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Metz Master Six: 1920
... me. Netting Well, if they're going to ride in a car like that, maybe the netting is to keep the bugs out of their teeth. ... The Metz Co. The Automobile -- December 9, 1915 Page 1051 The Metz Co., Waltham Mass., has placed on the market ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 11:15am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Lanza Motor Co. -- Greenwich Village Girls." Somewhere under this mass of pulchritude is the Metz Master Six automobile. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Shoe envy!These gals look genuinely happy to be there! Love the girl in the back, I don't see her as graceless at all! Net ResultI'm glad that netting went out of style a long time ago. The women wearing veils here appear as either feline, at best, or suffering with some form of acne. Greenwich Village GirlFront row left, gazing thoughtfully out to sea, seems to be the star of this photo, Bird Millman O'Day, a Ziegfeld and Ringling Brothers high-wire performer who appeared in the Greenwich Village Follies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_Millman http://genealogyimagesofhistory.com/images3/Bird-Millman.jpg Any One...of these veiled ladies could have her way with me. NettingWell, if they're going to ride in a car like that, maybe the netting is to keep the bugs out of their teeth. Metz Mistress SevenSo the Master Six seats Seven Misses. Nice headlightsI'd like the lady on the bumper, to our right. She reminds me of the Good Witch, Glenda. 'TudeHey, "pulchritude," it's a nice word. It's been some time since I heard it. I'll think of using it once in a while. The Metz Co.The Automobile -- December 9, 1915 Page 1051 The Metz Co., Waltham Mass., has placed on the market three types of delivery cars in addition to its roadster and touring car. All are on a 25-hp, chassis , model A, having an express body selling for $475, with prest-o-lite tank and oil side and tail lamps. Model B is the same except that it has Gray & Davis starting and lighting and sells for $525. Models C and D correspond to models A and B, respectively, except that they have roll side curtains, model C listing a $525 and model D listing at $575 model E uses the Gray & Davis electric system and has a closed delivery type body. it sells for $600. http://metzauto.wordpress.com/category/metz-company/ The Seven TopsOh, what a fun confection of hats. Although one must tsk at the rather graceless sprawl of the miss in the middle. I wonder if that came across as gauche and unladylike, or just a girl with her buddies having fun. (It's always so hard to tell who's at the age of accountability to the Powers That Be.) Flapping>> I wonder if that came across as gauche and unladylike, or just a girl with her buddies having fun. I think just fun. The 1920s were a great era of liberation for women in particular and youth in general. Pop culture (radio, magazines), peace and prosperity made for one rollicking decade. General observation - Looking at all the pictures on this (excellent) web site - it strikes me that you don't see any obesity (save for that circus woman) anywhere. Fast food? Sodas? No smoking? We drive everywhere now? [Let's not forget "juice boxes." - Dave] What a difference a decade makesCompared to the prim and proper ladies in our mysterious 1910 photo, these gals seem a century later in attitude, not merely 10 years. For (an official) brief video on a recent show at the Galliera museum in Paris on clothing from the period 1919-29 "Les Annees Folles" (The Crazy Years), see here. Even if you don't speak French, you'll love the clothes. Emancipation! Bald tires and pretty ladies.The tires back then. Were they supposed to be bald with no tread? Also. The girls look genuinely happy without hard eyes, a rarity today. I fell in love with top left gal very very pretty! Body language.Front left. She is the one in charge. Beautifully Adorned AutoI have never seen such a well appointed car, though you can't really see much of the car. If I could get my time machine working, I would have to pay that lovely young lady on the far right a visit. I am hopelessly in love with her. I'm not sure if Mother would approveof the gal centre back straddling the hood. A "lady" still rode side-saddle in those days. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
REO Heroes: 1906
... trip in a 16-horsepower REO (Ransom E. Olds) touring car. View full size. Shades of the Old West The cowboys of the 19th ... but that vehicle wasn't to appear on the scene until 1915; and the band wasn't on the scene until 1966. On an interesting note, the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/31/2021 - 1:05pm -

June 1906. "REO Mountaineer, New York to San Francisco and back." Percy Megargel and David Fassett at Huber's Hotel on 162nd Street in the Bronx at the end of their 10-month, 11,000-mile trip in a 16-horsepower REO (Ransom E. Olds) touring car. View full size. Shades of the Old WestThe cowboys of the 19th century had a rifle in a scabbard secured under their saddle. Percy and David had the rifle in a scabbard secured under the fender. I wonder what its purpose was, hunting for food, defense or both? ToolsThe Winchester rifle was only drawn once, for a bear: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-reo-mountaineer-endurance-ru... Not a very smooth tripNew York Tribune Thursday Jan 11, 1906 Modern AutomobileThis REO seems to have more basic systems in common with a 1980 car that the 1980 car has with a 2021 car (or crossover/SUV/Truck, since they hardly make cars anymore). 162nd and Jerome AveAcross the street from the (future) House That Ruth Built! Long and winding roadThis was aptly described at the time as an 'endurance run'. Percy and David originally estimated the round trip would take 112 days. One reason it took three times that: they routed through Detroit, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Portland, Los Angeles, Flagstaff, Gallup, Denver, and Omaha. They reported that the car was once stuck in quicksand for three weeks until a snow-melt flood washed it loose. They were in San Francisco in November 1905, so they missed the earthquake by five months. The photo below was captioned: "Lost between Williams and Flagstaff, Ariz." (They are less than 34 miles apart--but Arizona was still a territory.) Clearly, a time-traveller.The passenger is checking his cellphone. The Bronx?! The heck you say."How can this be the Bronx?" I asked myself. "It's not even paved." Then the light bulb went on. Curious as to what might be there today, I did a quick Google and found the approximate location. Suffice it to say, as a native New Englander, I wouldn't be caught dead there now outside of the AL East wild card playoffs... Bowlers and boatersThere is a bit of a mix of hats there, though I would suppose that June was well into straw hat season. Wearing the wrong hat when the season changes could cause a riot, especially in NYC. Unreadable scriptThe REO on the left has three letters on the front of the radiator. These are someone's initials. These could be bought from aftermarket vendors who sold dusters etc. to personalize one's car. Ransom E. OldsHad given his name to the Oldsmobile brand back in 1897, but left the company in 1905. He tried to continue under the name Olds, but legal action from Oldsmobile kept him from doing that so he settled on Reo. Had one of the most descriptive and interesting names for its cars in the 20's, specifically the Reo Flying Cloud. After the Depression settled into making large trucks and was absorbed by Volvo after bankruptcy in 1975. Bottom sideI'm curious as to the purpose of the shroud of fabric underneath the vehicle. Is it to catch those falling parts along the way? Riding ShotgunSo you wouldn't get relegated to the back seat. Unless a couple honeys come along then Riding Shotgun wasn't important. REO in the UKMany motor buses in Britain were REO. The story was 'Ruins Every Operator'... You may say that - I could not possibly comment! Timing is everythingI figure they were somewhere in Ohio when the Big One hit San Francisco. Re: Timing is everything (from the SF fire to the band in IL)To make it to San Francisco in time for "the big one", they might have used a REO Speed Wagon (the truck, not the band); but that vehicle wasn't to appear on the scene until 1915; and the band wasn't on the scene until 1966. On an interesting note, the band got its name (R.E.O. Speedwagon) from the vehicle, as founder and keyboardist Neal Doughty saw it written on the blackboard of his "History of Transportation" class at the University of Illinois (Champaign) in 1967. And if all of that wasn't enough coincidence, on his first keyboard, one of the first songs Neal Doughty learned was "Light My Fire" by The Doors. I can just hear those famous words by Robert L. Ripley ringing out, "Believe It or Not!" It would have been 9 monthsIf they did not have to lace up those boots every morning. Almost HomeCurrently, just west of third base at the (new) Yankee Stadium. Not a speedy wagonIf I did the math right, that averages out to just over 1.5 mph. If they drove just 8 hours a day, it averages out to about 4.6 mph. They didn't try for a direct route, but seemed to try to drive through as many states as they could. Today, with a direct route from NY to SF of 2906 miles, Google says you can make the round trip in 86 hours. Much more info here. Eye of the beholderIMO the tall, dark man standing behind the three gents on the far right, with his eyes cast downward, is also pretty handsome. The triple threat, as it were. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC)
The New Marmon: 1914
Washington, D.C. "Marmon Motor Car Co." I'll say circa 1915 and wait for the experts to weigh in. Harris & Ewing Collection glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:21pm -

Washington, D.C. "Marmon Motor Car Co." I'll say circa 1915 and wait for the experts to weigh in. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. [The consensus seems to be that this is a 1914 Marmon "48" seven-passenger touring car, which listed for $5,000 -- a staggering sum in those days. It's riding on 37-inch Firestone "Quick Detachable" natural-rubber tires.] That new car smellI noticed that the tread on the tires is still white. Was this car just plunked down here? I also noticed a few other things; The bolt pattern on the front and back tires isn't the same. I guess you were expected to actually change the rubber on the rim? And a question: What is the cover for the folding top made of...vinyl? Did they have vinyl back then? [Car tires used to be white, which is the color of natural rubber. Later the manufacturers started adding carbon black. The top would be canvas. The part showing in this photo is the "boot" that covers the top when it's folded. This one looks like rubberized canvas. - Dave] My boss' guessAnd he's been a car guy for 50+ years. Probably a 1913-1914. [That's a good start. Now where are the people with multiple Marmons out in the garage? - Dave] Not Dopey or Sneezy, he's GrumpyGiven the beauty and elegance of the new car this gentleman is piloting, one wonders why the fellow looks so very grumpy. Big, BigIt is apparent the driver is a sizable man, but he looks small in the car. Some of those old giants were proportioned so well their size is misleading, but that is one BIG automobile! [If you blow this up all the way you can read the tire size on the sidewall -- 37x5. Which means 37-inch wheels. - Dave] WheelsThe car shown has demountable rims. The six bolts on the outer periphery of the wheel held the rim and tire assembly to the wheel. You jacked the car up, removed the bolts, pulled the rim off of the wheel and replaced it with the spare. The wood spokes were attached to an inner rim called a felloe. Most cars had this type of wheel until wire wheels became popular. [I think these wooden artillery-style wheels were gradually supplanted by pressed steel discs. - Dave] 1914 Marmon "48" [The "48" cost an eye-popping $5,000 in 1914. Below, some ads for the smaller "41." - Dave] Hains Point CruiserThis may be what is now Ohio Drive on Hains Point, an almond-shaped spit of land in the Potomac immediately south of Washington's innermost downtown area. Our subject would be facing northwest, directly under what would become the southbound final approach to Reagan National Airport. [Look at the shadows. The sun is shining more or less from the south. - Dave] 37s Dawg!… Front brakesI do not see a brake drum on the front wheel. Wonder when front brakes became standard equipment? Pricey to say the least$5,000 in 1914 is $108,690 in 2009 dollars. Model T Fords were quite a bit less. Non-skids...And the tires are the famous Firestone "Non Skid" tires, with the words NON and SKID making up the tread. These have been available as reproductions since at least the 1970s (the first time I saw some in person). Coker Tire makes them, but only in black. Look at those wheels!Those make the 22 inch wheels on an Escalade look like they belong on a trike! What a beautiful vehicle. The Boot Coveris probably Fabrikoid pyroxylin-coated canvas manufactured by a subsidiary of Dupont up in Newburgh NY back in those days. Pyroxylin was a form of polymerized cellulose, and Fabrikoid was a Dupont trademark after 1910. Other forms were used for many years in artificial leather applications such as as auto seat covers, general upholstery, bookbinding and as window shades. DuPont gradually replaced the pyroxylin cellulose component with synthetic polyvinyl chloride (vinyl). Or as Dupont called it, Fabrilite. My dad was for many years the overseas sales liaison for these types of goods for Dupont for some 40 years until he retired in Delaware in 1966. Parallel parkingIn 1964 I managed to flunk the parallel parking portion of my drivers test in a 62 Dodge Dart (took out some cones). I could've really done some damage trying to park that monster. Early Tire SizesTires were sized differently back then. A 37x5 tire is 37 inches outside diameter with five-inch sidewalls. It fit a 27-inch rim. The transition from wooden wheels to the pressed steel wheels was not the same for all manufacturers. Ford, Chevrolet and many others used wire wheels before the transition to the steel wheel. Of course most failed during the Depression and died with their wooden boots on. Four-wheel brakesBrakes on every wheel were a late 1920's innovation, long after this car was made. Early on, four-wheel brakes were thought to be dangerous. This Marmon may have had a brake on the drive shaft behind the transmission, in addition to the rear-wheel brakes. Nevertheless, one had to anticipate well in advance to stop one of these massive autos, often applying both brakes at once. The rear brakes would have been pedal-operated, the driveshaft brake would have been a pull lever, like a modern parking brake. InflationI own a 2-flat brick apartment building in Chicago which was built in 1914. It sold for just over $5,000 new. If it's ever torn down I'm required to replace it with a building that will sell for a minimum of $5,000, not much of a problem nowadays! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Hobo King: 1924
... 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. -tterrace] Car? Does that say "WO" on the front? It doesn't look like a Willys Knight ... & Bums Washington Post, February 26, 1915. “Hobo King” Sees President Jeff Davis, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/01/2013 - 8:33am -

August 1924. Washington, D.C. Jeff Davis, self-styled Hobo King (as well as founder of various Hotels de Gink, a chain of hostels for the homeless), standing next to his jalopy and driver. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. BuildingI believe that the out-of-focus building in the background is the U.S. National Conservatory, located immediately adjacent to the Capitol. [Looks more like the Renwick Gallery at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. -tterrace] Car?Does that say "WO" on the front? It doesn't look like a Willys Knight insignia, but it also looks like it might be painted on. The headlights are similar to a 1918-ish Willys, but the concave grille is not. Little help? [It's a REO. -tterrace] FascinatingI was so fascinated by this picture that I researched him and the Hotels. I created a Wikipedia article with a few of the sources. Feel free to expand it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_de_Gink Custom REOIt appears to be a Reo touring body mounted on a truck chassis (White?). Something easily done "back in the day." Classy is as classy doesHe may be the Hobo King, but his car says he's "now traveling Delux." Amen to that. Hoboes, Tramps & Bums Washington Post, February 26, 1915. “Hobo King” Sees President Jeff Davis, “king of the hoboes” and founder of the Hotel de Gink, for the unemployed of New York, was received by President Wilson yesterday morning. After his visit to the White House the wanderer visited the Secretaries of State, War, Navy and Interior, in an effort to secure better legislation for the hoboes of the country. Davis asked the President to set aside some public lands for a “Farm de Gink” for the use of the unemployed. He later discussed his project with other cabinet officers. “Christopher Columbus was a sea hobo before he was the discoverer of America,” Davis told the President. “The unemployed are divided into three classes—hoboes who are willing to work; tramps who won't work, and bums who can't work. We are doing our best to assist the hoboes who are entitled to help from the government. Any man is apt to become a hobo at some time.” … (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, On the Road)
Chop Suey Canyon: 1916
... repair material in the road, just to the left rear of the car parked near Dr. Bertha's sign. Potential havoc seems to be awaiting ... and the Hotel According to the Detroit City Dirctory of 1915 Dr. Gaylord's address was 61 Park Blvd. which was also her home. By 1918 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:56pm -

