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Marcella Hart: 1943
... The prerequisite for the callboy job: you had to have a bicycle! His dad, my grandfather, was a "hogger"(locomotive engineer) with ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 4:43pm -

April 1943. Clinton, Iowa. "Mrs. Marcella Hart, mother of three, employed as a wiper at the roundhouse. Chicago & North Western R.R." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Blue and RedWonderful photo! I imagine Jack Delano saying something like, "Just as you are, ma'am, that's fine. Yep, grease and all, that's what I'm after." and her saying "You can have the grease, but there ain't no way you're taking that picture till I've put on my lipstick." Our momOur mom was a wiper, too. But it was mainly on our cabooses. And on really bad days, she probably looked a little like the hardworking lady in the photo. Sans overalls, of course. Marcella's tickerI'll bet there's a railroad pocket watch in her upper right coverall pocket attached to the denim shoelace. Some things don't change.I work on diesel locomotives in the Morris Park yard of the Long Island RR. The steam engines are gone, as are the wipers, but we still get just as filthy! WipersOK, thanks "Our Mom" for the mental images - but what does a wiper do in a locomotive sense? Good Manicure TooDespite her hard, dirty job, Mrs. Hart still has beautifully lacquered nails. Reminds me of the landlady in the first reel of "Swing Shift," who, as her young tenants are putting up her blackout curtains for her after Pearl Harbor, finally finishes with her nail file and announces to the room, "Well, this is one American who's going to die with perfect nails!" Re: WipersA wiper was essentially a '"ube tech" and cleaner, they went around and filled oil reservoirs on bearing-boxes and various pivot points then knocked off accumulated road grime. The Wiper's JobThe wiper's job was to wipe down or clean the boiler jacket -- no mean task on a big, modern engine. This was done with a handful of "waste" (a leftover from the textile mills, it was basically a wad of loose thread, used by the handful like a shop rag -- this is what she's holding in her right hand) and dipped in a light oil or kerosene (the red can). Wipers might also clean headlight, reverse lamp and class/marker lights, cab glass, and sweep down the running boards to remove accumulations of cinders. May have even hosed down the deck of the cab during this busy time, although firemen usually took care of that chore. Wipers Wipeoff dirt, grease, and any other gunk that gets on the locomotive. Railroads worked hard to keep their equipment looking good. If a wiper was good, he/she could move up to oiler, and learn how the various bearings should be lubricated. My dad started out his careeras a "callboy" on the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1920s. Very few people in those days had telephones. He went door to door to wake up operating personnel, like locomotive engineers and firemen, to call them to work. The prerequisite for the callboy job: you had to have a bicycle! His dad, my grandfather, was a "hogger"(locomotive engineer) with the CPR. He retired circa 1950. My dad progressed to an engine wiper, apprenticed as a steamfitter and received his journeyman's papers in 1936. He served in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve in WWII and went missing in action at sea 10 days before my birth in 1943. Just out of curiosityOldtimer, what ship was your father serving on when he was lost? This is my new nick here now, BrentMy father was serving on the HMCS Louisburg and Royal Canadian Naval Corvette of the Flower Class. They were on convoy duty running supplies and troops into North Africa for the campaign against Rommel. His ship was hit by an aerial torpedo and sunk very quickly. Being an "Engine Room Artificer" below decks, his chances of getting out alive were slim to none. Thanks for asking! http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/824.html (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Motorcycle Cop: 1922
... spokes. Gives the most "comfortable" ride possible on bicycle wheels. (The Gallery, D.C., Motorcycles, Natl Photo) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/06/2013 - 11:54am -

August 1922. Washington, D.C. "Eslie Williams." The officer and his Henderson #1. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Painful ergonomicsHandle bars set to hit thighs on close turns, seat angled down at the rear, up at the front, oh my. Like the palm-slap horn/siren though. Excelsior-HendersonA motorcycle with a more distinct sound than a HD. Harley Who?The Henderson, built from 1911 to 1931, was considered to be the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles and was the favorite ride of police departments throughout the country. (Rolls-Royces, sorry to say, were not considered to be the Hendersons of luxury cars.) Suicide ClutchI'm going to guess the left peddle is a suicide clutch (next to the gear shift mechanism levers. So-called because if you are stopped with the machine in gear and take your foot off the peddle (perhaps to maintain balance) you'll shoot forward unless the engine stalls. [Psst. It's a PEDAL. - Dave] Old BikesYes, that is "The" brake pedal on the left. There is no front brake. I would guess the rocker-clutch is on the right side of the bike. LocationIs that Griffith Stadium in the background? Re: SoundThere is a YouTube video of a running 1928 Henderson, it sounds great! Too large to embed so here's a link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgWb2nmxfAU Hey why don't you stop by the detectives officeput in a report about your stolen clothes iron. Low set handle barsRe: Painful ergonomics - I thought the handle bars were set low, so the officer could drive with his knees; leaving both hands free for his rolling shootouts with Al Capone and Bonny & Clyde. Then I saw this https://www.shorpy.com/node/5914 and it changed my thinking entirely. Henderson?Are you sure that's not a Harley? There's a lot of oil leaking around that crankcase. On the "suicide clutch"my 1936 HD ULH had a foot clutch/hand shift , and it wasn't too bad once you got used to it. The Henderson clutch is double linked, the foot pedal, as noted, and a second hand lever that also worked the clutch, so that if you needed both feet down, you still had control of the clutch. Ace motorcycles had a similar setup. Hendersons were quick, the 1922 Police model could do an honest 100 mph, although I doubt the brakes were up to the job. Re-Tire TimeLooks like a pretty wicked gash at 6:00 on the front tire. Four Crosswheel spokes. Gives the most "comfortable" ride possible on bicycle wheels. (The Gallery, D.C., Motorcycles, Natl Photo)
Machine Shop: 1917
... for the rider to stop until he struck the horse. The bicycle was damaged. Mr. Hecox arose from the ground and said that he was not ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 4:47pm -

1917. "C.W. Hecox, instructor in machine shop, D.C. public schools. Supervising manufacture of practice shells for Navy at McKinley training school." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Very FarkableThis has tremendous Fark potential. How long before it gets Farked? Secret scienceThey had finally assembled their first satellite, but would have to wait quite a while before someone invented the rocket. How many times do I have to tell you?Do not wear stripes with plaid! Potential ouchiesOK, this is my first comment as a long time Shorpy lurker. I'm a NC programmer at present, was a toolmaker for many years, machinist before that, and a plain old machine operator before that. I did the usual high school machine shop classes in 1973-1976. I made a cannon or two, a couple of vises, but no pipes. That said, IMHO this guy is looking for trouble. He's not wearing safety glasses, he's got a ring on, he's wearing a necktie (tucked in though), long sleeves, and last but not least, he's wearing a striped coat with checkered pants! Granted, it's 1917; OSHA is nowhere in sight. The teacher isn't much better: no safety glasses, long sleeves, necktie (again, tucked in), and he's stopping the lathe from floating away. At least their hair is short and out of harms way. This picture makes me cringe just looking at it. I wouldn't mind having the lathe though. The cageThe four basket-weave hatches give access to the commutator (this was a DC motor) and the brushes. A belt-drive from the end away from the camera led down to the gearbox (the rectangular shape that the motor is sitting on.) When I commenced my apprenticeship in 1964, the workshop had one of these old-timers. It wasn't used very often, preference being given to the more modern lathes at the time. On a side note, Occupational Health & Safety in those days consisted of the boss saying "Be careful!" That was from an era when "common sense" was also an acceptable term. BHK in Australia "Hix" Hecox Bicyclist Collides With a Carriage Mr. C.W. Hecox, a bicyclist, while riding up the hill through the north side of the capitol grounds last evening, ran into a one-horse surrey with a gentleman and three ladies on it. Mr. Hecox was riding fast and did not see the approaching vehicle until the horse reared on his hind feet. It was impossible for the rider to stop until he struck the horse. The bicycle was damaged. Mr. Hecox arose from the ground and said that he was not hurt, but after the carriage left he fainted, but soon revived and rode off. Washington Post, Jul 27, 1893 Public Schools of Washington Seen in Classrooms and Recreation Hours ... Prof. Clarence W. Hecox, of Tech, is a motorcycle enthusiast. According to several of his fellow pedagogues, he is so devoted to his machine that he wears motorcycle clothing - leggings, bloomers, and all. He is frequently mudspotted from head to foot. ... Washington Post, Feb 15, 1914 Hecox, Master Coach, Is One of the Old-Timers at Rowing Game Teddy Roosevelt and his famous cavalcade of roughriders were whooping it up in Cuba and Spain and the United States were locked in a grueling struggle for possession of the island just off the Florida coast, when a young fellow by the name of Clarence W. Hecox first conceived the idea of introduced rowing in the public high schools. He was an officer of the Columbia Athletic Club, one of Washington's most popular sporting fraternities, and a great believer in physical culture. The idea was frowned upon. The cost of launching a shell and outfitting a crew was prohibitive, but "Hix" persisted in his efforts and they were finally crowned with success. That was back in 1898. The first boatload was recruited at Central High School. The boys failed to startle the world with their rowing, but Hecox was well satisfied with the venture. Rowing has long since been abandoned by the schoolboys. ... From 1913, when he first went with the Analostan Club, His has sent 27 winning eight-oared crews to the starting line. His junior eights have carried off the honors in the last 11 Southern Rowing Association regattas, enough to stamp the gray-haired veteran one of the most proficient coaches in the East. ... Washington Post, Aug 16, 1933 C.W. Hecox, School Coach, Dead at 79 Funeral services for Clarence Wirt Hecox, 79, retired District public school teacher and coast who died Saturday at his home, 1052 N. Nelson st., Arlington, will be held at 11 a.m. today at the Free Methodist Church, Prince and Lee sts., Alexandria. Burial will be in the Glenwood Cemetery, Washington. Mr. Hecox, who had been ill for several years, retired in 1941 after more than 30 years of teaching machine shop with applied mathematics, and coaching football, baseball, and other sports. A half century ago, he coached rowing at various local boat clubs and championed the sport in public schools. Several of his pupils in the sport won honors in the collegiate world. Mr. Hecox, most of whose teaching years were spent at McKinley and Central high schools, was born in Niagara County, New York, and came to Washington about 60 years ago. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Geneva Johnston Hecox, and a nephew, Lemuel W. Owen, of Chicago. Washington Post, Jan 2, 1951 Apparently, as Hix neared retirement he spent a lot of time weeding his garden and decided to apply his shop skills to the problem: Patent for a weed puller. Dozens more articles about Hecox are in the Washington Post archives, mostly concerning his days coaching crew teams. Working in a machine shopWorking in a machine shop wearing a loose sleeved jacket and a tie... thats what I call an accident waiting to happen. Does anyone know what the big ball/cage on top of the lathe is? Hecox researchI guess our stanton_square's delving into the Washington Post archives disclosed nothing about the years C.W. spent in Hollywood under the name of Boris Karloff, enacting mad doctor scenes just like this. Inside the sphereMy guess would be an electric motor. Shop Safety.I entered the Henry Ford Trade School in 1936 at age 14. The wearing of safety glasses and ear protection in our factories started, if I remember correctly, in the late 1950s. We can not fault the lack of safety equipment in 1917 any more than fault them for not using a modern lathe. Set the Wayback Machine I've been retired for sixteen years, not long in the scheme of things industrial, but I remember working on the same lathe and others like it, though mostly Italian imports by then. The coveted machines were the Brown and Sharps, as they had the most precise gear-boxes. Most old school tool makers were leery of the new CNC machines, they felt that the computer took the human element out of machining. I guess the old leather belt machinists felt the same way. (The Gallery, D.C., Education, Schools, Harris + Ewing, WWI)
Sportin Life: 1890s
... likely offered less padding/protection than many current bicycle riding gloves -- or current oven mitts. "Base ball" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 6:47pm -

Circa 1890s. "Base ball team, U.S. Naval Academy." Go Annapolis! 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Early base-ball mittensEarly gloves were hardly the engineering marvels worn by today's players. Seen here are some "gloves" that likely offered less padding/protection than many current bicycle riding gloves -- or current oven mitts. "Base ball"Two words was not uncommon for this time if you check older dictionaries. I have also seen where it was "base-ball." In one 1890s dictionary it also states that it is very popular in Japan! PrerequisiteAre freckles a requirement at the Academy? Knuckle downMan on the left has a huge knuckle on his index finger, maybe hurt trying to stab a line drive. So interesting to see the equipment used in the 1890s. Oven Mitts, Turtlenecks, and Serge Wool (oh my).Some things have changed, but the dimensions of the diamond haven't. Not for nothingwas this decade called the Gay Nineties. The other teamNice to see the easy affection men could demonstrate in 1890 (before Freud came along) like the two handsome men seated to the left. Today's sports figures would not want people to surmise in any way that they might be playing on "the other team." Heretoforerarely seen in photographs of baseball players and equipment from this era: an unscuffed, totally clean and white baseball. Bake 1 hr at 350 FLooks like an especially athletic cooking class! Huzzah!All hail the mustachioed sphere-flingers! Don't mock the gearThey're just getting ready for the Hot Stove League! (The Gallery, DPC, Sports)
Next Stop, Willoughby: 1906
... signs of automobile tracks in the roadway, and if I had a bicycle I'd use the splendid sidewalks. Sweet Americana The Victorian ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/17/2019 - 11:17am -

