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Dearborn Street Station: 1910
... Tired of having eaten a "river or liver and an ocean fish,"* Hawkeye had a hankering for BBQ from Adam's Ribs, which was ... the station. * "I've eaten a river of liver and an ocean of fish! I've eaten so much fish, I'm ready to grow gills! I've eaten so ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:44pm -

Chicago circa 1910. "Dearborn Street Station." Streetcar wires and a small ghost pedestrian not entirely banished by the retoucher's hand. View full size. Those RoofsThose sloped roofs got me busted cheating in architecture school. During my first year we had a sketch class and one of our assignments was to sketch this station. It was a particularly cold December morning so I bought a postcard of the station at a bookstore and sketched it from that. Unfortunately the postcard showed the station with the pre-fire sloped roofs, a distinction my professor was all too quick to point out. Top lopI'm sorry they lopped off the top of the tower. It was weird looking but interesting. It looked like there must have been little rooms up there. I wonder what was in them. Boxes with handles?Does anyone know what the boxes with handles located next to the curbs were for? [They're for getting into a carriage. Called mounting blocks when they're made of stone. - Dave] Somebody step upAnd identify that automobile. Make that one to beam up, Mr. ScottThat is just about the most hamfisted "retouching" work I have ever seen. It looks like someone from Starfleet is either transporting back to the Enterprise, or is about to materialize in Taft era Illinois. [Our image comes directly from the negative. Once it was printed, the results were probably more convincing. - Dave] Dearborn Station todayThanks for this great picture. This wonderful building is still standing and has been made into shops in the center of the Printer's Row area of Chicago. We were there this summer for the Printer's Row Book Fair. [They lopped off the top! And painted it orange! - Dave] How many [fill in here] does it take to change?That's one helluva a light bulb on that street pole. [What looks like a bulb is the glass globe covering the electrodes of a carbon arc lamp. - Dave] Parmelee SystemThe trolley was part of the conglomerate founded by Frank Parmelee in 1853. The company held franchises in many cities. I remember taxicabs in NYC in the 1940s & 50s that bore the legend "Parmelee System." In the 1930s his company was absorbed into the Checker Cab company and was around into the 1980s. Another interesting acquisition was the Yellow Cab Co., created by John Hertz, he of car rental fame. We'll discuss the Gold Dust Twins another time. Before the operationThat's an extraordinary tower. What a shame that it's since been - I'm afraid no other word will do - circumcised. You have to be kidding!They might have lopped the top off the building because they couldn't find a roofer to bid on retiling that wonderful but scary steep structure. The Station Got ScalpedThe "cuckoo clock" roof of the tower, and all the other pitched roofs on the building, were removed after a 1922 fire. The train shed in the back was demolished in 1976. Fortunately the rest of the station is intact. I remember going there with my father in 1969, when the station was still in operation, to see the the Flying Scotsman, the famous British steam locomotive. It was making a nationwide tour that year on this side of the pond. I got to blow the whistle! My company visits this building daily. I've loved this place since we've been visiting on a daily basis. Great pic, as always! Depot HackThe Parmelee vehicle is a depot hack or omnibus, not a trolley car. My beholding eyesI dunno, it looks like it got blotto at a party and stuck a lampshade on its head. TransposedThose steep roofs, especially the lamented steeple roof, look like the roofs you might see in Geneva or Bern, Switzerland. It is a shame they lopped off the steeple roof. Probably a cost or structural issue. [It was a fire issue. See below. - Dave] Adam's RibsWhere is the rib joint? Hawkeye ordered ribs from Adam's Ribs from Korea. It was across the street from the Dearborn Street Station. He forgot the coleslaw, though... He sidles up to the podium, clears his throat--I'll guess it's a 1910 Hudson, based on the firewall and windshield shapes, 3/4-elliptic springs, contracting brakes, radiator shape and steering-wheel controls. I know there were oodles of other makes that probably shared some of these features, so I'm prepared and eager to be corrected! A clean exteriorHard to imagine such an important public building owned by private companies not adorned with the name of the structure and who the tenants are. This was the very important East end of the Santa Fe as well as the Chicago terminal for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, Monon, Erie, Grand Trunk and others over the years. We lost one ofthe "Gold Dust Twins" on that sign at the right of the frame. Adam's Ribs, anyone?I am surprised that no one mentioned the episode of M*A*S*H in which the Dearborn Street Station featured. Tired of having eaten a "river or liver and an ocean fish,"* Hawkeye had a hankering for BBQ from Adam's Ribs, which was "across the street" from the station. * "I've eaten a river of liver and an ocean of fish! I've eaten so much fish, I'm ready to grow gills! I've eaten so much liver, I can only make love if I'm smothered in bacon and onions!" AddressWhat is the physical address of this place? I visit Chicago often and would like to go there in person. [Click here. - Dave] Thar She GoesThe fateful day the roofs were lost. Sad. He sidles up to the podium, clears his throat--Well done, Watchwayne! I agree with you it must be a Hudson. At first I thought Overland then perhaps Mercer and even Buick because all have similar radiator shapes, but none of them have those distinctive rear springs, but I knew that I had seen them before. Congratulations! Hello, DaveJust to tell you how much I enjoy old photos like this of Dearborn Station. I am deeply appreciative of your time and talent. I especially like the scarcasm, as long as it's not directed at me. [Scarcasm -- so hurtful. Disfiguring, even. - Dave] That Beautiful Car Seems to be a 1911 Warren-Detroit. http://forums.aaca.org/f170/mystery-car-291988.html +107Below is the same view from June of 2017. (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC, Railroads)
The Steel Pier: 1904
... early '60s. It was like American Bandstand next to the ocean. I had no idea what a pier was, so I thought the show was called Steel ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 11:08am -

The Jersey shore circa 1904. "Steel Pier, Atlantic City." Can anything compare to Atlantic City in the summer, and the feel of sand in your bathing-socks? 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Sand MosaicWow. At least three black families here. Great picture!There is a guy lying on the other guy's hip as a pillow -- now that's not something you would see today! Everyone is very appropriately dressed, not a inch of elbow or knee showing. How strange the Victorian era must of been. I suspect there is enough cloth in this one picture to dress the entire East Coast of beach-going folks today. What would they think?Suppose these folks woke up on a beach in Brazil and saw how the sunbathers looked nowadays. Misery Loves CompanyAnother miserable day at the beach according to these poor vacationers. Not a smile to be seen! An odd photoI'll give an internets for every smiling face you can find. Bathing Socks?I see exactly one pair of unsocked feet. Virtually everyone has enough clothes on to weather a Noreaster in November. Why go to the beach at all? Hot? Cold?I'd like to know what time of year this was taken. No shadows. Body LanguageFor the young couple by the black umbrella, there is nobody else on the beach. True GritIt always strikes me how REALLY well-dressed beach-goers could be in the early 1900s. They aren't just fully-dressed -- they're wearing suits and hats and white dresses for a day in the hot sun and gritty sand! What never ceases to amaze me is that few (if any) people bring a blanket or towel to lie on. There they are, in their nice clothes just sitting and lying directly on the sand. Many of the men (and some of the women) are sitting on suit jackets, getting them all mashed up and sandy. Way more surprising than that, though, is the number of women in white dresses and/or white blouses lying partially on newspapers (possibly because the sand is so hot). All I can think when I see THAT is that they must have newsprint ink smeared all over their nice white clothes! Got a laundress?The privileged classes employed a washerwoman to launder all of these clothes. Otherwise, you stoked up the fire on Monday morning and boiled and stirred all day long. Good old bluing kept the whites white. I, too, am always astounded at how heavily dressed our ancestors were in the heat of the East Coast summers. Prior to this time period, in the latter half of the 19th century, bathing machines were on the beaches in the UK. They looked like little sheds, and you went into them, disrobed, put on your heavy-duty bathing costume, and ejected yourself into the waves. No witnesses. So this photo represents a gradual pull away from that Victorian commodity. Peppermint TwistJoey Dee and the Starlighters did this song, not Chubby Checker. In the age of wiki and google, I kind of feel foolish pointing this out, but then I am also in an age where most people aren't old enough to remember this. Castles in the sandI like seeing "flip bucket" castles here and there. Some things never change! Back to SchoolThe Steel Pier. Atlantic City. This is where Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield) developed and practiced his now famous "Triple Lindy" dive. Why go to the beach......if you aren't going in the water?? The people up on the pier must be enjoying the cool breezes without the hot sun shining on them! The view is just as nice above as below - so what is the attraction for the hot sand? More space maybe?? AND does anybody know what those big elaborate buildings house? Great pic - thanks again!!! No action?"How strange the Victorian era must of been." Well, Edwardian, to be precise. And all folks are doing is sitting, standing, or lying around. No activities of any kind. Isn't watching waves come in kind of like watching grass grow? Summer of '62Forty eight years ago, I watched Chubby Checker perform on the Steel Pier as he unveiled his second "twist" record, "The Peppermint Twist".. The "Pier" has an interesting history of storm damage, rebuilding, fires, rebuilding, diminishment, rebuilding, Miss America contest runways, cut-offs and add-ons. Seems like right now Donald Trump has made it an entertainment center once again. In 1904 when this photo was taken, my grandfather had just arrived at Ellis Island from Poland and in WW2, my uncle was stationed there, as Atlantic City was an Army training camp. A fascinating location, thanks Shorpy for the long trip down Memory Lane. Intergrated Too Couple hundred miles south and there would be a Blacks Only and a Whites Only beach sections. Good to see this intergration. [Yers. - Dave] What a coincidenceJust earlier today I was reading an older book entitled "Discovering America's Past," and looking at the section on Atlantic City's Boardwalk. The book also mentioned the Steel Pier, which is the first time I had heard of it. They didn't have a photo so I was glad to see one today. Seven inchesOf exposed skin in the whole field of view. I'm afraid I'll be underdressedHoney, where's my tie, vest, socks and garters and celluloid collar and second best coat? I'm going to the beach! Why go to the beach? Fresh air is the reason.We forget that most people lived in apartment buildings or rooming houses with few fans and obviously no A/C. It was common for people to leave their rooms for the day just to get out to where the air was fresh and a breeze might blow. In the summer months (at this time) in Chicago, people (whole families) slept in the parks at night if it was hot. In a time when illness was spread from living in close quarters people were encouraged to take the air to stay healthy. Given there was no TV or radio and few recordings in peoples homes - why not head out rather than sit in your stuffy rooms? Massacre!All those fully clothed bodies lying about on the beach remind me of corpses. Perhaps I have been watching too many cop shows. Oh Look! A ShorpyShooter!At least there's a camera on a tripod toward the front left, and who knows how much insight the cameraman has about future venues for his pictures! Steel AppearI watched Al Hirt's Steel Pier dance show on our black-and-white TV in the early '60s. It was like American Bandstand next to the ocean. I had no idea what a pier was, so I thought the show was called Steel Appear because it "appeared" on TV. (And I had no idea why the word "steel" was in the name, either.) Bathing suitsMy mother was telling me today my grandmother was scandalized by the appearance of men's bathing shorts. She felt that my grandfather's bathing suit, which in the 1920s consisted of a one-piece outfit with t-shirt length sleeves and cut mid-thigh, bordered on impropriety. My grandfather, a Presbyterian minister, wasn't the least concerned. Chicken Bone BeachThis is another in a series of images from Atlantic City. Last year Shorpy published a view that included a well dressed black family in the foreground. Now we find, in the photographic evidence, black families on the beach again. However, an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the beaches were restricted in most Jersey coastal towns, including Atlantic City. The story says that these beaches, presumably including "Chicken Bone Beach" in Atlantic City, were staffed with black lifeguards. A person quoted in the article says that "there were no signs saying colored-only beach ... you just knew your place." I think that the photographic evidence to the contrary is an inconvenient problem for some histories. The Diving HorseI was a young lad of about 6 when my parents took my younger brother and I to the Steel Pier in AC to see the famous Diving Horse. This was about 55 years ago. The horse didn't actually dive into the water; the front half of the platform the horse was standing on collapsed and forced the horse and rider to slide into the water from about five stories high. I felt sorry for the horse and worse later in life when I read that a few of the horses they used died of heart attacks from the experience. I also had to sit through a Vaughn Monroe performance and I'm not sure which was worse for a 6 year old. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
The Only Way to Fly: 1965
... before the plane took off. Same way we used to do it on ocean liners ... remember when they used to call out the warning 'all ashore ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 10/06/2015 - 6:42pm -