Detroit, 1916. "Park Boulevard canyon." A tip of the Shorpy hat (Department of Belated Publicity) to Dr. Bertha J. Gaylord, chiropractor. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Dorothy transplantI wonder if the gal on the porch is thinking, "I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Neatness Counts Dr. Bertha should get on someone's case about cleaning up the front lawn. Nothing but a parking lot these daysThe doctor's office is nothing but an ugly parking lot these days. As for the Charlevoix Hotel, it's still there, but it's been empty since the mid '80s. The Charlevoix was intended to be an office building. Instead, it was a hotel at first but only for about 10 years. It also spent a short time as an apartment building before being turned into a commercial building for various companies and unions in 1922. The hotel was never one of Detroit's glamorous spots, offering a cheaper alternative to the top hotels of Grand Circus Park: The Hotel Tuller and the Hotel Statler. View Larger Map Tuller HotelMy grandfather was a window washer in the late 1930s at the Tuller Hotel. The stories he told of acts he saw through the windows would knock you off your chair. These days, I spend a lot my free time at the Park Bar directly across from the old Charlevoix Hotel. Oh, my aching --Cool picture. I like the sign in the lower right. After picking up all that litter, one might need to visit Bertha for some relief. No place like home!I like the old frame house tucked away in the midst of the "canyon." Wonder how much longer they were able to hold out? BoomPlease tell me that's not the grandfather of the Pinto in the foreground. Failed DIY Auto Repair?Looks like a bent C-clamp and the remains of some part or repair material in the road, just to the left rear of the car parked near Dr. Bertha's sign. Potential havoc seems to be awaiting some unsuspecting Goodyear, and its driver might even bring some business to the good doctor. Re: Tuller TalesNow ... We're sitting tight on our chairs and listening ! What did your grandfather see ? Nowhere to go but Up!Later that year, lifted by 20,622 helium balloons, the small frame house was moved from its spot on Park Boulevard to a more scenic lot at the top of a South American cataract. Night Lunch WagonJust beyond the old house is a horse-drawn lunch wagon, the precursor to the American diner. A similar wagon is on display at the Henry Ford Museum. Elsewhere on Shorpy: The Ol' Lunch Wagon. Chop Suey DaysIt seems that for my parents' generation, and earlier, Chinese food meant chop suey. And during the past half century or so that dish has gone entirely out of style (deservedly, in my opinion) --people order everything else on the Chinese menu. Is my impression correct? Chop Suey Exposed!"Chop Suey" isn't really a Chinese dish at all, it's something that was created in America. And its makeup varies: here in New England, it's usually some kind of macaroni, tomato and cheese dish. Dr. Bertha J. GaylordThanks to Shorpy, now the chiropractor of choice for discerning time travelers everywhen and everywhere. K-Mart's early daysInteresting rear view of the Kales Building, the first headquarters for Kresge Company. Litterbugs!I am always amazed at the amount of garbage in the streets. You hear about the lack of respect in today's world but the trash in the streets says a lot about yesterday too! On the Street The line of cars on the left starts out with a 1914 - 1916 Buick followed by a 1914 - 1916 Studebaker. Note also the lack of parking meters and stop lights or stop signs. The street light over the road is very interesting in that it has a device to lower it down to either light it or change the bulb. The Doctor and the HotelAccording to the Detroit City Dirctory of 1915 Dr. Gaylord's address was 61 Park Blvd. which was also her home. By 1918 she had moved to 65 Traugott (Schmidt Bldg), Room 73. The Hotel Charlevoix is located in the Park Avenue Historic District and cannot be demolished without proper approval. As of June 2012 permission for demolishing the structure has been denied. More information and photos of this building are here. http://historicdetroit.org/building/hotel-charlevoix/ Update on January 6, 2018: Sadly the Hotel Charlevoix was demolished on June 23, 2013. Info at the link above. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC)
Auto-Campers: 1920
... a grand adventure. Imagine the type of roads that poor car had to use. Brave souls. Lamsteed Kampkar One of the first RV's, a Lamsteed Kampkar. Designed in 1915 by Samuel Lambert of Listerine fame... later built by Anheuser-Busch. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/22/2013 - 9:37am -

Washington, D.C., or vicinity circa 1920. "Dr. A.A. Foster and family of Dallas, Texas, in auto tourist camp." A novelty that would evolve into tourist cabins of the 1920s and '30s, the motor courts of the '40s and '50s and culminate in the motor hotel, or "motel." Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. About that license plateNice illustration of the first state-issued Texas license plate and registration plate in action. State-issued Texas plates were introduced in 1917, with slightly over 50,000 plates being issued that year. The plates were undated, with the date being on the registration plate [commonly called a "radiator seal", for obvious reasons]. This style of plate, with separate registration seal, continued to be used through 1924. The first dated Texas plates came out in 1925. Great photo of auto camping, which was quite a national fad in the 1920s for those lucky enough to afford it. Lots of folks would do auto camping during the following decade as well, but for altogether different reasons. A great memory of the pastWhen we were young our families used to go to the various roadside rests around the area for a picnic. There were quite a few in our area of Ohio. As years went by and the advent of 4 lanes, the roadside rests were closed and abandoned. Some of them had the best drinking water I have ever had. Winnebago,The early years. Give it ten years or so.They will be doing the same thing, only it won't be for fun. Deep in the HeartI am curious why anyone would ID this as being in the Washington DC area when the vehicle clearly has a 1920 Texas license plate, and some kind of Texas permit (possibly for its use as a camper) on its radiator. [A big hint is the term "tourist camp." Harris & Ewing was a commercial photography studio located in Washington, D.C. -tterrace] Chandelier He's even got an outside lamp for late night dining. In 1920Any trip from Texas up to the Washington area would have been a grand adventure. Imagine the type of roads that poor car had to use. Brave souls. Lamsteed KampkarOne of the first RV's, a Lamsteed Kampkar. Designed in 1915 by Samuel Lambert of Listerine fame... later built by Anheuser-Busch. Described in the book Mobile Mansions Motor Touring in 1923In 1923 my grandmother, aunt, mother and a friend just back from being a missionary in Liberia (4 women), took a motor trip from Washington, DC, to Maine and back. They camped each night, usually in farmer's fields. They were avid photographers and I should post a picture or two on Shorpy. Dadlooks to be a rather jolly ol type of fella doesn't he. Clear the Bridge!He must have gotten that Klaxon from navy surplus. Re: DadWhile Mom, on the other hand, looks a little tired of it all. Car campingThey've essentially turned their car into an RV. Plunk that RV down in a more scenic piece of land and it screams national park to me -- a campground. Car camping. Meet the FostersAfter much squinting and Photoshopping I was able to decipher the writing along the bottom of the plate. Caption updated to reflect this. "Dr. A.A. Foster and family of Dallas Tex." Also seen here. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!"Oh, there's nothing like the posh, posh traveling life for me!" -- From the film, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" 1920 Census RecordsFound the family! From familysearch.org 1920 Census Records - Dallas, TX Allan A Foster (M) - born in Tennessee 1886 - 34 years old Jessie W Foster (F) - born in Texas - 34 years old Beula Belle Foster (F) - born in Texas - 8 years old Allan A Foster (M) - born in Texas - 7 years old Thomas K Foster (M) - born in Texas - 2 years 6 months old Household ID: 83 Sheet No.: 4 GS Film No.: 1821791 Digital Folder No.: 4391480 Image No.: 00741 More on the Foster familyIn the 1930 census, the family was in Pasadena, California. The parents, Allan (spelled Allen) and Jessie, are both 46. The children are Beulah, age 18, Allan, age 17, and Thomas, age 12. In the 1940 census, the Foster family is still in Pasadena. Son Thomas, at age 22, is still living with his parents. There is also a daughter-in-law, Theresa Foster, age 25, living there, who I assume was Thomas's wife. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Dogs, Harris + Ewing, Kids)
On Broadway: 1905
... which in emergency situations meant that the entire car might topple over. Not surprisingly, electric cabs did not catch on. One ... for women wouldn't begin to creep up off this floor until 1915; the Great War made a fashion out of the necessity of less fabric ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2014 - 7:07pm -