Plattsburgh, New York, circa 1906. "Brinkerhoff Street, west from Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. IdyllicI'd love to live on this street - even with all the mud when it rains and snows. Although I'd hate to be home when it storms and those wires come down with the trees. Self-employedYou could make a mint in the fall raking up all those leaves. A very rare Shorpy street sceneNo streetcars, no tracks. GhostsA little difficult to see, but there is someone walking on the sidewalk to the left. Elm streetI wonder if these are elm trees, soon to be doomed by disease. Submitted for your approval ...I'd have thought that even without the Twilight Zone reference, as I do each and every time you post such a tree-lined jewel. As strong a synaptic anchor as the pig-nosed medical staff, Cliff Robertson's dummy and man-serving Kanamits. Mounting blocksIt appears the well appointed homes of 1907 featured stone hitching posts and dismounting blocks for the convenience of callers. No obvious signs of automobile tracks in the roadway, and if I had a bicycle I'd use the splendid sidewalks. Sweet AmericanaThe Victorian houses, the picket fences, the magnificent trees, the seemingly endless stretch of road ... the stuff dreams are made of. That must have been a wonderful time to live, before the Depression, before the world wars. I know it wasn't perfect, but it's easy to get caught up in longing for a simpler, slower, more peaceful time. Been thereI lived on the neighboring block in the 1980s while I attended college in Plattsburgh. Many of the Victorian homes are still there, but have been converted into apartments. I'm not sure what "park" is being referred to in the caption. Brinkerhoff does start at the college campus, so that could be it. Hitch Your WagonI was going to ask what the short white posts were for, thinking they might be hitching posts, but I didn't see anything obvious to hitch anything to. So I checked google images and found this page showing a leftover hitching post with a small ring on the top of it. http://www.rockland.bc.ca/walking.html The dogs in the neighborhood must have been ecstatic. Technology overlapIt's a wonder seeing a few auto tire tracks mixed in with wagon wheel tracks. Also, those hitching posts and mounting blocks won't be needed within a decade. Twentieth Century A-Comin' !Remember, the poles and wires had only recently begun to change this scene from its preindustrial look. It's all downhill from here. Ghost Image part 2When you look at the far left of the full size view, there's a ghost image of what looks like a tricycle Ghost #3Looks like a perambulator pushing a perambulator to me. Key World War I sitePlattsburgh would by 1911 host the Army's Plattsburg Training Camp and Officer Candidate School, home of the "Plattsburg Idea," a forerunner of the ROTC. Brinkerhoff ends at SUNY if you're headed west. Shutter functionalitySomeone on the right side is actually using a shutter on their upper window. Today shutters are just an ornamental element and most times the wrong size for the windows they're next to. (The Gallery, DPC, Small Towns)
Sailing Along: 1903
... ever published of a contest between an automobile and a bicycle 'under sail.' The affair came off recently at Ormond, Fla. Here the ... been a favourite place for trotting horses and for taking bicycle trips. This winter several 'mobile' owners brought their machines with ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:55pm -

Volusia County, Florida, circa 1903. "Sailing bicycles on the beach at Ormond." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. A spot of botherI see the man on the right had a serious control malfunction about 30 feet back. Now that would have been a picture! Uh oh, watch out!You couldn't see where you were heading, but it got you there! Sail-Bike v. Motor The Strand, Vol 21, 1901 Sail-Bike v. Motor "This is what might be called a twentieth century race, and it is undoubtedly the first photograph ever published of a contest between an automobile and a bicycle 'under sail.' The affair came off recently at Ormond, Fla. Here the beach along the coast is so smooth and hard that it has long been a favourite place for trotting horses and for taking bicycle trips. This winter several 'mobile' owners brought their machines with them. Taking advantage of a favourable wind, two of the wheelmen 'rigged up' sails by attaching masts to the front framework of the bicycles. Hoisting the sails they jumped on and let the wind carry them. Frequently the wheelmen can coast at a speed from twenty to twenty-five miles an hour. In the contest illustrated the automobile won by only a few lengths." So writes Mr. D.A. Willey, of Baltimore. Great work!Well done stanton_square, good work! Is this how James Finlayson made ends meet before his supporting role in Laurel and Hardy films? Still a vacation spotVery cool! I spent my winter vacations on Ormond Beach for the last 2 years! The beach and dune on the left hasn't changed a bit. The beautiful old houses and hotels on the other hand are gone. It's now "Florida A1A" on top of the dune and across from the road: condos condos and more condos as far as the eye can see. A bit of history for the Hotel Ormond here. (The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Florida)
Amarillo, Texas: 1936
... indeed, blow constantly. I remember not wanting to ride my bicycle because of the wind. Always from the Northeast and gusts up to 60 mph. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:52am -

April 1936. "Dust storm. Note heavy metal signs blown out by wind. Amarillo, Texas." Medium format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. CarThat's a nice Chrysler Airflow. I'm sure it needed some touch up paint once the storm ended! It still blows like thisI live in Canyon, just south of Amarillo, and work in Amarillo. The wind still blows like this around here . . . and every so often we get the dust to go with it. On an interesting side note most of the trees around here grow leaning toward the north due in part to the prevailing winds from the south and southwest. Woody Sang"So long, it's been good to know ya......" Do your homework, EricThat is a Hudson Terraplane, not an Airflow. Tsk. AirstreamMy mistake. The headlights should have tipped me off. It's an Airstream, not an Airflow. There is a saying...In Oklahoma and Amarillo (Texas panhandle), they say their windsocks consist of a brick welded to a chain. (The wind rarely stops blowing.) DustRight now I'm reading "The Worst Hard Time" by Timothy Egan. This photo, along with others in the book, really brings to life something I'd heard of but never thought that much about. It's really amazing that people lived with dust like this for years. I Am Wrong AgainI must be getting old. I used to go to many car shows. I am humbled. Worst Hard TimeThat book moved me to tears. It's incredible to learn in detail just how tough some folks had it. I was humbled. Hudson TerraplaneThe car across the street is a 1936 Hudson, not a Terraplane. The car in forefront, left, is a 1930 Hudson Eight. Thank you. De GustibikeI spent most of life in Amarillo and it does, indeed, blow constantly. I remember not wanting to ride my bicycle because of the wind. Always from the Northeast and gusts up to 60 mph. Every day was a bad hair day. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Dust Bowl)
Chester Park: 1906
... track and outside of that was a third-mile cement bicycle track. Races were held here throughout the summer months and even at ... and finished at the track. The clubhouse you see housed bicycle rooms, shower facilities, and athlete changing rooms. (The Gallery, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 4:22pm -

Cincinnati, Ohio, circa 1906. "Lake and clubhouse, Chester Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. High wire actI wonder how the wagon-wheel looking thing figured in all this. What a great day for walk!Life is being on the wire; everything else is just waiting No longer thereSome interesting details about the park and its history: "The park was in Winton Place on the north side of Spring Grove Avenue near Mitchell Avenue, opposite the Winton Place railroad station." View Larger Map Twirling sparklersCould the "wagon wheel" have been a fireworks set-piece? Clearly, it can be lowered to the water level, and raised to just below the wire. If lances were installed on the angled sticks, it would probably rotate slowly, shooting fountains of sparks up and over the highwire artist. Lots o'LightsThere is a spotlight on the upper balcony. Probably to shine on the evening performance of the high wire act? And most of the telephone poles have globe lights that can be raised and lowered via pulleys. Maybe they were lowered at dusk to be lighted (gas lamps, you know) and then raised above the heads of the spectators to help light their way along the boardwalk after dark. [Those globes hanging from the poles are carbon-arc (electric) lamps. - Dave] Artistic licenseI wonder they somebody (photographer) drew over that one cable that crosses the frame. If he was trying to hide it, well, the pure black shows up more than if it were left alone. Or was that a physical crack in the plate? [The negative is broken in two. Which is why the ropes don't quite line up. - Dave] TodayBeautiful, thank you. I live in this Cincinnati neighborhood -- now called Spring Grove Village -- and there is no trace left of Chester Park. Chester Park VelodromeIn my research on the early history of bicycling in Cincinnati I've come across a number of references to Chester Park. To the outside of the rail track was a quarter-mile cinder sprinting track and outside of that was a third-mile cement bicycle track. Races were held here throughout the summer months and even at night. A famous contest in the 1890s called the Poorman Road Race began in Hamilton Ohio and finished at the track. The clubhouse you see housed bicycle rooms, shower facilities, and athlete changing rooms. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Railroads)
Montrose Newsies: 1940
... Administration. View full size. Essential A bicycle for a paperboy. I made more money per paper on non-subscription sales, ... Parachute bikes, Model BSA 'Airborne folding para troops bicycle,' that were left by the Canadian troops in southern Netherlands ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2018 - 12:55pm -

September 1940. "Distributing newspapers off the morning train to newsboys at the railroad station. Montrose, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. EssentialA bicycle for a paperboy. I made more money per paper on non-subscription sales, hawking them in public, but the bulk of my papers were delivered to houses on my route, and I couldn’t have done it without a bike. Breaking news: Still there! In the bagThe newsie about to depart doesn't use a strapped shoulder bag to hold his papers. Must have a flat route or be really gifted riding with one hand. Also, I seem to remember seeing grocery delivery trucks using those insulated canvas bags (against the wall) to transport frozen food, especially ice cream. They must have done okay at melt prevention. Small TownWith Montrose's population at fewer than 5,000 in 1940, we may be looking at that town's entire cadre of newsies here. The bikesremind me of the ex-service Parachute bikes, Model BSA 'Airborne folding para troops bicycle,' that were left by the Canadian troops in southern Netherlands (Zeeland) after the liberattion of our country in 1945. People could buy them. Heavy-Framed Bicycles with Balloon TiresNote that these bicycles have a heavy-duty frame with the top horizontal member doubled ! Not two thin tubes side-by-side, but rather two full-size tubes, one above the other. They weigh perhaps twice what a modern bicycle weighs! I learned to ride in the 1960’s on a hand-me-down Elgin Four-Star from the 1930’s which was very much like the bicycles depicted here. While I cannot positively identify these newsboy’s bikes as Elgin’s, the resemblance is very strong, including the two curved bars extending front the top of the steering tube to the axle ends. (These were purely decorative, as far as I know.) The scene seems like a bit of Americana that happened every morning in many towns for many decades: The morning train from the nearest large city unloaded bundles of papers etc. from the baggage/express car onto a high-bed, high-wheeled Railway Express Agency pull cart. The REA Agent then brought the cart to the street side of the depot and the bicycles and small local delivery trucks converged on it. The performance might be repeated again if there were evening papers. (Remember them?) (The Gallery, Bicycles, Kids, Railroads, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Speedway Racers: 1925
July 18, 1925. Prince George's County, Maryland. "Bicycle races at Laurel Speedway." National Photo Company Collection glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:26pm -

