Framed or unframed, desk size to sofa size, printed by us in Arizona and Alabama since 2007. Explore now.
Shorpy is funded by you. Patreon contributors get an ad-free experience.
Learn more.
Continuing our tour of Pittsburgh circa 1908. "Pittsburgh & Lake Erie R.R. station and Mount Washington -- Smithfield Street Bridge and Monongahela Incline." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
The Luzon looks like a commuter or sight seeing launch - some of the old New York Harbor commuters built by the wealthy mucky mucks were absolutely stunning, definitely a step up from any old limousine.
From what I see in the recent picture, and the online street view map, I'm curious... is the incline still there and in use?
[Yes.]
The signs advertising the Quaker Toasted Corn Flakes and the Gazette-Times must have been something to see. They look (by my estimate) to be about 15 feet or so high and a good one hundred feet or so in length.
and a ramp! (Don't for get your life jacket. You know, just in case.)
The small boat tied up in left foreground is interesting because it lacks a prominent funnel. In this period, most powered craft were steam driven and would have had a large, tall funnel. This could be a naptha launch, which might not require such a large exhaust, or it could be powered by an early gasoline or diesel engine.
Looking at it carefully it could be a passenger ferry? The long superstructure made me thinik it might be a yacht but being able to see through the windows on both sides throughout its length suggests a simpler interior with rows of seats, not luxury accommodations with sleeping quarters.
The bridge itself was only guaranteed to last for 15 years when it was first built.
Well, a penny for your weight anyway. Check out that penny scale up on the near side of the bridge. Those things are worth a "pretty penny" today as collector items. What a neato bridge, they just don't make them like that anymore.
On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5