My friend's folks stretch out and light up on a nice, comfy flight from San Francisco to Hawaii in 1965. Someone borrowed their Kodak Instamatic for this 126 Kodachrome slide. View full size. How it used to beBack in the day when you could actually sit comfortably in a coach seat. Bet the meal was pretty good too. King and Queens!When I flew for American Airlines in the 1970s we were given strict orders to "Treat passengers as if they were Kings and Queens!" "Make their travel a wonderful experience they will always remember being special." Stewardesses were weighed once a week with unannounced flight inspections to see that we were up to AA's hgh standards and especially checked to see we were wearing beautifully applied nail polish with matching color lipstick! The airlines have certainly come long way and not for the better, unless you are among the one percent few who can enjoy First Class. I have zero doubt...Some sharp-eyed Shorpist will identify this plane from just the window shape and bit of engine visibile... And it's a Tiparillo, of course!Should a gentleman...? Not a 707Assuming this was a United flight, UAL was a big DC8 customer but did eventually buy the Boeing 720, a shorter range derivative of the 707. I'll vote for this being a "Diesel 8." Boeing 707Date of flight and small entry of engine argues for a Boeing 707, active between 1958 and 1979. I Say 707Both the DC-8 and the 707 had varous engines and most engines of the time had a similar look. However, interior photos of both planes show the DC-8 had much more space between the windows than the 707 and in tis photo the windows are closer together, leading me to believe this is indeed a 707. No need to bring your ownIn those days, the airlines actually GAVE you cigarettes as part of the service. (No doubt supplied by the ever-alert tobacco companies.) I recall small flip-top boxes of four. Security What Security?Those were the days when you could just casually walk through the gate without a ticket, board the plane, and escort your friends to their seat, then snap their picture before the plane took off. Same way we used to do it on ocean liners ... remember when they used to call out the warning 'all ashore whose going ashore'? Oh! For the Legroom!I'll pass on the smokes, but give me the legroom. At 6'5", it's difficult to enjoy flying today. I do remember when it was an enjoyable experience. I flew to the midwest from Kennedy on United, the same year this picture was taken. Although I was a little shorter then, the space, food and service was wonderful. They even put a mini 2 pack of Viceroys on my food tray, just in case I wanted to light one up -- at the tender age of 15. A Dress up occasionNote, too, how nicely dressed these passengers were. I remember well feeling that I should be dressed for air travel as if I were going to an important appointment. I'm sure this lady had a pair of nice gloves with her. Imagine wearing a jacket and tie to fly to Hawaii today! And, of course, we passengers were treated as valued guests in return. Dress-upI personally brought Bermudas-style dress to the Hawaii routes in 1968. Four-packsCan someone say how those four-packs of cigarettes were distributed other than as airline giveaways? Were they sold in stores? I Googled for info and didn't see anything, other that in the U.S., cigarette packs must now contain at least 20 cigarettes. My dad was a commercial pilot, not an airline pilot, but he always had those four-packs in his airplanes and I'd sneak a few for my use until he caught me at it. Seems to me they were always Parliaments, Viceroys, or Lucky Strikes. Pan AmDC-8 windows were larger than these (about 17 by 21 inches, says the ad) and were spaced 40 inches center to center. So it's a 707, which I guess means Pan Am, unless the passengers were continuing beyond HNL to Australia on QANTAS. Three Pan Am flights a day from SFO to HNL in 1965, or more in the summer-- the 0900 departure continued west to New York. 126 CameraMy 126 camera always took great pictures. It was especially good at taking low light shots, like neon signs at dusk, while still nicely rendering the building they were attached to. Wish I still had it. Travel in the 1950sWhether our family took a train or flew, we had to wear our best clothes. Here is our family arriving at the Essendon Aerodrome in Melbourne, Australia, in October of 1958. We had just left Canada, and my father's new position with the Ford Motor Company of Australia was to introduce the Ford Falcon. I am wearing the striped jacket and tie, and Mum is giving her best regal wave, with white gloves on, of course! Four-Packs Pt. 2While serving in Vietnam, K-Rations often had 4 packs of cigarettes in them. If you didn't smoke you could trade them to a smoker buddy for his fruit. From what I have read the same was true in WWII and Korea as well. GI Four PacksThe other primary customers were the many Viet Nam era troops. These four packs were included in each box of C Rations (MREs of the day). We used to trade them for preferable brands, and used to practically assault non-smokers to get theirs! Often they would trade their smokes for the piece of chocolate that was included in each ration. A Different 707The four-packs of cigarettes were also in the flight lunches provided on the T29 (twin engine Convair) navigator trainer that Air Training Command flew as a shuttle between its Hq and DC. We called the flight the "707" because it took seven hours and seven minutes one way. One compensation was that you got to stay at Bolling AFB and ride the launch to the Pentagon, at least until Sen. Proxmire put the kibosh on that. More on 4 pack distribution.As a teenager visiting downtown Chicago I often encountered young women passing out 4 packs of cigarettes to pedestrians. The earliest I recall this happening was when I was 16 years old in 1972. They would give you 2 or 3 packs if you asked. With 80% fewer smokesFour packs of cigarettes were common packed in K and later C and MCI rations up until 1975. Coffin NailsIn the 1960s I garaged my car in public lot in the Bronx. I met a fellow there that worked as a salesman for a tobacco distributor. He passed those 4 pack samples out to his better customers. They came in cartons that held 50 4 packs. That was the equivalent of regular carton of smokes. I think a pack sold for about 40 cents at that time, a carton would be $4 and I would pay the guy $2 for the 200 cigs. Re: Four PacksThose four-cigarette packs were comps given away by the tobacco companies. I remember back when I was still working, they had four young ladies passing out four-packs of Salems in downtown Buffalo. I had to laugh watching some of the folks making a circuit of the intersection, trying to score a couple of free packs of smokes. One thing not mentioned was the mini bottles (glass, not plastic) of different kinds of whiskey handed out by the stews as well. On my flight home from the military in 1966, there were five of us aboard a Fokker F.28.The stewardess gave me a half a dozen bottles of Seven Crown to say thanks for my service. I still have one bottle left. Re: That Different 707Yup, went through USAF navigator school (James Connally AFB, Waco) on those things. They had a unique odor inside, a result of many, many student navigators tossing their cookies in bumpy Texas air. You mightfeel a little nuts wearing a suit on a flight to Hawaii, but you'd look cool anyway in your Ray-Ban Wayfarers. Definitely a Pan Am 707-320From the cabin wall pattern and seat materials this is definitely a Pan Am 707. Back when flying was a treat, not a chore. Gone and ForgottenIn addition to the DC-8 and Boeing 707, the Convair 880 by General Dynamics plied the early Jet Age skies. My first flightMy first flight was from San Francisco to Chicago to attend Graduate School. I remember the cigarettes and thought "WOW"!. I also remember the light coming on in the bathroom to return to my seat. I didn't know what was happening and was scared silly! Air Sickeness ExpressMy first 20 years flying, I was very often sick, due to having to breathe people's cigarette smoke! When non-smoking sections came along, it helped, some, but not enough, especially if my non-smoking seat bordered the smoking section. Coincidentally, San Fransisco to Hawaii was the first air trip I ever took, back in 1970. Dad had recently returned from Vietnam and we were on our way to his new duty station of Camp Smith, on Oahu. All dressed upBack in 1961 my parents were taking a trip from Idlewild; I can still hear my mother saying to my dad, "Give me the keys to the car - I don't have a thing to wear on the plane." (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
White Star Line: 1904
... Also note the cars, boxcars and reefers to supply the ocean liners. One of the best pictures ever! I am amazed at how this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 1:01pm -