New York circa 1905. "Broadway and Times Building (1 Times Square)." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. MetropoleThe Metropole Hotel at 43rd Street. The first hotel in NYC with running water in every room. What is that?Maybe I'm missing something obvious, but for the life of me I can't figure out what that thing is on the left, above the balcony. It looks like three squares covered with dots and topped by a flourish. I can't tell if it's attached to the awning wires or hanging from the side of the building. [It's an electric sign. Similar to the one seen on the New Montauk Theater. - Dave] ElectricElectric street lights, electric signs, an electric hansom cab, an electric charabanc, what a wonderful world. Are the trams underground electric ones or are they cable cars? [The streetcars are electric. - Dave] The hatsThere had to be one guy in a million who defied convention and dared venture outdoors hatless, but I've yet to spot him in these kind of scenes. Aria landmarkLeft foreground is Metropolitan Opera House -- a.k.a. the old brewery, demolished 1967. Tally HoThere's another one of those beasts of an electric tour bus lumbering down Broadway. I wonder if Hoster's is the precursor of Hooters? Future Flappers of AmericaAll of the women in this photo have floor length shirts except the one crossing in the middle of the street. Jaywalking and a short skirt--nothing less than scandalous. E-cabSo, an electric hansom cab operated by a coachman from the traditional topside perch -- bizarre! [Below, an excerpt from he book "Taxi!" by Graham Hodges. - Dave] Electric cabs had showed some promise; since July of 1897, twelve electric hansom cabs had plied the [New York] city streets. Organized by the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company, these novelty cabs competed with horse-drawn hacks. Despite their technological innovation, called by Scientific American in a March 1909 article "one of the most significant facts of city transportation," electric cabs varied only slightly in performance and appearance from horse-drawn vehicles. Scientific Magazine preferred the electric cab because it was silent and odorless. Even though the Electric Vehicle Company expanded its New York fleet to sixty-two in 1898 and then to one hundred the next year, its overall success was short-lived. Electric cabs were cumbersome, were unable to move faster than fifteen miles per hour, and required a battery recharge every twenty-five miles that took eight hours to complete. This problem limited use of electric taxis to single rides and made cruising impossible. Changing a battery also required use of an overhead crane and a spacious garage. Replacing the pneumatic tires required taking off the entire wheel disk, which caused further delays. Despite the clean and silent operation, passenger comfort was minimal. Fares sat in an open seat in the front of the cab, while the driver perched overhead. The brakes were applied forward, which in emergency situations meant that the entire car might topple over. Not surprisingly, electric cabs did not catch on. One contemporary writer observed that many people took one ride but rarely returned for a second, preferring horse-drawn hacks. A fire settled the issue. In January 1907, the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company went under when three hundred of its cabs burned in a garage fire. Or maybe not. More here. Vehicular VarietyCarriages, hackney cabs (when was the last time those were seen in NYC?), electric cars, some sort of electric wagon full of sightseers, at least five trolley cars, a horse-drawn wagon carrying passengers (a bit like a hayride), a farm wagon, and a bicycle - not to mention the sheer volume of walkers of all ages and costumes. This is the age of Wharton, Dreiser and Howells. (It's also the age of the muckrakers and Jacob Riis' exposes.) The women's Edwardian hats and skirts are so luxurious! This was about five years before the introduction of the hobble skirt, which was tightly constricted at the bottom. Women could still sweep down the sidewalk regally in 1905, and often their hats plowed the crowd before them like the figurehead on a schooner. The female cutting across the street in a short skirt and wide-brimmed hat is probably a teenager. Edwardian girls continued to wear short skirts until they "came out" into society or reached the age of 18. Skirt lengths for women wouldn't begin to creep up off this floor until 1915; the Great War made a fashion out of the necessity of less fabric available for women's skirts. "Flapper" style wouldn't begin until the hedonistic post-War late 'teens. I often wonder if a similar photo, taken today from the same perspective, will similarly show a quaint and vanished cityscape to the citizens of 2110. Will they gape at the volume of gasoline-powered individual autos on our streets? TrilbyNote the billboard advertising the play "Trilby." The popularity of this play (adapted from an 1894 novel) is what gave us the term Svengali and also the Trilby hat. FantanaNY Times review of Jefferson DeAngelis in "Fantana" at the Lyric Theater. Re: What is that?I believe that the mysterious electric sign in question was a cab call sign, which lit up with numbers to show how many cabs were being requested by opera patrons after a show. These signs seem to have hung on many NYC theaters and hotels back around the turn of the century. There is still an existing (but, alas, apparently not functioning) one hanging on the front of the St. Regis Hotel on 55th Street. From this exact locationIt would be amazing to see a pic from 100 years later taken from the same or even close spot and placed side by side for comparison. One Times SquareI work across the street from One Times Square, and I've often thought how sad it is that you can't see the building anymore! it's so covered in electronic signs, large billboards, and other metal sheet covering, that you can't see the underlying building anymore. It looks like a handsome structure, but it's all hidden way. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)
Fealy's Corner: 1920
... under the impression that San Francisco had the only cable car system in the USA. [The track is for electric streetcars, not cable ... from Ireland lived at 1016 Pennsylvania Avenue SE in 1915 and had a grocery store there (he died at 1016). I would love to see some ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 6:48pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Fealy's Corner, 11th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue." Dr. Martin Fealy's pharmacy at 1024 Pennsylvania Avenue S.E. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Four People?I see one and I'm wondering just how much time was spent on making the photo. The one person I see is down the trolley track and doesn't seem to be blurred very much, which means that they barely moved. I'm still looking for the others, though. EmptyToo bad they don't have time and date information written with these. When has a DC street ever been that empty? [I see four people in this time exposure. One to the left of the mailbox. - Dave] Butterfield HouseThis corner is now a recently built condo block called Butterfield House, "constructed in the finest architectural tradition." The blog DC Mud has an article and high-res photo from approximately the same angle. And before any preservationists start to moan about the loss of historical buildings for another condo tower, this article notes that prior to the current project, the corner was occupied by a Shell station. An instructive photo for me, in that I have never realized that the wide medians on Pennsylvania Ave SE are a relic of the streetcar system. Why were these taken?These real estate photos are wonderful documents, but what was their purpose? Some, like the pictures of the new row houses most likely figured in advertising for the properties. But photos like this, of an obviously established business, are a bit more puzzling. The most puzzling are the auto accident photos, Did the photographer just happen by, and decide it would make an interesting picture? Stringing for a newspaper?Any ideas, anyone? [The National Photo clients for many of these were real estate developers. Who in this case might have included Dr. Fealy, who in the late teens bought up the block from 1020 to 1024 Pennsylvania. Perhaps he had a hand in putting up the rowhouses behind the pharmacy. It looks like some of them are still standing. - Dave] Streetcar TrackAnybody know if the groove between the rails was for cable access or was electric current picked up through this groove? Theres no overhead source of power. I was under the impression that San Francisco had the only cable car system in the USA. [The track is for electric streetcars, not cable cars (although there was a cable car loop in Georgetown). The electrical power supply here is under the middle groove. - Dave] Streetcar TracksCable cars (as in San Francisco) are propelled by grabbing onto a cable that moves under the street. What appears to be a third rail is actually a slot through which a grip extends down from the car to grasp the moving cable. In the late 1800's to the early 1900's there were cable car lines in most large cities in addition to San Francisco -- Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas etc. With the advent of the faster electrial streetcars, most were replaced by the 1910's. Some cities had electric streetcars drawing their power from a similar "third rail" slot in the middle of the track. Washington, D.C., had the most extensive system of this type, seen in the photo here. Subways use a third rail between the tracks to pick up their electrical power. D.C. Down UnderWashington was one of two cities in the US (the other: New York, specifically Manhattan) to use a conduit system for provision of the necessary 600 volt DC power used to move streetcars. A device called a plow hung from the rear truck of the car, reaching down into the conduit. In the conduit were two conductors, similar to overhead trolley wire in other cities. Devices called shoes contacted the conductors, drawing the requisite current. The last remnants of the conduit system went out of service in January 1962 when the last three Washington streetcar lines were converted to bus operation. Now, about cable cars: not only San Francisco had them, but so did nearly every other major Northern or Eastern city in the US from about 1882 to 1906 or so, including Washington. (Major exceptions: Boston and Minneapolis.) See "The Cable Car in America" by George W. Hilton. NeighborsMy great-great grandparents from Ireland lived at 1016 Pennsylvania Avenue SE in 1915 and had a grocery store there (he died at 1016). I would love to see some of the grocery stores the immigrants had in SE and SW Washington during the period of 1890-1915. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Easter Greetings: 1922
... Middle T The center-door Model T Ford, made from 1915 to 1923, is considered the least likely to be seen today. Still a ... window dressings in the dress shop, and the snappy little car at the curb. I'm quite sure the dentist's office looked similar to the one ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 5:15pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "933 G Street N.W." Happy Easter from Pearlman's and Shorpy. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Circulating LibraryDoes this sort of thing still exist? My dad used to rent Perry Masons and Ellery Queens by the week from one. In those days our public library considered such works beneath them. Now, of course, nothing is too low for the public library. Middle TThe center-door Model T Ford, made from 1915 to 1923, is considered the least likely to be seen today. Still a Library!Pearlman's circulating library gave way to a somewhat larger version of the same thing--the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. The church on the left is the First Congregational Church; the building was replaced in the 1950s, and that building was razed for redevelopment in 2008--now a hole in the ground. The Middle WayThose center door cars must have been a pain in the neck, unless you wanted to get in the back seat. Literary LionsI remember the private circulating libraries. They were usually in drug stores. They had mainly new romantic novels that were aimed the women who were probably their best customers. I had an aunt who used to rent them, at 5¢ a day (if I remember correctly). She would read 3 a week. Mi-T-Fine MasonryThis photo has so much going for it. The masonry on the buildings is a visual treat, the lovely window dressings in the dress shop, and the snappy little car at the curb. I'm quite sure the dentist's office looked similar to the one previously posted here. Pearlman's looks like a place to lose yourself for a while browsing used books. Happy Easter! Bunny hopWho knew the Easter Bunny rode in a "Center Door" sedan? Can't read something in the windowImmediately below "Pearlman's Book Store" is: NO BRA-- S--RES No brain shares? [All I will say is, NO BRANCH STORES. - Dave] To All CareHave a blessed Easter today and every day. The imprimaturof Pearlman. Courtesy of Donald Francis. Ahhhh!Ahhhh! A photograph from an age in which folks did not try to feel offended by the celebration of Christian holidays and their attendant paraphernalia. Happy Easter! [And Shalom. The proprietor, G. David Pearlman, was Jewish. - Dave] Night LightsThere's probably a sign on the alley side of the building. Hence the lamps. And then the tenants in the upstairs apartments complained, and those shields went up. Stories above StoriesAny clue to what was on the third and fourth floors? A Lodge Hall; a small theater; a handball court? Those nice-looking windows wouldn't admit much light. [The upper floors were apartments. - Dave] Thoughts and questionsFirst of all, the car with the center door reminds me of a stagecoach. Is it any wonder that it is the least likely to be seen today? Second, why would it be necessary to advertise that this business had no branch stores? The sign is prominently and permanently painted on the front window so it must have been important. Finally, my most burning question. What was the reason for private circulating libraries? To offer things that public libraries didn't? Private lending librariesYou have to think of the history of public libraries in North America to understand why there were private lending libraries. Until Andrew Carnegie began to fund the building of public libraries across North America, the only access to books for most people was either purchasing them (mail order most often) or borrowing them from a private lending library. Like a public library, you paid a fee to join and often a fee per book to borrow the books. The 252-year-old Athenaeum, in Rhode Island, is one of the nation's oldest private lending libraries. Even after public libraries came about, largely thanks to grants from the Carnegie funding of libraries, many people who could afford to borrowed from private libraries because their selection would often include more "popular literature" which many public libraries might not. As well, there was a definite class perception about public libraries. Because the poor who couldn't afford to join a private library were free to borrow from public libraries, there was the idea that books from the public library were unsanitary, an idea which private libraries often put about. Many private libraries also catered to specific ethnic groups. Yiddish libraries, for instance. There are still private lending libraries, though they are fewer and farther between than they once were. One if by land?Two if by alley? What do you suppose the pair of globe lamps were used for at the second and third stories at the left of the building? There are reflecting boards behind them so I would not expect them to be for illuminating the alley. They seem to be arranged for good visibility some distance away from the storefront. Any ideas? "No branch stores"This was a very common phrase in retail advertising in the early part of the century, when chain stores were proliferating. It meant this is the only one, so you better come in. Two Pearlman'sThere is another very probable explanation for the "No Branch Stores" signage. There were two Pearlman Book Stores in Washington at the time. Paul Pearlman (my grandfather) broke away from the family business and started his own store, in 1921 (we think). It became a Washington institution. The store in the photo is the original business operated by his father and brother. [Below, from 1924, the first Washington Post ad for Paul Pearlman's bookstore. - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Easter, Natl Photo)
Custom Chassis: 1923
...         What with one 1920s car looking pretty much like the next, the enterprising automotive photographer ... Marina District, on what had been the grounds of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The obelisk is the Column of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/05/2014 - 8:23am -

        What with one 1920s car looking pretty much like the next, the enterprising automotive photographer had to juice things up as best he could. Here, for instance, we have the rake of sunlight and mysterious background obelisk as points of interest, sparking an artsy three-quarters view. Oh, and big headlights. The Bay Area in 1923. "Peerless touring car." Fully equipped with two spares. 6½ x 8½ inch glass negative from the Wyland Stanley collection. View full size. Bonnie and ConnieAnd Clyde. Mysterious obeliskWe're in what is now San Francisco's Marina District, on what had been the grounds of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The obelisk is the Column of Progress, which had stood in the Court of Abundance, at about what's now the intersection of Beach Street and Cervantes Boulevard. It was finally torn down sometime in the mid- to late-1920s. Another survivor from this World's Fair, the Palace of Fine Arts, is off frame to the left; it stood deteriorating until 1964, when it was demolished to be replaced by the present reconstruction. [Court of Abundance, indeed. I just knew tterrace would know! -Dave] Hey Babe, check out my ...The Column of Progress in its original, less lonely context. Corporate Evolution (continued)Peerless was one of the Three Ps of luxury motoring (along with Packard and Pierce-Arrow), but by 1932, the Cleveland manufacturer was addressing a vanishing clientele ... or, at least, a reluctant one. Ever resourceful, the company's directors switched to making the next best thing: Carling Black Label beer and Red Cap Ale. Don't ForgetYour shoesies! StockingsWhat was with the rolled down stockings back then? Were women not allowed to show their bare ankles or was it just the fashion? One flivverand two flappers. I have a preferenceBut I don't want to be unkind. Let's just say I like the Peerless one. Rolled stockimgsI can only say that my dear Grandma wore rolled stockings to the end. That was in the 70s and she cut off pantyhose (L'eggs) to wear what she did when she came of age. She was the best! Prepared for off-road useObviously getting ready for an extended cross-country jaunt over roadless terrain - why else would you have two wenches on the front bumper? Yes Indeed!I too noticed the large and lovely headlights and I think I'll leave it at that. What sleek lines.I'll take one! Oh heck, I'll take them both and the car too. Upon further investigationI just realized there is a person in the driver's seat. DagmarsMiss Peerless may have the advantage on the eyes, but her sense of balance is not on a par with her bumper partner. The blur in her hands shows she was still trying to establish it as the photo was taken. Very niceI wish the headlights were not so obstructed as to get a better view. Wonderful body lines on that car. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Pretty Girls, San Francisco, W. Stanley)
The Auto Show: 1917
... from all the exhaust. [Below, the Union Garage in 1915. In July 1917 the building was taken over by Semmes Motor Co., which sold ... I once asked my paternal grandmother what the first car she remembered riding in was and she told me it was her father's 1917 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 12:05pm -

"Washington, D.C., auto show. March 3-10, 1917." A display of Chalmers and National cars. National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Big cars in D.C.In these pictures of Washington, one thing that stands out to my eyes is the preponderance of BIG and expensive cars. Caddies, Packards, Pierces. Very few Fords in sight. In contemporary pics from other cities, even prosperous oil towns in Oklahoma, the only cars visible are Ford T's with perhaps an occasional Dodge. Auto Shows Auto shows prior to WWII were a different venue than we've gotten used to in these past 60 years. Because there were very few purpose-built exhibit halls anywhere in the country, auto shows were usually held in industrial loft buildings similar to the one shown in the photo. Consequently, exhibit promoters had to do their best to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse with the sort of decorations shown. On very rare occasions, well-connected promoters could wangle permission to use a high ceilinged downtown armory. [The Washington Automobile Show was held on the third and fourth floors of the Union Building downtown. There was an orchestra and dancing. - Dave] Union GarageThe first person who lived in my house bought a Chalmers in 1917 from the Union Garage, which started as a place where the smaller automakers could get together to sell their cars and not have to spend big bucks on building their own showrooms. I believe that Ford used space there. The Union Garage as such didn't last long, though the building was still standing in the 60's. Today, the lot is covered by the Verizon Center. The Army Air Corps used part of the building during WWI, but moved out quickly as the air was too foul from all the exhaust. [Below, the Union Garage in 1915. In July 1917 the building was taken over by Semmes Motor Co., which sold Dodge and Hudson cars as well as Wilcox and Vim trucks. - Dave] Granny's ChalmersI once asked my paternal grandmother what the first car she remembered riding in was and she told me it was her father's 1917 Chalmers! My great-grandfather was a well-to-do man in a small town in North Carolina. (He distilled and bottled legal liquor). My grandmother told me that a salesman brought the car out to their house and sold it to him and someone came out to pick up the salesman. She said that eventually her older brother, Sanford, "destroyed the thing and drove it right off its frame!" Spoken ForInteresting that both these cars have a sign on the windshield stating that they've already been sold. Wonder if this is the same Chalmers that manufactured tractors under the 'Allison Chalmers' name? [You're thinking of Allis-Chalmers. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Life Savers: 1908
... the breeches buoy lines. Lifesaving Service In 1915, a little after this photo's time frame, the US Lifesaving Service was ... the fore runner of the current Coast Guard. "Life Car" The cigar-like object bobbing offshore is a "life car" which was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 5:54pm -