July 18, 1925. Prince George's County, Maryland. "Bicycle races at Laurel Speedway." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. So,I'm guessing the fourth fella from the left is either A) not a touchy feely kinda guy B) itchy to get the race started and stop this photo nonsense C) disturbed that he forgot his cycling shorts Sans SpandexAh, the days before obnoxious kits (and helmets). Old SchoolAs far as I can tell every bike is single-speed and none had brakes. Track BikesTrack bikes are pretty much the same today. No brakes, one gear, and no freewheel so no coasting. You just apply back pressure to slow down. At least two of these have brake levers, though. You wouldn't see any brakes at a track race today. Looks like a wood track, too. Watch out for slivers! 4th from the leftThat old guy (he's gotta be at least 30!) is going to get dusted by these kids! He apparently thought he was going golfing judging by his pants. FixiesTrack racers are still usually fixed-gear brakeless speedsters today. But these guys haven't dreamt of the solid wheels and carbon fiber you see now. Track BikesThese bikes are a bit strange in one respect: they are classic track bikes (single gear -- you brake by trying to stop peddling) with touring type front forks. Current "racing" bikes have nearly straight front forks. Rat trapsLooks like they are using "rat trap" pedals. I still use this style pedal on my mountain bike. Most riders use a clipless pedal today with matched biking shoes. Board racing was awful!One spill and the board track turned you into a porcupine. Board tracksBaltimore-Washington Speedway was a 1.125 mile wooden oval with 48-degree banked corners, and was built by Jack Prince, an Englishman who basically was the father of board track construction in the U.S. He was an ex-bike racer. It was operational between 11 June 1925 and 25 September 1926, so these guys raced (on a Saturday) just five weeks after it opened. All of the board tracks' primary users were race cars, not bikes, although Prince based his design on bike racing's wooden velodromes. From my article "Racing on Wood": "With boards stacked on edge, 16 to 20 feet long or so, two inches by up to eight inches wide, 24 tracks were built in the U.S., all but two of them ovals, with banking in some cases as much as 50 degrees. Today's Daytona has 31-degree banking, Talladega has 33, Bristol 36, California Speedway and Pocono 14, and Indy might as well be a giant cafeteria tray with its relatively flat nine degrees. For promotional purposes it was not unknown for owners to claim higher banking for their new track than for the last one built, so precise measurement could be snookered occasionally." AND: "The 'boards' didn't last long. Their champion proponent, builder Prince, died in 1927. The 1929 stock market crash was no help. The tracks' average life was four seasons. Altoona, which ran from 1923 into 1931, had the longest career. Not much was known about preserving wood outdoors without creosote (too slippery) to provide stable, even surfaces able to withstand the pounding of race cars capable of covering 220 feet a second." Faster guys on the insideThese fine racers are obviously arranged by speed, with the guys near the outside lane looking like they're just there for kicks. I also notice that the tires look like 27 x 1-1/4 size, which is 32mm, compared to the modern 23mm tires. Just one of the many things that have changed in bike racing. Dusie on the boardsThe racecar is a 1925 Duesenberg Eight Speedway Car, driven at the time by Peter De Paolo. The car apparently sold for 330,000 dollars at the Monterey Sports and Classic Car Auction in 2007. The guy so comfortably ensconced on the front is undoubtedly waiting for the real racing action to commence. Captain Pedantic hereThe city of Laurel is in fact in Prince Georges County (which technically should be spelled without the apostrophe, since it was spelled that way in the original charter almost 400 years ago). However, the old (long-gone) speedway was just about an ant's tiptoe over the line into Anne Arundel County. (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Sports)
Grand Reopening: 1920
... Advanced Technology Check out the springs on the bicycle seat. Never seen that before. Psychedelic Whatever they painted ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:04pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "People's Drug Store crowds, 14th and Park Road," at the former Gross Pharmacy. National Photo glass negative. View full size. Dating One's SelfI don't remember anymore when People's became CVS, but I still call it "Peoples." Same with Reagan Airport. I still call it "National." When I'm corrected, I smile and nod as though senile, but I think, "I grew up here, buddy. I get a pass." Advertising matterby the crateload! Still selling pillsIt would appear that this location continues to be somewhat pharmaceutical. View Larger Map Black WashingtonOne of the few images we get to see of middle class and/or well-to-do black folks. Excellent capture! Right out of Central CastingThe two little rascals leaning against the signpost could not have been any cuter if they were chosen by a casting director, dressed by a costume designer and posed by a body language expert. Their adult stance, with hands in pockets, waiting patiently while the adults do their thing, is something that could not have been scripted. I find them to be the most appealing characters in this photo. Judging by the excited adults trying to get into this store, there must have been some incredible bargains for opening day. A wonderful picture of contagious human energy, this is why I love Shorpy. Advanced TechnologyCheck out the springs on the bicycle seat. Never seen that before. PsychedelicWhatever they painted on the moulding around the doors and windows sure looks more sixties psychedelic than we usually think of as coming from the 1920s. Wonder what colors it was, and what they were thinking when they painted it. Squiggly-WigglyI am attracted by the really unique decorative touches around the main entry: All those random looking designs. Not a normal theme by any means. Creative decoration!Love that funky painting technique on the woodwork surrounding that entry! That surface decoration would fit right in today. That's what I thought.Didn't figure you'd post any comments that called you to task for misrepresentation. Those photos that everyone gives you credit for belong to ALL OF US, thanks to the United States Government - a fact you consistently fail to mention when you post these (for money via ads no less). Pathetic. [If you apply your eyeballs to what's right in front of your nose on every one of our 5,000-plus pages, you'll find that's not the case. In addition to a few other things you seem not to "get." But stick around! Perhaps enlightenment will come. - Dave] Moron-O-Meter Bravo Dave! Thank you for having your Moron-O-Meter set to Full Detect. Obviously, this pathetic moron was one of the self-righteous variants that are appearing on an ever-increasing basis. Self-righteous morons tend to be aggressively stupid as well. Keep up the distinguished work here. Your website is the only website that I routinely check on throughout the day. Shorpy always manages to have something interesting that engages my brain. The images and commentary on Shorpy speak to me in a million different ways, just as I am sure they do for the majority of your readers. [Thank you and everyone else (shoutout to Mr. Mel) who had something nice to say. - Dave] A nice shot, yes...>> A wonderful picture of contagious human energy, this is why I love Shorpy. but try and remember where these photos came from. They're not Shorpy's. Most of these have come from the United States Library of Congress. Each photo displayed on this site should also be noted as such. Re: "Pathetic"Nobody thinks Dave or other Shorpy representatives travel back in time and capture these wonderful pictures. I'm sure most of the readers of this site are perfectly aware that most of them are from the LoC archives, unless otherwise marked. When we express our gratitude à la "this is why I love Shorpy", it's because we appreciate the work that is being done in finding these pictures and making them readily and conveniently available. And moderating the discussions. So again, thanks Dave! This is why I love Shorpy. Re: MisrepresentationWhat nerve you have Dave. You neither invented the camera nor acknowledge the history of this invention. Same goes for glass plate negatives. And what about the internet via which we all see these remarkable images? Did you help Al Gore invent that too? And on the subject of websites, you employ Java, xhtml, jpg, etc... How dare you exploit the pains and labors of all these creative inventors/programmers to share your passion with us? (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Natl Photo, PDS, Stores & Markets)
Pardridge & Blackwell: 1915
... naturally caught my eye. Innovation Honest-to-gosh bicycle racks, so there's no longer a need to prop your pedal up against the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:53pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1915. "Pardridge & Blackwell department store." Many interesting details lurking in the corners here; note the phantom streetcar on the left and billboard advertising "Death-Daring Drivers" in a 24-hour auto race on the right. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Crowley'sThe store became Crowley Milner. I remember the wooden esclators. A perfect Valentine's picfor lovers with initials P&B. Long GoneP&B eventually became Crowley's. This building was torn down in the late 1970s, and the Crowley's chain went under in 1999. P & RI did a double-take when I saw the title of this photo come up. Back in the 1970s up until quite recently, there was a popular PARTRIDGE & ROCKWELL appliance store in Greenwich, Connecticut, where we bought most of our major appliances back then. The name of this Detroit store naturally caught my eye. InnovationHonest-to-gosh bicycle racks, so there's no longer a need to prop your pedal up against the curb. Fly free, little one!This delights me. Christmas ShoppingThis reminds me so much of F & R Lazarus Department store in downtown Columbus when I was a child. They had a giant globe on the roof with a big "L" on it that lit up at night, and at Christmas they would drape lights from it to form a Christmas tree that could be seen for miles in any direction. They were also famous for their animated Christmas windows, and Santaland in the basement. The store is gone now, a victim of multiple mergers and corporate takeovers, and i haven't been to downtown Columbus since. All of my childhood landmarks are gone, so I'll stick with memories ... and Shorpy! I found an image of the Lazarus store lit up for Christmas..had to share! Mild dayThere's a lot of open windows for a winter's day! [Why do we think this is winter? - Dave] GhostsA couple of ghost platoons. Perhaps some Starship Troopers? (First one who figures that reference gets a free internet.) Why?It looks like melting snow on the street, but I can't figure out if it's that, or from a very brief rain shower. [That's street-cleaning water. Posters on the billboard are advertising events in June. - Dave] No fair, you guys using reading and observation. You probably have opposable thumbs, too. re: Why?And then there are all the women and little girls not wearing coats. A Shorpilu ProductionSomeone cue Wilbur Hatch! Wehying Bros.Wehying Brothers jewelers is still in business in Detroit today. They've moved about a mile up Gratiot Avenue, not too far from the location in the photo. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Detroit Photos, DPC, Stores & Markets)
The Annex: 1918
... the country. Handlebars There is also a bicycle leaning against the tree in the lower right corner. Motor Muffs ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 10:58am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Emergency Fleet Corporation, building exterior." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Electric, Gas, and Hay - Oh My!What an interesting time period when it came to transportation. Besides the gas powered automobiles parked on the street, and the Milburn Electric in the center of the photo, you can see the very back end of a horse-drawn wagon in the lower right of the photo. If you look at the plate glass window of the "Builders and Manufacturers" office, you can see the reflection of the horse hitched to the wagon. FranklinLooks like a Franklin Electric in the foreground, a car about 90 years ahead of its time. Would love to take a drive in one of those today! On second thought, the carOn second thought, the car might be a Detroit Electric instead of a Franklin, anyway either would be a blast to drive, although range was limited to 20 miles plus or minus. 3 in a coupeThe 3-passenger coupe was a popular style in that first decade of autos. The driver had a bucket seat, and the left rear passenger was crammed in behind the driver. The right rear passenger had more legroom. Some models included a fold-down jump seat facing backwards in the right front position; this passenger's back was against the dashboard. Horse BlanketCan anyone explain the function of the cover over the engine hood on the car in the lower left corner? I'd guess it's there to prevent freezing in cold weather, but it completely covers the radiator face and side vents as well, and I'd think it would tend to starve the carburetor. 1918 Milburn electric carThe car in the foreground appears to be a 1918 Milburn electric car. ElectricThat's a charming little electric runabout. It's hard to tell whether it's coming or going. Electric Car?Is that a Milburn Electric in the center foreground? This Milburn Electric Model 27 looks similar. Builders' Exchange BuildingAccording to the Washington Post, this was built in 1890 at 719-721 Thirteenth Street, NW., between G and H (Post, March 20, 1890 p.4; July 25, 1909 p. R2) Parallel parking?I'm surprised by the haphazard way the cars are parked on both sides of the street. And the jaunty little car center front is a puzzlement. I think I can identify the front by the headlights, but it looks like the passengers are seated facing each other. Where is the steering wheel? [It has a tiller. - Dave] Horseless CarriageCan anyone ID the vehicle in the center of the photo? It's intriguing because it looks as if there are two people inside of it that are facing each other. SteamerI like old cars but I'm not familiar with cars as old as the one in the foreground. That being said, I'm pretty sure that is a steam powered car I Tawt I Thaw A Puddy Cat!It appears that there are 3 occupants in the electric car: A woman in an elegant hat, a gentleman in a topcoat, and the chauffeur - a Bedouin preparing for a sandstorm. The last effect may just be due to the tree reflection across the windshield, but it definitely looks like the driver is wearing a mask/muffler of some sort - maybe because to the flu epidemic? Dave, is it time to bring out the ShorpyVision? But the other passenger is missing, because they just dropped Tweety Bird off at the vets. Razed for ParkingWe tend to think of parking shortage as a contemporary issue - but finding space in the urban environment to park cars has been a challenge since the mass production of automobiles began. It's hard to believe that a six-story building would be razed to make way for a surface parking lot, but that is what happened. The Service Parking Corporation razed at least a dozen buildings in downtown to replace them with surface parking. Other buildings lost to the Service Parking Corporation include the Edward Apartment Building (15th St), Gramercy Apartments (825 Vermont Ave), Marini's Hall (914 E st), and the former residence of President Buchanan (916 E st). Washington Post, Jan 7, 1933 Builders Exchange Building Will Pass Site on Thirteenth Street is Leased to Auto Service Parking Company. Disappearance of the former Building Exchange Building, another landmark of the downtown business section, at 719-721 Thirteenth street northwest, is forecast following completion of an important parking lease for the building's site yesterday by the offices of Carl G. Rosinski and Harvey A. Jacob. The site of the building, containing 10,093 square feet, has been leased for five years for the Stilson Hutchins estate to Service Parking Ground, Inc, and organization with out-of-town headquarters, which has been in business for seventeen years and is operating more than 50 parking lots throughout the country. HandlebarsThere is also a bicycle leaning against the tree in the lower right corner. Motor MuffsThe Fords both have hood covers. Keeping in mind that the engine bay is open underneath, plus the Model T had a low-mounted updraft carburetor, there is no danger of stifling the motor even if the covers were left on during use. Back seat driverThe electric car was driven from the back seat. If you look, you can see two tillers sticking up on the far side of the car. When the driver gets in, they pull these down across their lap and control the car with them. MilburnThe car in the picture is a 1915 Milburn model 15 (their introductory model). Until 1916 most enclosed cars were electric. The electric Coupés usually had a three place bench seat across the back and one or two bucket or folding jump seats that faced aft, or rotated to face either direction. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Locomotive Breath: 1910
... pulling a train down the street as casually as a bicycle, and nobody seems a bit disturbed by it. The lady just to our left of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 2:40pm -

Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1910. "Boston and Maine Railroad depot, Riley Plaza." 6½ x 8½ inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Coming throughHow awesome it would have been to be so close to the devastating power of that engine! A busy railroad sceneLots of fascinating railroad details here. The loco's small size and slide valves indicated it is actually quite old, possibly a rebuilt 4-4-0 going back well into the 1800s. Also note the notch in the coupler knuckle, permitting it to handle link and pin coupling. Obviously a cold day, with that magnificent steam plume, the steam clouds around the loco and also even the horses are wearing coats (blankets), except that poor boy on the right, who is not to happy about the loco. Wish the photographer had included more of the signals on the left edge of the picture. Also note the interesting miniature signals to the right and left of the loco. 1847 - 1958It was located at the intersection of Washington and Derby Streets. The station connected Salem to both Boston and Maine. Today the trains from Boston go underground, directly beneath Washington Street. The state of technologyI guess I don't know my history of technology very well. I am always surprised to see such widespread use of electricity, phone service, etc. in these early 20th century photos. State of the B&M ArtB&M renumbered its roster in 1911 and the one other picture I can find of a No. 200 is a 0-6-0 switcher which is clearly not what we're seeing here. However, they seem to have really liked slide valves, because I haven't seen a picture of a B&M loco before the 1920s that shows piston valves. From what I've been able to find it could date anywhere from around 1885 up to just a few years before this picture was taken, though I'm guessing that it's probably from the early 1890s. SignalsWhat a wonderful photo and details captured on a moment in time. Like Trooper Jeff, I wish the photographer had gotten just a bit more of the signal in view at the left. Extra signal lamp on the ground and some interesting chains and levers that seem too heavy to have been a permanent part of the signal, so perhaps it is being worked on. Two men are flagging the crossing while the train leaves the station. One of them has a bit more of a uniform like either the station agent or perhaps a trainman who will board as the cars roll past in a smooth and graceful ballet type move that has become so natural to him after years of performing it. Not sure if the number painted on the lens of the headlight is the train number, as it differs from the locomotive number, and we have no way of determining if the train is departing on schedule because the cloud of exhaust steam obscures the nice station clock. [Even if we could see the station clock, how would we know if the train was on schedule? - Dave] Hmm, I guess you are right. If it were on time, then we could surmise what time it was by finding a timetable schedule from that date that matches the train number, if that is what the number on the headlight represents, but we still wouldn't actually know what time it really was or if the train was on time. LOL. Good point. Change of PracticesWhat fascinates me about this and many other pictures is the contrast with the modern way of doing things. Here's a locomotive pulling a train down the street as casually as a bicycle, and nobody seems a bit disturbed by it. The lady just to our left of the engine appears to be waiting, a little impatiently, for it to pass, and a couple of other folks are watching idly, as if it were somewhat interesting but in no way remarkable. Today's practice would require at least a chain link fence, possibly topped by razor wire, to isolate the rails from the passersby. What if a child were to run under there? Love ItI love the title of this photo, being a Jethro Tull fan. Steam trains are great. I love the whoosh of them when they pass by! Burning passionFamed railroad fan and photographer Lucius Beebe wrote that his father hated the Salem station with a passion. When on one freezing winter night a fire in Salem threatened the building, he bundled the entire family into a carriage and drove all the way from Boston to watch it burn. When the fire was halted before it reached the station he was furious. 1905 viewAttached is a 1905 postcard view of Salem station. Perhaps someone can confirm that the item hanging in the upper left corner is a trade sign for a pharmacist? Note also the semaphore signals and crossing sign. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, Salem)
You Like It: 1942
... too. Great picture! May be an Elgin The men's bicycle which is fourth from the left strongly resembles the old hand-me-down Elgin which was my first bicycle. The distinguishing features are the extra cross bar on the frame and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/04/2015 - 12:55pm -

August 1942. "Bike rack in Idaho Falls, Idaho." Brought to you by 7up. Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full size. A StreetThe IOOF building is at 393 N. Park Ave, this view was taken from A Street looking East. Woolworth's is gone as is the arched opening, though you can still see the outline of both. You'll put your eye outwith the handlebars on the far right one. Also didn't expect to see all the locks in 1942. Being kidsI'm guessing these are the main means of transportation for all the kids that are spending their allowance at Woolworth's while this picture was being taken. I loved Woolworth's as one received a good quality item (usually made in the USA) at a bargain price and I shopped there until they went out of business. Even their lunch counters and soda fountains were fabulous and now gone forever. I am still using a carbon steel American-made potato peeler which fits comfortably in one's hand and is still as sharp as when new, which I bought there in 1963 for 35 cents. Handlebar Adjustments for individualityUp high like a Texas Longhorn. Down low for that racing bike look. Regular for the majority of bikes. Looks like a couple of Schwinn bikes are represented. (far right and middle) Bike locks to ward off free rides or thieves? Seat springs for those roads with tire ruts. Single speeds and coaster brakes for all. Movie theater valet parking, maybeI wonder if the kids who own those bicycles are more interested in what's on the silver screen than Woolworth's latest incoming shipment of guppies and turtles?? Saturday MorningFrom street view the bike rack appears to be pretty much in front of the Paramount Theatre Locks?Someone mentioned bike locks, I don't see any. [Here are two of the four. -tterrace] Bike locking, Then and NowThanks for those pictures, Tterrace, because I didn't see those locks, either. Silly me, I was looking at the *front* wheels to see where the bikes were locked to the bike rack. But it looks like back in the day, kids just locked the rear wheels. I guess maybe bike thieves back then never thought of simply walking away with a bike while holding the rear wheel off the ground, and then hacksawing the lock off at their leisure, away from prying eyes. Bike seats Bike seats look a lot more comfortable in those days. This scene could have been fifteen years later and one of those bikes mine. Of course, my butt was younger, too. Great picture! May be an ElginThe men's bicycle which is fourth from the left strongly resembles the old hand-me-down Elgin which was my first bicycle. The distinguishing features are the extra cross bar on the frame and the arched front fender braces attached at the top of the steering tube. The bike in the photo appears to have been repainted, as mine had pinstripes and stars on the fenders. Elgin was a Sears & Roebuck make. The bike was very old when I got it as a hand-me-down from an older cousin in 1965. Little did I know that it was as old as the 1940's! Those bicycles were extremely heavy and, as another poster remarked, had only one speed. They had to be walked up hills which a modern 10-speed would take in stride. Hiyo SilverThe bike on the right is obviously ridden by the Lone Ranger, or at least a Lone Ranger fan. BuildingThe bikes are cool, but the building still there after 70 + years and still looking nice is amazing. I want to go to that town to shop at the antique store on the corner! Paramount TheatreThat bike rack was in front of the Paramount Theatre. Went there often in my youth! The schools would sell summer movie passes (Saturday matinees)! I remember seeing "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken"! It was usually packed to the back of the balcony with screaming kids. Usually too loud to hear the movie! Total mayhem! The Paramount Theatre was out of business and dilapidated for many years. I helped clean it out as part of an Eagle Project. It has since been restored as a performing arts center. The official name now is the Colonial Theater Willard Arts Center. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Looking Toward Liberty: 1912
... against traffic Many years ago I was taught to ride my bicycle against traffic. This was the late 1940s and the instructor was a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 2:38pm -

Poughkeepsie, New York, circa 1912. "Main Street looking toward Liberty." A few years after our previous visit, things have been spruced up a bit. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. An interesting conceptDoctor Foote the dentist! Notice the time travelerBut, but, but ... he CAN'T be talking on his cell phone in 1912. [Back when cellphones were invisible. - Dave] Boaters and BowlersOh, to be back in the age of hats. LightingThe arc lights of old have been supplanted with incandescent ones. The lighting must have been much less harsh as a result. Dr. Foote If only he had gone into chiropody rather than dentistry. Imagine the brilliant career he could have had! Riding against trafficMany years ago I was taught to ride my bicycle against traffic. This was the late 1940s and the instructor was a crusty old Boy Scoutmaster. I've never heard that advice again. I note in this image that the bikers are riding in the far outside of the lanes and against traffic. Of course this may just be an artifact of this photo. Or, in fact, in the days of horses and street cars it was the safest way to go. Looks more likePookeepsie. I think I found itI was a bit obsessed with this one because it seems many of these gorgeous buildings are still standing. The brown tower in the street view seems to be the former location of Elting's children's clothiers. The "1872" building across the street seems to be getting renovated. Way to go Poughkeepsie! View Larger Map GhostsBesides the man who's not talking into his invisible cell phone, did anyone catch the woman on the bottom left who is surprised to witness the reflection of a man who is not on the street near her? He certainly isn't inside the building. And that glass is flat. [He's right behind her on the sidewalk. She wouldn't be able to see his reflection. - Dave] Pookeepsie: and it's still funny!Back in the old Vaudeville circuit days there was a list of towns known to every comic that by simply mentioning on stage would make the audience howl. Why? No on knew, but it worked! Poughkeepsie was one. Dave says: "spruced up", which is true enough. But fast forward to the sixties and the genius-bar running the city decided to draw business back into the downtown area from the outlying shopping centers by paving over Main Street into a pedestrian walkway with ugly cast concrete planters and benches cast willy-nilly along the way to add to the luxurious ambience of what was a total mess. This led to the complete demise of downtown business and the stores large and small fell like dominoes. I have been back there recently and the "Main Mall" has been removed and, credit where it's due, things are looking pretty good. However, don't let me get close to starting on the east-west "Arterial Highway": built on the cheap using city streets and ruining perfectly good neighborhoods. Dental teasingFoote in mouth. Cell enlargementHow did you get such a smooth enlargement? I couldn't achieve this with CS5. [I used the original image, which is about four times the size of the hi-res image posted here. - Dave] When was the last timethat you saw a person with a suit on riding a bike. (The Gallery, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Spa Treatment: 1900
... photos, be it an operating room, pharmacy, candy store, bicycle shop, or whatever, the floors are often a wreck like this one, filthy, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/09/2010 - 9:15pm -

Circa 1900. "Room with medicine cabinet, basins, and massage or treatment table, probably the Ypsilanti mineral bath house." Note the can of ether in what looks to me like an operating room. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. CreepyThis has got to be the creepiest spa ever! It really gives me the shivers. All old medical photographs look so scary. Wider than a mileIt looks like this room could be set up for what my mom called a high colonic. Two coffeepot-looking containers setting on gas burners for warming water. Hanging is a container with a rubber tube and an unrevealed apparatus on the other end. The rubber ring on the treatment table appears could have the ability to collect whatever treatment resultant may become evedent directing it toward the collection pot on the stool. The only thing lacking is John Harvey Kellogg singing "Moon River." I say operating room!Lots of knives and IV stuff. The spa from hell or an operating room. I say operating room! Not to mentionwhat appears to be some sort of rubber incontinence device on the table. Another angle on the proceedingsMaybe this one should have been titled "Taking the Waters," what with the oversupply of enema equipment in the room. And shared rooms for such procedure? Uh, no thanks. I'm not entirely certain I want to know what kind of "treatments" went on in this room. Something along the lines of a very thorough cleaning, so to speak? Squirm, gulpI don't think I like all the gravity vessels with hoses. High colonicI can't help but think that elevated container had something to do with enemas or some such tomfoolery as that. Ain't no spaIf this is a spa, I'm a monkey's uncle. The can of ether is a clue; so are the huge surgical knives on the table plus what looks like at least one surgical curette--the kind used for D&Cs. My guess is that this is a delivery room. See the basin on the table, with a drape leading into a jar on the stool? Might have been used to catch blood and amniotic fluid. But, speaking as a physician, I don't think this is a "spa." Circuit BreakersWow, that old knob & tube wiring is really interesting. The lamps are in series like the old Christmas tree lights that all stop working when a single bulb blows. Oof!If that irrigation pitcher with tubing, and the drainage donut are for what I think they're for, I'd take the ether! Bad Dream MakerYikes! A drainage ring on the operating table, long scalpels on the instrument table, something floating in the specimen jar, and carbolic acid was probably the only antibiotic available to sterilize instruments and the surgical site. At this time surgery was often the only option available to cure serious or chronic infections and often resulted in new infections. Yikes !!Spa, or operating room, either way I'm glad I live now and not 110 years ago. Nevertheless, people survived and here we all are - too many of us. I notice that in a lot of these old photos, be it an operating room, pharmacy, candy store, bicycle shop, or whatever, the floors are often a wreck like this one, filthy, or both. People didn't pay much attention to such details, I guess. Another reason to be happy it's 2010. I wonder what people will think of our operating rooms in 110 years. RadiatorIs it oval or half-moon? I've never seen one of this design. I suppose it just never caught on. Could well be a spaAn exclusive spa remote from the prying eyes of society might be just the place for a discreet scrape doctor to perform "procedures." A few weeks taking the waters to recuperate, and the lady can return home, rested and rejuvenated, with plenty of fresh euphemisms for all her friends and admirers. Or it could all be completely innocent, in a "Road to Wellville" sort of way. Family TiesMy mother was born in Ypsilanti in the 1920s. I wonder if it was in a "spa" like this one? I rather hope not. Schedule for a sunny dayLooks like most of the light in this room is natural from the skylight. Actually, this place is not near as scary looking as some operating rooms seen on Shorpy in the past. (The Gallery, DPC, Medicine)
Best Christmas Ever: 1971
... they made. I loved mine to pieces until I graduated to a bicycle. Lost Times, Good Times... I miss the times and memories that ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/04/2009 - 8:26pm -