Circa 1904. "Troy Line piers; RMS Baltic at White Star Line piers, New York." At the time, the Baltic was the world's largest ship. Panorama of three 8x10 inch glass negatives, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. On 14 April 1912"the Baltic sent an ice warning message to the RMS Titanic" And we all know how that worked out don't we. What a DUMMY!On the right side, note the string of freight cars being pulled or pushed out of the White Star pier. Just above the hotel can be seen what looks like a diesel. It is a dummy locomotive. A dummy loco is a switch engine with a carbody covering the boiler and drive wheels to make it appear to be a horse car. Some horses would absolutely freak out at a steam engine, and so the RR's thought of this ruse. In later years most of the fake carbodys were removed. This ought to be New York Central & Hudson River RR. They had the usual collection of small switch engines for this work, but they bought a small group of Shay geared locos to work these street tracks at one point. If the photographer had shot the picture a bit sooner, we could see more of this dummy. [I'm guessing they're pulling these cars out of the pier, as I see no one in position to relay hand signals. The head brakie is likely protecting the rear of the loco, and the rest of the crew are riding the cut out.] Also note the cars, boxcars and reefers to supply the ocean liners. One of the best pictures ever!I am amazed at how this picture is saturated with detail. I looked this over for several minutes and cannot believe it was taken almost a hundred years ago. Thanks again for this and so many incredible inspiring photos. What a thrill.I remember when I was a kid driving down the elevated East Side Drive when the big ‘’liners’’ were at dock. Wow, both Queens, the United States and more. Boy, for me this was fantastic! I wish I could have seen the NYC fire department capsize that famous French luxury liner who’s name a can’t remember due to a senior moment… Normandy? She tried to warn her big sister...Baltic is one of the ships that sent a subsequently ignored ice warning to Titanic in April 1912. Five years after this photo was made, she rescued passengers of White Star fleetmate Republic, after a collision with the steamship Florida. Republic sank. The French liner's name was "Normandie" with "ie", not "y". I'd sooner NOT see the fire department sink her as I'd have liked for her to have lasted long enough to have gone somewhere on her. And captained byThe RMS Baltic was captained by Captain Edward John Smith, RD, RNR at the time of this picture. Actually, he served as captain from its maiden voyage in 1904 until 1907. Captain Smith is primarily remembered for being the captain of the RMS Titanic. not much left now...I can't quite figure out where this fits in the 1904 picture but the silent, rusting sign is one of the few things left on that pier 98 years later (look closely and you can still see the White Star written on it) Those archesKvenido: I was just at the same spot the other day, and tried, with equal lack of success, to get a shot of that arch with the White Star lettering. Not so long ago there were large limestone walls that surrounded those steel arches. I think they are a few blocks north of where the picture in question was taken, and are a few years newer. Sunny side upAmidst all the hustle and bustle, is someone sneaking a break up on the Troy Line roof? Location, Location, LocationPier 46 in this photo was located at The Hudson (North) River and Charles Street in what is now called the West Village. Pier 48 was at West 11th Street. Somewhere over these past 104 years they must have rearranged the pier numbers. Today Pier 46 is West 46th Street and the Hudson River. Pier 46 is now home to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum a major NYC attraction. The Shuttle "Enterprise" was awarded to the Intrepid by NASA and will, within the next few weeks, grace its flight deck. I don't remember what I was smoking when I made this comment but the pier numbers weren't changed and The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and it's newest acquisition, the Space Orbiter "Enterprise" remain where they've always been, at Pier 86, West 46th St and the Hudson River. No Radio - yet.The one thing I noticed was no radio aerials gracing the masts of any of the ships in this great picture. Yes, it was still a bit early but it was on its way and by the end of 1912 was to be standard equipment on all ships. Hundreds of tons of coal to load for the steam engines.Have a look to a special detail on starboard of the "BALTIC": The coal ports. You see three ports in work for stowing coal from the barges alongside into the coal bunkers of the ship. "BALTIC" were propelled by two propellers driven by two steam quadruple expansion engines and reached an average speed of 16 knots (30 km/h). Amazing!I have studied this over and over again. The detail is amazing. I love seeing all the varied activities involved in the commerce of the day. Thanks for your work! I truly appreciate it. I enjoy the photographs so much! Three survivorsNote the Western Electric bldg near the right edge of the pic-- still there between Bank and Bethune, and still with its flagpole. Out in the haze just left of the pyramidal cupola at the north end of Pier 49, the Weehawken water tower http://binged.it/IsKodh Just left of the cupola at the south end of Pier 48, St Michaels http://binged.it/IsKEsQ which isn't actually a survivor-- it burned (circa 1932?) and was replaced with a similar (identical?) structure. Wonder how often New York got a clear day back then. Maiden Voyage?If the 1904 date is accurate, this photo might record the completion of the Baltic's maiden voyage. New York Times, July 9, 1904. White Star Liner Baltic Completes Maiden Voyage. Made Trip from Liverpool in 7 Days 13 Hours and 37 Minutes — Brought 906 Passengers. Amid the tooting of hundreds of whistles and the dipping of flags, the new White Star Line steamship Baltic, the largest ever built, made her way up the bay yesterday, completing her maiden voyage from Liverpool to this port. Thousands of eyes along the shore watched the big vessel as she steamed slowly up the harbor on the breast of the tide, and every floating craft to be seen dwindled into insignificance beside the big liner. When the Baltic appeared in the upper bay ferryboats, steamboats, tugs, and sailing craft went out of their course to give those aboard better views of the steamship, and those vessels which were going down the channel as the Baltic came made way for her. The lines on which the Baltic is built give her the characteristic look of the Cedric and Celtic, the two other largest ships of the White Star Line, but she exceeds both these by about 3,000 tons. To those who went alongside her the Baltic's freeboard appeared tremendously high, the longest ladders on the revenue cutters, which are long enough for all other vessels, hardly reaching to the main deck. Her sides are painted black, and her two big smokestacks are light brown, except where they are circled near the top by board black bands. She has four pole masts. The great size of the Baltic, however, is minimized by the gracefulness of her lines. The steam yacht Corsair was waiting down the bay for J. Pierpont Morgan, her owner, who was aboard the steamship, and as the Baltic came up the bay the black yacht ran for a time alongside of her, the yacht ran for a time alongside of her, the yacht looking like a little toy beside the big liner. The length of the Baltic is 726 feet. In this respect she exceeds the length of the Kaiser Wilheim II of the North German Lloyd Line, which formerly was the longest ship, by 18.2 feet. Her width is 75 feet. In all she has eight decks, four of them being above the main deck. She is of 24,000 tons gross register, while her capacity for cargo is 28,000 tons, and her load draught about 40,000. The new steamship has accommodations for about 3,000 passengers besides her crew of 350. The first-class smoking room and library are on the upper promenade deck. The staterooms in the first-class cabin are so arranged that the passengers occupying them will feel very little of the ship's motion. Just abaft the first-class compartment is that for the second-class passengers, consisting of a large dining room, a smoking room and a library, besides the staterooms. With the exception of a limited space forward, the third-class passengers are provided for abaft the second-class. The Baltic is fitted with engines of Harlan & Wolff's quadruple expansion type, arranged on the balanced principle, which practically does away with vibration. The liner can attain a speed of about 17 miles an hour. The steamship was built at the yards of Harlan & Wolff at Belfast, and she sailed from Liverpool for this side on June 29, stopping on the next day at Queenstown to pick up mails and passengers. She is in command of Lieut. E.J. Smith, R.N.R., who has become well known to seagoers as Captain of the steamship Majestic, from which he was transferred to take command of the new vessel. The Baltic is the tenth command which Lieut. Smith has held in the service of the White Star Line. The first trip of the big liner was made in 7 days, 13 hours and 37 minutes, and both Chief Engineer H. Crawford Boyle, formerly of the Celtic, and Consulting Engineer Andrews of Harlan & Wolff, who made the trip for the purpose of watching the Baltic's behavior, declares that there was not the slightest trouble with her machinery, and that she has come up to all expectations. Her best day's run was 417 knots, made on July 4. She brought a total of 906 passengers, 209 in the first-class cabin, 142 in the second-class, and 555 in the steerage. Every one of the passengers united in saying that the voyage could not have been more pleasant. Capt. Smith was delighted with his ship. "I tried to see how she would work coming around the tail of the Southwest Spit," he said, "and, as the channel was clear, I sent her around at full speed. She behaved admirably. Pilot Johnson, who has brought up almost every one of the big vessels that come into this port, piloted us up." The officers of the Baltic are Thomas Kidwell, formerly of the Celtic, chief officer; W.E. Graham, surgeon; H. McElroy, purser, and H. Wovenden, chief steward. The ship will be open for public inspection on Monday and an admission fee of 25 cents will be asked from each visitor, the proceeds to go to the seamen's charities Washington Post, July 2, 1904. White Star Line, New York—Queenstown—Liverpool, Sailing Wednesdays and Fridays, From Pier 48, N.R., West 11th st. N.Y. Teutonic… July 6, 10 am Celtic… July 8, 1 pm Baltic… July 13, 5 pm Majestic… July 20, 10 am Cedric… July 22, 1 pm Oceanic… July 27, 5 pm (Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
Atlantis: 1905
... was demolished and replaced with a concrete pier known as "Ocean One." In 2002 it became "The Pier Shops At Caesars" but is currently in ... is the Beluga, which inhabits the margins of the arctic ocean. It would have been a truly remarkable event to find one this far south. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:14pm -

Glimpses of a lost world circa 1905. "Young's Million Dollar Pier, Atlantic City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. What?Down here we have fishing piers. What does one do on one like that? Fire magnetTell me that huge mass of wood construction never caught fire and burned to the ground/water. SignI'd love some salt water taffy and Hygienic Ice Cream! Love this photograph - obviously during the day during the week, the slow time when the blue collar workers come out to maintain the grounds. Notice the men on the roof and the gardener in the yard. One Look Tells MeI bet that Young's Million Dollar Pier was destroyed by fire. Just a guess. PuppiesThe two dogs on the lawn caught my eye. One more curious than the other. I'll Take That BetAccording to the sources that I've found, Young's Million Dollar Pier survived until 1981 when it was demolished and replaced with a concrete pier known as "Ocean One." In 2002 it became "The Pier Shops At Caesars" but is currently in foreclosure. I don't doubt that much of what was on The Million Dollar Pier might have disappeared over the years, it was almost certainly due to demolition rather than fire. Deep Sea NetWhile the best online history of the 'Million Dollar Pier' records that net fishing began in 1907, the following article calls this into question. The Washington Post reports on the capture of a baby white whale at this location, two years prior to this photo. While Americans had mastered the technology to launch global, multi-year voyages to hunt whales, newspaper accounts from the time display a maddening nonspecificity regarding whale species. The only true white whale is the Beluga, which inhabits the margins of the arctic ocean. It would have been a truly remarkable event to find one this far south. Today, the reported southern edge of their range is the St. Lawrence River in Canada. Washington Post, Aug 23, 1903 At Atlantic City A baby White Whale Captured in the Fishing Nets Among the incidents of the week was the capture of a baby white whale, the only of its kind ever seen in this city, and the big baby has attracted thousands of people, who have watched it cavorting in the large fish tan on Young's pier. What to do on the pier? & Are those dogs?The pier included the world's largest ballroom, named The Hippodrome, and a huge exhibit hall. It also hosted movies, conventions, and exhibits. So say they intertubes. In the yard where the gardener is working - are there two dogs laying on the grass? Can't imagine he would allow that. I see a small statue in the closer yard so perhaps that's what they are. I also see 3 or more people working on the far end of the roof. Probably spreading tar. Oh, thank goodness,the ice cream here is hygienic!!! The last time we visited the shore we got some of that unhygienic ice cream by mistake. Poor Aunt Tessie was sick for a month! Tar TimeAs far as the guys taring the roof goes, "Only 50,000 square feet to go" Pier reviewAuthor Emil Salvini's "Tales of the Jersey Shore" blog includes a postcard that he found in 2009 depicting a March 29, 1912 fire: Jim Waltzer, co-author of "Tales of South Jersey," wrote an article in 2006 in Atlantic City Weekly that describes Young Pier fires in 1949 and 1981. Fate of the PierYes, indeed, fire did claim the pier (kind of), but even to this day, not completely (the pier is about a third of a mile long; you are only looking at some 300 feet or so). The Grand Ballroom, which is to the far right, was destroyed by fire in 1949; the pier itself was still sound, however, and the section was rebuilt as an amusement park; it was very well known in the 1950s. The center section where the workers are on the roof was torn down in 1969, and replaced with other amusements. The far ocean side of the pier burned in 1981. The Ocean One Mall is built on what's left of the pier and pier site at this time, though one of the casinos is eying rebuilding the pier to something close to its former state. What does one do on a pier like that?One strolls while eating Cones filled with Hygienic Ice Cream, of course. Second-String but stll First-Rate.The Million Dollar Pier was still intact as an amusement venue as late as the middle-1950's, although it was always 'second-string' to The Steel Pier. But back in those days, that was in no sense a demeaning position to be in, in AC. Long-Lived"When did that thing burn?" was my first thought. It lasted a good long time. The pier had burned in 1902. (You can see some roof work going on in this picture). The rebuilt pier lasted in one form or another until the ocean end burned in 1981. The pier at Caesar's stands at the site now. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Halloween Hoedown: 1940
... # What do you call 100 banjos at the bottom of the ocean? A good start. # What did the banjo player get on his IQ test? ... 
 