Charlevoix, Michigan, circa 1908. "Life saving crew practice." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Baby BoomerI wonder what that small cannon was for. I remember in Tom Sawyer (I think) that Mark Twain explained how cannon were fired either across the river or from steamboats in order to make corpses rise to the surface. Surely this little pop gun wasn't used for that. Perhaps it was used like a harpoon gun to throw line out to drowning victims? That doesn't sound all that feasible either. I'm grasping at straws here. Lyle GunThat small cannon is called a Lyle Gun - after its inventor - David A. Lyle. These line guns are used primarily for shore based rescue operations. The Lyle Gun was hauled to the shoreline usually by U.S.L.L.S. surfmen in specially made beach carts. The Surfmen would set up and fire the Lyle gun, aiming over the stranded or wreaked vessel and then pull the line within reach of the victims. Once the breeches buoy lines and the Crotch Pole(an A frame) assembled, the survivors could be removed from the vessel by hand hauling the breeches buoy lines. Lifesaving ServiceIn 1915, a little after this photo's time frame, the US Lifesaving Service was merged with the Revenue Cutter Service to form the US Coast Guard. In 1939, the Lighthouse Service was merged in as well. To answer Cracker's question: The cannon was used to fire a light line, called a messenger, out to a grounded or sinking ship. It was probably designed to aim high so that the weighted projectile went over the ship, draping the messenger across it in a position to be caught, without endangering the survivors. Therefore it needed a substantial range. This messenger line was used to haul out a heavier hawser that the ship's crew could tie to something on board. It could then be used as a jackline to run a breeches buoy out to the ship to bring off the crew one by one. In this photo, however, it seems that instead of a breeches buoy, which is a sort of sling you sit in that runs along the hawser on a pulley, they are practicing with a tethered mini-lifeboat. The hawser might run through the two metal rings on top of the boat to keep it on course. The men at the right of the photo are pulling in the boat using one of the control lines; the other would go out to the disabled ship to bring the boat back for repeated runs. A breeches buoy could only rescue one person at a time. It might be that two could fit in this tethered boat, but probably not. The rescue process would therefore go on for a substantial time and depended entirely on the ship holding together long enough for the entire crew to escape one at a time. In the big waves that could be expected in storms, it might be that survivors needed to batten themselves into the rescue boat to avoid either drowning themselves or sinking it. That's why it has a hatch, closed in the photo. Rescue CannonI believe it was to shoot a thin line out to a stranded ship, in order to rig a "breeches bouy" rescue (a large rope with a sling that looks like underwear or "breeches" hanging from it). Because of the lake's shallow beaches, a ship might ground a hundred yards offshore. On the right edge of the photo is the remains of a ship's ribs, washed up on the beach. Line cannon It looks like a line cannon. They were used on ships to cast lines to one another. I suppose it would work for casting lines to drowning victims as well. Cannon before radios?Perhaps the cannon was used as a signal to alert others that a rescue was happening. A sonic SOS asking for help. The cannonYou have it right, and I was actually able to correctly remember the name of the thing from a distant childhood memory is "Lyle gun." It was used for line throwing to enable the rigging of rescue lines and such. Google it thus and you will find plenty of information and images of the style shown and one mounted on a Civil-War looking carriage. Thrown LinesThe cannon was indeed for getting the line out to a stranded boat. There's a photo of the same equipment here. The cannon was used to start a lifelineThe lifesaving crew would fire a small bolt trailing a cable, using the grounded vessel's rigging as a target. With help from the vessel's crew, they'd bring tackle across and set up a bosun's chair to shore. At least one lifesaving station that used this technique, Chicamacomico in North Carolina, still gives regular demonstrations. Unfortunately they're out of action until further notice in the wake of Irene, but I hope they'll recover. The demo is always a highlight of my Outer Banks vacations. LifelineThat's exactly what the small cannon is for, shooting a line out to the victim. It was also used to place a line on board a ship that had run aground, which was more common a century ago than one might expect today. Once the light line was secured a heavier line could be pulled aboard and a breeches buoy used to evacuate the crew. These life savers are the fore runner of the current Coast Guard. "Life Car"The cigar-like object bobbing offshore is a "life car" which was used as an alternative method for removing victims from a stranded ship. It could make repeated trips between ship and shore, carrying multiple passengers in its watertight interior. According to one source, the car held enough air for eleven (!) passengers for three minutes, although in practice it appears four to six people was the more common load. Clumsy and hard to handle, life cars eventually fell out of favor while the breeches buoy served on. Surf Rescue BoatThere is an identical surf rescue boat on display in front of the Fairport Harbor Lighthouse Museum (Ohio), along with a slightly different Lyle gun. The boat is built like a mini submarine, much safer than a breeches buoy. It was run out along the rescue line to the ship in distress. The Lyle gun fired a light line, that was used to haul out the main rescue line. The lighthouse is a beauty, and the museum is jam packed with artifacts, pictures, and models, and you can go up the spiral staircase to the top of the lighthouse. My recollection is that Brennan's Fish House over on the Grand River side has a Lyle gun like this one, along with a museum quality collection of marine artifacts collected by the owner. (Great food too). Throw him a line!Here's an example of the Lyle Gun at work: "The firing of Lyle Gun to the freighter J.R. Sensibar grounded in Lake Michigan December 1939 by the surf men of the U.S. Coast Guard, The projectiles with line attached is fired over the stricken vessel, so it is possible to effect a rescue without putting a rescue craft in the water and needlessly risking the lives of the rescuers." Breeches Buoy RescueHow it's done, explained in great detail. Love this site! Can't get enough!! Life CarThe small covered "boat" is a life car intended to haul up to 4 or victims ashore at a time from a wreck. The only instance of it's use on the lakes was the Hartzell wreck off Frankfort, MI. The greater use on on the Atlantic coast where wrecks sometimes had hundreds of victims aboard. Regardless of actual use frequency LSS regulations required weekly drill in its use. The shotline was used to haul a once inch whip line out (block fast to wreck and two running ends ashore) which in turn hauled a two inch hawser to the wreck where it was made fast and became actual over head rope for the breaches buoy or life car, the whip becoming the method of hauling the breaches buoy etc, back and forth. It was a far safer method of rescue when conditions permitted, namely if the wreck was within 400 yards or so of shore. If not it was into the surfboat or big lifeboat and the life-savers earned their motto - "regulations say we have to go out; they say nothing about coming back." In 1915 the LSS and Revenue Marine consolidated into the new Coast Guard. Crotch Pole?Um, no thanks. I think I'll swim to shore. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Ginger Ale Alley: 1906
... but converted to a passenger boat in 1869. Sold in 1915 to New York parties it ran between the Battery and New Rochelle, but sank ... which bore the words "What Cheer". When I got back to my car, I asked my wife, who was from just across the border in Mass., if she knew ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/03/2022 - 7:26pm -

Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1906. "River steamers at Crawford Street Bridge." Today's post is brought to you by U.S. Club Ginger Ale, fine product of the Phenix Nerve Beverage Co. of Boston. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Look out!Low bridge ahead! Re: Look Out!I think you meant, "Lola bridgeda - watcha you head!" I believe we see hereon the left the wooden sidewheel steamer What Cheer, built 1867 at Keyport, New Jersey, with the steel Squantum, built 1888 at Newburgh, New York. On the right is the wooden sidewheeler Warwick, built 1873 at Greenport, New York, as the Day Star. The What Cheer had been built as a towboat but converted to a passenger boat in 1869. Sold in 1915 to New York parties it ran between the Battery and New Rochelle, but sank at the New Rochelle dock in fall 1917. Raised and brought to the Hog Island shipyard at Philadelphia, it was abandoned there after brief service as a houseboat. The Squantum also headed to the Big Apple, running between the Battery and the Statue of Liberty until demolished in a storm off Brooklyn on 16 January 1920. The Warwick sank at its dock at Providence four days after the Squantum was lost and thought a total loss. However, it was raised and rebuilt and it, too, went to New York, where it ran primarily on the East River and Long Island Sound. It lasted until broken up at State Island in 1935. I grew up in Providence, but... didn't recognize this scene at all. Only one building survives, I think. Model of the What Cheer(There is also an Iowa town of that name) https://www.lofty.com/products/s-s-what-cheer-scratch-built-steamer-ship... Widest No More A decidedly different look on this brisk fourth day of 2022 here in The Prov'. Rhode Islanders of my age have long endured a (good natured) inferiority complex in regard to our diminutive size. That being said, we took pride in knowing that the widest bridge in the world could be found in our state, the aforementioned Crawford Street Bridge. Alas, the redevelopment of the Downtown area during the "Providence Renaissance" of the early '80s carved it up into many smaller spans, and our glory was no more! Also of note, a scant couple of hundred yards to the right of this photo sits atop College Hill two of the more esteemed institutions of higher learning in the area, Brown University and The Rhode Island School of Design (R.I.S.D.). The story behind "What Cheer"In the 1970s, I had stopped to ask a Providence police officer for directions to some location in the neighborhood, and my eyes were drawn to his police badge, which bore the words "What Cheer". When I got back to my car, I asked my wife, who was from just across the border in Mass., if she knew the significance of those words. No idea. Years later, researching the subject, I came across this, from the following website: https://www.nps.gov/rowi/learn/historyculture/foundingprovidence.htm In a canoe with several others, Roger [Williams] scouted the area across the Seekonk River. They spotted a group of Narragansett on a large rock, known afterwards as Slate Rock, along the western shore of the Seekonk River. As they approached the Narragansett greeted them by calling out: “What Cheer Netop!” This greeting is a combination of English and Narragansett languages. ‘What cheer’ was an informal common English greeting of the day, short for ‘what cheery news do you bring’ and today’s equivalent of “what’s up?’’ “Netop” is the Narragansett word for friend. WhatChout aheadThe WhatCheer's operation in Rhode Island waters included an early unfortunate episode, in which it plowed over a sailboat in Narragansett Bay, instantly killing a sailor named George Cook. After that 1869 collision, the representative of Cook's widow and children (Chase) sued the American Steamboat Company under Rhode Island's wrongful death act for the negligence of its agent on a "highway," and recovered $12,000 from the jury (equal to over $250,000 in 2022 dollars). On appeal to the Rhode Island Supreme Court, the company complained that the Bay was not a "highway" within the Act's meaning, and in any event the company should not be liable for its employee's negligence. In a 1871 ruling (Chase v. American Steamboat Co., 10 R.I. 79 (R.I. 1871)), that court upheld the judgment. The company then complained to the U.S. Supreme Court that a state should have no authority to impose liability in such situations, because the Judiciary Act gave admiralty jurisdiction to federal courts. The company fared no better. In Steamboat Company v. Chase, 83 U.S. 522 (1872), the U.S. Supreme Court found, in essence, that because the representative sued the wrongdoers and not the ship itself, he could do so in state court under that state's statute, and affirmed the judgment. New perspective The back end of the Amica Building is what faces the water. The front entrance is 10 Weybosset Street. There seems to be a lot less activity, but business and trade are now done indoors. Still a great spot to be for a WaterFire ... gotta find me a Del's. Undercover RiverWhen I was at Rhode Island School of Design in the 70's the river was just becoming visible again after years and years of being almost completely covered over in the name of modernization. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Providence)
Vicksburg Panorama: 1909
... learn to drive on the hilly streets of Vicksburg -- in a car with a standard transmission -- you could drive anywhere! Alice Used to ... Alice in 1908 and met her demise by fire in Vicksburg in 1915. Source: University of Wisconsin LaCrosse, Murphy Library. Superb, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/25/2014 - 11:33am -

The Mississippi River circa 1909. "Vicksburg waterfront." A panorama made from three 8x10 glass negatives (the widest image, pixel-wise, that Shorpy has ever posted -- be sure to scroll all the way over to the right). The nine-story skyscraper is the First National Bank. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. PanoramaI know of one panorama William Henry Jackson composed for Leadville, CO, although I don't know if it was while he worked for DPC. His "stitching" technique involved three large prints on easels, which he re-photographed. I found the process documented in a series of photos in the Denver Public Library. Chinese groceryWhat a fascinating image. An unexpected surprise was the "Quong Yulin & Co." grocery, a few blocks away from "Sol. Fried" store. Wikipedia currently lists Vicksburg at less than 1 percent Asian. Vicksburg's 165-year old Synagogue now has just 20 members. I wonder how much of the construction along the waterfront is post-war. Vicksburg experienced quite a boom in population growth between 1860 and 1870. Earlier components?I seem to recall parts of this (great) panorama as previous Shorpy photos. Can someone post links to them? [One photo. Our Search box would take you here. Waiting in the wings, there is at least one other version of this scene taken the same day, for a total of three. - Dave] Remarkable detailThis is a remarkable image. I wonder if Detroit Publishing produced any more of these stitched multi-image panoramas. [Click the "Panoramas" link above the photo. The stitching is all done by me, and Photoshop. - Dave] No Horseless CarriagesTypically photos of this vintage display horse & buggies AND early automobiles. Was Vicksburg behind the times or could it be the photo pre-dates 1909? Either way, this a facinating snapshot of a moment in time along the Mississippi River. [The First National Bank building was completed in 1907. - Dave] Seek and you shall findWay on the right, a Coca-Cola sign. [Actually there are three. - Dave] Very DirtyAn amazing photo. The thing I am thinking about is that all the ladies seem to be wearing long white dresses and the streets appear to be all dirt. Their clothing must have gotten filthy in a very short time from simply walking the streets. I am also loving the Steam Boat Exchange Saloon, I wonder what curious sights were beyond those doors ?? Merchants DespatchWell weathered. Above the Falls Cityare buildings in disrepair, could they be civil war casualties? [From 50 years earlier? That's fire damage. - Dave] Coca-Cola and VicksburgVicksburg was home to the Biedenharn Candy Company, the first bottler of Coca-Cola. Although the drink was created in 1886, it was sold mainly at druggists and soda fountains. Biedenharn started bottling the drink in 1894. Did the channel change?I notice from the satellite view that the channel fronting most of the city is now the Yazoo River, not that there is much of a waterfront left. Such a channel change is something that General U.S. Grant unsuccessfully tried to engineer in 1862-1863, but it looks like nature finally did what 19th Century military engineering could not, as nature always does. Many of these buildings remainHaving lived in Vicksburg, I can tell you that while a number of the buildings shown along the Mississippi riverfront have been torn down and replaced, still, many of the buildings pictured in this panorama are still there, being re-purposed with new businesses and tenants through the years. On Washington Street, the street the First National Bank building is on (still there, its main floor used still as a bank with professional offices on the other floors), many of these buildings still remain. You'll notice the many steeples and cupolas on the skyline. Going from left to right, the first steeple is that of Christ Episcopal Church (still there); the two-storied brick building with the cupola right on the river (with train cars pictured in front) is the old L&N Railroad Depot, now a Visitor Center. Atop the hill, the building with columns on all sides and the cupola on top is the old Warren County Courthouse (built in the late 1850s), now the Old Courthouse Historical Museum. Right across the street from the Old Courthuse, you see the "steeple" of the City Jail. Past the First National Bank Building, going east up the hill is the tower of the Carroll Hotel (a picture of which was posted on Shorpy several years ago -- The Carroll was torn down sometime in the late '40s or early '50s). The church that is pictured was St. Paul's Catholic, destroyed in the early 1950s when a tornado did a lot of damage as well as killing a number of people. A new church was built on the site in the 1950s. The squareish tower is the top of the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters, now used as the HQ of the Mississippi River Commission. The tall steeple at the left is Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. At the extreme left, the top two floors of the light-colored brick building (another skyscraper of five stories!) was a popular department store known as The Valley, which did business until sometime in the late 1970s or early '80s. The building has been converted into condos. At this time, the downtown streets of Vicksburg were not dirt but were paved with brick. The streets going east, up the bluffs from the river were (and still are) paved with cobblestones in order that vehicles can get some traction going up and down. When I started driving as a teenager in the 1960s, I was told that if you could learn to drive on the hilly streets of Vicksburg -- in a car with a standard transmission -- you could drive anywhere! Alice Used to be FrankThe sternwheel packet Alice B Miller, seen here to the right, was built in 1904 at Jefferson, Indiana, as the Frank B. Hayne. She became Alice in 1908 and met her demise by fire in Vicksburg in 1915. Source: University of Wisconsin LaCrosse, Murphy Library. Superb, engrossing imageFascinating - rewards hours of scrutiny! Just wanted to say a sincere thank you for putting this one together and sharing it with us. Depot at VicksburgThis view shows the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad (Y&MV) depot, not the L&N. Great panos!Thanks for the link to the panoramas you've stitched. I now have to look forward to hours in the time machine. (Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads, Vicksburg)
Meat Train: 1918
... "Food Administration home economics demonstration rail car, University of Illinois." National Photo Co. glass negative. View full ... New Perfection Stove "Make the Kitchen Livable" -1915 advertisement This Little Piggy What kitchen is complete ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:35pm -