December 24, 1971. My nephew Dave, age 6, on his just-unwrapped and assembled Big Wheels. He uses this for his Facebook profile pic now. A Polaroid by yours truly. View full size. THOSE NOISY THINGSi hated those things as they scared my horses. i feared for my life when i would be riding along the roads and hear one of those things coming. later on they would be my enemy again as the neighbors would allow the kids to use them at an early hour, waking up and causing cranky husbands to roar, making for a bad morning. me? im an early riser and they didnt wake me up at all. I loved mine!I still miss mine today, and I'm 45. I felt like I rode it all over Anaheim. Big Wheels in the City by the BayYou may have ridden a Big Wheel but unless you have done it with us in San Francisco on Easter weekend you havn't lived. I would have been so jealousNever did get a Big Wheel; I'm a year younger than your nephew here. Three years later, that would be me with my first bike, while two years earlier, that would be me in a photo that I will one day upload here, in a 1965 Mustang pedal car (wish I still had that thing, it would be worth a fortune today). Seems to me that it was either the 1970 or 1971 shot that still had me in Doctor Dentons (the pajamas with built in feet!) and a Matchbox superset that included a car carrier. The neighbour's catsoon learned to stay off the sidewalk. My four year old daughter wore out a couple of those, roaring up and down, spinning out, colliding with other members of her gang. They were known as Heck's Angels. BrownLooking at this photo bolsters my memory the early to mid 70s were brown. Other color memories include avocado and variations of orange/gold/yellow. Never met the kidBut I dearly miss everything ELSE in that picture. Massive TV? Check. Fringed vest? Check. "Earth shoes"? Check. Brown cords? Check. I would've been 18 days shy of 10 when this was taken. Photoshop my head onto that kid and you'd have no trouble convincing me this was taken in my living room. Sigh.... Don't step on my brown suede shoes!The brown cords ... check! Brown suede shoes ... check! the cowboy vest! Check! Streamers on the handlebars ... check! It's officially 1971 (and your happy nephew looks exactly the same as I did in '71). Noisy and disposableThose noisy darn things..I was too big and too old when they appeared here in southern Ontario. The neighbours had three, one for each of their children. Being constructed entirely of plastic, the front wheel eventually became worn, and then hollow and then only so much scrap and not recyclable. Somehow the earlier tricycles manufactured from metal, and rubber (tyres) and wooden seats were more durable, repairable and domestically constructed. These days those noisy contraptions have been replaced by skateboards and their variants, ditto the children, both of which I can well without. Change one wordSteppenwolf would be appalled! "Born to be miiiillld" (cue the music) Big Wheel Keep on Turnin'I loved my Big Wheel. When I was a kid, my brother and I would ride ours halfway around the block to a friend's house, where he'd join us in Big Wheel races. Our track used his entire driveway (one-car wide until it doubled in width as it approached the garage), plus the sidewalk in front of his house, with a hairpin turn at the foot of his neighbor's driveway. We'd give each other room on the sidewalk, and all was well... until my parents unwittingly messed it up by giving my brother a Green Machine for Christmas. The Green Machine was similar in profile, but steered with two levers that worked the ultra-wide rear axle. The unorthodox steering wasn't the problem, but it made overtaking impossible. My ShirtI just got this shirt back from the cleaners. It looks just like the one tterrace's nephew is wearing. I bought at Bloomingdales about three years ago. It's like "Back to the Future." Big Wheel a bad dream for meIn 1976, driving down a street with many parked cars, I hit a kid on a Big Wheel. He had zoomed out of a driveway and the very low profile gave me no chance to see him until he hit me on the side. He only had some head lacerations and was plenty scared. I was very lucky I didn't run over him. His parents saw the whole thing and apologized to me. Big 3I'm 42 and I'll never forget the clickety-click sound they made. I loved mine to pieces until I graduated to a bicycle. Lost Times, Good Times...I miss the times and memories that these photos evoke. TTerrace, you are a blessing, sir. Disposable RacersI was 7 in 1971. Boy I loved my Big Wheel. I so fondly remember building up speed, then turning the front wheel sharply to slide around. They did not last long. So, off I go with my grandfather to the downtown Sears to get another one. Very fond memories indeed! MemoriesMy son wore out three of these -- the classic as pictured, an Incredible Hulk model, and his favorite, the Dukes of Hazzard edition. There was something on the back wheel that made a lot of noise. We quickly learned to take that thing off. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas, Kids, tterrapix)
YWCA: 1906
... Indeed I'm amazed at the boy being dragged by his bicycle. Or am I amazed at the bicycle dragging the boy? streetlights While I can't place the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/28/2013 - 7:38pm -

Circa 1906. "Y.W.C.A. building, Detroit." Once again the interesting stuff is at the periphery -- note signage at right advertising Cracker Jack and the services of a "bell hanger." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Indeed IndeedI'm amazed at the boy being dragged by his bicycle. Or am I amazed at the bicycle dragging the boy? streetlightsWhile I can't place the intersection, I noted what appears to be the Detroit Public Lighting Commission "PLC" logo on the base of the lamp post. What's amazing is that many of these "bishop hat" style lamp posts, originally holding carbon arc lamps are still standing, climbing posts intact, even though the PLC can't seem to keep them lit. http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/5/172705.html http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/5/172705.html I wonderwho got to water and tend the roof-top flower boxes? Maybe whoever lived in the roof-top cottage? Or was that the elevator access? Lion CoffeeThere is a Lion Coffee advert there as well. The clip I found was from a newspaper from 1905. The paper was The Free Lance, from Fredericksburg, VA. GreatReally Great snapshot from 1906, lots of good stuff going on, it is difficult to say what I like best. This one would look cool colorized, I think that trolley car look would look amazing coming down that street with the rest of that signage colored in as a backdrop. Cool image as it is right now though for sure. Periphery IndeedTwo things that caught my eye: the ivy covered building to the left of the YWCA with a heck of a lot of wires going to the roof [Actually to a telephone pole behind the house - Dave], and tucked away just behind the YWCA is a small plumbing business. I'm always amazed by the things that are NOT the subject of the photo, but add so much additional detail and discussion. There goes the mortar!The rather stately home next door to the Y is festooned with ivy, a practice as destructive structurally as it was then deemed to be aesthetically picturesque. Not For LongThe YWCA building shown here stood at the southwest corner of Washington Blvd. and Clifford - the present day location of the Detroit City Apartments (formerly known as the Washington Square and Trolley Plaza Apartments). The view here shows the main entrance on Washington Blvd., and catches a 14th St. streetcar coming around the bend on Clifford. The building was brand new the time this picture was taken, having replaced the the previous building on that lot, Temple Beth El. In 1928, just a little over 20 years later, the YWCA would move on to their new, much larger, Albert Kahn-designed building at Witherell and Montcalm - present site of the 3rd base line stands at Comerica Park. Every building in this picture has been gone for at least 50 years. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Harlem River: 1890
... bridge and it is scheduled to reopen as a pedestrian and bicycle route across the East River. Beautiful Nicely architected and ... & buggy racing. Today the Speedway is a "Class A" bicycle path on the river side, and the Harlem River Drive inboard of that! The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 1:33pm -

The Washington Bridge and High Bridge over the Harlem River along the northern boundary of Manhattan, looking south. Circa 1890 albumen print from a photograph by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Graffiti on the rocks?Beautiful picture! I never realized how beautiful the High Bridge had been -- it calls to mind a Roman aqueduct... Hey, do you think the large rocks in the right foreground have graffiti on them? I thought first it was some natural geologic pattern, but it sure looks like an "A" on one of them. If so, I wonder what it says ... High BridgeIt looks like an aqueduct because it was an aqueduct. The Croton Aqueduct carried water from Westchester county into Manhattan. Hidden by the Washington Bridge is the still-standing High Bridge tower. From the tower, water was gravity fed to the rest of Manhattan. Harlem River BridgesThe Washington bridge (at 181st Street) looks largely the same, but the Harlem High Bridge (at about 174th Street), once famously the prettiest bridge to Manhattan, has been significantly reworked. The entire middle section, over the water, has been replaced with a now-rusting metal structure. It is sadly ugly, but presumably provides easier passage for boats. There is now a third bridge that sits between the two at about 178th Street. Here is a view of the two northernmost bridges from the south: That's the Harlem River Parkway on the left; it follows the route of the old Harlem Speedway, of which I am sure there are many photos in the archives, perhaps to be delivered to us by Shorpy in the future. Here is an image of the High Bridge showing the replaced section in the middle: The High Bridge does not carry cars or trains; there is some kind of water pipe embedded under the roadway, and the surface has been closed since the 1960s. Supposedly, local kids used to walk out to the middle and drop rocks on tourist boats passing underneath. Personally, I do not believe this. The city of New York has allocated money for repairing the surface of the bridge and it is scheduled to reopen as a pedestrian and bicycle route across the East River. BeautifulNicely architected and nicely implemented! This gives the lie to my boyhood fantasy that nothing significant was accomplished before I was born. Harlem River SpeedwayLook through the Washington Bridge on the right side and see Highbridge water tower. It's still there, although the reservoir that was beneath it is now a park. The muddy shore on the right was later made into the Harlem Speedway for horse & buggy racing. Today the Speedway is a "Class A" bicycle path on the river side, and the Harlem River Drive inboard of that! The arches that stepped across the river (farthest bridge) were removed when they widened the Harlem River and created The Erie Ship Canal. Today the arch piers that touch the river are now one large arch like the Washington Bridge in the foreground of this photo. The NYC Parks Department "owns" Highbridge now and they are refitting it for a linear park and bike path. It should be open by 2009. Historic slide show of the Harlem RiverSee a slideshow of historic images of the majestic Harlem River here. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC, W.H. Jackson)
Birthday Bike: 1959
... There may be younger viewers of Shorpy that never rode a bicycle with coaster brakes. As mentioned by others, the brake is on the rear ... me a new CCM (Canada Cycle & Motor Co.) single speed bicycle with coaster brakes. It had a headlight, carrier and an electric horn. ... 
 
Posted by jckazoo - 01/31/2018 - 9:03am -

This is my husband Peter and his Rollfast Deluxe bike in about 1959 - I'm assuming he's about 10 in this photo. It was taken in his backyard in Chenango Bridge, New York, outside of Binghamton. His father was a chemist for Ansco, and this is taken from an Anscochrome slide. View full size. Oh, that seatThe seat on that bike looks just like the one on my Dunelt in the early 1960s. It was a piece of steel covered by the thinnest vinyl and man did it hurt. I soon got a padded cover and added some kitchen sponges for good measure but the calluses didn't go away for months. The Dunelt was a 3-speed bargain version of the Raleigh, also with Sturmey Archer gears. I rode it for ten years or more and it passed through the family. The flatness of Windsor made for lots of easy cycling at great speed. It was absolute heaven after the single speed monster my dad got me at Dominion Tire on Tecumseh Road. Emergency stop not an optionLove the photo, and my first bike was very similar (albeit used)! As anyone like me with a modern dual hydraulic disk brake equipped bike will attest, by comparison the function of this cable actuated rear-only internal drum brake is only to slightly slow the bike down. You'd always need a Plan B with these monstrosities - either feet-to-pavement Fred Flintstone style, or just bail out. Beautiful bike!And a wonderful image. But I'd much prefer a good, reliable coaster brake! GearshiftThat shift cable is for a Sturmey-Archer three-speed hub with coaster brake. The hub came in two versions. The more common one had only the three-speed function with no coaster brake. Bikes with this version had hand brakes on both wheels. The much-less-common version had the three speeds and also a coaster brake! I had a secondhand Dunelt bike with this hub. This Rollfast apparently has this second type. The S-A coaster brake was not nearly as effective as the single-speed New Departure coaster brake hub. That Sturmey-Archer hubis a very complicated gear system, worth a look at an exploded view internally. Is it a Schwinn?I had a Schwinn very similar to this bike, the lever on the handlebar changed gears (it had two), is not a brake. It had a coaster brake. [Going by the caption, it's a Rollfast Deluxe. -tterrace] Coaster Brakes 101There may be younger viewers of Shorpy that never rode a bicycle with coaster brakes. As mentioned by others, the brake is on the rear hub only, and was activated by reversing the pedals into a locked position which applied the brakes. You could apply pressure gradually, or do a panic stop that often locked up the rear wheel into a skid. This was especially fun on gravel roads or grass. This shortened the life of the rear tire considerably. While Windsor is very flat, we later lived in a hilly city, and coaster brakes had limited effect on steep hills. Here is a photo of me with my sister taken in Riverside, (now Windsor) Ontario in 1958 when I was ten years old. While my earlier bikes were second hand, my parents finally gave me a new CCM (Canada Cycle & Motor Co.) single speed bicycle with coaster brakes. It had a headlight, carrier and an electric horn. By comparison, my present bike has 21 speeds. 3 on the TreeAs noted already this bike had a multi speed rear hub. My first bike, (a 1966 Sears version of a Sting Ray) had the same setup, the brake worked fine, the transmission not so much. The first time it falls over or scrapes a curb, the elbow for the cable gets broken off, leaving you stuck in high gear, i.e. stranded. Sturmy-Archer transmissionI had a S-A transmission in my first new bike, about 1969. It wasn't very good and the local bike shop sold me a Shimano replacement. I still have it and it works fine. By the way, when everyone else was riding stingrays I was the first in town to have a big bike with skinny tires. I had a light powered by an generator that rubbed the tire and a speedometer. Had it up to 50 mph down a big hill. Really thought I was doing something! Too complicatedI had a bike (Schwinn? don't remember) with the S-A 3-speed hub with coaster brake (plus a front caliper brake). I had a lot of trouble with it - I kept stripping some internal part or other, and it spent a lot of time in the shop. I came to the conclusion that the two functions (brake and transmission) was one too many. Three speeds? Luxury!I grew up the late '60s and early '70s riding single-speed hi-rise bikes from Penney's. The first, a birthday present when I turned nine, was stolen after two years from the bike rack at school; I still miss that beautiful magenta bike. A year later I found a $20 bill while walking home from school, and that helped pay for my next ride, an orange Penney's Scrambler I, which cost $34.95. Of course both bikes had modifications and tire replacements courtesy of parts and tools from the nearby Western Auto store. I did know a couple of kids that owned two-speed coaster brake bikes (very unusual, and I assume made by Sturmey-Archer), and I got to ride them a few times. Changing gears up or down was accomplished by reversing the pedals just enough to change speeds without braking. I always wanted one of those, since the design was simple, you got more than one speed without having to worry about maintaining or replacing derailleurs, cables, levers and brake shoes. Same colorsAs my J.C.Higgins bike I bought from Sears with my own money backing 1954 as a 12 year old. In fact, my Dad's new '54 Chevrolet Bel-Air was also that green & cream combo. Kick-shiftI worked in a bike shop in the late '60s. The two speed coaster brakes referenced by Born40YearsTooLate were made by Bendix. We called 'em kick shifts. They were popular with paperboys at the time, who had them installed in heavy duty Schwinn models with springer forks. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
The Great Race: 1915
... - I love it! Who won? Anybody? The guy with the bicycle? Beefy No. 13 Fat tires, heavy suspension, and trimmed down to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/12/2012 - 10:44am -

