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- Marblehead Marinara: 1906
- ... is the view today. The terrain matches and the private boat dock at right is in the same place. If you look behind you, you'll see the ... Posted by Dave - 02/22/2023 - 1:21pm -
![Circa 1906. "Glimpse of harbor. Marblehead, Massachusetts." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Still very scenicThis is the view today. The terrain matches and the private boat dock at right is in the same place. If you look behind you, you'll see the Eastern Yacht Club. It looks like it was there in 1906.
Idyllic with an asteriskMarblehead today is a lovely destination for an afternoon, with (in its own words) "quaint narrow streets and historic 17th and 18th century buildings [that] mirror Marblehead as it has existed since its founding in 1629."
Also, not surprisingly, one of the wealthiest places in our second richest state. Its historic industries of commercial fishing, shoemaking, and aircraft manufacture have been replaced by yacht clubs and tourism. After World War II it became a bedroom community, and by 1970 was "built out." Though its website emphasizes diversity, its population of 20,000 is more than 95% white, with a median household income over $150,000 and a poverty level below 3%. It's one kind of American story.
Maine Class BattleshipThe US Navy warship on the far right (partly obscured) looks to be a Maine class battleship, probably the Maine herself (BB10) (the second one, not the one that exploded in Havana in 1898) or perhaps the Missouri (BB11). Either way, she is resplendent in her peace time colors of buff and white and must have looked a treat on this beautiful day. In December of 1907 this ship will set sail as a part of Teddy Roosevelt's Great White Fleet.
Spaghetti Sauce Slip?Are we sailing or having tagliatelle?
[Marinara is Italian for "seafaring." In a pasta context, "sailor-style." - Dave]
Marina is already Italian (and English) for marina.
Maybe not so idyllicLurking far away in the extreme right center, there appears to a large steamship with three funnels and fore and aft tower structures. In 1906 the most likely suspect of that configuration (especially considering the area) would be the USS Connecticut (BB-18) Pre-Dreadnought Class Battleship.
Georges SeuratIt immediately suggests "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," probably because of the trees and the shade.
Tree Of KnowledgeI need the learned Shorpy family to educate me about what the seemingly cloth bands around the trees are. I have never seen anything like that before. Thanks in advance.
[Traps for the larval stage of the gypsy moth, which first arrived in the United States in Massachusetts in 1869. - Dave]
Thanks so much Dave. Never too old to learn something new!
Postcard KodakIt looks like the fellow on the left may be holding one of the recently introduced "Postcard Kodak" cameras. The format allowed printing your photos in the dimensions of the extremely popular postcards.
Burlap WrapsAlso found in this photo.
https://www.shorpy.com/node/14800
MemoriesMy mom was born in Marblehead and I spent many summers there. The picture is from the "Neck." We used to love to visit the castle that was on the seaside of the peninsula.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-4a12929a.thumbnail.jpg "Marblehead Marinara: 1906")
- What Goes Around: 1912
- ... looking on. It took me a minute, but it's a mast! The boat is off to the left. You can see the front (bow), poking out from behind ... Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 10:50pm -
- Manhattan: 102 Years Ago
- ...
Horizontal vs vertical The long white boat and its wake make a pleasing and flourishing contrast with all the ... Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 6:55pm -
![Manhattan circa 1908. "New York skyline." Part of an eleven-section panorama. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
White FlierFrom the pre-aviation era when "flier" meant fast ship. The Bunker Hill is an example of first quality American shipbuilding circa 1908. While "modern" in terms of amenities, ships of this time were not required to carry sufficient numbers of lifeboats for all people aboard. The Bunker Hill appears to be carrying four.
Scheduled "White Flier" time for one-way passage between New York and Boston was 15 hours.
ABC Pathfinder Railway Guide, 1912
Eastern Steamship Corporation
All-the-Way-by-Water
The Great Express White Steel Fliers Massachusetts and Bunker Hill.
Splendid Steel Freight steamships are operated by the Metropolitan Line between Boston, Mass. and New York.
The Massachusetts and Bunker Hill are notable examples of Modern Marine Architecture. Many of their staterooms are en suite, with connecting bath and toilet facilities. All staterooms are most attractively furnished, and equipped with the most modern sanitary fixtures. Inside staterooms are provided with electric fans. They are provided with a most attractive outside dining-room on the Main Deck, a Hurricane Deck Cafe; are equipped for the burning of oil as fuel, with Automatic Sprinkling Appliances, Wireless Telegraphy, Submarine Signal Service, and all other modern facilities to insures the Security and Comfort of passengers. All outside two-berth rooms, $2.00; Inside, $1.00. Electric Fans in inside room.
More of the NYC navyIf you look to the left side of the picture, those boxy barges lettered for the New York Central are lighters used to service ships in other parts of the harbor besides at the railroad's own dock facilities. This page gives a nice overview of the kinds of facilities in the city including a map that shows an overall picture of where they were. Containerization finally killed this kind of transloading off in the early sixties when someone finally figured out that giving the stevedores two passes on the goods wasn't exactly labor-saving.
Manhattan, 1908 on ShorpyAre you going to put up the other 10 sections of the panorama - they would be of great interest to Rail Marine modellers along with many others.
[It's on Shorpy's to-do list! - Dave]
The Flatiron's diminutive brotherwas the German-American Insurance Building, on Liberty Street. It is now Louise Nevelson Plaza. Read all about it.
Re: Steampunk?Steampunk is fairly reasonable, but I see it more as "Metropolis" - and I don't mean Superman's version!
Steampunk CityThis image excellently represents the zenith of Steampunk USA -- look at all the plumes rising from the soaring skyscrapers, and the stalwarts of steam power on the mighty river.
A nation is coming into its own -- work is getting done.
Regard with awe the rising Manhattan silhouette –- all correct angles forming the canyons that will forever define the island, with just the right amount of added artistic flair that decorum & modesty would allow.
This is at the very moment prior to the time when noxious internal-combustion engine -- fueled by the devil's excrement -- began its century of degradation & domination.
[It was filthy, sooty coal that made the steam. The air over New York is a lot cleaner now. - Dave]
DazzlingThe former Bunker Hill in 1918.
City Investing BuildingStanding shoulder to shoulder with the Singer Tower is the picturesque City Investing Building, designed by Francis H. Kimball and built 1906-1908. This view, which I've never seen before, shows how close together they really were. Sadly both were demolished together in 1968 to make way for the US Steel Building (now known as 1 Liberty Plaza).
Had to happenThe day has finally arrived. I have been shorpyized, One look at this photo and I recognized the Singer building right away. Mother said there would be days like this.
NYC TugboatsThe New York Central boats are tugboats. The NYC along with Jersey Central and I believe the B&0, all operated tugboats which were used to move their RR barges to and from New York City.
South Street SeaportPier 16, along with the unseen Pier 17 out of the photo on the right, is now part of the South Street Seaport, so it's likely that many of the smaller buildings on the extreme right-hand side of the photo still survive! Pier 15 bit the dust at some point, though.
All Too HumanYes. So many wonderful buildings, of which few we see here survive. This, however, to me, seems to be a view of humanity of a past time. A photo taken from the same spot today probably wouldn't give you the same feel.
"Bizarre camouflage" on former Bunker HillThat type of ship camouflage was called a "dazzle pattern." It was widely used in WW I and also in WW II. Dazzle camouflage was meant to confuse attackers as to the ship's course and speed. It also confounded early range finders.
OK I wanna see the whole panoramaCan someone stitch it together?
[Have at it. - Dave]
Camo aheadSteamship Bunker Hill apparently became USS Aroostook, a mine laying ship, in WWI. The naval historical center has an interesting series of photos of her. Some of the photos show a pretty bizarre camouflage pattern, too.
S.S. Bunker HillNew England Steamship Co. was the New Haven Railroad's dominant marine operator and served the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket from New Bedford. The Bunker Hill and others were overnight steamers to New England from New York.
More Singer!Thanks for yet another great photo of the old Manhattan skyline with the Singer Building in it.
What's that building?What's that Flatiron-looking building just to the left of Rogers & Pyatt Shellac? I wonder if it's still standing.
50 storiesThat Singer building dominated the skyline back in the day. Many buildings in NYC are 50 stories and over now, but it would be still be a very interesting landmark structure if it survived today.
1908 ShellackingFor best quality shellacking …
Stubbs Buyers Directory for the Wholesale Drug, Chemical, and Allied Trades, 1918
Rogers & Pyatt Shellac Co.
79 Water St., New York.
[Suppliers of:]
Gum Copal
Gum Kauei
Gum Sandarac
Horizontal vs verticalThe long white boat and its wake make a pleasing and flourishing contrast with all the vertical lines.
Where would those "New York Central" boats have been going to/coming from? Do they connect with the railroad? Were they taking passengers across the river?
Steampunk? Really?Hey I know the internet has to reuse the same old boring subculture buzzwords over and over again but stop misusing the term "steampunk."
The Industrial Revolution wasn't about form over function.
[So I suppose we could call you Anti Meme. - Dave]
For Tim DavidOk, it's not quite perfect, but HERE is the full panorama.
Aroostook ConversionBelow is a before/after image of the Bunker Hill/Aroostook refit. (Stitched from the above Shorpy post and the image at Wikipedia, flipped left-right.)
Old NYCI love drawing old NYC and I love Shorpy.
Check out my site for more.
www.erosner.com
ManhattaI bet Manahatta was given the nickname The Big Apple because of all the road apples on the streets. Come for the stunning architecture, run away gagging from the smell.
What I'm learning from this phenomenal site are the minimal changes from Civil War customs and architecture up through the 1910s. Regardless of incredible inventions, social norms hardly shifted at all till WW1.
Yes!I would also like to see the entire panorama. Even if bit by bit.
Someone say Panorama?Sorry for a bit of a screw-up where the Harbor starts on the left side because Photoshop has a bit of a malfunction, but here's the full panorama. Enjoy! 9528x960
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a10228a.thumbnail.jpg "Manhattan: 102 Years Ago")
- Commonwealth Pier: 1913
- ... pretending to be on a seaport. Rare is the sight of a boat, let alone a ship.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Boston, DPC, ... Posted by Dave - 03/20/2023 - 1:55pm -
- Heel: 1942
- ... to get back to the river bank fast. It seems that their boat is filling with water, the father has some to his ankles, the daughter ... sitting with his/her back to the direction in which the boat is going. (Unless you are part of a several-person crew in a special ... Posted by Ken - 08/09/2012 - 12:33pm -
- Hauling Mass.: 1905
- ... size.
Forward wheelhouse -- the mark of a lake boat.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Detroit Photos, DPC) ... Posted by Dave - 03/17/2023 - 12:26pm -
- On the Ohio: 1910
- ... was supposed to have a twin, the Louisville. The latter boat was never completed, and her hull was sold to the Coney Island Co., who ... Delta Queen was a sternwheeler, not a sidewheeler like the boat in the Shorpy image.
The Delta Queen (below) is still used for river ... Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 2:42pm -
![The Ohio River circa 1910. "Nightfall on the Ohio at Cincinnati." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Neither the Island Queen nor Delta QueenThis is the huge sidewheeler City of Cincinnati, built in 1899 at Jeffersonville, Indiana. You are thinking of the Cincinnati, built in 1924, which was supposed to have a twin, the Louisville. The latter boat was never completed, and her hull was sold to the Coney Island Co., who finished her as the Island Queen.
Island Queen or Delta QueenI guess it could be one or the other. The Island Queen used to take passengers from the public landing in Cincy up river to the Coney Island amusement park.
I made that trip many times as a kid in the late 1940's. It was quite a thrill in the summer to sit on deck and listen to the calliope.
The Island Queen caught fire and was destroyed while in the dock at Pittsburgh in the late '40s. The Delta Queen continued to operate and as far as I know still exists.
ClassicAnd Timeless; one of the best pictures yet! Thank You!
The Delta QueenThe Delta Queen was a sternwheeler, not a sidewheeler like the boat in the Shorpy image.
The Delta Queen (below) is still used for river cruises, but not overnight trips since it doesn't meet the current safety requirements.
Far EastWith such air quality, I thought it was a picture of modern Beijing!
The past is so bright, I gotta wear shades.Absolutely, one one my all time Shorpy favorites! I love how when I gaze from bottom to top, the sun actually seems glaring.
