of Fayal, Atlantic Ocean, after breaking away from the tug ENGLISHMAN while in tow for scrapping at Genoa, Italy; September 21, 1961. Record of Great Lakes Engineering Works, St. Clair (Michigan) Yard RudderlesslessNice way to show the answer to that previous post about the rudder when a ship is launched sideways. Perfect. Wow ...That's exactly why I love old cameras and classic photography! WOW!What a photograph..... and I DO mean photograph!!! WhoFantastical photograph!!! Who was the camera person? They should be praised. re: WowAs exciting as it might be to stand there watching the launch, it surely wouldn't compare with what was experienced by the half dozen fellows seen standing on the stern deck! Quite a shotIt would have taken skill and maybe a bit of luck to have captured this shot. 8x10 view cameras don't have a burst mode. BravoLike the guy said before me, WOW!!! What a photograph. It is exactly what I said when I first glanced at the picture. Textbook "capture" of the moment. Great find, Dave! EPB An Instant ClassicA very nice capture. This is the type of photograph I love and look forward to seeing here at Shorpy. Thank you! Hang on!White knuckles on the taffrail. RivetingI'm just a landlubber and maybe I'm not seeing things right but it appears to me that the plates on the lower levels are welded while the ones on the higher levels are riveted or bolted together. Is that a standard in shipbuilding and if so,why? Are welded seems easier to make watertight and if so, why not weld the rest of them,too? Oh. My. God.Magnificent, just magnificent. This shot was taken for a postcard printing company? Has anyone located any actual postcards made from this photo? Those two children standing on the viewing deck were probably telling the story of this event to their grandchildren in 1975. The sweep of the girl's heavy plait tells you everything about the excitement, the awe, and the thrill of that moment. Could any sight have ever equaled this - at least one from the hand of man? Take that,James Cameron! Colonel HeckerI had to Google Frank J. Hecker (1846-1927). Interesting guy - and what a mansion (still standing) he built in Detroit! iPhotoHow come 105 years later the camera images on my "high end" phone come nothing near this? re: iPhotoI think it has to do with your entire phone being 1/5 the size of this photo's original negative. The phone's sensor probably has less than 1/1000th the imaging area. But the older camera won't stream video or tweet. "Small, fast, cheap: Pick two" and they gave us the first two. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
The Kraken: 1942
... New scenario: Black cap is the skipper of this tiny ship and crouching teen is his first mate. Sherwin Williams is actually a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/10/2022 - 10:55am -

July 1942. "Washington, D.C. -- Washington yacht basin." 4x5 inch acetate negative by John Collier for the Office of War Information. View full size. Built in 1921 at New York for E. J. Otis of WashingtonThe Kraken spent its entire life in the waters surrounding the nation's capital, a 43-foot "bridge deck" power cruiser with a 100-bhp, 6-cylinder MEU Stearns gas engine. Its later owners, all of D.C., were Charles Benns and Nelson Nevius. Sold at a sheriff's sale in 1935; L. R. Kuldell of D.C. owned it until he sold it to Edgar Goff in 1944 who converted it to a fishing boat. Remarkably, it endured for almost another quarter century owned by Goff until removed from documentation in 1967. Shiver me timber!Having a raised deck like this yacht sure looks sweet. Trying to figure out the relationshipsNecktie is the Kraken owner or potential buyer and crouching teen is his son. As the cap on one implies, Sherwin Williams and his shirtless helper are painters. Black cap runs the engine and pilots the boat. But if they're about to paint the Kraken, why haven't they pulled her out of the water? They need to get a-cracken, cause that boat needs paint. I'm still considering alternate relationships and scenarios. New scenario: Black cap is the skipper of this tiny ship and crouching teen is his first mate. Sherwin Williams is actually a professor and shirtless helper is a wholesome farm boy from Horner's Corners, Kansas. Necktie is a millionaire, who's waiting for his wife to arrive with a surprising amount of luggage. The wife is bringing a movie star friend. They'll set sail for a three-hour tour. Know your meme!And plenty more where these came from. Ahoy !! Ye deadbeats. From the looks of the paint the new owner is just as much a flake as the previous one. Squatter has Rock and Roll HairHe's just 15 years too early. Bottoms UpHopefully they have already done the bottom. Then as now dry dock space at marinas has always been tight. The dock master would push you to get it done and back in the water. Once back in you could take your time scraping and painting above the water line. Repair CrewAll the young men are wearing work clothes, and the tools on the deck and visible seams suggest they've just replaced the canvas decking and are reinstalling the coaming rails. Since these are unpainted they're probably new as well. Wooden boats are, as Joseph Conrad once said, "like a lady's watch; always out of repair". Repair/RenovationIt looks like they are installing a new wood gunwale. There is an open paint can on the boat near the pier, so Doug may be correct about what is going on. Those guys definitely look like they have been doing some painting or caulking in those pants. Maybe they are just painting her above the waterline. It was wartime, sacrifices had to be made! IncidentThere was some drama the week before this photo was taken. Another captain accused the Kraken of cutting off his sailboat. Things escalated, and the yacht basin port master impounded both boats. Luckily, the owner knew a lawyer (in tie) who got a court order and forced the port master to release the Kraken. What a "do"Son, the rodents have made a nest on your head. Release the pompadourThat's some wild head of hair on the lad crouching on deck. RepairsIt appears that this yacht is getting a new foredeck splash fitted. There are tools on the deck and the lad on the front looks to be doing the work. The two gents in the dinghy have paint stains, likely Sherwin Williams, on their slacks. The retrofit will need to be painted when complete. There is also some missing gunwale to be replaced. Lyle Lovettis much older than I thought. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, D.C., John Collier)
When the Grocery Looked Like That: 1947
... still good while the war was going on, but later when the ship yards and other industries were shutting down, and letting off workers, ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 01/09/2015 - 1:16pm -

My father in his San Francisco store, the De Luxe Groceteria, not exactly the proud, optimistic-looking fellow thirteen years before. The neighborhood was going to the dogs, charge customers were running up three-figure balances and paying a couple bucks on account when the mood struck them, plus riding the bus back home across the bridge every night with a briefcase stuffed with quarts of milk was probably getting old. Three years later, he had the place sold and was continuing in the grocery business in a lower-stress capacity, one that had a pension to boot. View full size. Groceteria artifactUnfortunately, we don't have any of the cool product signage, but here's a page from my father's account pad, showing the kind of balances some of his customers ran up. Too bad he didn't put the real date in, but I suspect this is from the 1940s despite the old "193_" pad. The well done run dryHas tterrace finally run out? He posted this pic two years ago. Way to goGotta tell ya tterrace, your father knew how to display his wares. In both pictures he shows how beautifully he laid out his merchandise. Any new baseball cardsToday, Mr. Terrace? No, well I guess I'll have a candy bar with that cold pop then. Fresh Frozen Fryers??They can be fresh. They can be frozen. They cannot be both. Just sayin'. Reissue"Digitally remastered from archival materials, with new commentary track." On my shopping listNow I know where I may find some Shinola White shoe polish, Nucoa oleomargarine, and Nuchief fruit all in one quick and convenient stop. None of my beeswax BUTdid your father ever get robbed at gunpoint by a thug or have any other "close calls" with bad guys? I currently live in middle America where I always thought people were safer but it seems like convenience store clerks and those who manage small grocery stores get robbed more than taxi drivers and pizza delivery people and often are shot and killed for a paltry sum of cash. To be alone managing a small store these days seems like an invitation for trouble. It probably was not considered a high risk job in 1944. ConfusedStill trying to figure the layout from the earlier picture in relation to this one. Where are the columns from the first photo? Are those the same windows? The state of the neighborhoodFrom the earlier posting of this picture I learned that your father's grocery store, in a neighborhood that went "to the dogs" back around the end of WWII, was just a block away from where I used to live at Valencia & 14th Street. Back when I lived there in the late '80s and early '90s the area was still a little dodgy. But you could see the gentrification coming then, and from the evidence of Google Streetview it seems to have arrived with a vengeance. Your father's old store is now surrounded by new apartment buildings with huge windows. I sure couldn't afford to live around there anymore. The ceilingThe ceiling seems to be flaking, leaking or otherwise displaying signs of damp issues. Hint HuntCould Hint Hunt be a punch card game? Some kind of lottery? Dad's almost-groceryThere was a similar store in my neighborhood in the '50s and '60s. They carried a lot of credit as well, all registered by hand in those little account books. They hung on for years despite a modern supermarket being open since 1958, less than a mile away. I think the owners tried to sell the store more than once. My old man considered buying the place but could not deal with staircases in the building due to a war injury. They finally unloaded the place in the mid-'60s. The new owners (with no prior experience) were out of the grocery business after about four years. They tried selling blue jeans for awhile, but they didn't last long doing that, either. Lights and columns and windows, oh my!Hi! I'm new here... only been lurking the last month or so. I like the contrasts provided by a "before and after" with a ten-year gap. But like someone else noted, the columns look different (they're gone in the later shot). So do the lights (two rows of lights earlier, one row of lights later). And the windows (they switch walls). Many other differences between the shots showing progress (?) and change in the ensuing ten years. The neighborhood outside may have been "going to the dogs" but building maintenance must have become a challenge, too. There are big patches in the ceiling of the later shot. Leaky roof or pipes in the ceiling? Condensation from air conditioning ducts? There's a ceiling vent that's not in the earlier shot. And who could have known back in the day