Posted by Fredric Falcon - 09/20/2011 - 1:23pm -

This photo by Arthur Rothstein wasn't an ideal one to colorize, but somehow it challenged me. I didn't like the rope going across, so I removed it. I couldn't resist adding a little humor by making the banjo player's clothing mismatched. I figure that in that day and place, he just might have dressed like that for an informal evening of jamming with his buddies. View full size. The Great DaneRegarding banjos, I'm reminded of something Victor Borge used to say: "The difference between a violin and a viola? The viola burns longer." I resent that statement....!# Playing the banjo is a lot like throwing a javelin blindfolded: you don't have to be very good to get people's attention. # What do you say to the banjo player in the three piece suit? "Will the defendant please rise." # What do you get when you throw a banjo and an accordion off the Empire State Building? Who cares? # What do you call 25 banjos up to their necks in sand? Not enough sand. # What do you call 100 banjos at the bottom of the ocean? A good start. # What did the banjo player get on his IQ test? Drool. # Why do some people take an instant aversion to banjo players? It saves time in the long run. # What will you never say about a banjo player? That's the banjo player's Porsche. # Banjo players are a lot like sharks: they think they have to keep playing or they'll sink. # How can you tell the difference between all the banjo songs? By their names. OK with meI agree with Gnostar. I don't mind the colorization as long as the photos are identified as such -- when there could be doubt. I also suspect the contributor's re-colorization of the fiddle is pretty close. gblawson missed one for the accordion, as told by Little Jimmy Dickens: "The definition of a gentleman is someone who can play the accordian -- and doesn't!" No objectionNice job (not that I know anything about how to colorize a picture). And for the record, I'm happy to see colorized images on this site, as long as they're identified as such and it looks like they could be exhibiting natural shades. Now who wants to take on some of those Civil War camp scenes? Violin color.I added the color in photoshop. Hope you don't mind. Waste of SpaceAnd so the purpose of posting this waste of space is...???? [To see your comment! - Dave] Color me happy!I like the snappiness that the color gives to the photo. Colourization vs. TintingI find myself less disturbed by this sort of thing than I tend to feel about colorization in the movies. There are a lot of reasons. In dealing with colorized movies, it was true that the original material was not destroyed or in anyway defaced, however it was also true that had the process been at all satisfactory (it rarely was; the colours tended to be entirely inappropriate and in some cases the result was horrendous - check out the colorized version of the original "Nutty Professor" with Fred MacMurray) the only version of many classic films we'd see would be the colorized version. About the only good thing to come out of colorizing movies was Turner Classic Movies, the greatest cable channel in the world. In contrast what is done with still photos is far less of an artistic pillage. As Dave has pointed out, the original material is still intact. Add to that the fact that "colorizing" photos in a far more destructive process, was quite common for most of the 20th century, and probably before. Prints of photos were tinted using commercially available kits, and photographers offered the option to add colour to their pictures. The results were usually quite a lot worse than what we're seeing here. These photos do need to be marked as colorized, but On the whole I don't see anything wrong with it as only pixels are altered to create these images. As for those Civil War scenes, they may be hard to do. I don't know what it's like with this software, but one of the drawbacks of the film colorization process was that you had to tint things to a darker colour than the original image. With those Union uniforms essentially photographing as black, that would be pretty hard to do. Sorry to say but...This is a wonderful photo by Arthur Rothstein, and it needs no "improvement" by colorizing. If Mr. Rothstein had intended to use color, he would have. I have to say I have always been opposed to meddling and altering any photographer's black and white work be it still or motion pictures. An image being "public domain" gives no one the right to deface an original work. [You'll doubtless be relieved to learn that the original negative reposes, unmolested, in the vaults of the Library of Congress. - Dave] Nice jobJust the other day I mentioned to my wife that the age of colorization of movies seemed to have come and gone without most people noticing. In any case, this is a very fine effort and I'd be interested in knowing how long it took (not including the aborted fiddle attempt). I agree that as long as the technique is noticed, we're good. Some people see life in black and white and would never have it any other way. I LOVE Your ColorizationI'd like to know if you use a specific tool or filter to colorize these photos. I've got a pretty old version of Photoshop and in order to do this I can imagine a LOT of work. I'd love a quick quick tutorial from you (or a link to your favorite colorization tutorial online). Again, thanks for these. Anyone who thinks monkeying with past works of art is bad belongs in a hard pew church; they do not have supple minds or hearts. [Fredric tells how he does it in this post. - Dave] Flesh TonesI appreciate the time and effort Fredric Falcon puts into his colorizations. They are snappy and certainly don't cause me any great discomfort. The only quibble I have is that on this and the Grace Valentine photo, the skin tones look a little too colorful, too ruddy shall we say. Nevertheless, as long as Fredric does them and Dave puts them up, they're part of the wonderful world of Shorpy. Nothing more than vandalism...Just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be. The skill of the original photographer in working with the media of the time should be respected and appreciated. That respect and appreciation is not shown by colorizing the photos. What's next? Shorpy images converted to HDR? Or maybe placing the dog's head on someones body? (Hope I don't give anyone any ideas.) [Not to worry. - Dave] Colorization: Examples and tutorialBest colorization of vintage photos I've seen so far: http://www.pbase.com/vhansen/colorings Tutorial: http://www.worth1000.com/tutorial.asp?sid=161015 Colorization vs. FarkingPersonally, I love the work that Fredric is doing with colorization: the colorized photos always bring out details and depth I did not appreciate in the B&W. I agree that indiscriminate and haphazard coloring would distract from the quality of the original photos, but that is not what we have witnessed: Fredric's work shows great skill and extreme sensitivity to historical context. For those who enjoy raising their blood pressure over the "molestation" of historical photos, I direct you to the galleries of 'Farked' photos: though not hosted at Shorpy.com, they are more representative of the bounds currently being taken in regards to abuse/creativity with public domain photos. A few examples: Texanna Loomis Christmas Delivery Radio-Vitant Circus Girl IM me While I am rarely entertained by the photos from Shorpy that undergo the Farking process, I would hardly get up in arms over other people utilizing internet/software resources to spur their own artistic processes. Isn't it the combination of creativity and liberty which makes the U.S.A. great? For the recordYour webmaster is a fan of Fredric's images, as I know many of you are (as I write this, "Halloween Hoedown" is the most popular post on the site), and hopes the exchange of views doesn't deter him from posting more. We all remember Shorpy contributor James Lileks, who when last seen was running screaming out the door. Curious to know....Are these colors in layers and if so, are you working with as many layers as you are colors? Also, how do you get the flesh tone? TrombolineI'm reminded of the question: What's the difference between a trampoline and a trombone? Answer: You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline. Unnatural Color by TechnicolorPerhaps some of the results seem "too colorful" and not quite lifelike. Not a problem for me. They're fun anyway. Even 19th-century photo portraits and many landscape scenes got tinted too, and now we have only the faded prints and monochrome negatives on which to base our ideas about what was accepted. And, after all, in the early days of color movies, the Technicolor labs deliberately and unnaturally heightened the vividness of their process, sometimes over the dead bodies of directors and producers who wanted a subtler look. Even with new computer software, color tinting is not a mechanical process but an aesthetic one that owes more to the vision and skill of the tinter than to the tools used. So, enjoy the art show or hate it hard, but don't shoot the artist for trying something outside somebody's assumed rulebook. ColorsI don't work in layers. The colors are added in lines and scribbles with the program Akvis Coloriage. It's simple to use but kinda difficult to describe the process concisely. It'd be easier for you to visit the Akvis website to see how it works. On the tutorial page is a short movie you can watch to see how colors are added. The program has a collection of suggested flesh tone colors for all races. Alas, with some of criticisms of my flesh tones here, I should have tried some other hues. And, rgraham, that was an ideal color you added to the violin! Thanks! Well DoneThese colorized photos are exceptional because of their quality. I don't hear anybody complaining about B&W photographs of old master paintings, they do exist. In the 1980s there were attempts at colorizing movies. The outcry was enormous. They were done initially to Laurel and Hardy reels and sold as VHS tapes. The worst example was "It's a Wonderful Life." The process used then was awful. Plaids were all one color and the flesh tones made them look like cartoons. Art rises or falls on its merits. Fredric Falcon's work is excellent. My 2 CentsI know I'm opening up myself to Dave's wrath, but I would question saying this is the most "popular" post - but it might be a question of semantics. I'm sure many people open the post to simply see what other people are writing concerning colorization, not necessarily supporting the practice. It's like buying a movie ticket; even if you end up hating the film the theater still has your money. Even if there was a flood of criticism Dave still runs the site as he sees fit. From what I've seen on Shorpy the comments sections aren't as full of negative comments as other sites tend to be. I'd like to think that means that most people choose to not post something disparaging or critical (yes, there are those exceptions). [It was "most popular" according to the Statistics Module -- i.e., No. 1 in the "Popular Content" Top 5 list over on the right. - Dave] ColorizationI think you've done a great job, most notably in the details. Excellent!Great job! As somebody who's tinkered with colorizing B&W pics, I understand how many hours this took you. Here's one I did a while back. Colorizing Debate: One SolutionI have a solution to the debate about colorizing. But first, this word: I was reminded of a time 20 years ago when I published a magazine article that had zero to do with photography, but I had used the word "colorize," which seemed natural enough at the time. Next thing I knew I got a letter from the Turner Broadcasting legal department saying that "colorize" was its trademarked word. Good luck with that one, Ted. Anyway, the fix: those who object could download the colorized photo and load it into Photoshop. The photo could then be decolorized using any favorite method: desaturation, channel mixer, whatever. The new B&W would then be uploaded to Shorpy. I'm sure Dave would be pleased to create a new section called "De-colorized Colorized" where we could all judge how well the user did in exactly matching the monochrome originals in Shorpy's database. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Colorized Photos)
Uber Boston: 1936
... In today's money: $7,300. First class passage aboard ocean liners of the day was $150, or $2,430 today. Of course it WAS a lot ... 43 hours, 2 minutes) compared to 5 days for the swiftest ocean liners and up to 10 days for standard crossings. More photos ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/08/2012 - 8:41am -

"The Hindenburg over Boston Common, 1936." Sunday marked the 75th anniversary of the German airship's explosion at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Medium format acetate negative by Leslie Jones. Boston Public Library. View full size. The Concorde of its dayThis was considered a very elegant way to travel at the time. Everything was top-notch. I find it disturbingly creepy, however, to see those swastikas flying over the U.S.! Sort of BIG803 feet long, 135 feet diameter, contained 7,062,000 cubic feet of gas, cruised at 76 mph, longer than 6-747's. Lasted one year. It is creepyRoot 66, my first reaction when seeing the picture was the same. It was creepy. The Hindenburg was a tremendous propaganda tool, naturally, and as soon as Hitler could - after becoming chancellor - he slapped big swastikas on it. Airship AweAs a kid growing up in Indianapolis, we were favored with many Goodyear blimp flyovers each May as part of the Indy 500 race. Back then they would fly very low, I guess at the 500 ft level that was a minimum altitude for aircraft (I think). We thought they were huge and it was so cool to see the occupants waving as they lumbered overhead. We'd hear them coming and all run outdoors to watch them. If it was dusk we'd be waving our flashlights as they flashed their signboard messages for us. And to think the Hindenburg was 6 times as big! Wow! More nice picturesCheck this out for more beautiful Hindenburg pictures. Also of the interior. I saw it tooIn 1936, (when I was 10), my father came home from work one day and told me to look up in the sky. Over our Northwest D.C. home (almost to the Maryland State line) floated the Hindenburg - absolutely spectacular. The swastikas didn't mean any thing to me then. In personMy great aunt and uncle were arriving at the air field to watch the landing just as the Hindenburg burst into flame. They lived nearby at the time. Sort of Big?It was as large as (3) 747s, not (6). It'd Better Be ElegantAccording to the blog Airships.net, the 36 passengers aboard the final flight were paying $450 for the experience. In today's money: $7,300. First class passage aboard ocean liners of the day was $150, or $2,430 today. Of course it WAS a lot faster; 2 days (fastest time was 43 hours, 2 minutes) compared to 5 days for the swiftest ocean liners and up to 10 days for standard crossings. More photosMore photos from inside the "HINDENBURG." ("einestages" is part of the german weekly newspaper "DER SPIEGEL.") The Concorde in more than one wayThe Concorde in more than one way: It never made a profit. It was run on huge subsidies, solely as a prestige project. Nobody really needed it. As a solution to a technical problem, when it became kind of technically feasible, it was already outdated. The Boeing 314 was introduced in 1939, and a number of other flying boats also had the necessary legs (ah, range) by then. The remaining shortcomings (weather forecast, lack of navigational aids) applied to either. The service was kept up until there were fatalities. And ve Germans hav to hand it to you Americans, yours were just as big ;-) USS Macon (ZRS-5) 784ft 1in / 132ft 10in / 6,500,000cuft USS Akron (ZRS-4) 785ft / 132ft / 6in / 6,500,000cuft (Aviation, Boston, Zeppelins & Blimps)
Nautical New York: 1900
... “running down her easting” across the Southern Ocean the barque was sorely tried by a terrific Westerly gale accompanied by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:39pm -