[That's (ostensibly) the moon. One of many Detroit Publishing moonlight views. - Dave]
Moonlight?I'm going to have to differ with Dave on this. I can't imagine that there'd be a photographic emulsion fast enough in 1910 to capture that image by moonlight with no motion blur. It'd be good a trick even today. I mean, look at all the "ghosts" of pedestrians walking in broad daylight in contemporaneous street views we've seen here. Same with their other "moonlight views" in the LOC collection. My bet is that it's the equivalent of "day for night" movie filming, that for their postcards, Detroit Publishing printed it dark and tinted it bluish for a simulated moonlight effect.
Sidewheeler City of CincinnatiThe boat appears to be the 1899 sidewheeler City of Cincinnati of the Louisville & Cincinnati Packet Co., seen in previous Shorpy post: Steam Under the Bridge: 1906.
Moonlight Photography"Moonlight photography" was a discipline of some interest to shutterbugs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A distinction was drawn between "real moonlight photography" and "moonlight photographs" in general -- a stylistic genre that utilised underexposed pictures taken in daylight and then "printed deep" (a technique not available for this particular image, as it is taken from a negative without benefit of a paper print).
The ghostly personages who populate much of the era's daylight photography are a consequence not of slow emulsions but rather of the fact that most large view cameras of the era lacked timed shutters (what were known then as "clockwork shutters" -- most spring shutters lacked a timing mechanism and were opened and closed by the photographer, which necessitated one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi exposures of several seconds' duration), or any shutters at all, exposures being made by removing and then replacing the lens cover.
Photographers with clockwork shutters who wished to avail themselves of "fast plates" had a number of very sensitive emulsions available, as evidenced by the stop-motion photography of the 1890s. These were also utilised for "real moonlight" photographs.
[And indeed we have a number of stop-motion images here, this being one example. Although, after reading your references and tterrace's comment, I do have my doubts as to whether the nighttime photography of a century ago could freeze waves as seen in the Ohio River picture. Then again, one underestimates the capabilities of an 8x10 view camera at one's peril. - Dave]
1910 by moonlightOne of those references is to an article on "real" moonlight photography in American Photography dated 1910, the same year this shot was taken. In discussing exposures using "a long bellows reversible back view camera... exposures will range from ten to thirty minutes on a clear night using stop f8 and fast plates." It also mentions two methods of getting the moon itself in the image without showing the effect of its motion during exposure. One was to double-expose the plate, first a long exposure of the scene when the moon was out of the field of view, then a shorter one after aiming the camera at the moon. The other involved exposing two negatives when making the print, one of just the moonlit scene, the other of the moon itself.
Or the Moon Walking in BrightnessPerhaps enough sunlight and moonlight has already been shed on the subject, but a consideration of the location may further illuminate.
The boat appears to be commencing her run down river, approaching the old C&O RR bridge spanning the Ohio. The camera has taken a position a bit upriver, almost certainly the south tower of the Suspension Bridge. Both bridges align slightly to the west of due north. The point of view is roughly WNW, perhaps tending towards NWbW.
A full moon in early winter might take up position as we see, but would necessarily put cameraman and boat on river in the hour or two before dawn. A full moon in other seasons could not occupy the section of sky. The few souls visible on the boat seem dressed for heat, and -- looking far for a bit of vegetation -- the gap in the truss section of the bridge frames a bluff where trees appear in leaf.
The moon appears less likely when we find that the photograph below from Detroit Publishing bears the title Sunset on the Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio. Many details match precisely our photo, including the distant cloud bank low on the horizon. It could easily have been taken just a short while before the boat floated into position.
On the OhioSerious contender for best picture on the blog. Any idea of the photographer?
[Mr. Detroit Publishing. - Dave]
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cincinnati Photos, DPC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a23724a.thumbnail.jpg "On the Ohio: 1910")
- Winter Crossing: 1900
- ... were cut down to barges by the 1930's. A nearly identical boat, Lansdowne of 1884, survived in steam until 1970 for CN/Grand Trunk, until ... Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 3:18pm -
![Circa 1900. "Detroit River. Car ferry Michigan Central entering slip." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Who's with me?Winter break on the Detroit River!
Frigid WonderThis is just a beautiful photo, of an otherwise thoroughly utilitarian scene, just barely romanticized by having train cars and a paddlewheeler as subject matter.
The texture in the broken ice at foreground, the impressionistic smoke, and mist in the distance -- Wow.
Brr.I'm getting frostbite just looking at this picture.
All aboardI see the three sets of tracks, but would like to see the actual way they load and unload the box cars. I bet the guy smoking the pipe could have told us.
Extraordinary!This is an extraordinarily beautiful photo. The black and white textures are remarkable. I can feel the cold air and hear the ice crunching as the ferry drifts in. The ghostliness of the image is echoed in the misty distant skylines, and the whole is anchored by the two figures.
What a composition!
SkylineDoes anyone know if the ferry is pulling into Detroit or Windsor? Any clue from the church in the distance?
Interesting weatherCloudy, with a 100% chance of thumbprints!
Link & PinThe center car seems to be fitted with a link & pin coupling. The Railroad Safety Appliance Act took effect in 1900 outlawing these hand crushers on railroads engaged in interstate commerce.
Absolutely wonderful!As a person who lived in Archangelsk city, I used to see a scenes like this many many times. I feel the atmosphere, I even can feel a smell of it. Wonderful! Just great!
"Michigan Central"This seems to be the same sidewheeler design as in the previous shot of a car ferry, the "Transport." The names (hard to see) are stenciled on a signboard over the wheelhouse.
A ferry wonderland"The Great Lakes Car Ferries" by George Woodman Hilton has another photo of the Michigan Central on page 35.
Best. Photo. Ever.I've been reading Shorpy regularly since sometime in '07 when I saw a link on either Boing Boing or Neatorama. This is abso-freakin-lutely the Best. Photo. Ever. Bless you, and keep doing what you do.
Over the riverAt about this time, my grandmother may have been on a sleigh on the frozen river, on the way back to Windsor from Detroit, smuggling back cotton socks. She would have been 10 years old.
Such was the family story.
Great photoI am so impressed with the high contrast in the sky. If it were not clearly labeled as a scan directly from the negative, I would have assumed this was a print which had received a lot of attention in the darkroom.
This image is one of Shorpy's all time greats.
[All of the images on this site are adjusted for contrast in Photoshop. - Dave]
57 summers laterBelow is a scan of a 35 mm Kodachrome slide showing this same rail car ferry yard as it looked on July 6, 1957. The photo was taken from the deck of the Ambassador Bridge and its viewpoint is 180 degrees from that of the 1900 photo (the bridge was built during 1927-1929). View full size.
The church steeple seen in the distance on the 1900 photo is located in Windsor, Ontario. Here's a photo of it taken from the bridge deck just seconds prior to the one of the rail car ferry yard in Detroit.
Jules VerneyUntil you focus in on the rail cars, and the pictures resolves into the recognizable, there's a kind of Victorian Future-Shock quality to it.
Frozen in timeThe sharpness of the broken crystal shards could kill a man, they stand pointed end up, ready to cut a careless worker or walker, like razor-edged beveled glass. Two men are seen, yet each is lost in their own solitary thoughts. Possibly thinking "damn, it's cold."
Final departureIt looks like they are taking boxcars full of the damned over the river Styx.
The church might be in WindsorIt looks very much like Our Lady of the Assumption Church near the foot of Huron Church Rd. It is still there, presently in the shadow of the Ambassador Bridge.
If so, the view is downstream.
Detroit RiverThis is the Detroit side. The river flows extremely fast, and the ferry docks were set up so the boats always entered dock facing upstream. Michigan Central was built in 1884 by Detroit Dry Dock in Wyandotte, while Transport was built there in 1880. Both were cut down to barges by the 1930's. A nearly identical boat, Lansdowne of 1884, survived in steam until 1970 for CN/Grand Trunk, until she blew a cylinder head (I remember the shock among the Detroit trainwatching community at the time).
Her long survival was due to the limited size of the RR tunnels under the river, which couldn't handle hi-cubes and other large cars.
Lansdowne then became a floating restaurant, with two Milwaukee Road Skytop observation cars aboard. Recently scrapped in Buffalo.
I frequently went down to watch Lansdowne and an even older propeller ferry in the days of no security, "Sure, just be careful!"
WindsorI live in Amherstburg, about 20 miles downriver from Windsor. I love these photos of the Detroit River.
Great StuffI love these pictures of the Detroit River railroad ferries. My grandfather worked on these boats when he first came to Detroit from Pennsylvania in 1919. I remember watching them shuttle across the river during my childhood in the '60s and '70s.
Does anyone know what that factory on the right is? Is it the Michigan Peninsular Car Co. (aka American Car & Foundry)? It seems to be in basically the right place on the west side of Detroit. My great-grandfather, on the other side, worked there.
Building a ModelI'm building a 1/87 model of the train ferry Windsor, and these pictures and diagrams have proven to be invaluable.
Thanks, Terry Jolliffe
Belle River, Ontario
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a04912a1.thumbnail.jpg "Winter Crossing: 1900")
- No Money at All: 1936
- ... seeing the endless waves of northbound SUV's, RV's, boat trailers, and other shiny, generally very new vehicles headingup country ... Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 1:27pm -
![August 1936. "Part of an impoverished family of nine on a New Mexico highway. Depression refugees from Iowa. Left Iowa in 1932 because of father's ill health. Father an auto mechanic laborer, painter by trade, tubercular. Family has been on relief in Arizona but refused entry on relief rolls in Iowa to which state they wish to return. Nine children including a sick four-month-old baby. No money at all. About to sell their belongings and trailer for money to buy food. 'We don't want to go where we'll be a nuisance to anybody.'" Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Resettlement Administration. View full size.
"What happened?"These people are the same sorts of people who a few years later sucked it up and fought World War II or stayed at home working long hours in the factories and farm fields. They stuck with it, banded together, worked hard, sweated, sacrificed, and most lived their lives without any unnecessary government handouts because indeed "We don't want to go where we'll be a nuisance to anybody." I know this because my parents were people like that. My mom and her family came out to California in 1932 in a Ford Model T with a mattress on the top and the boys taking turns riding on the running boards. My dad's family was even poorer. They picked cotton, planted fields, worked in packing sheds, and wound up living the "American dream" because they would not let circumstances keep them down. They lived long and productive lives and made it into the middle class but they never forgot the poverty either.
Proud?I have heard more privileged people alleging that poor people say "where is my free...?" than I have heard poor people actually saying it.
Proud"We don't want to go where we'll be a nuisance to anybody."
There's something you don't hear much these days. Instead we get "where's my free -- "
If I had a time machine...The first thing I'd love to do is jump back into these Depression era photos and start handing out all the cash I could spare. Especially when I read things like that young mother's attitude that they didn't want to be a nuisance to anyone. But first I'd make sure that time machine could get me back. I may be sympathetic, but I'm also spoiled rotten with all we have these days.
Impoverished families 2009We can moderize this story of an impoverished family: Father an auto mechanic, painter by trade, tubercular, no health insurance and the parents of a very sick four-month old baby also have no health insurance. The last thing they need is free socialized medicine!
Some of these images are just hard to look at.I mean, what happened to these people? You see hundreds of pictures of them looking like they need immediate help, but did they always get it. Are there untold stories of entire families dying trying to drive out of the dust bowl? This family pictured here sure look like candidates.
The Real DepressionDriving down I-93 from New Hampshire to Boston last Saturday morning, seeing the endless waves of northbound SUV's, RV's, boat trailers, and other shiny, generally very new vehicles headingup country for a week or two of summer vacation, I couldn't help but think, "What recession?" I know these have been hard times on a lot of people, but there are few (if any) scenes in America today similar to what is depicted in this photograph. And few (if any) contemporary Americans, with their cell phones and their flat screen TV's and their home PC's and their 3 or 4 nights a week eating out and their well-stocked mega-grocery stores and their air-conditioning, etc., etc., who have ANY IDEA what the people in the 1930's endured when we had a "real" depression.
Tough as nailsDoes that attitude still exist in America at all anymore?
No Money At All: 1936I believe that those who are not poor demand much more of poor people than poor people demand of them.
There but for the grace of God....Thank God for modern "miracle drugs" that are used nowadays to treat TB!
You notice that the family is sticking together AND that the couple is married! A far cry from today's "single" and unwed mothers....Not to mention irresponsible fathers...who use the female and then refuse to take responsibility for their own behavior..and it's consequences!
Back then, if a person-fammily went on "relief" they were expected to pay the money back. That's probably one of the reasons (and shame) why they didn't want to seek help in Iowa. Truthfully, there wasn't much help to receive because the county-state resources were overstretched with the huge numbers of people who's farms had been destroyed by the drought and winds.