that arch-rival brands Butternut and Wonder Bread would end up stablemates in the same company? http://www.hostessbrands.com/ also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Bakeries Very cool! Thanks for sharing. I've been turned on by so many new (well, old) things by tracing the Library on Congress sources for some of your shots. Thanks again! Love all of your picsI have enjoyed all of your pictures. Keep them coming please. I was born in 1967. Love all of your photos. AlterationsThe answer is that the landlord decided to remodel the building, making more room for the middle business in the building, a bar. The new wall is where the columns were. The side windows were closed over, and the ones in back were boarded up, because there had been break-ins, and petty cash was taken. And the back wall to the storeroom was opened at the top, so you can see the two small windows that had wire mesh over them on the back wall. Father was angry at the landlord, because he had less room for his wares, and the rent was the same. During the war a large housing project was built in the neighborhood which was for workers in the war construction industry. Business was still good while the war was going on, but later when the ship yards and other industries were shutting down, and letting off workers, people had less money and took advantage of the credit that he let them have. And then used what cash they had to buy their groceries at the new supermarkets that were coming into the neighborhoods. Milk wasn't the only thing he brought home in his leather valise after work. It had a cloth bag with the contents of the cash register. Thank heaven he was never mugged. As far as robberies, I remember our father talking about the time a "young punk" came in pretending to represent the "Black Hand" and trying to get protection money from him. He said he grabbed the thug by the throat and told him if he ever came back he would get the **** beat out of him. He never did. Quiz Show"Hint Hunt" was a radio game show sponsored by Armour Star Meat Packing. Not sure when it started, but it was canceled in 1949. Excellent pictureMany of our grocers shops still look like this in England (except for the leaking ceiling!) The Layout ExplainedHere's my thoughts on the layout changes from the 1934 picture to the 1944 picture: A new wall was built where the row of columns once stood. In the 1944 picture, you can see the outline of the old counter on the floor in the middle front. You can also verify that this was the right edge of the counter because the row of lights in the earlier picture ran along that right edge. This looks like it's about the same distance from the wall as the original counter was from the row of columns. Using that as a location marker, I would say the two windows in the earlier picture are covered up by the Butter Nut poster and the poster behind it (looks like a wine ad?). I think the wall from the 1934 picture was knocked down, thus making visible the windows in the back of the 1944 picture as well as the ceiling vents. If you follow the floor of the later picture, you can see a slight change in texture that lines up with the wine poster on the right wall, thus further verifying that this was the placement of the back wall in the 1934 picture. [See the definitive answer below, under "alterations." - Dave] A Shorpy educationWow, I learn things on Shorpy I never knew before, even about my own family. Point-of-SaleGazing at the advertising displays lining the walls (Royal Crown, Butter-Nut), I am seized by ephemera-envy. I don't suppose any of those survived? Balance dueThat would be something like a $5,000 balance today! And that's only for a single customer. Glad your dad was able to get out of it. Grandmom's StoreMy grandmother had a neighborhood store. She would let us eat Fudgesicles and drink NuGrape sodas till we were sick. Grandmom had to deal with shoplifters mostly. One attempted armed robbery. The guy ran away when she began to pray out loud. Oh the memories!I remember stores like that. I never really liked the goods behind the grocer. :) Now, I'm not THAT old but I grew up in small towns in Kansas that still had stores like this. I rememberThis looks like the Ed Adkins grocery on Lawrence Ave. in Toledo when I was little. Supermarkets existed then, but were not all that common yet. You told Ed or Larry, his assistant, what you wanted and they went and got it, much like a modern auto parts store today. [This was a self-service store.] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Stores & Markets, tterrapix)
Holland America: 1910
... Great-Grandpa got into a little trouble in Genoa. Got on a ship to Hoboken as crew, jumped ship, "just walked away" as the story goes. In 1904 he sends for G-Grandma ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/28/2012 - 7:25pm -

