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Takoma Park, Maryland, circa 1928. "Hendrick Motor Co. garage -- Battery Service." Another aspect of the establishment last seen here. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
Above on the wall, obscuring the "R" in "SERVICE", appears to be a gas-fired distiller for (I presume) a source of pure water for the batteries. Also, peeking out behind the battery charging racks on the left, one spies the motor-generator that supplies the charging current.
Thanks to Dbell for clearing that up, I thought it was a just a seriously hard core Coffee maker.
That appears to be a Dynamotor tucked in the corner of the bench, it's an AC motor turning a DC generator, probably the only way to rectify large amounts of current back then.
Lots to see here in this battery service shop, from the fire bucket (just in case), to the batteries stacked on the wooden steps - NOT on the shop floor (still believed to ruin a lead-acid battery.)
Sulfuric acid dispenser on one end of the bench, with a tar pot and (acetylene?) cylinder for heating it at the other.
And a really serious charging rack! With what appears to be a rotary converter to provide the 6+ volts for charging from the shop AC line.
In case of fire, use the handy bucket of water to toss onto the batteries.
[That's sand. - Dave]
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