I hope that things eventually worked out for this family. The children are adorable!
For Pete's SakeLucy, having no health insurance is not the same as having no health care. This family today would be covered by the Medicaid and SHCIP, programs, etc., that we are already paying for. If this family could be transported to today I think they would have a hard time understanding why we think our health system is in crisis.
And I'll be the first to sign up if you can actually provide medicine for free.
No moneyThe Depression years were tough. My father died from TB in 1929 and left my mother with 10 children. It was the support that my older sisters gave to the family that saved us. They gave every penny they earned (one worked for Ford Motor Co., one at a dime store) to my mother.
Food -- at supper I would say to my mother All I can have please. To this day I do not waste food.
Money -- To this day I check to see if I have the money before I pump the gas.
We were blessed. gain it would be nice to know how these two families did in the years since 1936.
Most poor folks are proud.Most poor folks are proud. It's all some of them do have. Coming from western Oklahoma and knowing those people as my aunts and uncles and elders all I can say is these people may have had nothing, but they were flinty and determined. And they wanted to improve themselves. That attitude still lives all over this country.
The poor (my poor anyway) don't want to be a nuisance to anyone; they just want a chance to work and improve their lives.
The very essence of POORYou can't get any more rock bottom than this. If these folks survived the Depression it left a mark that would never go away.
I remember a friend telling me about his father, wandering the streets of San Antonio in 1935. He stopped in front of an Army recruiting office, reached into his pocket, and all the money he had--all the money in the world--was one dime. Figuring the Army couldn't be any worse, he went in and joined up, serving one year and then getting recalled during WW2.
From that time on, he always carried a dime in his pocket to remind himself that no matter how bad things got, things would never be as bad as 1935. How's that for a lasting impression?
There Was No Birth ControlWomen had babies because they didn't know how to prevent them -- except to not have sex -- and what husband would put up with that! Until the '30s, it was illegal for even a doctor to discuss such things. Birth control is just one other thing we take for granted these days. Still, it's not always available to the very poor.
[There certainly was birth control. Condoms were widely available in the 1930s. - Dave]
During the DepressionMy father's mother died in 1931 leaving him age 10, and a brother age 4 with the father, an unskilled immigrant. The father with a temper could not hold employment, and moved the 2 children 15 hours to an inhospitable climate, and away from his deceased wife's huge extended family.
Once there, he abandoned the children to fend for themselves. In the later years of his life my father told me this story and how he managed to keep himself and his little brother clothed and fed. He did whatever he had to including stealing food scraps from trash bins behind restraunts. He did not steal from other unfortunate people and no one gave him a hand-up. From time to time the old man would come back and take his frustration out on my father's back.
Both my father and his brother survived to adulthood, neither graduating high school. Both boys joined the military as soon as they could. They both came back to the small survival town, married, and raised children.
My father's father never did get his shit together. He raised a brood of children in squalor and it was always someone else's fault, and he injured several of them.
Neither my father nor his brother ever had a credit card, or a checking account. They did not buy a vehicle until they had the cash and could afford the upkeep. They both bought homes they could afford, paid for them and improved them when they had cash. My uncle learned a skilled trade and was successful until the day he died in his 40s when an old man had a heart attack and hit his vehicle head on. My father died at 80 with a sizeable estate.
This is how people survived. They did what they had to do, expecting nothing from noone and raised their children to do the same. None of the surviving childen of my father and his brother have ever been on the system in any way. None of us have debt. Our children, however, are a different story.
iPhoneI had a patient at work that couldn't pay her hospital bill and was applying for public assistance.... but she had an iPhone! You wouldn't EVER catch anyone these days selling belongings to get something that the govn't will hand over for free. And things that are free have no value.
And I was feeling sorry for myselfUntil I saw this picture and all because my 2nd computer needs a new hard drive. I have no idea of real hardship. Thanks for the wake up call.
A NightmareReally, this is a total nightmare. Just imagine travelling in the desert heat with the dust and the sand getting into everthing, your clothes, your hair. Most likely you have no opportunity to wash yourself properly, maybe you have no soap and the water you have is for cooking only. (If you have something to cook) You get smelly and you clothes become soiled and stink. You have bugs and parasites all over the place and probably in the mattresses and sheets too. And probably worst of all: no toilet paper. It's a total nightmare. Most of us probably can't even imagine how it would be be if you can't give your children something to eat and you may have to steal to get them some food.
Maybe these people are a bit lucky not to be Black Americans because for them it was probably even worse than for White Americans in the Depression.
Why, why, whyDid this couple continue to bring children into the existence they were enduring--and the husband being tubercular? The photo caption states in one place that they were a family of nine, and in another place that there were nine children. Either way, that makes for a lot of mouths to feed. I know what causes babies, and the couple could at least have shown some responsibility along those lines.
Too much generalizationThere's too much generalization going on here. There are plenty of poor people today who don't want handouts and don't want to be a strain on the system. Also, it's almost not possible to have a house and a family without having loans to pay off these days. I don't think debt is a bad thing if you can handle it.
You can't directly compare now to then, because the world is a lot different. It should be enough to just say that this is a sad situation, and our hearts go out to these people. I wonder how selling everything will help them in the long run. Just sad.
StrikingThis is a very striking picture. From an aesthetic point of view, I'm really taken by the huge contrast between the dire situation the young mother is facing, and the innocence and cheerful looks on the kids' faces. I know this might be a cliche, but this picture shows the truth on that saying, that the real wealth in life is not in material things but in the blessing of our loved ones. In spite of all their hardships, this looks to me like a closely-knit family, with the parents pulling together not for themselves, but for their kids. Definitely some people I'd be very glad, and honored, to meet.
To me the kids look blissfully unaware of the difficulties faced by their family; speaks volumes for the will of their parents to carry on and get them through. I mean, just look at the faces of the kids in many other Shorpy photos. There's a huge difference between these smiling, happy lads and the "little grown-ups" working in the mills or the factories. Similar circumstances, but different ways to face them?
Hats off to that hardy spirit, it is one of the main factors that make a country great. I really wish we could find out if they made it safely out of the depression; in my heart I really hope they did.
People who blame poor people for being poorI always want to look back two or three generations and see how their families did during the Depression.
When I was getting to know my college girlfriend (1989), I asked her what her grandparents' occupations had been. One grandfather was a geologist, and the other was a psychiatrist. I couldn't have been more surprised. After all, in my world, grandparents were truck drivers, farmers, carpenters, loggers. They did what they had to do, and did it proudly. Parents had been fortunate enough to go to college, due either to the GI bill, or the aggregate of New Deal programs that raised the entire country's level of affluence enough that people could afford college. Student loans were reasonable, state schools had subsidized tuition.
"Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" used to be a tongue-in-cheek expression for doing the impossible. Now it's what you get blamed for not doing if you are down on your luck, and often, I dare say, with a tinge of racism. Always denied, of course.
Every time I hear some young buck opine that today's poor should solve their own problems, I wonder if, oblivious to his own privilege, he is unwittingly insulting his own grandparents.
(The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, On the Road)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/8b29797a.thumbnail.jpg "No Money at All: 1936")
- Bathing Girl Parade: 1920
- ... good place for a hour sailboat rent, cotton candy, fishing boat rental, and a hot dog. A great "watch the boats" place. Home of John ... Posted by Dave - 12/03/2020 - 2:57pm -
- City of Cleveland: 1908
- ... paddle wheel.
[Look closely and you'll see that the boat is a sidewheeler. - Dave]
Cleveland Steamer That is a fabulous picture of the boat, but I always imagined a Cleveland Steamer looking a little different.
... Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 4:33pm -
![Circa 1908. "Steamer City of Cleveland, Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co., Lake Erie Division." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Quite a ContrastThe elegant steamer dressed to the nines contrasted with the spewing soot from her boilers. Breathing on the afterdeck might have been difficult.
Method of PropulsionI assume this steamer is propeller driven? I don't see a paddle wheel.
[Look closely and you'll see that the boat is a sidewheeler. - Dave]
Cleveland SteamerThat is a fabulous picture of the boat, but I always imagined a Cleveland Steamer looking a little different.
A little historyCity of Cleveland III, US.204080, Sidewheel Overnight Passenger Steamer built in 1907 by the Detroit Ship Building Co., Wyandotte, Mich., as Hull #168. Launched January 5, 1907 as City of Cleveland for the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co., Detroit, Mich. Length 420 feet by 54 feet wide. Powered by a 6,500 hp three cylinder inclined compound steam engine and eight coal-fired Scotch boilers. Because of a fire in her cabins during fit out at the shipyard, her maiden voyage was delayed a year until May 1908. She was built for the Detroit and Cleveland overnight run. She was renamed City of Cleveland III in 1912. On June 26, 1950 the Norwegian freighter Ravnefjell collided with the City of Cleveland III in early morning fog in Lake Huron off Harbor Beach, Mich. The Norwegian vessel crashed into the D & C liner's cabins but did not penetrate her hull. Four passengers were lost in the collision. The Cleveland III was able to proceed to Detroit where she discharged her remaining passengers. She did not sail again and was scrapped at Buffalo in 1956.
Pleasure CruiserThis and other lake boats were enjoyed by thousands of people in the Great Depression, myself included.
Oars?Just what are those big timbers hanging from the side of the ship?
[Pier bumpers. - Dave]
Side timbersThe timbers on the side of the boats are wood fenders to prevent damage when side docking. When boat is away from the dock the bottom of the fenders are pulled up on deck hanging at about a 45% angle.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a15980a.thumbnail.jpg "City of Cleveland: 1908")
- The Wild Bunch: 1905
- ... faical expressions, nobody wants to be on that damn boat.
Day, me say day, me say day...... Come Mister tally man, tally me ... our Navy destroyer tied up next to an unloading banana boat where bunches that were yellow were discarded at the dock. We had a field ... Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:15pm -
- Metamora of Palatka: 1902
- ... I believe the reason for the small wheel is that the boat is small. No more than 12 feet wide and maybe 60 feet long. Not much room ... in this tough swamp enviornment? A very fascinating boat.
Florida Queen Without that caption, this could have been shot ... Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 1:37pm -
![Florida circa 1902. "On the Ocklawaha." Steamboat Metamora of Palatka. Photo by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size.
Palatka PixThe Putnam County archive has more pictures.
Walt's inspirationSince no one has mentioned it yet, I have to: This is the jungle cruise at Disneyland.
Spanish TrimmingsThe spanish moss just dripping off these trees seems almost like a holiday garland and thus oddly appropriate for the season.
And they complain about propellersI wonder how many manatees got brained by that mixmaster! Or perhaps the paddle was better at turning gators into shoes.
Metamora lost to the swamps.I can find nothing on the Metamora in steamboat lists. I believe the reason for the small wheel is that the boat is small. No more than 12 feet wide and maybe 60 feet long. Not much room for large compound steam engines to move a bigger wheel. Note the chains and rudder arms aft of the wheel. A very simple steering setup.
Lucas New LineFrom the Ocala Star Banner of May 8, 1966:
Another interesting sight was the arrival of the "Hart Line" or "Lucas New Line" steamboats from Palatka, which was a 24 hour trip through tropical scenery.
"This tortuous stream"An ad from the 1903 edition of the Foster & Reynolds Standard Guide to Florida.
OCKLAWAHA RIVER.
Most Attractive and Romantic Trip in the South!
No visitor can afford to visit Florida without having enjoyed a sail on this tortuous stream which flows through a dense semi-tropical forest. The night scenes, when this tangled mass of shrubbery is lighted by torches, are marvelous. A steamer of the LUCAS NEW LINE OCKLAWAHA RIVER STEAMERS will leave Palatka for Silver Spring on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 12.30 p.m., after arrival of trains from Jacksonville and St. Augustine.
Returning leaves Silver Springs Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 12.30 p.m., after arrival of trains from Tampa, Ocala, and other places on the West Coast.
ASK MR. FOSTER, at the Standard Guide Information Bureaus, Cordova Corner, St. Augustine, and Palm Beach, for further information and printed matter of all the Hotels, Routes and Resorts here advertised.
Enclosed PaddlewheelWhat is interesting about this little steamboat is the fact that the stern paddlewheel is completely enclosed. Was this an attempt to keep it free of vegetation in this tough swamp enviornment? A very fascinating boat.
Florida QueenWithout that caption, this could have been shot anywhere from Africa to the deepest Amazon. Looking for Bogart and Hepburn!