Hoboken, New Jersey, circa 1910. "Holland America docks and Manhattan skyline." Another three-plate panorama showing the S.S. Rotterdam, and a different perspective on the Curious Tipsy Shed. View full size. Ocean LinersOn the other side of the pier from the Rotterdam is another Holland-America liner, although much smaller. The Rotterdam was built in 1908 and scrapped in 1940. Further to the left and behind the ferry is a Cunard liner tied up to Cunard's Manhattan pier. One of Holland-America's present day flagships (along with the Amsterdam) is a newer version of Rotterdam. You can see an image of her on Holland-America's website. The Shed.I do believe this structure was once part of another building, possibly salvaged from something that was demolished. It looks like the back (or is it now the front?) is made of Corrugated Tin while the rest is made of Wood. Possibly it's being used as temporary housing for some of the Dock workers or the Railroad people? Digital ICEThe lettering on the Lehigh Valley appears to have been faded by digital ice or some other automatic clean up program. I had to quit using it because it would randomly remove details when I did slide scans. I found it better to just do the clean up on the original and scan as is. [You're mistaken about the lettering on the boxcar -- this is how it really looked. Such software is not used on these images. - Dave] Where it all beganIn 1903 Great-Grandpa got into a little trouble in Genoa. Got on a ship to Hoboken as crew, jumped ship, "just walked away" as the story goes. In 1904 he sends for G-Grandma & toddler Grandma, there is a record of the family entering (again at Hoboken). G-Grandpa died in 1955, still WOP (without papers). Now have an idea of what it must have looked like to them, thanks. Shipping LinesI can see the Cunard Dock across the river (not hard, there's a great big sign). On this side I can only guess based on the house flags that the ships are flying, but it there's another Holland-America ship on the other side of the dock (confirmed by her funnel markings). On the far left of the photo it looks as if there's an American Line ship. On the right of the Rotterdam - on the other side of the next dock - is what appears to be a North German Lloyd ship. It would be interesting to know what the layout of company docks at Hoboken was in those days. The endThe ferry Binghamton tied up at the former Holland America pier circa 1968. Holland America left Hoboken for Pier 40 on Manhattan's West Side in 1963. Ten years after the fireThe pier on the far right was Pier No. 1 of the Norddeutscher Lloyd Line. It was constructed soon after a horrific June 30, 1900 fire burned all three of the NDL piers to the water line, gutting three of its transatlantic steamers, and killing over 300 people. Not surprisingly, the replacement piers were designed to be as fireproof as possible. (Replacement piers in the Nov. 27, 1900 NY Times.) South of the three NDL piers were the Hamburg America piers - two of which (Nos. 5 and 6) were destroyed in a 1921 fire. (Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC)
Lady of Larkspur: 1955
... to her mother, it had made the trip from New York by ship around Cape Horn to San Francisco, then by horse-drawn freight over the ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 01/11/2023 - 7:42pm -

Frances Dorsey "Fanny" Cagwin, along with her husband George, were our neighbors in Larkspur, California, where they'd lived since 1905. Frances had been a school teacher in Virginia City, Nevada when she met George, and they married in 1887 at Carson City, where he was employed at the U.S. Mint. She was an accomplished musician, and in the living room of their Craftsman style home could be found a gleaming Steinway rosewood square grand piano. A wedding gift of her father to her mother, it had made the trip from New York by ship around Cape Horn to San Francisco, then by horse-drawn freight over the Sierras to Virginia City. Follow the link in George's name to see him and get a glimpse of his eventful life. Frances died in 1958 at the age of 92, and George in 1959 at 102. My big brother, then in high school and doing gardening work and errand-running for the Cagwins, took this Ansco Color slide with his then-new Leidolf Lordox 24x36 35mm camera. View full size. A good lifeemanates from this woman. I hope her husband's survival of her death was not unduly painful. Memories Of My GranMy grandmother Nellie looks just like this lady and lived to the same age. She and her husband Tom met on a boat to Australia in the 1900's and married out there where he was a ranch hand (a cowboy for all intents and purposes). In 1984 my grandparents came over here to visit my American bride and myself when she was 90. Someone asked Nellie how the flight was (she had never flown on a plane until then) and she said "Well! Once you are up there you can't get down" My grandparents died within a few hours of each other, and when Nellie heard that Tom died, she said to the nurse "Well! That's it then. Time for me to go". She fell asleep that night and never awoke. That was her amazing life just like Fanny. Ours was a different experienceFrances Dorsey "Fanny" Cagwin is charming. The photograph is beautiful. It's a blessing when neighbors get along so well. When I was in second grade, my family moved into a neighborhood that had better proximity to schools. Our house was on a corner, so we really had only one next door neighbor. Our introduction to that neighbor was when the man of the house showed my father where the property line was. The relationship deteriorated from there. Lovely neighborsTterrace, your brother's photo turned out much better than one I tried to take of our neighbor, Mrs. Laughlin, who lived across the graded dirt road from our family farm in Callahan, Florida. I was about 12 and had the use of my my dad's Signet 80 for the summer of 1964. You wouldn't think I could mess up the focus using a rangefinder, but I managed it! Fanny looks young for her ageIn 1955, she would have been 89 and certainly doesn't look 89! Fanny definitely looks to have been a fascinating lady with a life to match. I love how people dressed in the 1950's and everybody dressed up to go anywhere. Thank you tterrace for sharing such a great photo. I wondered where you had been and good to see you posting photos again! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
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