New York City circa 1900. "Shipping at East River docks." More maritime Manhattan. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Earl Of ???I'm having the hardest time reading the name on the transom of the vessel tied up to the south of the pier. I would guess the ship to be a commercial barque but hopefully someone more expert in rigging will step in to correct the record. Of the name, the left side looks possibly to be "Earl of" but I can't piece out the rest. It's a bit like trying to read the 7th line of the Snellen eye chart without my glasses. Earl of DunmoreIt was sunk by a German submarine in 1917 according to one source. I found this picture of the ship. There are small differences, but the paint scheme is the same. Opinions? British ship. "Earl of Dunmore"British ship. "Earl of Dunmore" in both pictures above, is on the left in top picture, where I believe she is lying at 19th street or pier 11, east river New York. the lower image is of this ship at Port Pirie S. Australia circa 1894. Earl of Dunmore was under command of a Shetlander (Capt. T. Kay) from her completion in 1891 - 1903. I am currently working on a scale model of this ship at 1-48 scale, and also writing up the history of ship and master, any one who has any information on this ship or information on anyone who sailed with her I would be delighted to hear from them, or if I can help anyone interested in the same I will do my best. my e-mail is. joekay18@gmail.com Barque Earl of DunmoreLaunched 1891 on the River Clyde. Rigged with double top and topgallant sails. Journal of the Royal Naval Reserve, 1892. Earl of Dunmore, ship; outbreak of fire at Chittagong, January 5, 1892, when laden with jute. Inquiry held at Chittagong, February 6, 1892. Fire apparently intentional. Conduct of stevedore suspicious. Round the Horn Before the Mast, 1902 By Basil Lubbock Friday, 21st July, 1899, San Francisco. — The four-mast barque Earl of Dunmore came into the wharf next to us this morning, fifty-two days from Newcastle, Australia. She is nothing like such a fine ship as the Royalshire; though her tonnage is greater, her masts and spars are half the size of ours. She is a Glasgow-built ship, like the Royalshire, and is overrun by a wild crowd of Scotch apprentices. The Hobart Mercury, August 15 1903. A London Ship on Fire in Sidney Harbour. A Sensational Scene. SYDNEY, August 14 … The barque Earl of Dunmore, which arrived from London on Sunday, and is lying off Chowder Bay, was discovered to be on fire at 2 o'clock this morning. Included in the cargo was 130 tons of dynamite and gunpowder, and the crew lost no time in attacking the flames, but in spite of their best efforts the fire, which gained a firm hold on the cargo of the forehold, spread fiercely and rapidly. In this hold was stored a large quantity of inflammable material including oils, turpentine, and tar. This caused dense pungent smoke in great volume, which hampered the efforts of the seamen. There are four hatches on the vessel, all of which have been nailed down, and nobody has been below for several days. Captain Menke, his wife and child were transferred to the pilot steamer for safety. A steamer with the Harbour-master on board arrived alongside the burning ship within half an hour of the receipt of alarm, and directed salvage operations. Powerful pumps on the Harbour-master's boat poured water equal to 2,000 gallons per minute into the hold In which the fire was raging, but the flames made headway. A lot of cargo was stowed on deck, and much of this caught fire. The sailors, in order to avert the danger where it presented itself of the fire running along the decks, seized burning bales and cases, and threw them over-board. When the deck cargo was cleared away there was a much better chance of getting at the seat of the outbreak, but the fire had the mastery for a very long time. Presently the flames spread to the vessel's rigging, and the decks began to grow hot. Captain Menke ordered that the decks should be cut away, in order to afford more access to the burning cargo, but as soon as the sailors chopped away some of the planking they found iron sheathing underneath. It was decided at 4 o'clock, as the flames stall raged with undiminishable fierceness and the weight of water poured into the hold was beginning to cause the vessel to sink at the bows, to beach her. Pumping operations were temporarily discontinued, and a steel hawser having been passed to the tug Hero, with some difficulty the vessels anchor was freed from the bottom, and partly lifted, and the Earl of Dunmore was slowly towed towards Rose Bay, where she was beached. The ship had in her forward hatch a quantity of wax matches and underneath was stored a quantity of oils and other cargo equally combustible. It is presumed that rats got at the matches, and caused the conflagration. The Melbourne Argus, December 19, 1908. Earl of Dunmore. Furious Gale. An adventure which is not likely to be soon forgotten by her crew befel the four-masted barque Earl of Dunmore, on her voyage to this port from Fredrikstadt, Norway. Whilst “running down her easting” across the Southern Ocean the barque was sorely tried by a terrific Westerly gale accompanied by seas which Captain Mencke describes as the highest and most dangerous that he has experienced for many years. Gigantic billows swept the decks from poop to forecastle at frequent intervals threatening serious injury to the ship, and necessitating extraordinary vigilance on the part of the crew to escape danger. The disturbance arose on the 20th November, in lat. 42deg. south and lon. 6Odeg. east, lasting, without abatement for a whole day The use of oil to quell the seas was freely resorted to, large quantities being poured over the vessels sides; but despite this expedient, heavy bodies of water thundered over her as she sped before the gale. All movable objects on deck were dashed about in the flood whilst some disappeared overboard on the receding billows. A complete clearance was made of the galley … pots, pans, and other cooking utensils being washed out of the apartment to the unspeakable dismay of the cook. Several of the crew were thrown down by the seas and narrowly averted meeting with serious injury, a few bruises and scratches being the only ill effects. In the meantime squalls of alarming intensity completely drowned the voices of officers and crew until ultimately the storm gradually “blew itself out,”and affording them breathing space. The Earl of Dunmore which is laden with timber met with such light and baffling winds in the earlier stages of her voyage that she did not cross the equator until the fifty-eighth day out. Quite a different experience, however, then awaited her, and she made a capital run of 46 days from the line to Hobsons Bay averaging 220 mile per day for this period, and thus converting what promised to be a protracted voyage into a good one. On her previous voyage to Melbourne the Earl of Dunmore accomplished a splendid passage of 78 days from New York. Captain Menke who is in charge of the vessel, is accompanied by his wife. One's still thereMost of those buildings are long gone, but the one at center, beyond the three closely-spaced masts in line with the right edge of the Earl of Dunmore, seems to still be there (mostly, anyway) at the SE corner of Broad St and Exchange Place. It's the bldg at the right edge of another Shorpy pic. The narrow slab extending toward the camera from that building has been demolished in the last few years. A 1927 view of the building, in the lower left corner of the aerial pic. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC)
Bathing Girls: 1922
... It's hard to tell they are not really at the ocean. No shame Next thing you know they will be appearing at the beach ... managed to crop it well, that flagpole sticking out of the ocean behind the girl on the right is going to be harder to get rid of. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/06/2018 - 10:18pm -

"Lansburgh Bathing Girls, 1922." Avert your eyes, gentlemen -- the leftmost lady's knees are showing. Next to her, Shorpy regulars will recognize Iola Swinnerton, winsome Washington beauty. National Photo glass negative. View full size. It's hard to tellthey are not really at the ocean. No shameNext thing you know they will be appearing at the beach without stockings. Where will it end? Prop FlopWhat we have here is a failure to crop the brick wall out of the picture. No gal could get past those "bathing suits"There's a pretty face or two in this picture but the outfits are so outlandishly awful (and unflattering to boot), it would take a veritable Angelina Jolie to shine in these get-ups. (clearly "less is more" was NOT the motto in those days for bathing beauties) I'm so sorry, butare the three on the right part of Les Cagelles? Could you swim in those?All that cloth would probably be heavy when wet. I love the style, though. Gakkk!I read an interview with the "oldest living Ziegfeld girl", Doris Eaton Travis from just before she died at age 106 last year. She said she didn't like the fashions of the 1920's. She thought they were unflattering. And I have to say, these outfits are BIG TIME hideous. I mean, the addition of color might help, but what this looks like to me is a VERY awkward halfway point between old fashioned "bathing costumes" and modern one piece swimsuits. Gak indeed. 25 yearsfrom here to the first bikini. Regarding these styles,I think the birth rate in the early '20s must have been near zero. 90 Years LaterIn a short 90 years, girls went from 95% coverage to only 5% coverage! Roll 'em, girlies, roll 'em!When I was in middle school, in the early '80s, I took a judo class taught by one Morey Korey, who was then about 80 years old. He really moved well for an octogenarian, and naturally, he was big on stretching exercises, which were accompanied by a song he had learned as a teenager, and which he taught us: Roll 'em, girlies, roll 'em, Go ahead and roll 'em, Go ahead and show your pretty knees. Don't let teacher tell you that it's shocking. Paint your sweetie's picture on your stocking. Laugh at Ma, laugh at Pa, Give them all the ha-ha-ha, Roll 'em girlies, girlies roll your own! Bathing Girls: the soundtrackGood memory, Lectrogeek. "Even grouchy traffic cops get jolly, when they see you step into a trolley." Here's Billy Murray's popular rendition of "Roll 'Em Girls," recorded on November 4, 1925. Curtis & LemmonA publicity still from Some Like It Hot? No expense sparedBoy, that photographer really went all-out with the backdrop, and even if he managed to crop it well, that flagpole sticking out of the ocean behind the girl on the right is going to be harder to get rid of. RealisticI get seasick every time I look at this. 20s attireI LOVE, LOVE the 20s fashions -- just NOT the bathing attire!! (The Gallery, D.C., Iola S., Natl Photo, Pretty Girls, Swimming)
Whiskey Wine Brandy Gin: 1939
... a pretty place, at the same time, but other side of the ocean. And this car, I always thaught, that body is postwar style. Not just a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 6:13pm -

September 1939. "Liquor store in Gateway District, Minneapolis." 35mm negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. MotorolaThe antenna: re: MotorolaThank you! I posted the photos on a classic car forum and someone speculated that it might be a Motorola, but I wasn't able to find anything on it myself. 32 Washington AvenueThe Minnesota Historical Society has Hughes Drugs at 32 Washington Avenue South. It was housed in a block of buildings which contained several addresses on the east side of Washington. [The address here is, as we can see, 38. Stores move, or can have more than one location. - Dave] MercBrand spankin' new '39 Mercury sitting front and center. First year for the new marque. 1939-2011 RIP September 1939It was the worst month in modern history of my country (Poland). However, nice to see such a pretty place, at the same time, but other side of the ocean. And this car, I always thaught, that body is postwar style. Not just a while before the WW II. Merc gizmoSo what is this? I speculated that it was a flashy antenna, but a cursory Google search didn't come up with anything like it. Merely decorative? Whatever, I love it. "Chicago Service"What is it? Blimey!Whiskey, wine, brandy, trusses, rubber goods AND cut-price drugs? Drugs, Booze ...What! No gambling? At least you can buy a truss. Today this enterprise would be run by the Government. HandsomeI can see where my PV 544 got his good looks. This could be the Toad's grandfather. HmmI wonder what they sell at this store? I'm kidding! Great photo -- I especially like seeing the film perforations. Drugs, trusses, rubber goodsOne-stop shopping! LettersSome signpainter was in business for a while after that job! Chicago ServiceDoes the cafe feature surly waiters? Or is that called "New York service"? Chicago ServiceThe regular daily train between Minneapolis and Chicago ran to a station just along here, which may be the origin of the cafeteria's name. Merc gizmo foundI finally found a match for the "gizmo" on the Mercury's roof. It is indeed a radio antenna, and here's another one on a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr. Maybe it was a Ford product. What an incredibly cool thing. [I just knew TT would find this. Several commenters opined the gizmo was a "scratch on the negative" (which would have been black lines, not white) or part of the sign behind the car. - Dave] Positively Second StreetAs best as I can tell, these addresses were on the northeast side of South Second Street (a block south of the Great Northern Railway station, which was at the foot of Hennepin Avenue). Vachon, a St. Paul native, would have known the area well. In the 1950s, as scorched-earth urban renewal was on its way for the Gateway, young University of Minnesota sociology students, led by Theodore Caplow, conducted groundbreaking field research in this area on the thousands who called the Gateway's cage hotels, missions and alleys their home. This spot is now on Gateway Greenway, a one-block auto-free path. Motorola AntennaHere's another, more elaborate version of the antenna on a '38 Plymouth in a photo taken in summer 2010. IgnoredThe antennaless car behind the Mercury is a 1939 Chevrolet that has an accessory hood ornament. This was the last year that you could obtain a rear mounted spare tire on a Chevy until the availability of "continental kits" in the 1950s. Chevrolet discontinued these last car models without modern trunks early in the model year. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, Minneapolis-St. Paul)
Christmas Special: 1962
... that year) and, although we were separated by the Pacific Ocean, I can assure you that my wardrobe was identical. The button-down ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 12/24/2015 - 3:54pm -