On the OckHave kayaked the Ock many times. It's quite beautiful with much wildlife to be seen along the way. One obstruction, the Rodman Dam in Putnam County, constructed in the 1960s as part of the ill-fated Cross-Florida Barge Canal, is scheduled to be removed as part of a watershed restoration project.
Trail BlazingI love the way the angle makes it look as though it's blazing its own path through the swamp!! Wonder how often random snakes and critters ended up on-deck.
Smoke on the water?What is the stuff that looks like smoke, and is reflected in the water, but apparently coming from pipes there at the waterline? Wouldn't the exhaust come from the stack?
[It's steam. - Dave]
Metamora modelI was recently at the Florida History museum in Tallahassee and they had a wonderful scale model of Silver Springs. One of the boats in the model is the Metamora.
New LineYes, the Ocklawaha steamers' inboard paddle design was intended to reduce fouling in the tight confines of the river.
Lucas' New Line was a less successful imitator and rival of Col. Hubbard Hart's original and larger Palatka-Silver Springs line.
Hyacinth countermeasuresThe Ocklawaha, in common with many Southern streams, was totally overrun with South American water hyacinth (a pest to this day). Bringing the wheel inboard let the hull of the boat act as a sort of "icebreaker" to push through the floating mats of weed, and kept the wheel clear.
Metamora looks a bit run down.The lowest tier of siding appears to be covered with the familiar Florida algae and fungus. There are lots of broken slats in the stateroom shutters. I wonder if deferred maintenance had anything to do with Metamora's upcoming loss on the river.
I would love to build a model of this little tub-- anyone know where I can get plans?
MetamoraI stumbled across this forum and found it interesting as the co-owner and Captain of the Metamora was my grandfather Joseph Edward Lucas.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Florida, W.H. Jackson)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a09441a.thumbnail.jpg "Metamora of Palatka: 1902")
- Icemobile: 1905
- ... independent operation, she was considered a very good ice boat.
Riveted Just what I was thinking, Jeff! Very steampunk looking. ... were any saved?
Spectacular shot Question for the boat engineers. It seems that a lot of the inland vessels back then used ... Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 5:25pm -
![Circa 1905. "Grand Trunk car ferry crossing the Detroit River in winter." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Pullman carsSome interesting information and illustrations here. Seems there are examples at his museum, and a few in other countries.
Titanic Worries!"What was that, Hon? You want me to sit with you in the rail car? No thanks. I think I'll just stay out here in the lifeboat if you don't mind."
Just Chillin' on the VerandaBut what a smoke screen those poor passengers had to endure. I wonder what sort of sturdy craft the photographer was perched on in order to "get the shot." The hardy occupants of the coach nearest the camera had apparently already weathered a nasty storm on the rails; that car's frosted like a wedding cake!
[The "sturdy craft" was land. - Dave]
ExtraordinaryWhat a captivating and dramatic riverscape.
Maybe the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen are heading out on another adventure?
VestibulesNice shot of the railroad ferries that plied many waters on the Great Lakes. Similar ships were used, for instance, on the Straits of Mackinac for decades.
The picture is a great illustration of one of the real innovations in passenger cars - vestibules at the ends of the cars that allowed passengers to move from car to car through the train while it was in motion. Better yet, the photo shows the car on the left with the earlier, so-called open vestibule (still had some open platform) while the car on the right was the newer, fully-closed vestibule. Not only did the vestibules make moving between cars easier but the Pullman Company (which invented and patented them) tried to convince passengers that they strengthened the cars in the event of a collision. The tighter coupling was said to prevent the cars from telescoping into one another. This had been a real problem in the old open-platform cars. It was such a great idea that the designs were quickly knocked off by the other passenger car companies and it became the standard of the industry.
Thanks DaveI am planning on building a model of the Lansdowne and the definition on this photo shows detail I have not seen before. The Lansdowne was built in 1884 for the Grand Trunk Railway. She was powered by a pair of horizontal low pressure engines working at 55 psi, until some engineer forgot to drain one on startup in 1971 and blew the cylinder head off it, instantly converting it to a barge.
She was pushed by a tug for a few years then laid up and converted to a restaurant on the Detroit waterfront. Her hulk still rests partially submerged in Erie, PA. Being a sidewheeler with each paddle capable of independent operation, she was considered a very good ice boat.
RivetedJust what I was thinking, Jeff! Very steampunk looking. Great shot.
Here's How It WorksThe couple on the Stern may be setting the scene for a film to be made some 90 years later. The Director electing to use a younger pair and move them to the front of the ship, many of the cast and the movie itself would eventually win Oscars and VHS tapes would be handed out to purchasers of Happy Meals.
The Addams Family at SeaLooking at those wheelhouses, I don't think I've ever seen a ship built with a mansard roof.
ParticulatesThe lack of pollution control back in the day is startling. The amount of thick black smoke would certainly not be tolerated today. It would take several more years until emission control standards would be adopted.
[Several more decades! - Dave]
The Lansdownewas towed from Erie to Buffalo in 2008 and broken up there that year.
Life as a restaurantPictures of the Lansdowne as a floating restaurant on the Detroit waterfront are hard to come by (see below). She lost one side wheel and a pair of funnels, and had a steel structure built on top with two old railroad observation cars at one end. The interiors (and exteriors) were just cheap 1980s ersatz "luxury," with little connection or even acknowledgment of her Victorian past. It could have been built on any old barge and been the same. By the end of its restaurant career, it was dirty, poorly managed and had awful food.
Photo SourceTry as I might I can not locate this image on the LOC site. Did you obtain it from them? I'd like to play with the full size Tiff copy they usually have on the site.
[It's here. You can find these by searching LOC for the filename (for this one, "4a15742" -- right-click on the Shorpy image, choose "properties" or "view image info") - Dave]
Restaurant Observation CarsThe observation cars on the photo of the Lansdowne as a restaurant photo that bigguy1960 posted are a pair of Milwaukee Road Skytop Observation Cars that were built in 1949 when they re-equipped their Hiawatha trains. Ten of these were built, six in the original design with the extended skypod observation area and four with a shortened skypod; the latter class are the cars on the Lansdowne. They were withdrawn from service in 1970. Apparently the railcars were undamaged when the Lansdowne sank at Erie, but couldn't be salvaged intact and were each cut into three pieces. There was reportedly an effort underway to salvage them to make one complete car out of the two but I have no knowledge of whether this was carried out.
Update: To answer swissarch's question, several of the ten Skytop cars have survived. One that I know of for sure, Cedar Rapids, is operational and sometimes used on excursions. She would be a true sister of the cars on the Lansdowne. The car is owned by a group called "Friends of 261" and can even be rented for whatever reason. At least two other cars Coffee Creek and Dell Rapids either still exist or are in the process of being restored.
ExtraThat's what I'd pay to ride in one of those Obervation Cars. It must have been truly exciting to be in one of those thundering along at about 80 mph, watching the world rush by. Shame they're lost; were any saved?
Spectacular shotQuestion for the boat engineers. It seems that a lot of the inland vessels back then used paddlewheels. What is the advantage of a paddlewheel over a screw? Why were they so popular then and not now? And why are some sidewheelers and some sternwheelers?
Postcard based on the photographFound on the Web.
[Very nice -- it looks like a watercolor. - Dave]
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a15742a.thumbnail.jpg "Icemobile: 1905")
- Get the Party Started: 1941
- ... looks like a sailboat."
"How pretty. Like Father's old boat."
"Shouldn't we be getting back? I have sand in my shoes."
Times ... Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:50pm -
![January 1941. Sarasota, Florida. "Guests of Sarasota trailer park picnicking at the beach." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size.
Miserable much?Hey, they're from Ohio, where gloominess is an avocation. I think it's all the snow and other winter weather that does it.
Fun in Florida!Because nothing says "Fun in the sun!" like pantyhose, sensible shoes and a black wool coat. I feel relaxed just looking at this photo.
BUICK, 1938Hija, de pié; padre, madre y abuela...
Todos muy serios. ¿Quién hizo la foto?
Cloudy dispositionsWhat funereal looking people, given that they're on a beach! Could they look more miserable?
A good time was had by all.This poor guy is on a vacation with three women and nothing he says is going to be correct (if he even gets a word in edgewise). He might as well just shut up and drive. Ain't we got fun? They look like the Carol Burnett crew from "Mama's Family."
Seeing RedI shudder to think of the number of traffic lights one would encounter driving from Ohio to Florida before the interstate highway system.
These Sensible Shoes Are Made for Stompin'Hupmobile? These ladies drive the Hurtmobile.
Party like it's 1949The wife, the mother-in-law, and the twice divorced or spinster sister-in-law. Rock on.
Where's a tsunami when you need one?Oh my, this photo is downright sad: Sarasota when it was pure, pristine, undeveloped -- one of the most magnificent beaches in the world, as hinted at by this photo. Yet this bunch of champion curmudgeons is "enjoying" it by driving their car onto it and apparently having a decidedly bad day.
Go ahead and make fun of them..These are the people upon whose shoulders we stand.
Been ThereWhat a hoot! People dream of fun vacations and picnics by the sea. This is usually what they get.
Possible reasons for looking so sad1. About to scatter Aunt Tillie's ashes into the Gulf.
2. Looks to be about 35 degrees there -- that's not sand, it's snow!
3. Women depressed at being rejected for off-camera bikini contest.
This is a1938 Buick Straight Eight. A very
serious automobile.
I never liked the beachAll that sand gets in your sandwiches and between the teeth.
You're 60+ years oldYou've probably worked all your life. You drive from Ohio to Florida. You sit outside and have a little meal and look at the sand and the water. You aren't gloomy; you aren't a stick-in-the-mud; you are tired.
Mystery SolvedI've often wondered what those running boards were used for.
Another American GothicI find this photo particularly soothing. The auto looks polished and the people appear to be all dressed up.
I remember my grandmothers' Sunday print dresses and those sensible shoes. We used to call them "nun shoes." And I love their hats, too.
Maybe this is their last day in Florida and they're paying one last visit to the shore. They've had lunch and they're in that moment before someone says, "Well, that's it. Let's get everything packed and start back for Ohio."
Traffic Light HellAlexander raises an interesting point. While it's true that road travel before the interstate system was much slower, it's also true that it was much more fun and interesting. The interstate system homogenized cuisine and culture; it eradicated local diners and bypassed points of interest and replaced them with national fast-food chains and sheer boredom. In the pre-interstate era, a road trip from Ohio to Florida would have been a trip through dozens of local cultures, small towns, interesting sights, and a lot of darn good food. Now it's just mind-numbing hours of exit numbers, all featuring exactly the same bad choices of things to eat and absolutely nothing to see or do. As much good as the interstate system has done, it has also killed much of small-town America and local flavor and culture.
"What's that over there?""Over where?"
"Out there, in the water."
"Well, why didn't you say in the water to begin with?"
"I gestured."
"I didn't see it."
"I gestured with my eyes."
"You can't gesture with your eyes."
"You weren't paying attention."
"It looks like a sailboat."
"How pretty. Like Father's old boat."
"Shouldn't we be getting back? I have sand in my shoes."
Times changeI'll bet if you asked these folks how they enjoyed their day at the beach they'd say it was terrific. All depends on what you're used to. BTW, pantyhose were not invented for another generation. These ladies had old fashioned stockings held up by garters, that were probably attached to their girdles. The guy probably had old fashioned (pre Spandex) socks, held up by garters, too.
Sotto BlottoHow do you know they aren't stinking drunk and just holding still until the photographer is gone to get back to the party?
"Quick, Ethel, put on your sober face -- they got the camera out again!"
Carey is right.Travel back then was more of an adventure than today.
Our first road trip from New Jersey to Florida was in 1955 when I was 7 years old. Route 95 was only finished in sections so most of the way we were turning off and traveling on Route 301 through tobacco fields, cotton fields, stopping at small town diners and roadside attractions. We still talk about what great fun we had and how it was an adventure for all of us.
[If by "Route 95" you mean I-95, the Interstate Highway System wasn't even begun until 1956. Perhaps you mean U.S. 1. - Dave]
Driving SouthIn February of 1956, I answered a classified ad in the NY Times offering cars to drive to Florida. A friend and myself were given a new Ford convertible and a full tank of gas. All other expenses were on us. We were allowed 3 days to get there. Using routes 1 and A1A, we drove the car there in 28 hours (including being stopped for speeding and waiting for a magistrate to come in and fine us $15) and then had the car for us to use for a couple of days. The car's owner lived on an island in the Miami area and after we gave her a sob story she tipped us $25.