Circa 1918. "Food Administration home economics demonstration rail car, University of Illinois." National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. New Perfection Stove"Make the Kitchen Livable" -1915 advertisement This Little PiggyWhat kitchen is complete without an American Meat Cutting Chart? On the plus side, now I know what a pig skeleton looks like! PorkThat chart could use some updating. Near where the ear is marked there'd be a new cut of meat called a congress. But on a serious note, what is that cylindrical device to the right of the 4 burners? Would that be a pump or blower of some sort? [Maybe a fuel pump for the kerosene "New Perfection" stove. - Dave] Kerosene WisdomThere were fuel pumps combined with constant level valves made by Autopulse. Judging by its compact size, I think the device in the picture is a constant level valve, a part of a gravity feed system for kerosene range burners. Hoosier cabinetI own a Hoosier like the one pictured except mine is not painted. Oh wowMy husband and I had a stove very similar to the one in the picture. It only had three burners though and a kerosene bottle on the side. Flour AgainAt the top of the Hoosier is a flour-storage container with an oval window. This is in contrast to the lower hinged hopper in the "Restoration Hardware" kitchen of 1920 in which the kitchen potatoes and/or onions are stored in separate sacks. No one would want their flour stored so close to the floor, that would just not do, plus the window lets the cook see how much flour is there. Illinois CentralIn 1917 my great-great grandfather, at the age of 75, walked into the path of the meat train in Pike County, Illinois. He died. Witnesses said they thought he didn't hear it. How???With flour storage that high. How will an average person get some out to use? [By turning the crank. It comes out of the sifter that's under the bin. - Dave] Electric PercolationAll this talk of kerosene and we miss the early electric coffee pot - I'm guessing it's a coffee pot due to the glass "percolation window" on top. I don't notice any bulbs in the other sockets, the only socket is for the pot. All this stuff must have made a horrible racket when the train was underway. Dispenser...I was looking for props for one of our productions and needed an early towel dispenser ... a company from the U.S. sent me that very unit on the wall! Perfection stoveThe "cylindrical device" is the fuel tank itself. The Perfection kerosene stove was not pressurized. It used wicks that drew the kerosene from the tank. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Natl Photo, Railroads)
Tangled T: 1924
... a Washington, D.C., businessman who owned Potomac Sales, a car dealership. View full size. T, boned The Model T supposedly had ... Hills in Reston, VA is located today. See the attached 1915 USGS map for the exact location. Wiehle Station Wiehle Station ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:55pm -

Exhibit B in the Case of the Battered Buick is this twisted Model T. The second in a series of 1924 photos captioned "Max Wiehle." Max, son of the founder of the long-defunct Fairfax County, Va., hamlet of Wiehle Station, was a Washington, D.C., businessman who owned Potomac Sales, a car dealership. View full size. T, bonedThe Model T supposedly had a top speed of 40-45. I would say the car had to be pushing the limit when this occurred. Gee, he's from where I live nowI don't know exactly where Wiehle Station was, but we live very near the intersection of Wiehle Road and the old Washington & Old Dominion Rail Trail. Nothing in the photo looks particularly familiar, unfortunately. [Wiehle Station was long gone when this picture was made. - Dave] The Original "Airbag"Steering wheel, meet chest. Ouch! Spicoli SaysMy old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it. Fender BenderMy grandfather once told me,"When there were only two cars in the entire state of Kansas, they ran into each other." Maryland driversFor those who don't live in the DC metro area, the joy of motoring amongst Maryland drivers has few parallels outside a dentist's chair. It's a mystery to those of us in Virginia, but the state of Maryland seems to require a mastery of ineptitude in its drivers. Buff it outNow here we have a classic "fixer-upper"! The HOA's going to hear about this!I'll bet the neighbors weren't happy about seeing wrecked cars parked on that vacant lot. Wiehle Station Wiehle Station was located roughly where Sunset Hills in Reston, VA is located today. See the attached 1915 USGS map for the exact location. Wiehle StationWiehle Station probably was very near the modern intersection of Wiehle Road and the W&OD Trail. It was located convenient to the rail line, and was subsumed into modern Reston. I suspect that that's the family's summer home (nucleus of the community) in the background. [The location of this photo has nothing to do with good ol' Wiehle Station. This is most likely the District of Columbia or Maryland. - Dave] Maybe add a sofaI wonder if young Max kept defunct refrigerators in his yard too. OwchLong before seatbelts, I imagine. Re: "Maryland Drivers."I am from the Old Line State and I take offense. I gotta make this short. I'm texting from my car and there's an officer behind me. Modern VernacularIn todays parlance I believe one may say that this car has "Cr-pped the bed". (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
The Annex: 1918
... Looks like a Franklin Electric in the foreground, a car about 90 years ahead of its time. Would love to take a drive in one of ... car with them. Milburn The car in the picture is a 1915 Milburn model 15 (their introductory model). Until 1916 most enclosed cars ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 10:58am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Emergency Fleet Corporation, building exterior." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Electric, Gas, and Hay - Oh My!What an interesting time period when it came to transportation. Besides the gas powered automobiles parked on the street, and the Milburn Electric in the center of the photo, you can see the very back end of a horse-drawn wagon in the lower right of the photo. If you look at the plate glass window of the "Builders and Manufacturers" office, you can see the reflection of the horse hitched to the wagon. FranklinLooks like a Franklin Electric in the foreground, a car about 90 years ahead of its time. Would love to take a drive in one of those today! On second thought, the carOn second thought, the car might be a Detroit Electric instead of a Franklin, anyway either would be a blast to drive, although range was limited to 20 miles plus or minus. 3 in a coupeThe 3-passenger coupe was a popular style in that first decade of autos. The driver had a bucket seat, and the left rear passenger was crammed in behind the driver. The right rear passenger had more legroom. Some models included a fold-down jump seat facing backwards in the right front position; this passenger's back was against the dashboard. Horse BlanketCan anyone explain the function of the cover over the engine hood on the car in the lower left corner? I'd guess it's there to prevent freezing in cold weather, but it completely covers the radiator face and side vents as well, and I'd think it would tend to starve the carburetor. 1918 Milburn electric carThe car in the foreground appears to be a 1918 Milburn electric car. ElectricThat's a charming little electric runabout. It's hard to tell whether it's coming or going. Electric Car?Is that a Milburn Electric in the center foreground? This Milburn Electric Model 27 looks similar. Builders' Exchange BuildingAccording to the Washington Post, this was built in 1890 at 719-721 Thirteenth Street, NW., between G and H (Post, March 20, 1890 p.4; July 25, 1909 p. R2) Parallel parking?I'm surprised by the haphazard way the cars are parked on both sides of the street. And the jaunty little car center front is a puzzlement. I think I can identify the front by the headlights, but it looks like the passengers are seated facing each other. Where is the steering wheel? [It has a tiller. - Dave] Horseless CarriageCan anyone ID the vehicle in the center of the photo? It's intriguing because it looks as if there are two people inside of it that are facing each other. SteamerI like old cars but I'm not familiar with cars as old as the one in the foreground. That being said, I'm pretty sure that is a steam powered car I Tawt I Thaw A Puddy Cat!It appears that there are 3 occupants in the electric car: A woman in an elegant hat, a gentleman in a topcoat, and the chauffeur - a Bedouin preparing for a sandstorm. The last effect may just be due to the tree reflection across the windshield, but it definitely looks like the driver is wearing a mask/muffler of some sort - maybe because to the flu epidemic? Dave, is it time to bring out the ShorpyVision? But the other passenger is missing, because they just dropped Tweety Bird off at the vets. Razed for ParkingWe tend to think of parking shortage as a contemporary issue - but finding space in the urban environment to park cars has been a challenge since the mass production of automobiles began. It's hard to believe that a six-story building would be razed to make way for a surface parking lot, but that is what happened. The Service Parking Corporation razed at least a dozen buildings in downtown to replace them with surface parking. Other buildings lost to the Service Parking Corporation include the Edward Apartment Building (15th St), Gramercy Apartments (825 Vermont Ave), Marini's Hall (914 E st), and the former residence of President Buchanan (916 E st). Washington Post, Jan 7, 1933 Builders Exchange Building Will Pass Site on Thirteenth Street is Leased to Auto Service Parking Company. Disappearance of the former Building Exchange Building, another landmark of the downtown business section, at 719-721 Thirteenth street northwest, is forecast following completion of an important parking lease for the building's site yesterday by the offices of Carl G. Rosinski and Harvey A. Jacob. The site of the building, containing 10,093 square feet, has been leased for five years for the Stilson Hutchins estate to Service Parking Ground, Inc, and organization with out-of-town headquarters, which has been in business for seventeen years and is operating more than 50 parking lots throughout the country. HandlebarsThere is also a bicycle leaning against the tree in the lower right corner. Motor MuffsThe Fords both have hood covers. Keeping in mind that the engine bay is open underneath, plus the Model T had a low-mounted updraft carburetor, there is no danger of stifling the motor even if the covers were left on during use. Back seat driverThe electric car was driven from the back seat. If you look, you can see two tillers sticking up on the far side of the car. When the driver gets in, they pull these down across their lap and control the car with them. MilburnThe car in the picture is a 1915 Milburn model 15 (their introductory model). Until 1916 most enclosed cars were electric. The electric Coupés usually had a three place bench seat across the back and one or two bucket or folding jump seats that faced aft, or rotated to face either direction. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
All This for $295
... auto, price $295." The short-lived Argo automobile ("The car you've hoped for, at a price you never expected") at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington circa 1915. View full size. National Photo Co. I'd buy one Does ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 6:53pm -

"Argo auto, price $295." The short-lived Argo automobile ("The car you've hoped for, at a price you never expected") at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington circa 1915. View full size. National Photo Co. I'd buy oneDoes anyone know why they didn't catch on? A cyclecarThe Argo was a cyclecar (I think) - they had a brief popularity here in the States, little bit longer in the UK. [The Argo had a four-cylinder water-cooled engine. - Dave] Unaltered GloryRather refreshing to see a building on Shorpy that still exists in an unaltered condition (at least the exterior). (1980 photo by Dane A. Penland) Hi-res version available at the Smithsonian [warning: ~6MB!]. Argo et elThey went under because not enough people bought the cars. Which were not that great a value. The Argo (designed by the Briscoe brothers, whose earlier Ajax car was sold in France and England) was barely cheaper than a Model T, and there's wasn't much of a market in America for teensy, low-clearance two-seaters. For a little more money from the big manufacturers, you could get a much bigger vehicle with many more service and parts locations. Low cost carsIn the 1920s Ford Motor Co. was selling a pickup for under $300. Nowadays.The funny thing is, while you couldn't give them away in 1915, you could buy a fleet of Model Ts with what that Argus would probably bring at an automobile auction these days. Well, before the economy got lean. PracticalityWhat I like about the origins of autmobiles was the connection the earlier designs had with horse-drawn carriages. These early cars weren't built like today's totally-enclosed-with-all-the-comforts-of-home models. This (and many) models didn't have doors or windows, let alone any temperature controls (although I'm sure to be corrected here). These were just meant to get a body to another location faster than a horse could. Of course there was a prestige involved, but luxury accessories wouldn't come for a few years yet. I'd love to hear city leaders of the time having to debate on the merits of the advent of automobiles. 200 OrphansThis was certainly a sort of "Wild West" period in automobile manufacturing. Everyone and their brother were starting a company, with many failing, as happens when a new market is created. Hemmings has a blog entry derived from a period magazine (Motor Record - March 1917) listing "orphaned" makes at that time. There must be well over 200 listed: Orphans of 1917 (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Everywhere With Everything: 1926
... Streets N.W." Here we have everything from a Hudson-Essex car dealership to moving vans to a florist to "scalp specials." And not only ... his name racing autos at the Benning track. He won in 1915 and 1916 in his homemade bright red "Eye-See-Bee" and again in 1917 in a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 4:32pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1926. "I.C. Barber Motor Co., 14th & Irving Streets N.W." Here we have everything from a Hudson-Essex car dealership to moving vans to a florist to "scalp specials." And not only ghost pedestrians in this time exposure but a ghost car! Also note the use of trees as 1 Hour Parking signposts. National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. The CarI love that car in the parking lot... I can't tell what make it is, but it is sure classy. [It's a brand-new Hudson. - Dave] Aunt Polly's EssexAnd here I was hoping to catch a glimpse of a 1926 Essex again. My "Aunt Polly" (a friend of my grandmother's) had a 1926 Essex she bought new in Portsmouth, Virginia. I remember as a kid in the early 1970s riding in that car, with its acetylene headlamps and rumble seat. She had it until she died, in the mid 1980s. I don't know what happened to it after that. And you don't have to be particularly old to know Glenn Miller's Pennsylvania 6-5-Oh-Oh-Oh, as I'm only 42. SHorpy-633It seems we may have caught another historical transition here at Shorpy's - the phone system moving from 5 to 6 digit dialing in DC. Note the phone number of Black and White moving is COlumbia - 633 whereas the phone number of Story & Co real estate appears to be FRank - 4100. When I was a kid I remember we were taught our phone numbers as the exchange followed by numbers. Mine was MUrray 4-6176. Anyone recall the most famous phone number of all... PEnnsylvania 6-5000? PEnnsylvania 6-5000I sure do, and it's still the phone number at Hotel Pennsylvania in NY. Glenn Miller may have written the best advertising jingle of all time, and I don't think the hotel paid a dime! http://www.hotelpenn.com/contactus.html Say it With FlowersThe Gude Bros Co., established 1889 by Adolph and William Gude, is still in the wholesale floral business. An early history and photos of the company. Adolph, a pilot, had an airstrip built adjacent to their plant nursery in Rockville. Old Phone NumbersThis is an absolutely GREAT street scene photo of the times in DC. And speaking of phone numbers, my family went from "2943" in Newburgh NY in the 1930s to "4-8168" in Wilmington DE in the 1940's, which evolved into "OLymp1a4-8168" into the early 60's, before it went all-numerical to 302-654-8168 by 1965. Just before that, I had moved to NY City, where they still were using those great old neighborhood exchange names such as as ALgonquin (in Greenwich Village), MUrrayHill (in East Midtown), PEnnsylvania (in West Midtown) and BUtterfield (in the Upper East Side). (Sigh...those were the days, my friends...) 1926 Essex Here's one... I.C. Barber Motor Co.According to Hudson-Essex ads in the Washington Post, the I.C. Barber Motor Company was at 3101 14th St N.W. Irving C. Barber made his name racing autos at the Benning track. He won in 1915 and 1916 in his homemade bright red "Eye-See-Bee" and again in 1917 in a "Beaver Bullet." Hudson-EssexThe new-looking phaeton to the right of the dealership is neither a Hudson nor an Essex. It looks like an Oldsmobile. All Hail the Hudson!By virtue of its ubiquity upon these pages as well as its exemplary ability to elicit extensive commentary, I hereby nominate the HUDSON to be the Official Automobile of the Shorpy 100-Year-Old Photo Blog. The fact that three separate examples of this marque owned by members of my family figure in a number of photos I have personally submitted should in no way be interpreted as bias on my part. 1361 Irving Street NWThe only structure here still standing is the apartment building that is now the Irving Station Condominium, at 1361 Irving Street NW, directly behind the lamppost. All the rowhouses from there to the corner have been demolished, and it no longer has the metal awning that is (barely) visible. On the site today is one of the entrances to the Columbia Heights Metrorail Station, and the Victory Heights senior housing building, with Irving Station still there. Great photo, fascinating material! Gude FloristsThe Gudes also had a facility just south of Laurel, Maryland, where Laurel Lakes Shopping Center is now. For years there was a rose bush right alongside Route 1 at a dip in the road, where it was doused with salt-laced slush every winter. A real survivor! It still breaks my heart that I wasn't able to rescue it, or at least take cuttings, before it was bulldozed away for the shopping center. Just north of the shopping center is a large public park operated by the city of Laurel, called Gude Park. The OldsmobileThe car parked in the drive is a circa 1920 Oldsmobile. I cannot find any pictures of Hudson's or Essex's with the canted hood louvers depicted. Shown below is a 1919 Oldsmobile Model 37A that is almost exactly the same as the Shorpy picture, but the top is down. Of further interest is the lock on the spare tire, the wood block acting as an emergency brake, and several notes/cards placed on the Oldsmobile that do not appear to be clear enough to read in the photo. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Carnaval Cabrillo: 1913
... a much larger pageant in 1911 as a fundraiser for the 1915 Panama California Exposition, and the four-day Carnaval in September 1913 ... on in front of the 2nd building. The one white topless car parked amid all the apparently black autos. Keystone State Taken to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/14/2017 - 10:22pm -