May 1915. "York, Pa., auto races -- start of Washington, D.C., cars." Please ignore the mold. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. First or NothingThe American spirit - I love it! Who won?Anybody? The guy with the bicycle? Beefy No. 13Fat tires, heavy suspension, and trimmed down to fighting weight. (no lights for these racers, they pack just the essentials!) One can only imagine the engine under that loooong hood. And, by the license plate, it's street legal! It looks like these boys have done this before! Watch out, boys!Right after crossing into Maryland on I-83, look out for radar traps. And then 695, the Baltimore beltway, has construction zone cameras for you speeders. But seriously, most likely they took York Road through Towson, then maybe Charles Street into downtown Baltimore where they grabbed U.S. Route 1 somewhere south of town en route to D.C. [They're in D.C., about to leave for Pennsylvania. - Dave] Oh, drat. Yes, of course. OK then, new GPS info for everyone! "When possible, make a U-turn." #6They're going to have to pedal hard to keep up. I wonder...how many hats made it across the finish line. Did AAA sponsor this race?The car behind race car #3 doesn't look like a race car and doesn't have the white thing across the hood with the car # on it. It does have what appears to be the AAA logo on the radiator. No PedalsThe car on the far left is an Argo made in Jackson, Michigan between 1914 and 1918 that has been stripped of most of its body work and accessories. This one is from 1914 - 1916 as the later models were more conventional and cost more than $400. A Ford Model T Runabout cost about $345 in 1916. The Argo had a 4 cylinder 12 horsepower engine, shaft drive, weighed 750 pounds, with a 44 inch tread width, 4 gallon gas tank, an expected 35 - 45 mpg, could go up to 40 mph, and two forward speeds and one reverse gear. It came equipped with tools, but if you wanted your top, windshield, generator, and headlights attached you had to pay $20 extra. An extract from a LOC photo of an Argo and a close-up of the logo is shown below. The Argo was previously seen on Shorpy here, https://www.shorpy.com/node/11292, and here, https://www.shorpy.com/node/4332, and several other posts. American Automobile AssociationThe car in the background with the AAA badge carries the officials of the race. The AAA became the official sanctioning body for auto racing in the US in 1902. They formed the United States Automobile Club in 1955 and turned over all sanctioning to them after the Le Mans tragedy caused them to rethink their goals. All racing during this period, including the Indy 500, was officiated by the AAA. This is the same body that banned women from racing shortly after Joan Newton Cuneo won the amateur national championship. Lexington Not Made Near ConcordThe car on the far right appears to be a 1910 - 1913 Lexington automobile which were originally made in Lexington, Kentucky and then Connorsville, Indiana from 1909 to 1927. A little more than 38,000 Lexington cars were built during that time. Lexington won the Pike's Peak hillclimb in both 1920 (first and second places) and 1924 (first, second, and third places). An amazing performance for a tiny company. Pictures of Lexington's are not easy to come by. The radiator emblem on this car is similar to the Lexington emblem in the color plate section of Jack Martell's book Antique Automotive Collectibles. A picture of the a Lexington car that was in the Glidden Tour is shown below along with another picture. Note the radiator with the same shape (but no emblem on the radiator, just the company name in script). The Streets and Sanitation truck behind the Lexington is also interesting with paper piled up inside, bags hanging off the back, and a mustachioed driver looking directly at the photographer. At least one Lexington survives. A day at the racesThese cars are not racing the ninety-miles to York—they are traveling there to participate in the July 5, 1915 series of five-mile races on the York half-mile dirt track. Nearly all of the contestants were from the Washington D. C. area, and had been expressly invited by the York Motor Club, under whose auspices the meet was held. While BradL is correct in his assessment of the AAA, this particular event was not sanctioned by them. In fact, the event was being held for the Washington drivers who had been suspended by the AAA on June 18 for driving in another non-sanctioned race at the York track on the previous Memorial Day. Irvin Barber and Don Moore—along with their cars—were "disqualified and suspended" for one year, and six other drivers who were not AAA members were placed on the ineligible list for a similar length of time. Although they were not named on the list of ineligible non-members, Walter Smith and Milo Burbage didn't join the AAA until the first available date after the ban was lifted on June 1, 1916. At the time Smith was still recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound received in February, 1916 in a suicide attempt. This photo shows eight of the twelve cars that were going to race at York. It was taken on Saturday July 3, 1915 shortly before noon, and is a bit of a homecoming for Shorpy readers, as a few of these people have graced these pages in the past. They are gathered by I. T. Donohue's auto parts store at 14th and I Streets in Washington D. C.—that's Franklin Park to their left—ready to start out at 12 o'clock sharp for a (non-competitive) 90-mile run to York where, as planned, they arrived in time to participate in the 8:00 p.m. automotive parade. Irvin Donohue was quite the race booster and in his store he had on display the Batavla tires and Rayfield carburetor that had been on Irving Barber's car May 31 at York, when he took first place in a 5-mile free-for-all, and second place in a handicap free-for-all (after skidding off the track, spinning completely around twice, and driving back onto the track). Donohue, himself a racer and an AAA member, went along this trip and served as pit crew for the drivers. The cars and drivers, as near as I can identify them, are (front row-left to right): The red and white 1915 Argo Speedster with Walter L. Smith (middle initial is not "F" as the news photo has it), the 22-year old owner of the Smith Motor Sales Company, at the wheel. Next to him is, I believe, his father Ulysses Grant Smith who was born in 1865 (naturally), and served as the private secretary to the Secretary of Commerce. Next car over is Irvin C. Barber in his bright red 90-hp Carter Brothers-built 1914 Eye-See-Bee (ICB) Washington-based race car (and below is a shot of it in racing trim two months later at the Benning race track in Maryland, just outside of Washington): When the car was first built in the spring 1914, it was shipped to Indianapolis to participate in the Memorial Day 500-mile race as the "Washington Special" (with Batavia tires furnished by Donohoe). Backed by a wealthy New York broker, the car was to be driven by Mel Stringer, with Barber as relief driver. Although they could hit 90 mph on the straightaways, their 77.680 mph qualification lap wasn't good enough to land them a spot in the starting lineup. On November 27, 1916 Miss Eleanor Blevins (also known as Peggy and by her married name Betts) used the Eye-See-Bee to break the Philadelphia-to-Washington speed record. With Bailey Gish as her riding mechanic, she made the dash in 3 hours and 15 minutes actual running time (exclusive of all necessary stops)—shaving 35 minutes off of the old mark. The car in the middle is the circa 1914 Semmes Special with Raphael "Ray" Semmes at the wheel, but Lew Gibson, the man to his left, was the driver at the event (below is same car at speed two months later at the Benning track): The second car from the right is a circa 1914 Case owned by Don Moore, although G.E. Feeney (in the seat to Moore's left) drove the Case at York, while Moore drove a Mercer owned by Milo Burbage. The car on the far right is a circa 1912 Stoddard-Dayton driven by William DeKowski. Back row-left to right: This appears to be the circa 1913 Cole that was driven by C. Cleveland "Cleve" Campbell. The car in the middle of the back row is a circa 1911 Warren-Detroit, raced by H. B. Sharp. It was an older car, and had been Barber's before he had the Eye-See-Bee built. The last car on the right is Paul Miner's 1914 Buick. He too was a member of the AAA (hence the badge), but hadn't raced in May. The drivers/cars that were at the race but not shown in the picture were: Harry D. Myers/Marquette Buick; Milo C. Burbage/Mercer; and Robert M. Clendening/Oakland; and Frank Stewart/Reo. On Sunday most of the drivers prepped their cars for Monday's race. This would entail the removal of some or all unnecessary appendages and body parts—if they hadn't already been removed before they left Washington. This could result in quite the menagerie of styles as seen in the photo below of the Labor Day races at the Benning track two months later. The #2 Chevrolet Series H Royal Mail roadster nearest the camera retains it full body minus headlights, while the next two cars (#18 and #15) are stripped to the bare bones. The #17 car is a full bodied speedster with headlights mounted, while the #12 Ford on the far side has a custom body for racing. Walter L. Smith's Argo Speedster was already stripped down, so Smith took the opportunity of the off day to drive a sixty-mile round-trip to Lancaster and back. On Monday he arrived at the track ready for the light car event, but when no other cars in his class showed up, that match was scrubbed. Undaunted, Smith promptly entered the diminutive Argo in a five-mile scratch race for cars up to 301 cubic inch displacement—putting it against the Mercer, Semmes Special, Cole, and the Buicks. The Mercer won in 7:06 with Don Moore at the wheel while, astonishingly, the Argo beat out two other cars—coming in at 7:58 for a fourth-place finish. The five-mile scratch race for cars from 301 to 450 cubic inch displacement was won by Barber in his Eye-See-Bee at 6:35. The five-mile free-for-all was won by Barber/Eye-See-Bee at 6:24, and the five-mile Australian pursuit race was won at 6:24.5 by Moore/Mercer. An Australian pursuit race is where all the cars begin the race in motion and evenly spaced around the track. When the flag drops the race starts and as soon as you're passed by a car from behind, you are out of the race. Obviously, it goes until there is only one car left. In the case it was Milo Burbage's Mercer, driven by Don Moore. More was expected of Harry Myers' Marquette-Buick which, with Ted Johnson driving on Nailor's Hill, held the hill-climbing record of Washington D. C., but it did not win any races at York. Myers owned Riggs Garage at 1467 P Street in Washington. The only downside to the day was Frank Stewart's crash at speed in his Reo. He walked away, but the car was totaled. It wasn't that bad of a loss however, as the Reo was one of the oldest cars in the race and due for retirement. In a few years Frank Stewart would found the Standard Automotive Supply Co. Most of this group kept racing, most notably at Benning's in Maryland, but the AAA doesn't appear to ever have suspended any of them again for driving in non-sanctioned contests. In fact, it seems to have dropped the penalties for the AAA members, as both Barber and Moore drove in the AAA sanctioned race at Benning's in September. Eight months after the York race Paul Miner went into business with George and Charles Rice and opened The New Garage at 1323 H St. NW, in Washington. This business soon expanded to 1317-27 H St. NW as the Geo. C. Rice Co. Their address overlapped with the Hotel Hudson. Cleve Campbell left for Europe the next year and worked for the American Volunteer Motor Ambulance Corps in France, then spent a year in London fitting artificial legs to wounded soldiers. Milo C. Burbage was a bricklayer from Ohio who made it big as a contractor in Washington. Today his house in on the Prince George's County (Maryland) Historic List. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Just What I Always Wanted: 1901
... picture was taken - just a couple of tinkerers who owned a bicycle shop. Her grandfather Bishop Wright was the family star. He had broken ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/16/2008 - 5:57pm -