I'm nearby when this picture was takenBack in 1941, I was 5 years old and living in Sarasota. The next year, because of the war and transportation was for servicemen mainly, few tourists came to town. My father lost his therapy business downtown and we all moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to find work. My life changed forever in 1941, as it did for every American citizen on Dec. 7. Sarasota was a lovely little town back then; now it is beautiful, but without me, I'm sorry to say.
Snow BirdsI am from around Sarasota, Florida, and I love that it is January and they seem to be from Ohio. If you were to be in Sarasota in January there would still be a lot of people from Ohio!
I also love how they're just relaxing on the beach. It's so interesting to me how the same beach I have played and laid out on my whole life has been "bathed" on for so many years.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Florida, M.P. Wolcott)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/8c14617u.thumbnail.jpg "Get the Party Started: 1941")
- Chicago: 1905
- ... time as the proprietors have given assurances that the boat will be properly conducted. The motion prevailed unanimously and it was so ... of working on Zug Island. Cruising by it on the Bob-Lo boat was enough to scare a C-student into a B+ student by the end of the ... Posted by Dave - 11/05/2018 - 1:47pm -
![Chicago circa 1905. "12th Street Bascule Bridge." Dinosaurs of the Carboniferous Period. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size.
Bascule BridgesMore on the bascule ("seesaw") design here. These bridges used a system of counterweights to balance the span.
Today's viewIt looks like this bridge is down, but the 2 in the background are still standing.
View Larger Map
Drainage CanalSomehow, a tour of a drainage canal sounds rather disturbing.
Now that's marketing!Daily Excursions to the Drainage Canal! How could anyone resist that?
Floaters.Daily Excursions. Step right up, buy your ticket to see the effluence.
I.M. WestonDespite being in a canal, there was no smooth sailing for this steamer. The permit for its travels between Chicago and Lockport was revoked for the drunken rowdiness of its passengers.
From Proceedings of the Chicago Sanitary District Board of Trustees. June 4, 1902
PRESIDENT DIRECTED TO REVOKE PERMIT ISSUED TO STEAMER I.M. WESTON FOR NAVIGATING THE DRAINAGE CHANNEL
Under the head of new business Mr. Braden stated he had been informed that the steamer I.M. Weston plying between this city and Lockport is selling liquors and carrying boisterous crowds on its trips down the Drainage Channel and moved seconded by Mr Jones that the President of the Board be requested to revoke the permit granted said steamer until such time as the proprietors have given assurances that the boat will be properly conducted. The motion prevailed unanimously and it was so ordered.
Steamer Weston: R.I.P. 1902 Port Huron Daily Times, September 6, 1902
The little passenger steamer I.M. WESTON which has been engaged in carrying excursionists down the Chicago Drainage Canal to Lockport for several years caught fire in the canal near Summit on Friday and burned to the water's edge. No one was lost.
The I.M. Weston was built in 1883 as a passenger steamer, she later saw use carrying fruit before reverting back to passenger trade. 95 tons gross; 57 tons net.
Zug IslandIs one of those bridges on Zug Island?
Any kid growing up in Detroit was easily made to study harder by the threat of working on Zug Island. Cruising by it on the Bob-Lo boat was enough to scare a C-student into a B+ student by the end of the cruise.
Bascule BridgeWe have two of those bridges here in Detroit!
[Chicago wants them back right away. Or else. - Dave]
Re: Today's view12th Street is today's Roosevelt Road (named for Teddy). I'm not sure if either bridge in the Google view is what you see in background of the photo. The top (north) bridge is no longer in use - it served the old Grand Central Station (B&O and others) at Wells and Harrison until the late 60's/early 70's. Follow the old right-of-way going north and you can still see traces of the platforms. The south(bottom) bridge connects Union Station and the BNSF with the Illinois Central mainline.
Bascule Bridges - Zug IslandActually, one is at Fort Street and the other one is on Jefferson. I think there is one on Dix at the Ford-Rouge Plant, also. There might even be one on Zug Island.
Uh, Dave, Chicago is out of luck -- we're not giving them back!
Carboniferous DinosaursCouldn't be a more appropriate caption. Not only do we have the steamboat and steam switcher locomotive, but a steam-powered dredge in the background. Impressive!
Dancing About ArchitectureMy wife and I took a two-hour river cruise sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Foundation a couple of weeks ago while visiting the Windy City. The tour was informative and relaxing and the expert commentary was provided by a docent from the CAF. We passed under several of these bascule bridges. We happened to be there during the Chicago Air Show, so we had the added fun of watching fighter jets and vintage aircraft screaming above the city. I highly reccommend the experience.
More on the CAF's tours and activities: www.architecture.org
Goober Pea
Roosevelt Rd. BridgeThis is the "modern" bridge as it appeared in April 2008, view looking north from the river (click to enlarge):
Hey...I used to live thereSo, as far as Chicago's development goes, I would say that this is an area that remains quite similar today. Until a few months ago I lived nearby in East Pilsen and I loved taking pics in the area. Here is a night shot of these same bridges from last winter.
Over the RiverThe bridges in this area were all taken down and rebuilt between 1919 and 1921 for the straightening of the river.
Chicago Drainage CanalAt the time of this picture, Chicago had recently reversed the flow of the Chicago River. Previously, the river and all of Chicago's sewage flowed into Lake Michigan, which is also where Chicago got its drinking water. A drainage canal was dug (some claim that more material was moved in the excavation of this canal than during construction of the Panama Canal). The drainage canal, along with a system of locks, caused the Chicago River to flow downward through the Des Plaines and Illinois River systems to the Mississippi. It was an incredible achievement, but maybe not so good for the people and fisheries downstream.
Those bridgesThe two bridges shown prominently are long gone. They did provide access to Grand Central Station but were removed when the South Branch of the Chicago River was straightened in the 1920s. The railroad built a single leaf bascule bridge to replace the double bridge a few blocks to the south. That bridge is seen in the "today's view" and "I used to live there" photos. It is the one that is up.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Chicago, DPC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a16992u.thumbnail.jpg "Chicago: 1905")
- Morris Canal: 1900
- Boonton, New Jersey, circa 1900. "Boat ascending plane , Morris and Essex Canal." (Actually just the Morris ... in this photo was used for lifting or lowering the canal boat to other parts of the waterway system it is very similar to what we used ... Posted by Dave - 12/15/2022 - 11:10am -
- Karl the Karrot: 1955
- ... obscured). He once had a contest for an (outboard) power boat - awarded for the best name for it. An acquaintance of my father won with ... Posted by tterrace - 09/22/2011 - 4:52pm -
- The Party: 1950s
- ... And how are we sure this is even fifty years ago? The boat looks late '50s, but give or take six or seven years. How are we so sure ... trunks he's wearing he still has *two* babes in his boat! I salute you, sir.
A Bizzare Photo ... but it's fascinating! I ... Posted by globalpillage - 09/17/2011 - 10:17pm -
![Hamilton, Ontario. Name your pleasure and stow that camera. View full size.
2½Just a tad of the Fellini influence here!
All the ingredients for a good timeOne dwarf, two girls, a cooler of Coca-Cola and a few barrels of toxic waste. Party on!
Smoking-friendlyI'd totally forgotten about those weighted ashtrays. Very handy items if you smoked. I'll bet it was red tartan.
And that Coke cooler is worth a mint now.
Reality TVMTV's newest spinoff: Munchkinland Shores
["Jersey Shorty" - Dave]
Stripes are usually slimmingBut zigzagging stripes are not flattering at all.
Love the expression on his faceFuhgetaboutit, eh?
It's a signWhen you see a dwarf in a plaid diaper, you just know things aren't going to end well.
Cocky guy.In more ways than one.
Yeesh.He's a short person, not a circus clown. He probably had enough comments about his size during his lifetime, let alone having them made now.
"During his lifetime"He looks about, what, forty? Maybe younger. And how are we sure this is even fifty years ago? The boat looks late '50s, but give or take six or seven years. How are we so sure this guy isn't still around?
Hmm.I'm thinking Dali could have taken this and made something out of it.
Must HAAAVEthe Coke cooler!
We're on a mission from GodIt's 106 miles to Toronto, we got a full tank of gas, a cooler of beer and Little Guy's drivin'.
Hit it.
He's a better man than IEven with those butt-ugly swimming trunks he's wearing he still has *two* babes in his boat! I salute you, sir.
A Bizzare Photo... but it's fascinating! I too had forgotten those bean-bag ashtrays. My aunt seemed to always have one in her hand - the oppisite from where she kept her enternally burning cigarette was held. Are they still made? As for the man, he seems to be doing alright for himself despite his dwarfism. He's obvious enjoying himself! This photo fills my mind with questions and I love to find photos that do this. My biggest question is why is he in that stance? And who took the photo? And as the other poster pointed out - what is in those toxic waste looking barrels? My guess is that it's baot fuel - In the 50's people would sit on a barrel of gasoline and fire up a smoke.
Seasonal accessNote the two unused docks in the background, upside down showing their oil-drum floats.
MmmApple concentrate and rose oil.
InterestingLooks like something from a David Lynch movie!!
SkipperYou can see by the stack of whatever on the drivers seat, that the man on the dock is the captain. Ah, beers and boating.
ProvenanceFrom the unpublished archives of Diane Arbus from the looks of it.
Best pose ever.That's how I'm gonna stand from now on. The girls are gonna flock around me!
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, GlobalPillage)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/IHP105_HamOnt_dockside01_smaller.thumbnail.jpg "The Party: 1950s")
- Lady of Larkspur: 1955
- ... lived to the same age. She and her husband Tom met on a boat to Australia in the 1900's and married out there where he was a ranch hand ... Posted by tterrace - 01/11/2023 - 7:42pm -
- Steamboat Annie: 1909
- ... accounts refer to her as a handsome pleasure boat for the inland yachtsman. Built 1902, Dubuque, Iowa. Owned by Russell E. ... local carriage men of Cincinnati, Ohio, on his palatial boat, "Annie Russell." The prominent carriage builders of the city were invited ... Posted by Dave - 02/25/2014 - 11:34am -
![The Mississippi River circa 1909. "Vicksburg waterfront." The sternwheelers Annie Russell and Alice B. Miller. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Old Faithful Not just one but two Coca-Cola signs.
Coca-Cola and VicksburgThe soft drink was first bottled in Vicksburg by Joseph Biedenharn, who owned a small candy store on Washington Street. He shipped it to the plantations in the Delta. So there has long been a close connection between Coca-Cola and the city.
This is why I love Shorpy!These are the pics that keep me coming back day after day. It's like Where's Waldo for history buffs. Beautiful!
Coke Bottle HomeThe first bottling of Coca-Cola occurred in Vicksburg, Mississippi, at the Biedenharn Candy Company in 1891. Its proprietor was Joseph A. Biedenharn. The original bottles were Biedenharn bottles, very different from the much later hobble-skirt design that is now so familiar. Not sure if the Vicksburg Bottling Works across from one of the Coca-cola signs was related or not.
Um, BaconThat Bing way-back machine tells us that Hammond Packing Co. was indeed founded in a locale that came to be called Hammond, Indiana (how coincidental is that?); the company later established a plant in Omaha. No word on Vicksburg operations, alas.
There is also the 1909 Supreme Court case of "Hammond Packing Co. vs. Arkansas," but I lost my way in my reading and understanding of the case after the third mention of a "claim of an irrepealable contract predicated upon a contract which is repealable." The thought of slow, idyllic days of floatin' on the Mississippi brought me back to "Annie" and "Alice," instead.
SCANNINGfor a parallel universe-type person--maybe I want to trade places.
Hammond PackingHammond Packing was the pioneer in refrigerated meat transport, and Hammond, Indiana, grew up around the company's transshipment facility. The business began operations in Detroit as Hammond, Standish and Co., and after the death of founder George Hammond -- who was my great-great-grandfather -- passed through a number of hands before being absorbed into the Armour interests around the time this photo was taken.
Vicksburg was likely to have hosted a regional storage facility for the company.
If one could only go back in timeVery poignant picture. Never thought I'd want to teleport myself back to such an industrial locale but the past is the past. You can almost see the breeze whipping over the river in the foreground.
A Palace on WaterAlice B. Miller: Built 1904, Jacksonville, Indiana. Burned 1915, Vicksburg.
Annie Russell: contemporaneous accounts refer to her as a handsome pleasure boat for the inland yachtsman. Built 1902, Dubuque, Iowa. Owned by Russell E. Gardner.
The Carriage Monthly, September, 1904.