San Diego, California, 1913. "San Diego and bay from U.S. Grant Hotel." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Can you tell meas a non-resident, and very astute perusal of this scene, what country is it located? Those two warshipsI believe Those two warships in the background are Pennsylvania-class cruisers. They were all stationed on the west coast at that time. June 14th or July 4thLooks like it was either around Flag Day or Independence Day judging by all the patriotism on display and I will bet that all those flags were not made in China either! Put that in your bong and smoke it! [Look at the banner in the photo and you'll see that it's September. - Dave] West Coast Armored CruisersThe two warships are the USS California and South Dakota (I can't tell which is which, though). These Pennsylvania class armored cruisers were built at the Union Iron Works in San Francisco (the 1906 completion was delayed by the earthquake) and stayed on the west coast most of their early life. On an historical note, the California will have its named changed to San Diego a year after this image was taken. The ship will then be sunk off of Long Island on July 19, 1918. For the next 80 years historians will argue whether it was hit by a torpedo or a mine from a German submarine, but new evidence has emerged that a German spy planted a bomb onboard. Not the FourthI thought this was a Fourth of July picture until I paid attention to the title. Here's some history on the actual event. Cabrillo and San DiegoJuan Rodriguez Cabrillo's discovery of San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542, inspired San Diegans to organize a festival and parade in 1892, a much larger pageant in 1911 as a fundraiser for the 1915 Panama California Exposition, and the four-day Carnaval in September 1913 that this photo commemorates. The 1913 event celebrated the dedication by President Woodrow Wilson of federal land at the tip of Point Loma as the Cabrillo National Monument, overlooking the entrance to the harbor in the upper left corner of the photo. The actual monument would not be built until 1939, but the medal seen here was struck in 1913 for the event. The 1911 celebration featured a lot less less history and a lot more fun, and included the fantasy arrival of "King Cabrillo" at the court of "Queen Ramona." The royal mascot's name is not recorded. +87Below is the same view from July of 2000 (scanned from a slide - an art I'm still attempting to grasp). The structure on the left that still stands is the Spreckels Building. Interestingly, American naval power is also contrasted in the two shots. I don't know what ships are in the distance in the 1913 shot, but they can be compared to the USS John C. Stennis which has its fantail visible in the distance in the 2000 view. Armored CruiserThe ship in the center of the picture appears to be an armored cruiser of the Pennsylvania class. It's quite possibly the USS West Virginia, which was stationed along the West Coast at the time the photo was taken. Ship IDI believe the ship in the background is the USS California (ACR-6), a Pennsylvania-class armored cruiser. She was renamed USS San Diego in 1914 and was sunk by a suspected mine off Long Island in 1918. TransitionAnother picture showing the transition from four legs to four wheels and it shows that the auto is winning. BTW, check out that spiffy roadster in white; it stands out like a Rolls at a Yugo Convention. 1913 Auto Show Interesting contrast in those cars parked head on in front of the 2nd building. The one white topless car parked amid all the apparently black autos. Keystone State Taken to the CleanersSince those Pennsylvania-class cruisers spent most of their careers in the Pacific, I hope Pennsylvania got its money back! The flag I loveThis is a great picture, if only for the presence of all those beautiful, wonderful, brand new 48-star flags! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Streetcars)
Belle Isle Ferry: 1905
... the left edge of the picture you can just make out a rail car ferry, the darker gray against the lighter gray of the shoreline - the twin ... caused stability problems and may have contributed to the 1915 Eastland disaster in Chicago. Bowled me over. It's been a long time ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/02/2018 - 2:29pm -

Circa 1905. "Belle Isle Park ferry dock, Detroit." The steamer Garland at the dock. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. ClassSince becoming a Shorpy addict it almost seems that you have to go back 100 years or so to enjoy class, beauty and style. Off in the distance.....Way off in the distance on the left edge of the picture you can just make out a rail car ferry, the darker gray against the lighter gray of the shoreline - the twin stacks and the white deckhouse above the aft end are visible. Also, you can just make out "Woodward Avenue" on the edge of the building (partially obscured by the boat), so this dock was likely at the foot of Woodward, an area currently occupied by Hart Plaza, about 2 miles downriver from Belle Isle. Simply marvelous.Great shot of a slice of life long ago. The clothing and the hats! Everyone was just so civilized and proper. A far, far cry from today's world. It would be fun to send back one of the pierced and tattooed men or women of today, with spiked hair and tattered clothing, and here the gasps of horror and disbelief. Don't shake the boat!I love this picture, there are so many things to look at. But the biggest thing that I noticed is that boat appears to be really top heavy. GarlandI like the wreath for the namesake on top of the Wheel House Not so shakyI could not find specs for the Garland, but a sister in the fleet, the S.S. Pleasure, was listed at 140 feet long by 39½ wide with a 14-foot draft. A boat this size would probably displace about 1600 tons. Very stable. Only two lifeboats!Great details of period clothing, but I cringe at the paucity of lifeboats. Of course, after Titanic, boats like these were required to carry more, which caused stability problems and may have contributed to the 1915 Eastland disaster in Chicago. Bowled me over.It's been a long time since one needed to take a steamer to reach Belle Isle. There are still a lot of things to see, one thing you probably won't see are so many bowler hats! Killer boat!In 1880, the Garland ran over a chartered yacht on the Detroit River and killed 17 people. Most of them were young boys. Neat but slightly creepy.What a great image! I love the two young lads on either side of the pushcart. With their hats down over their brows, you can tell they are waiting to check out the young ladies who might be arriving on the ferry. However, I must say that the shadowy figure on the far left gives me the creeps. Just for Shade?Was there a "nautical" reason for the canvas covering across the bow of the ferry? [The "nautical" reason for the canvas windscreen would be to keep the passengers' hats from setting sail. - Dave] (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Detroit Photos, DPC)
Driving With Dorris: 1920
... View full size. 2150 Washington Street Built 1915. Just a block down from the Spreckels Mansion. In ... And, is the driver sitting on the wrong side of the car or is the driver's position reversed from current? [As long as the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/03/2016 - 5:42pm -

San Francisco circa 1920. "Dorris 6-80 seven-passenger sedan." Which retailed for an eye-popping $7190. Latest entry in the Shorpy Baedeker of Brobdingnagian Broughams. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. 2150 Washington StreetBuilt 1915. Just a block down from the Spreckels Mansion. In Today's MoneyIn today's dollars that would be $85,000 81 lbsWith all the modern camera lenses these days, I'll make a wager that most wouldn't be as sharp as the lens on this old camera. KEEP INFLATED TO 81 LBS, indeed! [You can read the tire because the negative is 7 inches wide. - Dave] Cost Effective?I guess a simple pane of glass (visor) was less expensive than inventing windshield wipers. Someone forgot about the S.F. fog coating the inside of the windshield though. And, is the driver sitting on the wrong side of the car or is the driver's position reversed from current? [As long as the man is in the passenger seat, there is no driver. - Dave] MonogrammedI.K.H. How appropriateShorpy has a Dorris day, on Doris Day's 92nd birthday! Paying for what?That panel above the running board is awfully wavy for $7199. [That's the splash apron. - Dave] Brobdingnagian BroughamsLove it. This and the "Forgotten Phaetons" are my favorite Shorpy descriptions of car models and/or manufacturers that most (including me) have never heard of. Louver Come BackThere's that double upper pane of glass again that has me so intrigued. https://www.shorpy.com/node/20682#comment-188906 I'm hoping someone with a preserved example of one of these windshields will comment on this. I'm sure of course that it doesn't work as well as wipers, but is it effective at all? And I like the adjustable hood louvers. Along with the window tassels and tricolor finish, these are features I would simply expect from a car at this price point! Grandma, is that you?Nice tassels on the pull-down windowshades. "To the opera, Livingston." Those two wheel brakesMust have been a real joy on the hills of San Francisco with a beast of that size and weight. Scuffed SidewallsLooks like those front tires have seen plenty of cases of being wedged against the curb when parked on the hills of San Francisco. As late as the 1950s you could get ticketed for not doing that. Pictures and wordsI come for the extraordinary photographs, but I stay for the sesquipedalian rich captions. Early SUV? An earlier version of the SUV? Do you think this driver also toted children to soccer games? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
A Day at the Races: 1918
... trees for a two mile oval. The article I read was from a 1915 NYT story on a race coming up. They also mentioned that the cars were able ... could not brace themselves with the steering wheel if a car went out of control. Indeed, in some race cars a riding mechanic could not ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 11:22am -

June 1, 1918. Six of the eight contestants in the 100-mile Harkness Handicap on Sheepshead Bay Motor Speedway's two-mile wooden oval in Brooklyn, New York. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Track SuitsOne wonders if fans were expected to wear a white shirt, tie and straw hat to the race track today, would the stands be empty? But times change, as does our approach to fashion and entertainment; I can remember when my mother wore a hat to the grocery store in the 1950s - and she was no buttoned-up lady! MechanicThe mechanic's duties included controlling engine temperature (with radiator shuttors) and maintaining oil level (with manual pump). [The New York Times articles on this race also mention that among the duties of the "mechanician" is to serve as a rear-view lookout to see who's gaining. - Dave] Two man crews, yes!In the early days of driving a 2-man crew was the rule. The second man was not a driver; he was a "riding mechanic." He was there mainly to change tires, which would go flat and/or blow out at the slightest provocation. However, the better riding mechanics could repair some fairly serious breakdowns on the track. This was, of course, much more important in endurance races (not sure if that term was used as early as 1918 but there certainly were such races in existence then). Later, better known endurance races were the Mille Miglia and Carrera Panamericana. I'm not positive about this, but I believe in the WW I time frame it was not uncommon for well heeled owners to carry a riding mechanic even for "civilian" (non-racing) driving. This could get crowded, with chauffeur and riding mechanic up front and the family in the back seats. Lots of wood!Especially when one considers the fact that the planks were laid vertically Two-man crews?Most (all?) of these racers appear to have two-man crews. One assumes that the basic tasks of driving, even with these exotic machines, were within the capabilities of a single man, as they are today. So what's the second dude there for? In case the primary driver needs a nap? But they're driving on a circuit. If there was a need for a relief driver, you could just swap 'em out in the pit stop. Clearly I don't understand what's going on here. The bike, the bike!The cars are great but my eyes naturally go straight to the Indian in the foreground. When do we get to see some bike races? Vrooom! Wood OvalThe track surface had me wondering. So I looked up the history on this speedway and found out it was boards. That took a lot of trees for a two mile oval. The article I read was from a 1915 NYT story on a race coming up. They also mentioned that the cars were able to hit 120 which follows up on that point on another thread below. So probably even faster by 1918. One question for the knowledgeable commentors, and you know who you are. Did a racing mechanic back then have any responsibilities during a race other than sitting next to the driver and waiting to do something, you know, mechanical? Riding mechanicsIn his book "Eddie Rickenbacker," Walter David Lewis writes: Riding mechanics, who sat beside the driver, had the most hazardous job of all. Unlike drivers, they could not brace themselves with the steering wheel if a car went out of control. Indeed, in some race cars a riding mechanic could not sit at all but merely clung to a strap behind the driver's seat, on the right-hand side of the vehicle, and braced his left foot on a projecting piece of metal. In Fryer's racer, Edd sat in a bucket scat, with handles on either side. Like other riding mechanics, however, he stood a good chance of being thrown into the air and killed in a serious accident. Riding mechanics had arduous duties. Before a race they worked practically around the clock, oiling components and checking connections. At the starting line it was their responsibility to crank the engine. During the heat of a contest, because gravity-feed fuel supply and splash lubrication systems were highly unreliable, their principal duty was to keep gasoline and oil flowing to the engine. Closely monitoring gauges on the dashboard, they vigorously manned bicycle-type air pumps and plungers to maintain fuel and oil pressure when necessary. They also kept an eye out for excessive abrasion and wear on the tires, which were notoriously undependable in the early days of motor sport. Using hand signals, they constantly kept the driver aware of what was happening behind him, especially if another car was about to pass. They had to be ready in an instant for any emergency. If there were blowouts, riding mechanics helped drivers change tires. One of the few detailed accounts of their activities called them the "forgotten heroes of the speedways," saying that they "had to be fearless and possess the overwhelming passion to compete." One riding mechanic noted in an interview in 2000 that it was his job "to read the blackboard when the cars roared by the pits to see their position, tell his driver whom to pass, look for tire wear and pump up the fuel pressure." Boards vertical becauseYou don't want a horizontal board working loose when you're approaching it at 100 plus. Especially with those brakes and those tires! Is that Buddy Hackett?I was watching "The Love Bug" with my kids and the final race had two-man crews in the car. Somehow I don't see the need to weld the two halves of these cars together during the middle of the race. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, G.G. Bain, NYC, Sports)
Out for a Spin: 1904
... a 1903 Pierce Stanhope, of which 149 were made. The car That looks like a Studebaker Electric. Not an electric There's a ... (location of the Manhanset House and Cottages resort); in 1915 the name was changed to Dering Harbor. The Library of Congress errs in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/23/2019 - 12:06pm -