January 1901. Dayton, Ohio. "Bertha Wright, age five, niece of the Wright brothers, daughter of Lorin Wright," with some of her many Christmas presents. Dry-plate glass negative by the Wright Brothers. View full size. BerthaAnd who says childhood obesity is a new thing??? Details!How long would she have had to sit still for this photo to be so clear? Amazing detail, you can see the individual needlepoint stitching in the carpet. I'll sit still but....I'm NOT smiling!! I waited a whole month to visit my awesome uncles and open these gifts. Now you want me to sit still and smile? Bertha's UnclesOrville and Wilbur weren't particularly well known when this picture was taken - just a couple of tinkerers who owned a bicycle shop. Her grandfather Bishop Wright was the family star. He had broken with the liberal leadership of his church to found the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Old Constitution, and had been one of the founders of Huntington University in Indiana. Bertha's father, Lorin, was the second of the Bishop's seven children and was about five years older than Wilbur and nine years older than Orville. He died in 1939. I'm with her...There's no way that tea set will fit into that toy oven. What was Santa thinking? SadThere is something heartbreaking about this picture. Indeed, Very SadThere does seem to be a kind of infinite sadness in her expression, very surprising in a child her age. I hope she went on to have a happy life. Infinite Sadness...which can only come when one passes yet another Christmas without receiving the much-anticipated Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle BB gun with a compass in the stock and a thing which tells time. LuxuryMy Grandmother - born in an earth-floored cottage in Ireland in 1901 - would have regarded carpet on the floor as luxury. Tea sets and tomboysFrom her expression and other body language, and the scuffing of her shoes, I get the impression that Bertha was a little tomboy! Now, I would have been happy with miniature china and doll furniture, but I was about as far away from a tomboy as you could get. I doubt that Bertha was too thrilled. I think she would have been much happier with a ball of some kind, an electric train, or some other things that little boys like. (The Gallery, Christmas, Kids, Wright Brothers)
Eastman Kodak: 1905
... of transportation going on, except for a car. A trolley, bicycle, horse and wagon/carriage. I wonder if people named their horses back ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 11:55am -

Circa 1905. "Eastman Kodak Co., State Street factory and main office. Rochester, New York." Future home of the late lamented Kodachrome. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Love OrnateSomeone please tell mt that the wonderful little building next door (that housed the moving company) is still standing. If you look closely, you can see a person going into the store. Also, the street cleaner bucket on wheels looks just like the one in the old Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Notice the bicyclesNo locks! I reiterate, NO LOCKS! Kodak is alive and wellA year ago I went out to Kodak in Rochester for training on their computer to plate and workflow systems. I assure you there is still a huge number of Kodak employees in Rochester. The George Eastman house was an experience of a lifetime. I want to go back and experience the world's largest collection of photographic images. In the wagon:Barrels of Dektol and D-76. Good Ole FredHe'll take anything you have and move it or store it for you. I'm guessing he has a bigger building elsewhere! Human ResourcesThis past summer I struck up a conversation with another diner in a restaurant. He was from Rochester, so the conversation drifted to Eastman Kodak. He asked me to guess how many employees Kodak had that were still in Rochester, I said 100. His answer, six. I thought about it later and couldn't figure out what those 6 people were doing. Licensing the Kodak name? Administering the pension system? Anybody know? [Eastman Kodak has over 20,000 employees and annual revenues of around $8 billion. Its headquarters are still in Rochester, so I'd bet that more than six people work there! - Dave] I think you're right Dave, I just went on their Website and they appear to have about 20 Job openings in Rochester. A Kodak momentThis picture wipes me out. The plainness of the buildings is their beauty. A few modes of transportation going on, except for a car. A trolley, bicycle, horse and wagon/carriage. I wonder if people named their horses back then. Notice the man looking out the window, 4th floor, right building. I wonder what he was thinking about. DetailsI like the human details in these photos. The fellow leaning out the window. The bikes left at the curb. RIP KodachromeI assume that Shorpy readers will have heard the news that Dwayne's Photos, the sole remaining Kodachrome processor, used up the last batch of chemicals produced by Kodak just before Dec 31, 2010 to process all remaining submissions of Kodachrome. Now I'll never know what's on the half-roll of Super-8 stuck in my camera when the motor jammed 35 years ago. All of it goneI checked google street view, and I don't see any of the buildings from this picture. Is it fair to assume all of it is lost? Love the picture though! Kodak in Rochester todayI've lived in Rochester my entire life and remember Kodak in when it was the largest employer in the city. According to an article in the Rochester Business Journal Kodak now employs about 7400 people in the area. Sadly these buildings are long gone and the location is now a parking lot for Kodak Tower which was built around 1913. This photo is looking south down State Street at Platt Street. View Larger Map kodak is a disgracewhat you fail to realize is that kodak used to employe over 60,000 people in rochester, now they employe less than 4000, most of which are in management positions. my father was a 3rd generation kodak worker who was recently laid off after 35 years of faithful service. that company was his life and they hung him out to dry. those 20,000 are mostly in mexico, since kodak china went belly up, and those job openings are all temp. jobs. kodak wants to keep downsizing until they can sell the kodak name to someone like fuji, who is the biggest film and imaging business. george eastman would be ashamed of what his empire has become. [What nonsense. George Eastman was intelligent man and a believer in scientific progress, so he'd hardly be surprised (much less "ashamed") that his business would encounter difficulties once its main product became obsolete. Corporations don't last forever; most are lucky to number their years in decades. This one has lasted a more than a century -- a long and distinguished history. - Dave] Kodak momentWonderful photo. I work at Kodak's State Street facility as a contractor. I'm very interested in local history and specifically the history of Kodak and its buildings. In my job I get to access parts of the Kodak facility which most people don't see and although a lot of the historic aspects are gone, details still remain and to an amateur historian it's wonderful to be able to walk the halls where history was made. To clear up the employment question, there are currently around 7600 direct hire employees at Kodak in the Rochester facilities plus many hundreds more contract workers. This photo shows the State Street frontage prior to the construction of the iconic Tower in 1912, which would be seen in more recent photos rising behind the far left side of the six story building in the foreground. All have now been replaced by more modern structures (the last constructed around 1948). It's sad to see the buildings which have been lost to time, but Kodak had to be progressive and modern and as buildings became outdated and even structurally unsound, they had no choice but to rebuild. (The Gallery, DPC, Rochester)
Army Day: 1939
... The guy up on top looks like he is wearing a modern bicycle helmet! M2A3 Looks more like an M2A3 Light Tank according to a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/16/2015 - 4:59pm -

April 6, 1939. "Memories of the World War were revived today as the latest types of tanks, preceded by 20,000 soldiers and veterans, paraded past the U.S. Capitol in the annual Army Day Parade which marked the 22nd anniversary of America into the World War. Thousands braved a heavy downpour to view the parade." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. HelmetThe guy up on top looks like he is wearing a modern bicycle helmet! M2A3Looks more like an M2A3 Light Tank according to a quick search. The turrets did not make it a "combat car." That name was a political subterfuge used to allow the US Cavalry to have tanks, after the government had stated all tanks belonged to the Army. Once they were merged, all the Cavalry's tank "combat cars" were redesignated as tanks. Tanker HelmetsDoesn't seem they would provide much protection in combat, so I'm guessing they were more about keeping the tanker from banging his head in the tight confines of the tank. Either way, from the wartime pics I've seen they weren't worn very often in actual combat. As of July, 1940The Cavalry combat car designation was not dropped until July, 1940 with the creation of the Armored Force. W-30405 has the crossed Cavalry sabers on the near turret. The T5 designation is the Rock Island design number. Once adopted by the Army the "M" designations come about. T5 Combat CarIt's the same chassis as the M1 Light Tank, but the twin turrets make it a T5 Combat Car. Pathetic NonethelessHowever the nomenclature debate resolves, there's no denying that this combat vehicle was head and shoulders below any likely European competition in terms of ordnance, armor protection, and mobility. Not that patheticThe M2 pictured already had a 7 cylinder radial aero engine and was capable of 45 miles per hour, faster than any European tank of the time. It was already slated for upgrade based on the fighting in the Spanish Civil War, and as the M3/M5 Stuart served throughout WW II. As late as 1949 Stuarts were decisive in helping the Chinese Nationalists repel a Communist assault on the island of Kinmen, from which they hoped to invade Taiwan. Re: Tanker HelmetsThe tanker helmet most often used by US armored forces in WW2 was the Model 1938, which was based on leather football helmets of the period [one of the major contractors for the helmets was Rawlings Sporting Goods]. The Cavalry had their own version of the helmet [shown in this photo] and differed from the standard M1938 in that it had a pronounced "bump ring" around the shell. Regarding Lost World's comment, the helmets were designed only for bump protection inside the tank and for use with communications equipment. It was not until the late 1980s that a CVC [Combat Vehicle Crewman] helmet was designed with ballistic protective capability. Speaking of helmetsThe young fellow in the crowd on the left shows that aviator helmets had not lost their appeal since the Lindberg craze of '27 My dad had an interesting military career --he enlisted during the Depression and was in the mechanized Cavalry. During "pass in review" parades the officers still had horses and he actually did stable duty. When he got out of the USAF in '66 he was an ICBM missile crew commander. From horses, to airplanes, to the Moon. Looks more like a vickers.The tank's turrets look to be taken from a Vickers Mark A twin turret type. My 2 CentsDefinitely an M2A3 Light Tank. The guidon on the turret appears to be from an infantry unit. When a model starts with "T" it is a test version (prototype or pilot). (The Gallery, Harris + Ewing, WWI)
Outdoor Life: 1910
... Main (Ma Kettle) and the one seated in front of the bicycle as the sister of Margaret Hamilton (Wicked Witch of OZ). Will be interesting to hear from our bicycle experts on this one. Look At The Birdie How frightening was the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2013 - 10:06pm -

New Zealand circa 1910. "Unidentified group outside a tent, possibly at Sumner, Christchurch." Glass negative by Adam Maclay. View full size. Idyllic NZOh, to have been a privileged Kiwi during those splendid times. All dressed up and dining al fresco -- back in those same years, my American ancestors were shoveling coal and taking in laundry. Missed the boat, in more ways than one! It's a case of HCP!The men of the family, self-described as amateur astronomers and outdoor enthusiasts, assured the ladies that a night spent in the woods would serve as the best location for the observance of Earth's traversing of the tail of Halley's Comet. The ladies disagreed as revealed by the clear signs of HCP (Halley's Comet Panic) across their fear-stricken faces. Pretty (Scared) GirlsThe young girl on the extreme left is extraordinarily pretty. The older girl on the right is as well. But what strikes me is that every single female in this photo looks fearful. If we could just think of a wordSomething people could say when you take their photograph and it looks like they are smiling. Family Fun?This may be a family group, as the woman with the teacup on the left bears a strong resemblance to the younger girl kneeling, also holding a teacup. The folks in these photos always seem so stiff and reserved; they just don't appear to be having any fun. I guess I wouldn't either if I had to wear my Sunday best just to go camping.... Double take sistersThe woman holding the child qualifies as the older sister of Marjorie Main (Ma Kettle) and the one seated in front of the bicycle as the sister of Margaret Hamilton (Wicked Witch of OZ). Will be interesting to hear from our bicycle experts on this one. Look At The BirdieHow frightening was the photographer? Trying for a boyThe wife looks with child again - I bet he is hoping for a boy! Photography Was Still a Big DealI'm pretty sure the subjects are neither scared nor grim. Although photography was hardly new by 1910, most people had still never been photographed. In addition to the fact that holding still for a slow shutter is easier with a solemn face than with a smiling one, having one's photograph taken was still momentous for the average person and therefore an occasion to be taken seriously. It seems obvious to us now that one should smile for a photograph even when a few seconds before one was simply chatting with a relaxed face, but that cultural norm would have seemed almost manic to most people in the first decades of photography and probably still seemed so to many people in 1910. Think about oil portraits: we don't expect big grins there and in fact often appreciate solemnity. Darker ArmsThe man on the far left and the girl, fourth person from the left, both each have one very dark arm and hand. The girl sitting down with the white hat also has a similar dark hand. Is this just an optical illusion, are they in shadow, was this poorly developed, or is there another cause? There is a little shoe, possibly drying out, hanging at the top of the tent. (Adam Maclay, Bicycles, New Zealand)
Oliver W.: 1905
... to pass the ostrich, but the faster the pedals of the bicycle moved the faster sped the long legs of the bird. It so happened ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:45pm -