Russell E. Gardner, president of the Banner Buggy Co., St. Louis, Mo., entertained recently the local carriage men of Cincinnati, Ohio, on his palatial boat, "Annie Russell." The prominent carriage builders of the city were invited to the boat, and were handsomely entertained. A trip was taken to the Queen City beach, where the party enjoyed a dip in the Ohio, and, on their return, a lunch was served. The "Annie Russell" is a palace on water, and is provided with everything that money can purchase. She is equipped with electric lights, bath, toilet rooms, electric fans and lounging rooms.
Beautiful ImageThank you so much for displaying this scene. There is so much incredible detail of life back then, just fabulous image. Thank you.
Coca-Cola BottlingBiedenharn Candy Company and Vicksburg Bottling Works where not related, although they both used the same blob-top bottle at one time.
Washday on the MississipiWonder if they had the same washday -- Monday -- as you read about. Anyways, there's a lot of laundry draped over the upper stern rails of the Alice B. and there's bedding out to air over the doorways of some of the upper cabins.
Annie R. is backing to slow and come to the bank of the levee, I think, there's no wake and the smoke is starting forward. Are the folks on the afterdeck the owners, or the captain's family? Also, the horses and wagons that are waiting might have supplies. Annie seems to be a passenger boat, no evidence of a lower cargo area at all, that I can see, and the upper deck, though clear, would have been awfully tough to load.
What's inside?I would sure like to see a couple of inside photos and plans of the engine and boiler setup of those sternwheelers.
Working WaterfrontsI love historic working waterfront pictures. You can see so many different examples of material culture and commercial-related activities. My favorite in this image is the wooden scow. They were so anonymous but conducted many 19th century activities from bulk cargo transport to ferrying.
Clay StreetWe are looking up Clay Street at the First National Bank (now Trustmark Bank) building.
Cars from far awayI find the two rail cars of interest. Both appear to be a long ways from home. The Dairy Land car is most likely from Wisconsin and has been on a mild products run. The Erie box is, again, fairly far from home. Neat to see them in this wonderful shot of Vicksburg.
Related to Vicksburg PanoramaThis picture is clearly taken at the same time as a well-known panorama of the Vicksburg waterfront in 1910 that is in the National Archives. Was this picture originally a panorama by the same photographer. The shadows have moved between the two pictures and different steamboats have moved to the foreground. If there is another panorama, I would very much like to know about it. I grew up in Vicksburg and am writing a memoir of my father who would have arrive here for visits as a small boy.
I would appreciate any help. These photo are true treasures. Thank to Shorpy for posting them.
[The c.1910 panorama was taken by the Haines Photo Co. This one, by the Detroit Publishing Co., does not appear to be part of a panorama. To search for Vicksburg photos at the Library of Congress, use the search box at this link. - tterrace]
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Detroit Photos, DPC, Vicksburg)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_4a19331a.thumbnail.jpg "Steamboat Annie: 1909")
- Wabash Bridge: 1908
- ... State : Built 1890; converted in 1913 to the excursion boat Majestic.
Are you ready for some football? If that is the ... Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:13pm -
![Circa 1908. "Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Wabash Bridge, Monongahela River." Back when Pittsburgh was sans H. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size.
SternwheelersIt's striking to me how low the river-level is compared to present times and construction of the modern lock-and-dam system. Of course, during flood, I'm sure the residents were appreciative of those tall banks.
Of the pictured sternwheelers, I could find information, and additional photos, on three:
M.D. Wayman: built 1891 in Pittsburgh; 125 feet long; could be hired for $50/day as tender for dredging operations in 1909.
Isaac M. Mason: built in 1893 for the Mason Line; ran Belle Vernon-Morgantown on the Monongahela River; 122 feet long; burned Mar 4, 1913 Cooks Ferry, Ohio River.
Keystone State: Built 1890; converted in 1913 to the excursion boat Majestic.
Are you ready for some football?If that is the Monongahela in the foreground, then does that mean that in the background I see the Allegheny? If that is the case, then the Ohio river should be just to the left and this is the spot where they would someday build Three Rivers Stadium. I learned that from watching Monday Night Football. You see, you can learn something on TV!
I see my apartment!Well, okay I see the area that was razed where my apartment building stands now, but still *sweeeet*!
I'm working on finding a present view, but I stink at google-mapping. Hopefully someone can do it better than I, but I'll keep trying.
Hausman & WimmerOh my gosh!
My mother was just telling me that, before my great grandfather started W.F. Wimmer Company, he had another business with his cousin, whose name was Hausman. I'd never heard this story before two weeks ago and now here is a photograph of their building! How exciting!
-----------------------------------------------------------
[Hausman to Wimmer: "Tarnation! Where in blazes are these confounded mice COMING from?" - Dave]
Now You Knowwhere trolley poles come from.
Three RiversIndeed that is the Allegheny in the background, and the warehouses and depots to the left where the cityscape starts to narrow is now what is Point State Park, where the Mon and the Allegheny join at the "Point" to create the Ohio.
Three Rivers was almost directly across from the Point, between the Pirates PNC Park and the Steelers current home, Heinz Field.
Only the supports left nowIt's interesting to get to see this bridge whole. I've never seen it. The supports are still left, and I always wondered about the bridge that used to be on them.
Where's Heinz?Did this picture predate the dominant presence H J Heinz has had along the Allegheny River? Unless I have my bearings wrong, it would have appeared in the back right of the picture along the bend in the river.
Boggs & BuhlThe Boggs & Buhl building on the far left was an upscale department store that catered to the wealthy and upper middle class who lived on the North Side or The City of Allegheny as it was known before it merged with Pittsburgh.
A New WondermentThe need for such an elaborate lightning-rod installation on such a huge conductor? They sure are pretty though!
Built in the U.S.A.What continues to amaze me about urban Shorpy shots is the enormous industrial activity one sees. You can almost feel the urban industrial power of the U.S. taking shape, at least in the North. By comparison, Canada was still a fairly quiet, predominantly agricultural country, except for Montreal and Toronto, which were still comparatively small urban centres. Of course WWI changed all that. Canadians went straight to the front in 1914, and supporting the war effort resulted in a huge wave of industrialization.
Lightning rodsHave sharp points to 'bleed' off static charge in an effort to avoid attracting a strike.
Drill, baby, drill!Also to be seen on the river bank just past the River Coal barge (right hand side of the pic) is the Oil Well Supply Company. Even though Pennsylvania oil production was already declining, business must have been pretty good. The name stretches across two buildings.
Wabash BridgeThe railroad bridge is long gone but some of the stone piers remain at the bank.
What's in a nameWhat strikes me is that the vast majority of business signs you see in these pictures are people's names, or the name of a recognizable location, often coupled with a real product - Boggs & Buhl, Glesenkamp's Carriages, Pittsburg Trolley Poles. Even the bank building is labeled in full "The Diamond National Bank", not "DNB" or (worse yet) "DiNat."
Not a contraction or acronym to be seen.
Thank you!I grew up in Pittsburgh. My grandparents would be born about five years after this was taken, so it's fantastic to look on the city as they knew it as children (and to realize that I recognize essentially *nothing* here.)
The piers for the old Wabash are still there -- you can see them in Google maps, near Station Square (now a mall, but then a train depot connecting to the tracks in the picture)
That would make the large street on the right side of the picture Market, most likely. So the center of the picture, right around the sign for "A.J. Logan & Co" would be the modern PPG Place, and the void that's behind and to the right of that building would be Market Square, which goes more or less back to the founding of the city itself.
I wonder if the Buhl in "Buhl & Boggs" is the same Buhl in "Buhl Planetarium" that was around when I was a kid. And the Frick in "Frick & Lindsay" is probably the same Frick in "Frick Park"
What a lovely photo.
Extant ExamplesA number of the buildings shown here still exist. The Century building in the back, the Union Bank building, and many on the rightmost block along Fort Pitt still exist. The Conestoga building is the one cut in half.
I would not be surprised if the twin stacks across the river belonged to the Heinz plant. Up the hill a bit on the North Side should be the old Allegheny Hospital.
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bo/?id=102614
Fort Pitt BoulevardMany of the row-buildings to the sides of the Trolley Pole Company are still standing on what is now Fort Pitt Boulevard. Including one of my favorite buildings in the city -- every day on my way home in traffic I marvel at the intricacy of the fire escape. It might be the one that is fourth over from the trolley pole factory. It's a shame downtown isn't really a "downtown" any more (the place shuts down at 5pm and all the action moves to the various outlying neighborhoods); it's such an underrated architectural gem.
Pier TodayAlways love when Pittsburgh is on Shorpy!
View Larger Map
+103Below is the same view from July of 2011.
Hausman & WimmerWhat a fantastic story!! I live in the suburbs and our library systems have been adding photos just like these to their website for everyone to enjoy. I have seen an inferior photo of this but nobody is alive to remember those type of details. Thanks!!
Wabash Bridge PiersThe two piers that were left after the Wabash Bridge was demolished was purchased for a very fair price by a local politician who lived in Mt Lebanon by the name of Jim Corbett.
Then later became part of the busway system that traveled from the Airport to downtown by entering the existing and renovated tunnel next to McArdle Roadway near the intersection of Route 51 (Saw Mill Run Blvd) that ran under Mt Washington and crossed the Mon River over the new bridge built using the same piers seen in the photo. I hope my memory is serving me well here. At 87 years young it can be a little unstable at times. I just found this site and really love it.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Pittsburgh, Railroads)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a10180a.thumbnail.jpg "Wabash Bridge: 1908")
- Wave Riders: 1903
- ... to be some sort of straight white line near the bow of the boat.
[This is one of a series of photos showing both launching for and ... (the title of the etching below) is often done with the boat turned seaward. - Dave]
An officer in ... Posted by Dave - 04/10/2016 - 1:24pm -
![Asbury Park, New Jersey, circa 1903. "Landing through the surf." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Bowline, methinksWhy is everyone so sure there's no bowline in this picture. It's hard to see, but there seems to be some sort of straight white line near the bow of the boat.
[This is one of a series of photos showing both launching for and landing from an excursion on a fishing schooner off Asbury Park. Below: A "launch" photo with a different group of people. - Dave]
Accident-free fun!Nothing could go wrong here, could it? Also love the boys -- excitedly at the edge of grown-up shenanigans.
Odd Way to LandLooks more like a launch to me.
Looks more like Launching thru the surf.
ReversoThey're not landing the skiff, but rather launching it. The men at the stern are pushing it. Also, you would normally land bow first, especially in heavy surf. The wave action would assist in the landing. With the bow seawards, it cuts the wave and actually wakes it more difficult to land.
["Landing through the surf" (the title of the etching below) is often done with the boat turned seaward. - Dave]
An officer in the US Coast Guard, who has much experience in landing through the surf, gives the following method as the safest and best for landing through the surf with a crew inexperienced in surf work -- place a 40 to 60 pound anchor in the bow with 100 to 150 fathoms of line. Just before getting into surf turn your boat to seaward, drop your anchor, pay out on line and one will usually find that the surge of the sea will take her to the beach fast enough, and if not, use your oars to back-in. Be careful to keep strain on line so that the boat will always be kept head-on to seas.
-- From the 1930 edition of "Modern Seamanship" by Rear Admiral Austin Knight, USN.
Famous last wordsThe man said he's not taking us out far enough to need life jackets.
arr, tis a launchHaving significant experience with both seafaring and talking like a pirate, I wish to weigh in on this one. It is almost certainly a launch pictured here, not a landing. The method described below by Admiral Austin Knight will work only if an anchor line is used from the bow, which is clearly absent in this photo. Without the line to keep the bow seaward, once the stern beaches the next wave will sweep the bow to the side, capsizing the boat and emptying its contents into the surf. In fact, the same can even happen with a poorly executed bow-first landing. I know because I have done it. Arrr.
Re: ReversoHowever, no such anchor line is in evidence. The simpler explanation is that whoever wrote the title was wrong.
Curiouser and CuriouserFirst, they are not using the method described by Admiral Knight because there's no sign of an anchor line. Second, the engraving of the stern-first method shows the condition of its use, which is surf heavy enough to provide a grave risk of having a wave break over the square stern. That is not the case here. Finally, if the two gents were really assisting in a landing, they are standing in front of a heavily laden boat that is coming at them at the speed of the surf, holding their arms straight. That is a good way to get run over and injured. In a proper landing they would be on either side, assisting the boat onto the beach. All that, plus the way the passengers are sitting and looking forward, reinforces the likelihood that this is a launch through light surf.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-4a11133a.thumbnail.jpg "Wave Riders: 1903")
- Canal Street: 1910
- ... I'm sure that New Orleans with its excellent railway and boat connections was one of the most popular destinations.