It's December 1962 and family and friends have gathered for a near-Christmas dinner. I've just gotten my first 35mm camera, a Kodak Retinette, and with the help of my trusty Kodak Master Photoguide, manage to ace this Kodachrome bounce-flash exposure. That's me, age 16, strategically positioned in front of my father, who's still in his supermarket work garb, so it's obviously not Christmas day. Next to me in front are Aunt Grace and Uncle Jack, my mother's oldest brother. At the time I probably thought his shirt/tie combo was corny, but now I love it. Mother's on the left looking pleased, perhaps because the serendipitous arrival of identical cards made for a pleasing symmetry in her card tree on the wall. In back, my brother and our friends Colleen and Bob. Bob had been my brother's Cal Poly college mate, and later lived with us a bit before marrying Colleen. View full size. One thing that never came back in styleThat has to be the skinniest four-in-hand tie I've ever seen. Re: tterrace ChristmasMy favorite is the scene near the end where tterrace's brother learns the true meaning of contrapposto. tterrace, Thanks for sharingtterrace, Thanks for sharing this terrific photograph! What a nice looking group. Your brother looks like he could have been in the movie "American Graffiti." Uncle Jack's tie is awesome! I am absolutely loving your mother's glasses. And you, my friend, are looking right spiffy. Merry Christmas to you and yours. A tterrace ChristmasWe watched this every year at my house! My favorite part is where tterrace puts on a sweater and leads the children's choir in a carol medley. Dad needsA phone book to sit on. Or a shorter son. He knew those vitamins were a mistake. The thin black lineWow, tterrace, could your tie be any skinnier? You're quite the 1962 fashion plate. Glad to meet you!This is what I love about the member gallery -- We get to know your family and look back on its past the same way we look back on our own! I can see you're so proud of where you came from in life. Everyone who uploads to Shorpy seems so very proud. I got a little bit of time on the Frontier tonight, so I have much to upload.... After finals tomorrow! My Apologies!Tterrace, my apologies for not paying better attention. I asked awhile ago what your dad did for a living and I had even seen the grocery store photos. The funny thing is, my dad did the same thing. Keep them coming and my best to you. Love me some card tree symmetry!A very merry Christmas to the Tterraces! I can't quite put my finger on why, but I do enjoy your pictures. The captions probably have a lot to do with it--the serendipitous cards enabling card tree symmetry cracked me up. Is your brother annoyed with the picture taking, or just trying to look cool? What's your interpretation there? The pipe is trés chic though! And Dave, if you ever "find" a picture of tterrace in his Christmas sweater and leading the children's choir, please do share... [Rummaging, rummaging ... - Dave] The Movie I think Harry Connick Jr should play you in the movie. From All of Us ...... To All of You. This would make a nice Christmas card. Love that grin!Tterrace's lopsided grin is absolutely charming. Merry Christmas to you all, and thanks for the memories. Lovely portraitBob looks like he's trying to keep from cracking up. Aunt Grace looks like she's got a witty comment ready to unleash. There's a lot of character in Uncle Jack's smile. Thanks, tterrace! Everybody's happy EXCEPT....... your too cool bro, who found the whole corny "family photo" thing disdainful (just get it over with). I love your mom's humanity and Mona Lisa smile, she was a perfect mom. This is a wonderful picture but the most unique thing I find is that your brother can stand with a swagger, expressing his silent thoughts to get on with more serious and profound activities. Tterrace, you have great riches that money cannot buy. Merry Christmas to you and yours and many thanks for stirring our souls. And a million thanks to Shorpy for their amazing website. tterrace ttwins tthrough ttimeTterrace, you may not know it but you have an almost exact doppelganger in Cincinnati. One of my co-workers looks just like you in this 1962 picture. Also, you both look like the young man in the 1912 Boy Scout image. This is the fifth image on Shorpy's of historical "clones" of people I work with. I don't just mean looking similar to one in the picture but rather having people mistake historical images for PhotoShopped imagery. To me, looking for and finding friends and co-workers adds to the joy of Shorpy's. Tterrace, Merry Christmas to you and your family and a heartfelt "Happy Holidays" to all on Shorpy's! Those glasses....just fabulous!Your mum's glasses would be right at home in Dame Edna's handbag, tterrace. You were 16 in 1962 - I was also 16 (17 in November of that year) and, although we were separated by the Pacific Ocean, I can assure you that my wardrobe was identical. The button-down collars, the ultra-narrow ties, and even your brother's baby-pink shirt.....all had their equivalents here. There is even a link with your father, as my dad managed a co-operative general store and also wore bow-ties to work....I have an original of his, still in its little plastic box. What a great photo this is.....it brings back fond memories. Thank you, and Dave, for sharing these. AmazingI found this shot so totally captivating. I can't figure out why but there is something about it that just holds you there in that moment... Uncle AlbertYour older brother looks just like Uncle Albert. Amazing. Keep bringing the photos. They're great. Just long enoughMom seems happy to sit down just long enough for a quick photo. The apron tells us she will be scurrying back to the kitchen shortly to finish dinner, or perhaps get ready to serve dessert. What was on the Christmas menu? Dad is a fashion independent, with his sporty bow tie, while you have on the thinnest tie I have ever seen. What a wonderful picture; your photos make us think we know you well! Back in the dayTterrace, once again thank you for another lovely glimpse into the past. You are just about a year older than I and you have all these great photographic memories of your family. Somewhere, out there some one has photos of mine, but it sure isn't me. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Sir. (Love that skinny tie.) Made me smile!Just like looking at one of my family pix. What a pleasing photo! I intend to wear a dashing bowtie and think kind regards of the tterrace family and the Shorpy group for the holidays. Merry Happy! Christmas Special 1962Thanks for posting this, full of your sweet memories Happy Holidays, TTerrace, and to all the Shorpy team and fansThese pages (Shorpy generally, and TTerrace's contributions in particular), please me so much. Best wishes to all. And now, years later...Of the people in the photograph, who is still alive and well in 2011? I gotta kill that boy . . .TTerrace, looks like your dad had the same profession as the dad of good old Dobie Gillis. The old man's favorite comment was always, "I gotta kill that boy, I just gotta." To which Dobie's dear mom, Winnie (hey, your mom also looks like Dobie Gillis's mom!) always said, "Now Herbert." Don't tell me there was a Zelda Gilroy in your life, also! My old next door neighbor at that time (I'm also a year younger than you) had a thing about Madonna Christmas cards. Looks like your mom did, too. Finally, I still have two of my old ultra skinny neckties from 1962 to 1964. Hated them for many years, now I'm glad I still have them. But your uncle's tie totally tops them. It kinda goes with his weather battered face. I knew I'd seen him somewhere before!When I first looked at this photo it jogged a memory -- terrace's brother looked familiar. I racked my (66years old) memory banks and then it hit me; that pose was taken from the cover of an edition of the Saturday Evening Post published in 1960 - two years previously. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas, tterrapix)
Launch Party: 1905
... 1913, foundered about 90 miles NNW of Fayal, Atlantic Ocean, after breaking away from the tug ENGLISHMAN while in tow for scrapping ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 7:16pm -

September 2, 1905. St. Clair, Michigan. "Launch of steamer Frank J. Hecker." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. CinematicI think this picture ranks among my very favorite here at Shorpy. What a majestic image with such movement, I feel as if the ship is going to coast right through my computer screen. Ladies Who LaunchGet all their clothes wet. Looks pretty cold for this very same day 105 years ago. 3-D would be nice. 3-D ... pfffftWe're always talking here on Shorpy about how we'd like to go back in time into one of the scenes photographed, but ... I really really want to go back in this one and be one of those people getting a front row seat for this! It must have been simply overpowering. Just looking at the photo gives me goosebumps. Wonderful MovementIt's wonderful how frozen in place yet full of motion this pic is. Beautiful. Or.."Let's do launch" 1905-1961LAUNCH OF A NEW STEAMER. -- The new Gilchrist Transportation Company steamer FRANK J. HECKER, building at the St. Clair yards of the Great Lakes Engineering Works, will be launched tomorrow, and a number of prominent marine men will be on hand to witness it. She will be fitted out as soon as possible. Buffalo Evening News Friday, September 1, 1905 FRANK J. HECKER, U. S. 202475, bulk carrier. Renamed PERSEUS 1913, foundered about 90 miles NNW of Fayal, Atlantic Ocean, after breaking away from the tug ENGLISHMAN while in tow for scrapping at Genoa, Italy; September 21, 1961. Record of Great Lakes Engineering Works, St. Clair (Michigan) Yard RudderlesslessNice way to show the answer to that previous post about the rudder when a ship is launched sideways. Perfect. Wow ...That's exactly why I love old cameras and classic photography! WOW!What a photograph..... and I DO mean photograph!!! WhoFantastical photograph!!! Who was the camera person? They should be praised. re: WowAs exciting as it might be to stand there watching the launch, it surely wouldn't compare with what was experienced by the half dozen fellows seen standing on the stern deck! Quite a shotIt would have taken skill and maybe a bit of luck to have captured this shot. 8x10 view cameras don't have a burst mode. BravoLike the guy said before me, WOW!!! What a photograph. It is exactly what I said when I first glanced at the picture. Textbook "capture" of the moment. Great find, Dave! EPB An Instant ClassicA very nice capture. This is the type of photograph I love and look forward to seeing here at Shorpy. Thank you! Hang on!White knuckles on the taffrail. RivetingI'm just a landlubber and maybe I'm not seeing things right but it appears to me that the plates on the lower levels are welded while the ones on the higher levels are riveted or bolted together. Is that a standard in shipbuilding and if so,why? Are welded seems easier to make watertight and if so, why not weld the rest of them,too? Oh. My. God.Magnificent, just magnificent. This shot was taken for a postcard printing company? Has anyone located any actual postcards made from this photo? Those two children standing on the viewing deck were probably telling the story of this event to their grandchildren in 1975. The sweep of the girl's heavy plait tells you everything about the excitement, the awe, and the thrill of that moment. Could any sight have ever equaled this - at least one from the hand of man? Take that,James Cameron! Colonel HeckerI had to Google Frank J. Hecker (1846-1927). Interesting guy - and what a mansion (still standing) he built in Detroit! iPhotoHow come 105 years later the camera images on my "high end" phone come nothing near this? re: iPhotoI think it has to do with your entire phone being 1/5 the size of this photo's original negative. The phone's sensor probably has less than 1/1000th the imaging area. But the older camera won't stream video or tweet. "Small, fast, cheap: Pick two" and they gave us the first two. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Love on the Rocks: 1910
... river       And the rivers with the ocean, The winds of heaven mix for ever       With a ... hills and don't stop until you are standing in the Pacific Ocean. (The Gallery, DPC, Portraits) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/21/2020 - 5:55pm -

Somewhere mountainous circa 1910. "Young couple on rock holding hands, full-length portrait." 5x7 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Miss Direction (pun intended)I love the way this couple was posed. Technically called "misdirection", it makes this image more intriguing. Great Grandpa Douglas?Michael Keaton could have arisen from this couple's lineage! If thou kiss not meI've no idea why but this image instantly brought to mind "Love's Philosophy" by Percy Bysshe Shelley: The fountains mingle with the river       And the rivers with the ocean, The winds of heaven mix for ever       With a sweet emotion; Nothing in the world is single;       All things by a law divine In one spirit meet and mingle.       Why not I with thine?— See the mountains kiss high heaven       And the waves clasp one another; No sister-flower would be forgiven       If it disdained its brother; And the sunlight clasps the earth       And the moonbeams kiss the sea: What is all this sweet work worth       If thou kiss not me? Publicity photoFrom early in Michael Keaton's career. I cannot identify the wasp-waisted starlet. Run, Young Man, Run! Please run as fast as you can. She already has you putting her high on a pedestal plus she has the look of a Suffragette and worst of all she is also probably a Prohibitionist. Head for those hills and don't stop until you are standing in the Pacific Ocean. (The Gallery, DPC, Portraits)
Eugene Dalton: 1913
... or sailors going aloft in storms. If one fell in the ocean, the ship didn't stop. Long hours If the young man is telling the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 10:02am -