Florida circa 1905. "Oliver W., the famous trotting ostrich, Florida Ostrich Farm, Jacksonville." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Fido not impressedThe canine on the front porch is looking the other way, maybe he has seen it all before. Hmmmmm,Don't horses have four legs and carts have two wheels? Too close for comfortIf ostriches have the same output as most birds, that surrey is a bit too close for comfort. Looking at that bird's legs...which can deliver deadly kicks...make me wonder if they taste like chicken? Famous Fowl!"Oliver" must have one heckuva great story! I used to have a stereopticon (3-D) photo of him. I seem to recall that the sulky he was pulling in that picture held two people, though. Custom rigI assume that this is a one-of-a-kind rig, since there cannot possibly have been much of a market these things. Ever. I'm amazed that anyone agreed to have their picture taken while sitting in it. A follow-up comment: I don't see any brakes on this thing. I wonder how one brings it to a stop? Hitch Up the Ostrich Camp and Plant, October 4, 1902. “Go and hitch up the ostrich,” is not at all an absurd command on an ostrich farm. There these great birds are often harnessed to a carriage, and make fairly good substitutes for horses. Although they cannot draw a heavy load, their speed is a recommendation. At Jacksonville, Florida, there is a bird named Oliver W. that can run a mile in two minutes and twenty-two seconds. His owners claim that he is more satisfactory than a horse, because he eats less, never shies at anything, never runs away, and goes steadily at a good pace without laziness or fatigue. This particular ostrich appears to like his work. When the little carriage is brought out he comes running toward it at full speed, with both wings spread out, ready to have the harness put on. On one occasion a cyclist tried to pass Oliver W. on a long, smooth stretch of road. He came up behind the carriage, thinking to get ahead and escape the dust. Oliver W. thought differently. He threw his head high in the air, gave a flap with his wings, and went forward with a speed that astonished the cyclist. Putting forth more effort, the latter made another attempt to pass the ostrich, but the faster the pedals of the bicycle moved the faster sped the long legs of the bird. It so happened that the cyclist had a record as a fast rider, and to be distanced by an ostrich was not to his liking. For two miles he tried to pass his feathered rival, but was then obliged to give up the race, defeated. Some fast horses have tried conclusions with Oliver W., who seems to like nothing better than testing their speed, starting slowly to make them think it easy to distance him, and then gradually increasing his pace. Miami Ostrich RacesI knew an elderly man some years back who lived in Miami around that time and he had photos depicting ostrich races. The fellow would laugh with delight while talking about that action. As Seen on PostcardsPostcard from my own collection, postmarked 1911: Oh, the embarrassmentIf Oliver W. really enjoyed his job, don't you think he'd reveal his last name? [Really! And who gives an ostrich a last name anyway, and then tries to protect his privacy? - Dave] Precendence and right of wayWith that kind of propulsion I could imagine that there would have been a peculiar pecking order on the roads. Literally. Regulators, where are beak bumpers? TheGeezer, they say "like venison." And lean and low cholesterol, too. Too good to be burnt on the road? Roosevelt Connection?I live in Jacksonville and have done a bit of research on the Ostrich Farm. From what I've been able to dig up, Oliver W. Jr. was named after a cousin of Theodore Roosevelt who made a locally-celebrated visit to Jacksonville sometime shortly after the turn of the 20th century. Oliver W. Roosevelt later had a son, also an Oliver W. Jr. (Full disclosure: I appropriated Oliver W. Jr.'s name and image-- the ostrich, that is-- to serve as my handle and avatar on my favorite model railroad forum.) (The Gallery, Animals, Bicycles, DPC, Florida)
Clairvoyant Bird: 1900
... menacing? Also, an impressive number of bicycles and bicycle racks -- I doubt there are anywhere near that many (if any at all) in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:55pm -

Buffalo, N.Y., 1900. "Labor Day parade, Main Street." The city's Good Humor men pass in review. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. I, for one... welcome our ice-cream-wielding overlords. After Labor DayNo white pants until Decoration Day 1901. Where's The Law?In a like public venue today the boys in blue would be found every ten yards or so. Wow, patriotism was evident ever more so than today, judging by how well Old Glory is represented. Sword-wielding ice cream overlords?Each of them appears to be holding a sword -- for dividing ice cream sandwiches that stick together? Or something more menacing? Also, an impressive number of bicycles and bicycle racks -- I doubt there are anywhere near that many (if any at all) in the current stretch of road. And, oops, one of the flags in the third floor windows of the Miller Block is flying upside down. Men In WhiteSince the Good Humor Company wasn't founded until the early 1920s, we have to guess again. I'll take a shot in the dark and say it was the Buffalo version of NYC's White Wings, their Department of Sanitation. Good Humor men?Are they really good humor men, and do they carry swords (sticks) Just how big was Buffalo in 1910 that they would need hundreds of men distributing ice cream. One thing is for certain: there is no stopping themThe Good Humor men will soon be here. I’d like to remind them that as a trusted Shorpy contributor, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground ice cream caves. The gift of prophecyI'll bet the Clairvoyant Bird knew that parade was going to take place months before it actually happened. Sword wieldersPerhaps the original Buffalo Sabres? Stick MenI would guess the sticks were to prod the horses used in whatever business these men made their living by. Paperhangers?Whatever these guys do, they clearly have a distinct uniform and the special pokey-thing they carry is part of their trade recognition. White designates cleanliness. If you could wear white uniform all day it meant you didn't work with oily machinery or coal fires. Those sticks they are carrying must be emblematic of the trade. Any chance of some ShorpyZoom on one them? Official Monthly Magazine. Devoted to the interests of House, Sign, Pictorial, Coach, Car, Carriage, Machinery, Ship and Railroad Equipment Painters, Decorators, Paperhangers, Hard Wood Finishers, Grainers, Glaziers, Varnish Enamelers and Gilders. … Labor Day, 1903. … Buffalo, N.Y. It was but just that the painters, decorators and paperhangers of the city should have the right of the line, for they made a magnificent showing, the opinion being general along the line of march that these men made the finest appearance of any organization. All were clad in immaculate white. The trousers were white duck, the shirts were snowy cambric, the belts were white leather and each man wore a white yachting cap and a handsome boutonniere, and Marshal Chapman, who led the line, rode a splendid snow-white horse. There were cheers for the painters along the line of march and there were predictions that the union will gain its fourth silken banner because of its showing, having already won three for making the finest appearance in annual Labor Day processions. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Buffalo NY, DPC, Patriotic, Streetcars)
Streetscape: 1924
... fate when he took a nasty fall over the carelessly parked bicycle by the entrance to the Wilkins Building. Attention automakers ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 2:13am -

Washington circa 1924. "Wilkins Building, 1514 H Street." With a ghost strolling past the hydrant. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Strolling GhostMaybe the strolling ghost first met his fate when he took a nasty fall over the carelessly parked bicycle by the entrance to the Wilkins Building. Attention automakersThere appears to be a nifty electric car parked in front of the Wilkins Building. The Big Three automakers should have brought something like it to modern-day Washington as a begging -- er, bargaining -- tool with Congress! Wilkins Building Wilkins Skyscraper Ready Newest Office Structure to be Thrown Open Within Two Weeks Washington's newest skyscraper, the Wilkins building, in H street, west of Fifteenth street northwest, is practically completed, and will be open for tenancy within the next two weeks. The building is a notable addition to the city's growing financial district, and its completion marks an important advance in that neighborhood. The Wilkins building represents an investment of $200,000. It is a nine-story structure, constructed of brick and limestone, and combines all the features of a modern fireproof office building.The front is of ornamental limestone, with a cornice roof. Extending from the ground to the third floor are two massive limestone columns. The building has 96 rooms, which can be arranged single or en suite. On the ground floor are two storerooms, separated by a wide corridor. Each room has a vault, washstand, and wardrobe. The interior is finished in mahogany. Two fast electric elevators have been installed, and in addition there is a freight lift. John. F. and Robert C. Wilkins are the owners. The construction work was done by the Wells Bros., of New York, after plans prepared by J.H. de Sibour, architect of the Hibbs building. Many reservations for office space have been made, and it is expected that the first tenants will move in about March 1. Washington Post, Feb 18, 1912 Government Buys Wilkins Building $500,000 paid for Property; Will be Occupied by Veterans Bureau Acquisition of the Wilkins Building, nine-story stone office structure at 1512-1514 H street northwest, by the Government, at a reported consideration of $500,000, was announced yesterday by the Treasury Department. The purchase is believed to be a step in the eventual occupation of the site of this building, the Belasco Theater and Cosmos Club for expansion of the Treasury Annex at Pennsylvania avenue and Madison Place northwest. Temporarily, the newly acquired building will house certain United States Veterans Administration activities, it is expected. ... Washington Post, Feb 7, 1932 1514 H TodayView Larger Map Reflecting...The reflections in the windows of the Wilkins Bvilding are really interesting. Ugh...Not an improvement.Such a beautiful building renovated to oblivion. At least the structure to the left of it still retains some of its dignity and charm. Feeling Rather Ill ...So this is "progress"? A beautiful, old building replaced by THAT? And those other, smaller ones, too? Where is the shame? Rugs to richesNejib Hekimian -- ground floor on the left -- had, not surprisingly giving his telltale name, a business for "Oriental Rugs." These were better days for Persian-American relations, I guess. 1516 H streetWhile the Wilkins building is lost, the row house to the right, #1516, is still there, albeit with an altered (reverted?) facade. I don't know the all the history here, but apparently the government developed plans to raze most of the historical buildings around Lafayette Square in order to replace them with "modern" office buildings. Jacqueline Kennedy led the effort to save the old buildings, one of the first examples of preservation focused on a historic district, not just a single building. Spring Realty Active The building at 1516 H street northwest, adjoining the home of the Cosmos Club, is being remodeled for business purposes, and will be occupied, after May 1, by the real estate office of E.C. Brainerd, who is now at 1410 G street northwest. Washington Post, Apr 17, 1910 View Larger Map GhostsWhy are there ghosts in some older photos like this? Is it to do with the cameras, the light, people walking too fast? [It's a time exposure. If you keep the shutter of your camera open for five seconds or so and take a picture of people walking along the street, you'll get the same effect. - Dave] Dignified Structure to the left......is the headquarters of the American Bar Association, which recently had its exterior renovated. It's a magnificent Classical granite structure, and is at the end of the block behind the bank building that is visible in the oblique rendering of the Treasury building that was on the back of the older $10 bill (that bank building is still there, looking great). Electric carIt think that's a Baker Electric. HekimianThat's a rug store owned by an Armenian (Nejib Hekimian). His last name suggests that he's from a family that that originated from a doctor (hekim) (hekimian=son of doctor) (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Auto Wreck: 1923
... left the machine when Shreve crossed the bridge riding a bicycle. Haggerty, according to Shreve, asked him to let him ride the bicycle. When Haggerty started riding toward the District side of the bridge, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/13/2014 - 10:00am -

        A larger, more detailed version of a photo we first posted six years ago, with the details supplied by Shorpy member Stanton Square, accompanied by a "new" image here. Washington, D.C. A curious photograph titled "Auto wreck. 7/30/23." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. 1923 WreckI have seen this photograph published before, in a book by Robert Reed. Unfortunately, I can't for the life of me remember the title. Perhaps someone here knows what I'm writing about? Rock Creek ParkwayThat was the year construction started on Rock Creek Parkway, and the water suggests that this car strayed off the parkway a bit. [That, and the three trees he knocked over on the way in. Would be interesting to see if someone near Rock Creek Park could locate the spot. - Dave] Chain Bridge WreckI've been searching the Washington Post archives trying to find the back-stories for some of the photographs on Shorpy. See, for example, https://www.shorpy.com/node/3318 https://www.shorpy.com/node/3152 https://www.shorpy.com/node/2706 I've found an account of a July 30, 1923, wreck at Chain Bridge whose description seems to fit this photo. The story is surprisingly familiar - young kids party all night, wreck the car and then tell a fanciful story to the investigating police ------------------------------------- Washington Post: July 31, 1923 Plunge Over Bank at Chain Bridge in Auto May be Fatal Mrs. Dorothy Holland, 20 years old, of Baltimore, Md., stopping at 1420 Harvard street northwest, lies in Georgetown University Hospital suffering from internal hemorrhages as a result of an automobile in which she was riding going over a 30-foot embankment near the Virginia end of the Chain bridge at 6 o'clock yesterday morning. Detective Sergeants H.M. Jett and Joseph Connors worked on the case more then fifteen hours in establishing the woman's real identity. Physicians at the hospital hold little hope for Mrs. Holland's recovery. Her sister, Mrs Myrtle Griffith, 1602 Gorsuch avenue, Baltimore, was summoned here last night by the local authorities. When the machine, a touring car, traveling at an estimated 70 miles an hour going in the direction of Virginia, left the road and crashing through a fence dropped to the jagged rocks below three other persons were in the car besides Mrs. Holland. Two escaped with minor injuries while the driver of the machine, whose identity the police have been unable to establish, escaped injury. The other occupants of the machine were Mrs. Edna Metos, 24 years old, with whom Mrs. Holland stopped, and Bernard Shrove, of 56 Foxhall road, northwest. Mrs. Metos, was injured about the head and suffered shock. Shreve suffered a sprained ankle. While police believe that Mrs. Metos was driving the machine at the time of the accident, both she and Mrs. Holland declare that a man whose name they do not know was the operator of the machine. According to the police, the accident was the result of an all-night party that began at 1 o'clock yesterday morning. It was learned that the party went to the vicinity of the Chain bridge and were sitting on the bridge listening to music from a nearby camp. Frank Haggerty, said to be a novelty salesman, and stopping at the Sterling hotel, but according to the police, also rooming at the Harvard street address, one of the party, left the machine when Shreve crossed the bridge riding a bicycle. Haggerty, according to Shreve, asked him to let him ride the bicycle. When Haggerty started riding toward the District side of the bridge, Shreve said that the woman invited him to take a ride. They got in the machine and after going to the District side double back on their tracks and, traveling at a terrific rate of speed, started toward Virginia. Shreve told Detectives Jett and Connors that a woman was driving the machine when it crashed over the embankment. Passing autoists brought the injured to Georgetown hospital. Following an early investigation, Haggerty was taken into custody by police of the Seventh precinct and at a late hour last night was still held on an investigation charge. Deputy Sheriff C.C. Clements, of Arlington county, last night requested the local authorities that if Mrs. Holland died from her injuries to arrest Mrs Metos and hold her for the Virginia authorities. [Excellent work, PER, and much appreciated. Maybe you can figure out who the Edwards boy was. As well as Mr. McDevitt. - Dave] HoweverThe damage to the car and the relatively minor injuries suffered by its other occupants argue against the "estimated 70 miles an hour" speed. Always suspect --Those novelty salesmen. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
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