Fascinating ... Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 2:02pm -
![Canal Street in New Orleans circa 1910. Large building is the Maison Blanche department store. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Canal and CarondeletThis photo was taken near the intersection of Canal and Carondelet. All the buildings on the far side of the street are still there, although the left side is considerably different. Fascinating stuff.
Glad-U-KumNow this is one happening street! Love the signs over the street. Can anyone ID the car heading our way? Almost looks like it's a "Glide" or "Slide" (whatever that is).
So, that's where I went wrong.Just thinking how different my life would be if I had some of those smart clothes.
Glide pathWonder why the Glide car is the only conveyance visible not powered by horse or electricity? Surely Noo Orleenz had lots of cars by 1910. Also, anybody hoping to end it all by jumping off the roof of that fantastically ornate building on the right might spend some anxious moments volleying up and down on the jungle of wiring covering much of the street. Maybe grab onto a handy gargoyle after six or seven bounces, with second thoughts about departing the Big Easy so soon.
Didn't Little Orphan Anniequote "Leapin' Lazards" ?
K&BI just wanted to comment that the drug store on the bottom left - Katz and Besthoff - became a big local chain called K&B that was like a Walgreens or CVS. It went out of business so time in the early nineties I think. There corporate office had a substantial art collection that I believe is now part of the Odgen Museum of Southern Art and the sculpture garden in City Park. I could have some of these details confused. Anybody know what the Winter Capital of America Banner draped across the street refers to?
[New Orleans! - Dave]
Who needs to drive?I see no fewer than 16 streetcars in this photo! Talk about mass transit!
"A Confederacy of Dunces"In the opening scene of John Kennedy Toole's novel, Ignatius J. Reilly stands (many years later) in front of the D.H. Holmes across the way.
Smart Clothes!Ooooh I need some because I've been feeling like a dummy lately. :P
I am so happy to see so many ladies! Normally all the ladies are MIA in Shorpy photos (already drinking afternoon tea or working?) Oh all the outfits and dresses!! *drool* Everything from fancier day/walking outfits to typical white blouse & black skirt combo for the new working generation.
And did anyone else notice the huge umbrella on a pedestal in the middle of the street? There for a rainy day?
This is beautiful!Try putting *this* in a movie today, even with CGI. I can about hear the chatter of voices, the hoofbeats, the bells on the streetcars -- I count at least a dozen streetcars just in this short stretch of street!
Little girl, in the dark dress at the far left, where's your mother? You shouldn't be out here all by yourself. (Thinking about it, that little girl was just about born with the century.)
Why is there an umbrella on a stand in the middle of the street?
Through my Grandfather's EyesWhat a wonderful photo - taken the same time my grandfather lived in New Orleans. I couldn't help wondering if he was among the busy pedestrians.
Regarding WINTER CAPITAL sign - the South has always been a popular destination for the well-to-do Northern crowds in the winter - we call them Snow-Birds. I'm sure that New Orleans with its excellent railway and boat connections was one of the most popular destinations.
FascinatingThere is so much going on in this picture, you could lose hours poring over it. Strange to think that all these people going about their daily business are no longer with us.
Katz & BestoffI also love the shot of Katz and Bestoff. This would have been their flagship store, established in 1905, although this year, 1910, a second store opened across the street at 837 Canal. K&B grew to 177 stores across the deep south, before being sold in 1997 to Rite Aid. Anyone in New Orleans still refers to K&B purple, as this started in 1908, when the owners bought a bulk lot of unwanted purple paper, and used it for wrapping, etc. Part of the K&B jingle, "Look at almost any corner, and, what do you see? A big, purple sign that says, friendly K&B!"
This is Beautiful, IndeedYup, sixteen streetcars, which, while being pedantic but wishing to throw out a bit of cocktail party trivia, I would offer do not have bells, but have gongs.
Suspect the umbrella was to shade a streetcar dispatcher or perhaps a traffic cop. It looks like high noon, so it's probably not too effective just now. Or the shadee is in to lunch!
Santa & Mr. BingleIn the early 1950s our parents would take us to Maison Blanche for photos with Santa and his buddy Mr. Bingle. MB had a really good Santa and almost 60 years later I can still remember the visits.
The smellsHave been trying to conjure up the smell of this place. Horses, rickety gasoline engines, wafts of ozone, what else is there? Must have been pretty unique, especially in those New Orleans summers.
24 hour drug store at the right. Everything old is new again. And mailbox technology has not changed at all.
Forget the umbrellaI wanna know what the closed cart (not a wagon, they have four wheels) parked in the middle of the street is.
[One way or another, something to do with horses. Watering then (note the dipper) or cleaning up after. - Dave]
Adler's TimeAdler's is a multi-generational family business selling jewelry and gifts. The store and its beautiful sidewalk clock are still there today.
A Fez-tive timeThe "GLAD=U=KUM" banner is for the Shriners' 36th Imperial Council Session in New Orleans April 12, 1910. Here is a souvenir of the occasion.
Williams' PharmacyThe four-story building was owned and run by Captain Williams who was a Civil War veteran. My great uncle, Adolph Kaczoroski was his manager for 30 years from 1895 to 1924. The building's soda fountain was especially popular.
Luzianne Coffee"Luzianne" a dialectical play on Louisianian?
[Since 1902. - tterrace]
Then and nowThe clock on a post here is in front of Adler's Jewelry Store. At the time of this picture, the location at 722 Canal Street must have been only recently opened. The original location (1898) was in the first block of Royal Street, but after a fire in about 1904, the business spent a few years at 810 Canal Street before moving to its present location where it still operates today. I think of everything you can see in this picture, Adler's is the only business this old New Orleans scene that you can still visit today and is still operated by the Adler family. In fact, the Adler family owns both the original K&B location, mentioned above in another comment (today a FootLocker,) and the Williams Pharmacy building (soon to be a pharmacy again with a historic renovation that will be done by Walgreens.) The clock was moved from the pole to the awning of the store in the 1920's and both are still there today. The awning also has remarkable historic detail with a fleur de lis motif that is hard to see in the picture here, but is definitely there.
Amazing Picture!!!
K & B DrugsstoreI remember this oh so familiar drug store. And the undeniably K & B purple. Only those from this great city know the shade of K & B purple.
Williams Pharmacy My 2nd great-grandfather, John Morin, was a druggist at Williams Pharmacy from about 1900-1913 when he died of a heart attack in the pharmacy.
(The Gallery, DPC, New Orleans, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a19852a.thumbnail.jpg "Canal Street: 1910")
- City of Cleveland: 1910
- ... Been the Finest Side Wheel Steamer on Fresh Water. The Boat Will Be Rebuilt, but it Will Be Impossible to Get Her Ready for Service ... $1,250,000.
The ship building company will rebuild the boat as rapidly as possible, it is announced, but it will be impossible to get ... Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 4:26pm -
- The Oregon: 1898
- ... of the Civil War.
The workers scaffolding around this boat and especially lower down the side of the boat looks risky.
Balancing Act During my years in the Navy I was aboard ... Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:16pm -
- Silver Springs: 1900
- ... facilitate stepping down from a railway car to a waiting boat. Anyone wealthy enough to have a private railroad car would likely have a private boat, also.) In fact, the whole arrangement, which appears not to have been ... Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 4:14pm -
![Silver Springs, Florida, circa 1900. "Okeehumkee at wharf on the Oklawaha River." Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size.
PetrifiedWe can see your tax dollars at work—the real tree is being replaced with a more fiscally viable brick tree.
RailsHas anyone any idea of what the railway track (bottom left) was for?
[It was for trains. This is a rail depot. Note the boxcar in back. - Dave]
Gorgeous picture, what a time to be alive!What a great picture. It really makes me wish I could have experienced it firsthand. Lots of interesting details in this one. Keep 'em coming!
Model locationI believe that I have seen this exact location modeled in miniature in the Narrow Gauge Gazette a few years back.
Wonderful!This is simply a sublime, magic picture! Thanks.
Silver SpringsI grew up near Silver Springs. (And I now live near Silver Spring!) In the 50s and 60s Silver Springs still had many traces of the rural resort that you see in this photo. The main attraction was the glass bottom boats, which were there in 1900 and are still there today. The awful, ironically named Wild Waters Park had not yet appeared, but there was a tacky tourist rip-off called Six-Gun Territory. I like to think of Silver Springs as the Old Florida that I just barely caught before it disappeared. I'd be afraid to go back there now after 40 more years of Florida "development."
Brownie SightingThe guy standing next to the lady with the umbrella looks like he might be carrying an early Brownie.
Bogie and BacallThere seems to be a strong "Key Largo" feel to these Florida pictures. Expect Bogart to show up at any time!
Another take on Six GunBeing a Tampa native I made many visits to Silver Springs and Six-Gun Territory. In its last few years Six-Gun admittedly did start going downhill. However in its prime I remember it as a wonderful family entertainment destination. The "Old West" buildings were well made and historically accurate, and the staged gunfights and saloon shows were done professionally. No,it doesn't compare to Disney (the Holy Grail of tacky tourist rip-off), but at least a family could spend the day there without spending obscene amounts of money.
GlenJay, you are right, the Ocala area is not the same now. Neither is Florida. Too bad.
Packed to the gunwalesAnother view of the Okeehumkee earning its keep.
Once Upon a TimeLooks like the establishing shot in an old movie. Not sure why I like this picture so much.
ACOK, explain again how these people could survive there 10 months out of the year wearing the clothes they have on in this picture when there was no air conditioning to go home to. I'll grant the clothing was of natural materials, which breathe better, but after that ... Could the photo have been taken in the depths of "winter"?
[From the time Henry Flagler built his railroad until the 1920s, the majority of white people in Florida, aside from maybe Jacksonville and Tallahassee, were vacationers from up north. The state was a winter resort, with "the season" lasting from around December to April. Just about anyone visiting Silver Springs would have been a wintertime tourist. - Dave]
BackpaddlerIt has a paddle at the back.
What makes it go?The okeehumkee does not appear to have side or stern wheels. Is it prop driven?
Muddy boots and the Porch Roof of DamoclesThere's so many fun details in this photo that it took the brick tree comment to get me down into the lower left corner. Someone has thoughtfully provided an iron rail boot scraper on the second step up from the muddy shore, for the convenience of the expensively dressed tourists (and the people who had to clean the floors and rugs in all the buildings around the landing). And what about that rail siding that ends right at the door of the little shed with the Porch Roof of Damocles? It looks like a set-up for a silent movie gag.
Florida: The MovieIncredible. Looks like a movie set, not like reality.
Along the St. Johns and OcklawahaA great look at the early history of the area and the many Riverboats that plied the river to Silver Springs.
Find the boxcar - Chapeau!What a keen observer you are Dave!
It even took me minutes after your hint to find it.
Freight DepotI have a book called "Eternal Spring: Man's 10,000 Years of History at Florida's Silver Springs," which has a photo of this same structure. It is identified as a freight depot and was "built around the turn of the century," so it was quite new in this photo. The Book is a second edition from 1969 and the info is on page 140.
Mystery Building and TrackSeveral writers asked questions or commented about the small building to the left of the depot, and the strange railroad track leading up to its door. (I think that's what Fred was referring to in his question.) If it's not too late, I would like to offer a theory by way of explanation.
The building in question appears to be a supply or "store" house. If you look closely, at the left rear in the photo, there appears to be another overhang, which undoubtedly shelters the door that is actively used for access. Again, if you look closely, the "door" at the end of the track is no longer a door, it has boards nailed over it, which explains why they never bothered to repair its overhang, or remove it either: it was left to remove itself, which it is about to do. (Tort liability had not yet evolved into its present state.)
I believe the track leading up to it was most likely used to park privately owned, leased or chartered Pullman cars, which was a very common mode of travel in those times. (Note the steps at the foot of the "brick" tree, which would have been in just the right spot to facilitate stepping down from a railway car to a waiting boat. Anyone wealthy enough to have a private railroad car would likely have a private boat, also.) In fact, the whole arrangement, which appears not to have been used in a long while, might have been set up for one special "celebrity" customer, who frequently needed to transfer from train to boat at this point. Perhaps they owned a vacation mansion nearby.
These private cars needed special supplies, and tools for their maintenance, etc. They had to be kept separate from "regular" supplies used in everyday operations, for cost accounting purposes. The building itself might have been owned by the Pullman Company, a separate entity from the railroad.
Than again, a far less romantic theory would be that the storehouse was once used by the local "roadmaster" (track maintenance supervisor) for his supplies, and the track was there so he could easily push his small hand cars up to the door for loading.