Eugene Dalton, November 1913, Fort Worth, Texas. Some results of messenger and newsboy work. For nine years this 16-year-old boy has been newsboy and messenger for drug stores and telegraph companies. He was recently brought before the Judge of the Juvenile Court for incorrigibility at home. Is now out on parole, and was working again for drug company when he got a job carrying grips in the Union Depot. He is on the job from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. (17 hours a day) for seven days in the week. His mother and the judge think he uses cocaine, and yet they let him put in these long hours every day. He told me "There ain't a house in 'The Acre' (red-light district) that I ain't been in. At the drug store, all my deliveries were down there." Says he makes $15 to $18 a week. View full size. POOR KIDtry working those hours today! Good griefIt's amazing (and maybe a little depressing) to think that a delinquent or "problem kid" in 1913 could be someone who worked 17 hours a day, seven days a week! What would that judge think of the kids today?! Or maybe not so poor.$15 a week was a lot of money back in those days, especially for a kid his age. Seems pretty industrious to me. RJP3Human beings were animals to allow all this so recently ... I am sure there are many who wish they could go back to this profit model. Poor guy - I would have been doing lines too. TiredHe looks so tired. The expression of a worn out soul and he's just a kid. I can't imagine...I can't imagine a kid working those kind of hours, seven days a week, having any energy left over to be incorrigible. Seems like the only time his mom would see him he'd be asleep. People were just differentPeople were just different then, I'm sure they couldn't imagine the lazy world we live in today. Cocaine?"His mother and the judge think he uses cocaine, and yet they let him put in these long hours every day." Was cocaine illegal in those days? I seriously doubt this kid saw his 20th birthday. Lazy?If a world in which you don't have to work 17 hours a day to make ends meet is lazy, then I'm throwing in my lot with the lazy. Poor Kid???He looks like a dope addict...all jazzed up on the dope... Long hoursWhen did he have time to be delinquent? DaltonHe was bad? He worked 17+ hours a day to survive. He didn't take the shortcuts of knives and guns which take only seconds to settle debts-legal or otherwise. The punks in the streets should be sent back in time and see how long they'd survive. Family tree?# Name: Eugene Trice DALTON # Sex: M # Birth: 15 SEP 1897 in Fort Worth, Texas # Death: WFT Est. 1918-1987 in Denver, Colorado Father: Wesley DALTON b: 13 JUL 1857 in Dayton, Ohio Mother: Imogene Olive TRICE b: 30 AUG 1857 in Georgia Marriage 1 Katherine BROWN b: WFT Est. 1893-1913 * Married: WFT Est. 1914-1947 in Telluride, Colorado Children 1. Has No Children Living DALTON 2. Has No Children Living DALTON Incorrigibility at home?I would be very curious to know what "incorrigibility at home" was back in those days... Was this kid send to juvi because he talked back to his mom at home or was he actually doing something bad? I also can't imagine him having too much energy left in him after a 17 hour day... The Drug StoreIn 1913 cocaine was still included in many common elixirs, which were legally acquired at the drug store until 1914, when it became illegal to sell cocaine (and heroin or opium, which were also common ingredients). Of course that is why as a messenger for the drug store he was often delivering to the "Red Light District." The fact that the judge and his mother were concerned about his use of the over-the-counter drug reflects society's growing awareness of addiction as a problem. This led in the next year to legislation (Harrison Narcotic Act) that took most of what we would call serious drugs off the shelves. Work was harder in the old days.An old railroader I knew told me that they used to work twelve hours a day, with one day off a month; and then be called in to work that day too. My granny said that her maids had similar working hours. It was normal, if not very humane. This guy's job, working around the station, wasn't as strenuous as some other forms of manual labor. Think of English miners working bent over in coal seams; or sailors going aloft in storms. If one fell in the ocean, the ship didn't stop. Long hoursIf the young man is telling the truth, $15-$18 a week is a lot of money in 1913. According to an inflation calculator, in 2012 dollars thats $348.00-$418.00 per week. A tidy sum for a 16yo (which may explain why he put in the long hours he did). (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Jersey Shore: 1904
... canvas. - Dave] So many pee-ople So little ocean. Washday These folks sure saved money on laundry detergent -- and ... especially Navy-blue, since that is associated with the ocean. I think it would be very uncomfortable to wear so much clothing in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:41pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1904. "Steeplechase Pier and bathers, Atlantic City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Women's bathing suits on sale today!Any color you want, as long as it's black. Shark!Just a dozen years more and to these waters (and Matawan Creek) will come a visitor that would be the primary inspiration for "Jaws" -- the Matawan Man-Eater. Water WingsIn the center bottom a woman is holding .. donno .. water wings I suppose. Have to wonder what they were made of in 1904. [Rubberized canvas. - Dave] So many pee-opleSo little ocean. WashdayThese folks sure saved money on laundry detergent -- and bar soap, too. Then As NowToo many people. Bathing suit bluesOh, for color film in 1904! Even though most of these suits were probably rented, I think we'd see many more dark blue bathing suits than black ones. Among the personally owned suits we'd also see some red, some dark gray, and occasionally a white one. Ads for suits mentioned solid colors along with navy blue or plain black, but the blue ones seemed to be the most popular. Most of the surviving suits from the period now in museums are some shade of dark blue. Even patterns for homemade swimsuits available in the years before this picture was taken recommend more blue material than anything else. Looking at patterns for eleven different bathing suits spanning nearly twenty years, I found two that were for striped material (one red and white, and one not stated - see the woman closest to the camera at bottom center in the picture), one for white, one for red, and one for patterned material. The other six recommended: 1) Russian blue flannel, with ruffles of white embroidery and consists of drawers, blouse and cap. The cap was made of white oiled silk. 2) Dark blue flannel, trimmed with bands of white on which are lines of red soutache. 3) Navy blue flannel, with a white collar, vest and belt ornamented with feather stitching. 4) Either of dark blue serge or Alpaca, consists of short drawers buttoned to a blouse waist which has a vest and a collar of white serge trimmed with a black braid and a skirt. 5) Red or blue flannel and consists of drawers, blouse, vest and skirt. 6) Dark blue serge, bound with white worsted braid, and ornamented in chain stitch embroidery with white split zephyr worsted. Even most of the reproductions made today are blue. Below are four surviving suits from museums or vintage clothing auctions, along with a reproduction (on the full-length mannequin). And in case you were wondering - yes, they wore swimming corsets under their bathing suits too, which were smaller than their normal ones. CoveredThe straw hat vendor must have made a mint on that beach! Last of Victorian ModestyWhat an event to actually see a man's underarms, a woman's thighs, the wet bodies that leave so little to the prudish to surmise ! I see that many of the men wear "letter" tops that belie the use of sportswear as swimming clothing & I also wonder if not that the rather ubiquitous floppy straw hats are also worn by men as much as by women. Experiences like these certainly pushed to old morals of the 19th Century right out of the average persons mind quickly. Ready to cakewalk & then tango right into the next fast-paced twenty years, after which even times like these would seen idyllic & far too contrived & controlled for any sincere fun seeker of the new century. A punch upabout to start next to the woman with the water wings! Up close and personalScan the surf line and count the number of men holding women (and women holding women). Probably one of the only socially acceptable times to touch or be close to the opposite sex in 1904 without chaperones. Jersey ShoreLook at the crowds! More than on a holiday weekend today. No exposed skin anywhere on the beach. Where are the lifeguards? Oh, they had none. Looks like it was "Swim at your own risk." I found Waldo!Hiding in plain sight, right up front. Water Wings & SwimsuitsI have an old pair of water wings that are a more teardrop shaped that are made of rubber lined white canvas. I doubt they would keep an adult afloat on their own, at best only offering a bit of help for a weak swimmer or one just learning. Thanks to Tobacconist for the great commentary and illustrations on vintage swim wear. My research confirms his/hers regarding color preferences during the heyday "skirts and bloomers" era of women's swim wear (roughly the 1850s through the 1910s, or 1920s for the most modest). I suspect the popularity of dark blue was because of the nautical associations that show up almost universally in the trim on women's suits (white trimmed sailor collars, anchors, etc.) Also, dark colors remain opaque when wet. Very important to modesty to be sure! -- Glenna Jo the swimsuit collector (using her husband's account to comment) Thanks, Tobacconist!Actually, I WAS wondering if they wore corsets under their bathing costumes! Some of the shapes really look like it. It makes a lot of sense that most of the suits would have been blue too, especially Navy-blue, since that is associated with the ocean. I think it would be very uncomfortable to wear so much clothing in the water, but I guess it wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't heavy fabric. I'll bet it was fairly heavy, though, especially the rented suits, to be able to hold up to a lot of use. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
The Pike, Long Beach 1963
... nostalgia like no other, and particularly dancing on that ocean air dance floor. Days at the Pike Summertime at the Pike . ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 07/28/2020 - 11:06am -

The Pike at Long Beach, California, August 1963. An old-style amusement park with wooden roller coaster "The Cyclone," closed in 1979. View full size. Hear that?This picture has a special quality for me. It seems, if you concentrated, you could just hear the music, and smell the scent of those wonderful/awful amusment park treats. I love the cars! Wonder what they'd be worth now? Pike TykeI was just a few weeks old and living up north in Contra Costa County when this was taken. Oh, myI moved to LA in the year 2000. The only remnant of this place was an arcade, under a peaked circular roof. A couple of years later amid rampant condominium construction, only the roof remained, like a giant coolie hat on cinder blocks. It looked like someone wanted to save that roof. I moved away. Did they put it to some use? Long Beach is wonderful, it's always *almost* Santa Monica. Shhhh. Save it for me. The Incredibly Strange CreaturesUnless I'm horribly misaken, this was the amusement park featured in the Ray Steckler classic bad film "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies"! I highly recommend the Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment of it. Incredibly Strange but trueYep, the Pike was the place where "Incredibly Strange Creatures" was filmed. It might be one of the best "worst" movies of all time. The PikeI started school at Long Beach State in 1964, in contrast to the weeks old tyke. The Pike was great fun to walk around in during the day, even if your pockets were empty. Got a little edgy though when the sun went down. Lots of sailors foreign and domestic roamed that place the nights I went there. I remember it as kind of seedy and hinted of lurking danger in the darker corners. But those were enticing features to me and my friends in that era. We loved it. A dose of real life beyond a sterile campus setting. Magic BusIs anyone else salivating at the sight of that new-looking split-windshield Microbus? Scary!!Nothing in this world is WORSE than an "Incredibly Strange Creature Who Stops Living and Becomes a Mixed-Up Zombie"!! 58 Merc1958 Mercury Monterey in the foreground. Nice. '63 T-BirdThat's a Thunderbird next to the MicroBus. The side "vents" indicate it's a '63. In a way, this was really the last summer of the 1950's... just before the Kennedy assassination and the British invasion. SailorsI was one of those "domestic sailors" and rode the roller coaster many times between 1964 and 1966. There were many attractions in the Longbeach area at that time. The PikeLoved the Pike. Rode the Cyclone when I was 11. Nobody ever mentions the diving bell that dove into a tank with a bunch of tired old fish and a lazy stingray. Got tattooed there at 18. The Pike NowMy in-laws always told me about the Pike so my wife and son met some of her relatives there last summer on what was my first trip to California. The Pike is back...sort of. They have a ferris wheel that offers a nice view of the area and a carousel. Aside from that, there are some restaurants and shops and that's about it. I think the area where the Pike "was" is now all condos and parking lots. Josh Family outingMy Dad heard about the Pike from guys at work and convinced Mom that it would be a fun outing. When we arrived we were not allowed to get out of the car. It was 1967 and it was full of "hippies, ladies of the night and aimless drifters" according to my Mom. We never made it back and then they tore it down. My Aunt remembers good times there in the 40's with her friends and cute sailors. 1962, 10 Years Old.Mom gave me five bucks and cut me loose there for the day, barefoot. I would dip in the plunge till pruny and dry while I hit the arcades with penny toss and a ride. Wild Mouse, Cyclone, Tilt-a-Whirl and a strange airplane ride at the end of the park where you could control your spin and turn yourself upside down on a windy day. I rode it several times and grew up to be a pilot by age 17. Laugh house later was torn down and found to have been storing a real mummy as from an old 1800's traveling carnival. When money was found in its mouth he was identified. Mom worked across the street in the Heartwell building. All back while Rainbow Pier was still in existence and the Long Beach Arena was a planned dream. Thanks for the photo of my time. ClickWhat was the name of the photo gallery where you stood behind the funny painted standups and got your picture taken? MadnessThis place was also seen in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). There are a couple of stills from the movie here.. http://members.cox.net/mkpl4/mmmmw/thumb.htm near the bottom of the page under "Long Beach." That coaster looks huge in the movie. The Old Pike DaysWalt Disney said he built Disneyland because the Pike was too seedy for his daughters. My dad took me on the roller coaster when I was 12 and scared me to death. Gawd I was glad when the ride was over. I went there in 1968 in my Navy days and my buddies got me on the Tilt-A-Whirl at full speed. I was sick for two days. Now the place is just a lot of tacky condos. Dancing at the PikeIn 1962 I met Dennis Patrick Smith of Long Beach at the Pike. We loved dancing there, or walking on the beach and finding snack places in Long Beach. I went back to school and my romance with DPS continued by telephone and letters. In 1964, I was back in Long Beach and that summer we loved the bumper cars. What incredible atmosphere the whole area provided! My relationship with DPS continued for 19 years, but in another realm, much like the decline and demise of The Pike. The mental pictures of Pike memories still conjure up nostalgia like no other, and particularly dancing on that ocean air dance floor. Days at the PikeSummertime at the Pike. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Under the El: 1940
... More recently this area was used in the remake of Ocean's Eleven, it's where Matt Damon pulls the business card out of his pocket that Danny Ocean swapped for the wallet Matt had just lifted from the unsuspected El ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 10:51am -