Circa 1904. "Patchogue Avenue, Manhanset Manor, Shelter Island, N.Y." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. If you don't like my drivingkeep off the grass. A Country Song Comes to Mind"Jesus take the Tiller!" Wondering1902 Flint Roadster, maybe? One of 149?The vehicle in view appears to be a 1903 Pierce Stanhope, of which 149 were made. The carThat looks like a Studebaker Electric. Not an electricThere's a radiator under the front valence (which is hiding a folded-up seat). LimericksThere once was a man from Nantucket Who kept all his cash in a bucket. His daughter, named Nan, Ran away with a man And as for the bucket, Nantucket Pa followed the pair to Pawtucket, The man and the girl with the bucket; He said to the man, "You're welcome to Nan", But as for the bucket, Pawtucket. The pair followed Pa to Manhasset, Where he still held the cash as an asset, But Nan and the man Stole the money and ran, And as for the bucket, Manhasset. (Yes, there is another Man from Nantucket limerick, but we won't go there) Maybe they're lost?I'm having some trouble making sense of the address given in the description here. In the present day, at least, Manhasset and Patchogue Avenue are in two very different parts of Long Island. And Shelter Island sits even farther away, out between the forks at the far eastern end of Long Island. The carI found a photo of another example of the car, in a similar position, for comparison. Tough Life?Oh, the poverty in this neighborhood! 8 Gardiner Way This was somewhat difficult to find, as "Patchogue Avenue" has since been renamed and there is no town today called "Manhasset" on Shelter Island. Thank you to the Rumsey Historical Map Collection! Where should I park, dear? "Park the car anywhere you like, honey!" RE: 8 Gardiner Way | Maybe they're lost?If memory serves, there was a Manhasset Hotel on Shelter Island (on the north shore of Shelter Island, near the modern day Gardiner Way) that burned down in the early 1900s --named for the Manahasit Native American tribe local to the area; the town of Manhasset that is quite a bit west of Shelter Island on the north shore of Long Island was also named after them. I believe there were even some old photos of the hotel posted here a while back. [You are perhaps thinking of Manhanset (not "Manhasset") House, on Dering Harbor. - Dave] Yup; Long Island I'm good at; spelling, not so much. Lots of locales on Long Island named with variations of the local Native American tribes of the area. The house pictured can also be found at this address: 8 Gardiner Way, Dering Harbor, New York. [Further research reveals that the village at the time was called Manhanset Manor (location of the Manhanset House and Cottages resort); in 1915 the name was changed to Dering Harbor. The Library of Congress errs in correcting the place name "Manhanset" to "Manhasset" in these Shelter Island captions; Manhasset is much farther west on Long Island, in Nassau County. The item below is from the Oct. 30, 1915, issue of Brooklyn Life. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC)
Park Transfer: 1925
... air hose) they would chalk a symbol on the corner of the car to tell other repairmen. These symbols were not universal, and varied from ... 2013 boxcar. GMC That's a GMC truck, probably about 1915. First GMCs were built in 1912. Already pretty old at the time of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2013 - 5:06pm -

Washington, D.C., 1925. Something for the railfans, something for the truckfans. "O.D. Boyle" is all it says here. National Photo glass negative. View full size. ToadsCarmen, inspectors who walked incoming trains before they were switched out (called "Toads" in railroad slang) carried a 1" diameter stick of chalk on their walks. If they found anything that needed minor attention (such as a loose bolt or cotter pin, brake shoes needing replacement, or worn air hose) they would chalk a symbol on the corner of the car to tell other repairmen. These symbols were not universal, and varied from yard to yard. If they found a major defect (such as a brake defect, safety violation, or worn bearings) they stapled a postcard size card onto the side of the car, reading "Bad Order" and what the defect was. When the switchman broke up the train a Bad Order tag superceded any other instructions for the cars routing and it was placed in the "Rip", or repair yard. Timeless boxcarsSome things change, some don't. Cars and trucks have changed tremendously in 88 years but a 1925 boxcar looks very much like a 2013 boxcar. GMCThat's a GMC truck, probably about 1915. First GMCs were built in 1912. Already pretty old at the time of the picture. As I See ItVisible marked rail cars, from left to right, hail from the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O), Nickel Plate (N.K.P.) and Louisville & Nashville (L&N), respectively. As for the truck, I'm thinking it's post-equine drayage. (Wikipedia helps here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drayage.) Team TrackThis would be a Team Track, where rail customers without spurs to them could receive goods. A series of parallel tracks, separated by a roadway where a team of horses with a wagon, and later motor trucks, could pull up alongside the railcars and transload goods from, or destined to, local customers. As I (also) See ItThe reporting mark on that middle car (N.K.P) is more accurately defined as: NKP - NEW YORK, CHICAGO & ST. LOUIS RR (NICKEL PLATE ROAD) now, of course, the NORFOLK SOUTHERN RWY. CO.[*]. The name's origin is interesting as told here: Origin of the Name Nickel Plate Road. Centrifugal Dirt CollectorThe things you learn at Shorpy. A few Googles and I was at pp. 88-89 of the December 1909 issue of "Air Brake Magazine". The subject collector is placed in the air line upstream of the triple valve. The shape of the chamber swirls the dirt around until gravity takes it to the bottom, where it stays. This is the "B" endTo report mechanical issues, or describe anything concerning a railroad car, you need to be able to differentiate one end from the other. The "B" end of any car is the end where the hand brake is located. The opposite end is the "A" end. This practice is still followed today. Boxcars then & nowThere is a world of difference between boxcars of a century ago and those of today, although these do look more modern than the solid-tired GMC truck. These boxcars have corrugated steel endwalls, but the sides of the one to the right are all wood. So you can imagine the steel-rod-and-turnbuckle structure on the bottom, the kind hobos are seen riding in the cartoons, and which needed constant adjustment. The knuckle couplers on these boxcars do not have the horizontal slot intended to receive a link during the transition from link-and-pin couplers of two decades earlier. It remains for better railfans than myself to say how quickly these were upgraded to solid knuckles. Modern boxcars do not have a roofwalk, and the ladders do not reach the roof. Besides the work-related injuries of having brakemen climb up on the roof, there was the ever-present liability of unauthorized persons getting up there. Since the '60s, boxcars, and all revenue rolling stock, have been getting larger. They have steadily been lengthened, and bridges have been raised to accommodate increased height. Finally, journal boxes have given way to Timken roller bearings. I suspect the word "journal" refers to the fact that these bearings once required daily attention. The top-hinged doors on the boxes would seem to attest to this. A major reason cabooses (or cabeese) had cupolas on top was so the crew could watch out for overheating bearings. My dad says that solid bricks of lubricant were available to dump into a problem journal box, as a stop-gap until the train could be brought into the yard. A large portion of his career at Texaco involved the development of an ideal lubricant for roller bearings, which since the '70s have completely replaced journal boxes. Chalk MarkLower right side of closest car, just above the "pole socket": anyone know what it means? O.D. BoyleO.D. Boyle was a yard brakeman for the B&O, working in Washington DC, in 1918. The connection to this photo is beyond me, though. See Page 22 here. Pole SocketsPole sockets were the receptacles for push poles. Sometimes it was necessary (or at least convenient) for various reasons to move a car on an adjacent track that you could not couple your engine to. To accomplish that you used a push pole held in place by a crew member. The inherent danger of such a maneuver caused the practice to be outlawed relatively early on Class I railroads, but on backwoods short lines where operations were not so constricted by rules, it continued much later. And, railroads being railroads, no one really wanted to go to the trouble of changing any blueprints, and pole sockets continued to appear on equipment long after no current employee could remember seeing them used. Here's a photo of a push pole mounted under the tender of a Mississippi Central steam engine, probably from the 1930s. Polin' the carsmichaeljy says the practice of poling cars was abandoned relatively early by Class I roads, but maybe not so ... in Winston Link's masterful history "The Last Steam Railroad in America," he includes two pictures (pages 100 and 101) of a brakeman poling a gondola on the Abingdon division of the Norfolk & Western some time between 1955 and 1957, when the division was dieselized completely. Locomotives continued to be made with pole sockets right up until the end of steam. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
Stand Back, Folks: 1917
Our third look at that circa 1917 car wreck at Massachusetts Avenue and 21st Street N.W. in Washington. As with ... Eagle Co." which was a brand made in Detroit, Michigan in 1915. Also of note, District of Columbia license plate numbers 1 - 83 from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 12:10pm -

Our third look at that circa 1917 car wreck at Massachusetts Avenue and 21st Street N.W. in Washington. As with so many of these old glass negatives, mold is colonizing the thicker parts of the emulsion. The result is an accident scene that looks like it's been dusted with flour. National Photo Company. View full size. HonkWhile the horn is certainly cool, it is not a Klaxon. Klaxons are electric or hand powered. This could be a Rubes horn. WrecksAll these early car accidents make me think surely there were carriage/wagon wrecks. Any pics of those? [Not that I've seen. But there are plenty of newspaper accounts of "runaway teams," which seem to have been a major hazard. - Dave] BottleWhat's that bottle for on the running board? If it were 50 years later or more, I'd say it's a fire extinguisher, or it's an NOS bottle and this heap piled up while draggin' fer pinks. [It's acetylene gas for the headlights. - Dave] The CarHas anyone identified the make of this auto? I didn't see a manufacturer's logo. It seems to be right-hand drive with controls outside the cab -- probably emergency brake. That great horn could be an add-on. With the worn and slightly tattered top it probably is dated sometime earlier than 1917. [The hubs are embossed with what looks like the word "Eagle." Or maybe "circle." There's one more photo of this car left to post. - Dave] Below, the 1907 New Eagle, a four-cylinder car made in England. KlaxonThat horn is awesome. EagleDave, I think you got it. Other details (radiator cap, horn) match nicely. Well done. Eagle Electric Company?The radiator shape of the New Eagle and the car in the accident are vastly different. The radiator shape of the New Eagle is completely round at the top with no variation in the thickness of the grill surround. The New Eagle that was made in Cheshire, England was only made from 1901 - 1907, and it seems very unlikely that any were imported into the U.S. There are also differences in the horn and side lights. A short history of these cars is here: http://www.3wheelers.com/eagle.html Looking closely the hubcap looks like it might spell out "Electric Eagle Co." which was a brand made in Detroit, Michigan in 1915. Also of note, District of Columbia license plate numbers 1 - 83 from 1907 - 1917 were issued to various automobile companies for demonstration purposes. Perhaps numbers 24 and 26 were out together on a demonstration ride. Automobile1909 Columbia Model 29 Four-Passenger Toy Tonneau (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Minute Service No. 6: 1925
... was 20 million cars and trucks -- 10 times what it was in 1915, when there were relatively few gas stations, and hardly any with multiple pumps. So with a 1,000-percent car-population increase in just a few years, demand for fueling capacity was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 11:34pm -

1925. "Texas Co., Third Street & Florida Avenue N.E." One in a series of photos, evidently commissioned by Texaco, of service stations in and around Washington, D.C. Here we have the added attraction of a speeding train. View full size. It's the PitsLooks like a couple of outdoor oil-changing pits just to the right of the building. Found the spot - If not the building[How interesting that the concrete border around the planting bed along the sidewalk is the only vestige of the place to survive. Also, note the train going by. - Dave] View Larger Map Brand confusionIf the photos were indeed commissioned by The Texas Company (Texaco's formal name until sometime in the '30s), why does this station sell Standard/Amoco gasoline? I've seen photos of rural gas stations in the '20s where multiple brands were sold. I'm not sure when national marketers began demanding brand exclusivity. But I don't see a bright red Texaco Star anywhere here. [Texaco paid National Photo to take these pictures of Washington area gas stations. A few were Texaco stations; the majority were not. - Dave] Ghost trainTo the right of the gas station itself, look under the raised track signals. [As noted in the caption! - Dave] QuestionsWhat are the 3 items standing to the left of the building? They appear to have valves/switches on the body and then some kind of hose devices attached to the top of each. They remind me of air or lube lines but where they are makes no sense for those uses. They each have signs/instructions on them too. Next point - any one know why so many pumps in this and the following photo? Eight pumps for this station seems like a lot given how many (few) cars might have been needing gas at a given time. Perhaps the gravity feed gas in these pumps made a fill up a long task? [In 1925, the motor vehicle population of the U.S. was 20 million cars and trucks -- 10 times what it was in 1915, when there were relatively few gas stations, and hardly any with multiple pumps. So with a 1,000-percent car-population increase in just a few years, demand for fueling capacity was great. A pump back then dispensed only one grade of gasoline to one car at a time. The average four-island station today has eight pumps with three hoses on each side for a total of 48 hoses able to serve any of three grades of gasoline to 16 cars at a time -- the same number of pumps, but double the 1925 station's capacity. So eight pumps in 1925 really wasn't that many for a big-city gas station. The "three items" are air hose towers. - Dave] Gas PricesI've noticed in Shorpy pics of gas stations that no matter what time they were taken, that adjusted for inflation, the gas always seems to be around $3 a gallon. Makes me wonder. Out of gas, full of boozeWhat clearly used to be a gas station now is a liquor store, but the trains still roll by under the same signal bridge (semaphores are now passe, though). Possibly part of the property retains an automotive theme in the form of a small used car lot. [That sign in the window (advertising denatured methanol for use as antifreeze) certainly was on the mark! - Dave] Minute Service Washington Post, Sep 28, 1924 Gasoline Station Will Cover Square on Florida Avenue Several sales of large properties were announced by Allan E. Walker & Co., Inc., yesterday. … The American Accessories Company purchased the entire square on Florida avenue between Third and Fourth streets, extending though to N streets, and will erect thereon a gasoline filling station and accessory store, adding another link to the group of Minute Service stations. The property was purchased from Warren Brenizer in connection with the office of Joseph I. Weller. Elsewhere on Shorpy: Minute Service Station No. 1. Minute Service Station No. 2. Minute Service Station No. 3. Minute Service Station No. 5. Minute Service Station No. 8. Magnetite lampThe street lamp in this photo is not an arc lamp or an incandescent lamp but a GE magnetite lamp. These lamps operated by creating an arc between a solid carbon rod and a rod made of magnetite. They could operate for several months without trimming, maintenance, or replacing the rods and were the next evolution of mechanical arc lamps beyond the carbon arc lamp. These lamps were used only on outdoor installations as they produced toxic gasses in their operation. Magnetite lamps were introduced around 1905-08. Because of their proven reliability, some stayed in service as late as the 1940s or early 1950s Most conventional carbon arc lamps were removed from service around 1910. Photo below shows a magnetite lamp in the Folsom Powerhouse Museum in Folsom, California. Ghost Owner, Octane, and PricesJust to the left of the car filling up on the far right of the photo...you can make out a wisp of a motorist! And are those prices on top of those pumps? If so, I paid about that amount in the early 1970's! Could be octane ratings I guess. (The Gallery, D.C., Gas Stations, Natl Photo, Railroads)
Sparkling Ale: 1917
... 1917 Horses still in the mix. Name that classy car! What is this model? It is quite a nice looking auromobile: RE: What ... 1917 Six-51 Coupe. That Classy Car Appears to be a 1915 Dodge Brothers Roadster with a "Rex" winter top. Building at bottom ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/14/2013 - 4:27pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1917. "Union Station." In the distance, a glimpse of a long-vanished Capitol Hill landmark, the Washington Brewery smokestack advertising SPARKLING ALE. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. If ancient Rome had needed a railroad station......it would have looked something like this. Union Station is befitting the national capital of an important country. The exterior looks much the same nearly a century later. The interior has been tastefully rescued from the destruction of the National Visitors Center project of the 1970's. In my running days, I brought some commuter jobs in here as well as a freight turn, which delivered lots of paper to the nearby government printing plant. What is the pulpit thing?It does not seem accessible, nor well-placed for directing traffic. The vista of Union Station is one I've never seen before. Very interesting. Washington Brewery's waning daysThe brewery was doomed by this time and would be out of business within two years. Perhaps Shorpy saw this recent post about the brewery's beer garden. (Thanks!) 1917Horses still in the mix. Name that classy car!What is this model? It is quite a nice looking auromobile: RE: What is the pulpit thing?The trolley switch tower was identified in this earlier Shorpy post. That classy carlooks like a 1917 Six-51 Coupe. That Classy CarAppears to be a 1915 Dodge Brothers Roadster with a "Rex" winter top. Building at bottom rightWhat is that build on the lower right where the Dubliner now lives? Two different Pulpit things.The one in the foreground of this photo isn't the same one seen in this Shorpy Post: https://www.shorpy.com/node/5388#comment-52768 The other one (which is featured in the video posted in the comments) is just visible behind the trolley in the background. Which way did he go Doc?All roads appear to be omnidirectional -- drive any way your heart desires. Yes? Temporary housing on Columbus Circle plazaThat building on the right is one of several temporary dormitories built for women workers during WWI. It's a parking lot for Hill staff today. Here's a view of them from a different angle (looking south toward the Capitol). (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Railroads)
Too Much Fun: 1905
... a cascade of real water. He may "loop the loop" in a car, or travel in a small chariot over an undulating sea of metal, the waves of ... firm was still peddling their own product as late as 1915 when they made a proposition to the City of San Francisco to operate a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:49pm -