Re: PetrifiedMaybe the steps and concrete and brickwork around the shoreline is to aid the Northern tourists who may be unfamiliar with Florida wetlands. The root system of live oaks and other water-loving trees usually have a lot of twisty-turny runners right at the surface level of the surrounding ground. In other words, plenty easy to trip over! -- Another excellent shot, Dave. Thanks!
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Florida, Railroads)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/4a05135a.thumbnail.jpg "Silver Springs: 1900")
- Love Canal: 1907
- ... options for the afternoon and chose this? The guy in the boat at lower right looks about as bored as I would have been. He had probably ... left side pavement pushing a baby carriage. Besides, the boat men discovered that when the women are paddling they are distracted from ... Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 9:53pm -
![Detroit circa 1907. "Band concert on Grand Canal, Belle Isle Park." Once upon a time it might have been possible to woo a girl with just a humble canoe, but now you need plush pillows and a phonograph. 8x10 glass negative. View full size.
Cads!Ha, I was wondering where you were going with that for a minute Dave! I have to say, this is one of the most interesting photos I've seen on Shorpy. There seems to be a number of unchivalrous cads who are getting their dates to do the rowing, with the chap bottom right looking particularly unimpressed. Or perhaps he's not keen on the music.
HatsOnce on the water, hats appear to be optional for the gents.
Smiles, anyone?No one seems to be having a good time. Those are quite some hairdos on the ladies in the two canoes near the front.
And who brings a phonograph to a concert?
Chivalry, dead as a doornailI see at least three canoes where the man is taking it easy while the woman does the paddling!
Just another chip in the blockfor the suffragettes. I'm assuming the women that are paddling are doing it on their own accord. They most likely demanded both the paddle and man cards from their escorts.
Safety LastNo one is wearing a life jacket.
And WhyDoes the canoe with the phongraph have a searchlight. The "unimpressed" lad does have an interesting jacket though.
Personal audioAlternate title: "Turn That !*#&! Thing Down!: The Early Days"
Paddlin' WomenThe next thing you know they'll be asking for the right to vote. Geez!
Long Day's JourneyMaybe it's because the concert will be going on into night. Otherwise, why would two of the canoes carry mounted searchlights in the bow? And the guy with the Victrola seems to have a stern lantern as well, just to make sure his night vision is truly shot on the way back.
One has to wonder about the power source for these lights in the boats. Decisions, decisions! Battery or kerosene? Not so obvious in 1907.
Marine accessoriesInteresting canoe front and center. He has a lantern on one end and what looks like a spotlight of some kind on the other. There is a second canoe which also seems to have a spotlight on it as well.
Hoping to get lucky?Are those fellows paddling around with empty pillows hoping to lure a young lady from among the spectators and get lucky? And by lucky I mean will he be able to entice them to paddle the canoe while he lolls about on the cushions like those other lads are doing.
iPlodThe modern equivalent to toting the phonograph is being encumbered by an early generation iPod, or, heaven forbid, a Discman. Unthinkable!
Maybe the old days weren't so greatAll those people considered their options for the afternoon and chose this? The guy in the boat at lower right looks about as bored as I would have been. He had probably told the girl, "Either you row or we go home. And I hope you refuse to row!"
Chivalry Metro ManFret not on the cads - there is a man on the left side pavement pushing a baby carriage. Besides, the boat men discovered that when the women are paddling they are distracted from complaining. Uh oh, I'm going to hear it on this one.
Wow, where do I start?So many opportunities for comments on this one. First, Mr. Bored in lower right front, obviously he and his lady are charter members of the Big Button Club.
And what's that guy at right center, the one who's laid back and waving -- what could he be saying? Maybe directed at the single guy at left center: "Hey, Fred, if you'd get yourself a girl friend you wouldn't have to do your own paddlin'!"
As for "Who brings a phonograph to a concert," indeed! Next thing you know kids will be bringing iPods to their next rock concert. Oh wait, never mind.
I get the boatingAnd I get and why it was probably fun (relatively speaking) to row down the canal and all on a nice day (although THAT much of an audience would have made me a bit self-conscious) What I DON'T understand is why all those dressed up folks are just sitting there on either side of the canal, watching. Was it a competition, or is there a concert or something else also going on? Or was life in Detroit in 1907 so boring that you would really WANT to just sit by the side of a canal in fancy duds and watch people row around? Am I missing something here??
[A closer look at the photo (and the caption) might solve the mystery! - Dave]
The thread continuesHere.
Life jackets and American tragediesJudging by that charmless embankment, this water attraction was man-made (man-dug?), and probably three feet or so deep, so no life jackets were needed. Say, isn't that Theodore Dreiser with the dark jacket lolling in the boat, right foreground, perhaps dreaming up a love story about a guy with a pregnant and poor girl friend but he's really in love with a wealthy young lady and he, oh, I don't know, decides to do away with the unfortunate mother-to-be, or something? "I know what. I'll have him 'accidentally" push her in front of a train. Naw, too messy. Hey, how about they're out on a lonely lake in a canoe, and -- "
In the GrooveMy grandparents did the Victor record player in a canoe also. I don't know how they'd keep the record from skipping but I do remember dad being able to get into a canoe without it moving much at all- a skill I'm sure he learned at a young age- he's the littlest one in this canoe! Belle Isle too, c. 1923
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Detroit Photos, DPC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_4a19551a.thumbnail.jpg "Love Canal: 1907")
- Queen and Commoner: 1906
- ... "Come over and visit us anytime in our humble boat. Please be careful when walking the plank."
Folding Stacks I wonder ... in 1914.
The Guiding Star is most likely a wharf boat for a steamer of the same name. Guiding Star was another excursion boat ... Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 2:43pm -
![The Ohio River circa 1906. "Coney Island Co. sidewheeler Island Queen at Cincinnati." Let her not blind us to the more modest charms of the Guiding Star. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Riggers and allPoor forlorn rowboats! There, I mentioned them so they wouldn't be left out too.
House on the HillAcross the river, on the middle right is a fantastic gothic mansion on top of the hill. Anyone know what that is? I hope it still exists.
The Ohio and the Licking This photo was made near the present day Great American Ballpark from the Ohio side looking south over the river toward Kentucky.
The river in the background going under the bridge is the Licking, which runs between Covington and Newport.
Women and Children FirstEven if we assume there are two more lifeboats on the starboard side, they're gonna fill up fast.
"Guiding Star""Come over and visit us anytime in our humble boat. Please be careful when walking the plank."
Folding StacksI wonder how long and how many crew it took to lower/raise those stacks to get under a low bridge.
[I doubt if there were any "low bridges" across the Ohio. - Dave]
too few life boats!And I thought that the Titanic didn't have enough life boats!
Low clearanceThere may not have been low bridges, but there were low hanging wires. The Island Queen hit one that knocked down her stacks in 1914.
The Guiding Star is most likely a wharf boat for a steamer of the same name. Guiding Star was another excursion boat making trips to Coney Island amusement park.
Re: Folding StacksPerhaps there were no "low bridges" across the Ohio River but there were certainly times of high water. A prior Shorpy post: Steam Under the Bridge: 1906, shows the sidewheeler City of Cincinnati having to fold its stacks in order to pass under a Cincinnati bridge during a period of high water. The Island Queen appears to have similar hinges and rigging to enable lowering its stacks.
Church SteepleThe church to the left of the bridge is the Salem Methodist Church. It had the highest steeple in Newport, KY.
The Church is still standing and is known as The Stained Glass Theater and is used for community theater productions.
However, the steeple was demolished by a tornado in 1986.
View Larger Map
Gaurd dog!Watch out for the little doggy when approaching the Guiding Star.
House on the HillThe "House on the Hill" is actually two houses.
The front one is the Graziani House.
http://www.nkyviews.com/kenton/kenton1941.htm
Its still there but with the fourth/fifth story tower visible in the photo has been removed.
View Larger Map
The one in the back is the Shinkle Mansion, on the other side of Second St. from the Graziani.
http://www.nkyviews.com/kenton/kenton666.htm
It was later donated to the Salvation Army for use as a hospital, and was demolished in 1920; replaced by a newer hospital building.
http://www.nkyviews.com/kenton/pdf/bricking_shinkle.pdf
A regal beauty indeedWow! What a mighty Queen! And moving at a fair clip, judging by the wake, and the spray at the bow.
I always find it disturbing, though, when a ship's flags, and smoke, are blowing in the direction of travel, as they are here.
More on stack heightsAlthough clearance under the later Cincinnati bridges at normal Ohio River water levels may not have been a problem, quite a brouhaha developed further upstream over clearance issues in 1847. The town of Wheeling Virginia (it didn't end up being in West Virginia until the 1863 split) built a suspension bridge to carry the National/Cumberland Road across the Ohio that impeded the passage of taller boats to further upstream ports like Pittsburgh under some river conditions. Hinged stacks could address the issue, but the steamboat operators (who favored high stacks for their boiler draft efficiency and ash/cinder/smoke dispersion benefits) didn't think they should have to bear extra equipment/crew/maintenance costs so bridge developers could save money by skimping on clearance height. Add in the desire of the community to avoid the negative infrastructure/condemnation process impact of higher and necessarily longer approach ramps through already developed areas and you had the makings of a lawsuit.
The steamboat operators were apparently able to convince the state of Pennsylvania that their having to fold their stacks would somehow limit the growth and economic viability of Pittsburgh, so the state championed the case against the bridge that was 50 miles downriver in another state. None other than E. M. Stanton (namesake of a certain serial Shorpy poster) represented the state of Pennsylvania in a landmark lawsuit against the Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Company, but even in losing produced a still important interpretation of the Commerce Clause of the U.S Constitution and clearly demonstrated the need for something like the Interstate Commerce Act, which Congress got around to enacting a quarter of a century later. Someone even wrote a book on the case. At one point, even Mother Nature appeared to weigh into the battle, and on the side of Pittsburgh by taking out the six year old bridge with a storm in 1854. It was rebuilt and survives to this day through laudable preservation efforts.
Dave's crafted photo of the Island Queen is one of the clearest I've see in terms of stack hinge and folding mechanism detail.
Bridges and MansionsRiverboat interests were so strong in Cincinnati that all the bridges were built high enough so the smokestacks wouldn't need to be lowered, at least until certain high water or flood stages anyway.
The Island Queen was used to take patrons between the Cincinnati Riverfront and the Coney Island amusement park that remains today upstream on the Ohio River in the city's California neighborhood. In 1905 the 12 year old steamboat "Saint Joseph" from Mississippi was refitted and renamed the "Island Queen" that we see here. It was destroyed by fire in 1922. There's dozens of great photos of the old gal and her successors at: http://wiki.cincinnatilibrary.org/index.php/Island_Queen
It didn't end wellMy boyfriend's great grandfather, Fred Dickow, was the chief engineer on the Island Queen when it blew up while in port in Pittsburgh, PA. It's said that he lit a welding torch to repair a loose stanchion near some oil tanks causing a spark to ignite an explosion. He was a veteran engineer who had worked for the company for 30 years.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19470911&id=sFsbAAAAIBAJ&...
MemoriesGrowing up in the Cincinnati area in the late 30s and 40s, I rode the Island Queen to Coney Island Park many times. I had no idea that there was more than one Island Queen, but it appears that they all seem to have been side wheelers, not the more common stern wheelers. In my case, I was much more excited about riding the "Queen" than attending Coney Island. I remember watching the Island Queen approaching the Cincinnati public landing, coming downstream from Coney. I think the steam calliope could be heard all over town! The side wheels would slowly stop, then reverse until she had stopped some what below the landing, then one side wheel would slowly reverse direction and she would slowly turn in place 180 degrees. Then she would move ahead and slowly maneuver to the landing. Beautiful! Once on board I would go to the lower deck to watch the fascinating machinery. There was a huge (at least it seemed huge to me) wood walking beam on each side that connected the engines to the paddle wheels, and they were painted white, trimmed in red, polished, adorned with several large red stars. If I remember correctly, there was an annual race against the Delta Queen. It was very sad to hear of her demise in Pittsburgh.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cincinnati Photos, DPC)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_4a13298a.thumbnail.jpg "Queen and Commoner: 1906")
- Big Gun: 1923
- ... devoted to the sport. The gun is named after the kind of boat that they are mounted in -- a little skiff called a punt.
Cracked ... on the Chesapeake Bay in the 1870s or so. Mounted on a boat, aimed by turning the boat towards the flock. Quite old-fashioned by ... Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 2:46pm -
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