New York circa 1905. "Dreamland Park at Coney Island." Among the amusements to be sampled: An observation tower, the Bostock trained animal show, a Baltimore Fire cyclorama, the General Bumps ride, a miniature railway, Will Conklin's Illusions, the Temple of Mirth and Hooligan's Dream. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Oil burnersThese were oil burning steam locomotives. The Miniature Railroad was built by the Cagney Brothers in 1904 to replace an earlier version that was lost in a November, 1903 fire. It made a circuit of the park running underneath the promenade. The locomotives, which could pull three of the two-passenger cars, were built by the Cagney Brothers' Miniature Railway Company in New York. Their ad below is from the February 7, 1903 issue of The Billboard. An earlier Shorpy post with a closeup of one of the locomotives has more information here, and a 1903 Edison silent movie of Coney Island before the fire (found here) shows the train emerging out from under the promenade at the 7:44 minute mark. You Can't Miss MeI'll be the one wearing a mustache a hat and a dark suit. The cops must have had an awful time with witness descriptions of the perps back then. Where to look first?There are so many wonderful aspects to this picture, I hardly know what to take in first. I love the "Temple of Mirth" (Can you imagine "mirth" being used on a ride today? How many folks even know what it means anymore?) I also love the "Hooligan's Dream" (but ditto on the meaning being mostly lost on 21st century folk). What REALLY intrigues me however, is what the people in the forefront are looking at instead of the elephants right behind them, which I would be fascinated by. Surely elephants weren't a commonplace sight. [Happy Hooligan, whose image is in the circle on the sign, was an extremely popular comic strip character of the time. - tterrace] Soon to be gone - againDreamland was rebuilt in early 1904 after a disastrous fire destroyed it in November, 1903. Six years after this picture was taken this scene was again destroyed by fire. It made news even in far away Australia where, two days later, the tragedy was reported by The Argus newspaper. FIRE AT CONEY ISLAND. AMUSEMENT PALACE DESTROYED. DAMAGE 3,000,000 DOLLARS. NEW YORK, May 27. A destructive fire occurred yesterday at Dreamland, one of the great amusement resorts at Coney Island, New York. The damage is estimated at 3,000,000 dol. The menagerie was destroyed, 50 wild animals being cremated. The adjoining place of entertainment, Luna park, was saved. [Dreamland and Luna Park practically constitute Coney Island, which is the greatest resort of its kind in the world. The resources of inventors are taxed to provide new thrills, with the result that each season finds some ingenious novelty installed for the New York clerk and shop-girl. Dreamland contains dozens of forms of entertainment. The visitor may travel by captive airship, or glide at fearful speed down the chute, through a cascade of real water. He may "loop the loop" in a car, or travel in a small chariot over an undulating sea of metal, the waves of which are caused by machinery below. The "Rocky Road to Dublin, " a fearful switchback apparatus, and "General Bumps," involving a hazardous slide down a polished wooden surface, are among the joys of the place; while those who desire to visit other lands may take a trip to the North Pole or the wilds of Central Africa with equal ease and cheapness.] A more complete newspaper story with pictures of the aftermath can be found here, and a few more pictures can be seen here and here. The steam locomotivehas been hooked up to some pretty fancy oversized cars, and can you believe observing HYENAS for 25 cents, forget lions and panthers, they've got HYENAS ! Bostock's Wild Animal Exhibition Broadway Magazine, April 1905. Although Coney Island has improved greatly in the character of its shows within the last few years, the same atmosphere of careless holiday-making prevails, and you always have a feeling of jolly irresponsibility as you go from one place of amusement to another. Bostock's wild animal exhibition in “Dreamland,” is again a prominent feature of the summer. The animals are interesting, whether in their dens or in the arena, while the trainers who put the savage creatures through performances in the large steel cage are as impressive as ever. There was one act I saw at Bostock's lately which struck me as particularly good. A young lady in short skirts, who was announced as “La Belle Selika,” skipped into the cage with seven—I think it was seven—lionesses. She made them get up, reluctantly, upon pedestals in different parts of the cage. Then, as the orchestra struck up the music of the “Pretty Maidens,” in “Florodora,” she danced, teasing the animals by pointing her slippers at them one after another, and retreating just far enough to escape the angry paws darted at her each time. They seemed eager to tear her to pieces. She pirouetted about the creatures, always close to them, but just far enough away to avoid being clawed, until at last she struck an attitude immediately in front of the most savage of her pets and smiled in response to the applause, while the lioness growled. It was decidedly the prettiest act I ever saw in connection with trained wild animals, and it looked fearfully dangerous, whether it was so actually or not Live Steam?I would assume that that little locomotive was actually a steam powered kerosene burner... does anyone know? UPDATE: The kerosene assumption was (wrongly) made because I couldn't imagine firing a firebox that small with coal to maintain a working head of steam - Ausonius. Pigmy Locomotive While the Cagney Bros. operated many miniature railway concessions, the actual builder of this engine was the McGarigle Machine Co, of Niagara Falls, NY. Tobbacconist, is there something in the photo that indicates oil as the fuel source? The following article states the originals were built with a 10 inch firebox burning anthracite. I think this engine is coal fired. In 1905, coal was still a widely available and familiar fuel. Also, the trousers on the engineer appear rather well coated in coal dust. [Additional information and photos.] The Railway Age, July 1, 1898. A Pigmy Locomotive. What is claimed to be the smallest locomotive ever made for drawing passenger cars has been made for the Miniature Railroad company by Thomas E. McGarigle of Niagara Falls. This steam railroad is to be operated at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha, Neb., and, in all, six locomotives are to be built for the company under the present contract. It is possible they will be used at other resorts, such as Coney Island, Atlantic City, Deal Beach, Washington Heights and Niagara Falls. … The height of the locomotive from the top of the stack to the rail is 25 inches, and the gauge is 12½ inches. The cylinders are 2x4 inches. The boiler is 1½ horse power, made of steel, and is tested to 300 pounds pressure, and will hold 24 gallons of water. … The firebox is 10 by 10 inches. The weight of this little engine is about 600 pounds, and it will run on a rail three-quarters of an inch square. Hard coal will be used as fuel. The capacity of the locomotive is 10 cars, each containing two persons, or about 4,000 pounds. The locomotive is equipped with sandbox, bell, etc., and has a steam brake between the drivers. One man, whose position will be on a seat in the tender, operates the engine. The scale on which the locomotive was built is about one-seventh that of one of the New York Central's largest engines, and as it stands in the shop it has a very businesslike appearance, as shown by the illustration. Live Steam Model FuelsThere`s no guarantee or requirement that this locomotive is oil fueled. Even today Live Steam enthusiasts operating large scale locomotives are running with a variety of fuels. Propane is popular as is oil or kerosene. However coal is still the most popular fuel for ridable trains like this and can be used at gauges as small as 1.26 inches. So unless there were other considerations, like local laws, there`s a high likelihood that this engine was coal fired. All in the FamilyYes, a great number of the 'Cagneys' (as they were known) were built in the Niagara shop of Thomas and Peter McGarigle; however, since their sister Winifred married Timothy Cagney, it was considered to be all in the family. Peter—an engineer—was mostly likely the one who designed the first of the miniature locomotives, ostensibly in 1885. In the early 1890s Timothy and his brothers David and John, were running a ticket brokerage company known as Cagney Bros. in New York, but by 1898 decided to fully concentrate on marketing the McGarigle locomotives and so incorporated The Miniature Railway Company, of Jersey City. For years the two businesses were nearly indistinguishable from one another, and were in fact interchangeable as far as miniature railways were concerned, as they worked together on various projects. In 1903 the Cagney Bros. Co. was ensconced in the Planter's Hotel in St. Louis—there to build the eight mile miniature railroad that would run through the grounds of the St. Louis Purchase Exposition (the 1904 World's Fair). Timothy Cagney was listed as President, and Peter McGarigle as Chief Engineer. While the Cagney Brothers' Miniature Railway Company was selling the vast majority of the McGarigle railroad oriented output, the Niagara firm was still peddling their own product as late as 1915 when they made a proposition to the City of San Francisco to operate a miniature railway in the park. By the 1920s however, the Cagney Bros. had absorbed the miniature railway portion of the McGarigle Machine Company, and McGarigle's—once also known for their gasoline marine engines—appears to have been reduced to being an automotive machine shop. The locomotive building operation was now referred to as "the Cagney Brothers' Amusement Company Niagara Falls plant." By the 1940s the late Timothy Cagney—and not Peter McGarigle—was being given credit as the inventor. According to one report, two of Cagney's "best known installations were two gold-plated trains with steam locomotives built for the King of Siam, and the 'Trip Around the World' exhibit at the New York World's Fair of 1939 and 1940." As for the oil burner reference, it's from a list of Coney Island rides and shows complied by Kingsborough Community College Professor Emeritus (and former Brooklyn Borough Historian, director and archivist) John Manbeck. He complied a vast collection of Coney Island ephemera that has since been donated to the Brooklyn College Library. On his list of rides and shows is this entry: A Miniature Railroad built by the Cagney Brothers made a circuit of park beneath the promenade. Each of its three small cars, pulled by a small oil-burning steam locomotive, held two passengers. I do not know what his original source was (but I'll try to find out); however, while the vast majority of the McGarigle/Cagney locomotives were coal-fired, it makes sense that these would be oil-fired as it would have virtually eliminated the fear of sparks from the smoke stack—especially so soon after the disastrous 1903 fire. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Railroads)
California Girls: 1919
... San Francisco or thereabouts circa 1919. "Chalmers touring car." At what seems to be a deluxe cow barn. 6½ x 8½ Wyland Stanley glass ... the former "California Building" exhibit, a remnant of the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition. It stood approximately on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/04/2014 - 11:49am -

San Francisco or thereabouts circa 1919. "Chalmers touring car." At what seems to be a deluxe cow barn. 6½ x 8½ Wyland Stanley glass negative. View full size. Yes, dearI'll be sure to stop and get a gallon of milk on the way home from work. An exposition perhaps?Notice the large building in the right background, and the tall superstructure in the left background. Also, the brick steps leading up to the stable. I tend to think these animals are for display. Not wanting to milk a joke butIt is an early version of a Starbucks with a prototype fresh milk and cream bar to dress up your Grande coffee. Location: college?The large architecture (large building in left background, and church-like three story building with buttresses in right background) and hay-covered breezeway makes me suspect a large college or university. It doesn't match Berkeley or Stanford, and looks too flat to be San Francisco proper. The foreground arches look like less-expensive sculpted plaster, so I'm thinking it's not a particularly wealthy college. The big blue gum eucalyptus behind the cow says that it didn't have formal gardens. California BuildingSeveral of us San Francisco historians had to put our heads together to solve this one. Turns out the photo was taken inside the former "California Building" exhibit, a remnant of the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition. It stood approximately on the site of today's St. Francis Yacht Club. Like a handful of other PPIE buildings (most notably the Palace of Fine Arts), the California Building survived for several years after the fair, looking for a new use. At one point it was proposed for a State Teachers College but that never materialized. It stood until March 1920. Its use as a paddock for livestock comes as a total surprise, though. Perhaps this was merely elaborate set dressing? And here's a 1915 view of the same alcove and steps, courtesy of PPIE historian Donna Huggins. April Winchell, eat your heart outNow these are contented, happy California cows. They set the bar higher before the Depression. Indulgent bossAllowing the chauffeur to pull over to hug his favorite cow. (The Gallery, Animals, Cars, Trucks, Buses, San Francisco, W. Stanley)
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