July 1940. Another view under the elevated tracks in Chicago. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. The ElWhat are the streets? Tables for Ladies...It's not every oysters/fish restaurant that can claim that. ["Table for Ladies" seems to have been a pretty common sign for restaurants. More so back toward the turn of the century. - Dave] The El intersectionIt's one of the corners of the Loop ... my husband thinks the street going away from the viewer toward the vanishing point is Wabash, and the street crossing it is Lake. This is how it looks today. (Google Map Street View). Under the ElIt's Jewelers Row, all right, but I think you're shooting a bit too far to the north. The facade of the building does not match the second story of the Carson Pirie Scott building on that intersection. We should be thinking closer to Jackson Boulevard or Van Buren. I've seen the Schlitz marquees before. Fred PotthastOh Fred, thanks for having such a searchable name. Fred Potthast's restaurant was at 4 West Van Buren, per a 1933 Chicago Tribune article about Loop taverns reopening in the wake of Prohibition's repeal. "Below stairs Fred Potthast, the second generation of his name and occupation in that premises, has his license tucked away against the impending change, but won’t need to hire any carpenters to build him a brand new bar. He’s quite satisfied with the one that was installed there forty-four years ago [1889] by his father, famous for his sea food cuisine." Even more significant: we are looking at the block on which Jake and Elwood blues lived in the SRO hotel in "The Blues Brothers"--the block ostensibly destroyed by a homicidal Carrie Fisher. The space is now a vacant lot that was supposed to become a park when the library was built but never has. Lotta history dere though. State and Van Buren looking westtoday there is a park on the right and the Washington Library on the left. The next street light is Plymouth Court Tables for LadiesNot only the Table sign there was usually a Ladies Entrance which bypassed the bar and led directly to the table section. I remember the local neighborhood taverns in Baltimore would have those signs and alternate entrances which no self respecting man would use no matter if it were pouring down rain and you had to walk an extra 20 to 50 feet for the Bar entrance. The StreetsThe photographer appears to be standing in the intersection of State Street (left to right) and Van Buren, looking Westward. More recently this area was used in the remake of Ocean's Eleven, it's where Matt Damon pulls the business card out of his pocket that Danny Ocean swapped for the wallet Matt had just lifted from the unsuspected El rider. The only thing left from 1940 ...is the steel holding up the El and the location of a couple of manholes in the street. Streetview in maps.google is my friend when my memory is not. Wells and LakeI've studied this image and I really think that it was shot at Wells and Lake, the northern and western corner of the Loop. The image appears to be looking southward while standing on Wells. Look at the buildings in this Google Map street view. Specifically, pan or slide to the right and notice the building with the "cut" or beveled corner. The doorway is where it should be, in the beveled corner. The other Loop corners don't have existing structures that come as close as this. Of course, the original structures in Vachon's image may no longer exist, and I could be wrong. View Larger Mapcbp=12,178.12917418537864,,0,14.927384966794076 Anyway, it seems convincing. I'm going to check it out on foot soon if the temperature ever climbs above freezing. Perhaps this means I need a hobby. Looking west on West Van Buren from South StateThe view is under the south perimeter of the Union Loop El, which straddles Van Buren Street from Wells Street to Wabash Avenue. As has already been mentioned, there are two clues that show this view looks west on Van Buren at State. First is the Fred Potthast Restaurant. The low address number (4) indicates that we are looking west along the first block of West Van Buren, as State Street (in the foreground) is the dividing line for Chicago streets running east and west. Second and even more telling is the track junction allowing the streetcars to operate eastbound on Van Buren and continue on State north or south. +77Below is the same perspective from June of 2017 (minus the charm in the original). (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, John Vachon, Railroads)
Nine Lives: 1910
... attempt at the first air crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/09/2013 - 1:31am -

October 1910, aboard the steamship Trent off Bermuda. "M. Vaniman and cat." Melvin Vaniman, first engineer aboard the hydrogen airship America, with the tabby cat mascot of their ill-fated attempt at the first air crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Just As WellOur cat Diablo would be a dangerous source of static electricity were he on board a hydrogen filled airship. Patting him actually causes interference on an AM radio! Maybe it's just as well that the America's crossing was aborted. Vaniman's DemiseVaniman lost his life during his second attempt at a trans-Atlantic airship crossing when his airship, the Akron, exploded off the New Jersey shore on July 2, 1912. Filled with 11,300 cubic meters of hydrogen gas, his was the first American airship that could compare to the better known European manufactured models. Vaniman and his crew of four were killed when the airship exploded in front of the gathered crowd near Atlantic City, and gondola plunged 750 meters into an inlet. -- Wikipedia A more fortunate feline.... than the one that accompanied Shackleton and the crew of ENDURANCE to the south polar seas. R.I.P. Mrs. Chippy. Anyone got a lint brush?I love that the guy holding the cat is covered in cat hair. Some things never change... Never annoy a cat...That cat is definitely planning an act of revenge. Flying cat!I was hoping that we'd get to see the cat. Looks like he was leash trained. [Also rope trained. The New York Times reported that Kitty jumped out of the airship in heavy fog early in the voyage but was fished out of the Atlantic with a canvas bag attached to a lifeline. - Dave] What happened to the cat?Out of sheer curiosity, is it known what happened to the cat when the America was abandoned by its crew? [That''s what the photo is of. The crew after they were rescued by the Trent. - Dave] Lint RollerLooks to have cat hair all over his sweater and coat. Just like my clothes, my house, furniture and every damn thing I own. It was never my intention to love a cat and I swear, I will never love another one. Re: HELIUM, not hydrogen, DID NOT explodeWriting in ALL CAPS is irritating enough when people are "correcting" a previous comment. When the "correcter" turns out to be the one who needs correcting, it's ESPECIALLY annoying. Akron lost in storm, did not explode.The Akron was lost in a storm on April 3rd,1933, off the coast of New Jersey. It DID NOT explode as reported above. It was filled with 6,500,000 cubic feet of HELIUM, not hydrogen. US airships never used hydrogen. 73 men went down with her. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Akron_(ZRS-4) [Wrong. The very first sentence of that Wikipedia article notes that there was more than one airship called the Akron. Like my sixth-grade teacher used to say, it always pays to check your facts. - Dave] All according to plan?The cat's expression is so calm and cool. It's almost as if he may have had a paw in the ship's demise... To use the colloquial expression...BURN (pun intended) On a side note, I have decided personal Zeppelin would be an awesome way to travel. Provided hydrogen is not the source of one's lift of course. I wonder about that cat ....That cat looks downright diabolical. I wonder if, in two years, Kitty had something to do with the Titanic, and if he is plotting it even as this picture is being taken. One should never underestimate the power of a cat .... Cat Conspiracy TheoristsSo the consensus is that it was the cat's fault? My dog would buy that. Kiddo, the airship cathttp://www.purr-n-fur.org.uk/famous/kiddo.html Love the cat! And the cat hair!Frederick Murray Simon, the navigator of the airship America, from which this cat was rescued, was on the maiden voyage of the Hindenburg! http://www.airships.net/hindenburg/flight-schedule/maiden-voyage (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cats, G.G. Bain, Zeppelins & Blimps)
Flyover: 1928
... her from the goal. Triumphant over wind, weather and ocean, she slipped over the American coast at 10:10 a.m. at a point six miles ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:23pm -

"Graf Zeppelin over Capitol." The German airship on its visit to Washington in October 1928. National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. I knew Cheney was rightObama has left us undefended! Do I sense a..Homeland Security alert? Cue the F-18's. FalloutWhite House Military Director Dewey Tellum immediately apologized for the incident, and the German government has promised to cover the entire $88.95 cost of the promotional stunt. Oct. 15, 12:30 p.m. Washington Post, Oct 16, 1928 Battle With Winds Marked Air Voyage Log of Transatlantic Flight Tells Tale of Struggle Against Elements. New York, Oct. 15 (A.P.). - Graf Zeppelin, proud aristocrat of a long lineage of aircraft, cruised triumphantly up the Mid-Atlantic Coast today to show herself to millions of Americans who had followed with intense interest and some anxiety the progress of her record breaking voyage from Friedrichshafen, Germany. The great silver ship made her bow to the waiting continent at 9:45 o'clock this morning, Eastern standard time, when she was sighted from Cape Charles, Va., northern promontory of the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. Behind her were not only 6,000 miles of land and water, but anxious moments when a damaged horizontal fin had forced her to reduce speed, and long hours of battling winds that were conspiring to keep her from the goal. Triumphant over wind, weather and ocean, she slipped over the American coast at 10:10 a.m. at a point six miles north of Cape Charles, and from then on, with the journey's end in sight, her sturdy motors bore her comfortably over the densely populated coastal plain. She paid her formal respects to Washington at about 12:30 p.m. sliding over the Capitol and White House beneath an overcast sky, and then slipped north to visit Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton and New York, passing as she went many smaller communities, which like their more populous neighbors, saluted the victorious voyager from street and housetop. ... Washington first saluted the Graf Zeppelin at 12:21 when she approached from the east over the Capitol. As she circled above the Government buildings, sharp-eyed naval experts noticed the hole in her port stabilizer - the rent that had caused the anxiety last Saturday. President Coolidge took time to have a look at Graf Zeppelin. Leaving his desk in the White House executive office, he stepped outdoors, bareheaded, watched the dirigible for a moment, as everybody else was doing, and then went back to work. ... First Transoceanic VoyageThis is the Graf after it made the first flight over the Atlantic for an aircraft with paying passengers. It was also notable for damage done to the fabric of the port horizontal stabilizer, which was recovered and lashed tight by volunteers in flight. Due to the newspaper headlines there was a huge crowd assembled at Lakehust when she arrived. Also a ticker-tape parade for Hugo Eckner and his crew in Manhattan and a reception by President Coolidge in the White House. My mom saw it fly over her house on the eastern shore of Virginia as a child. She said it filled the sky. It was not uncommon for airships to fly at an altitude lower than their length. The Graf was 787 feet long. Big enough to "fill the sky!" PANIC!!!Can you imagine the havoc that would be caused if this happened today? WOW!Of all the great pictures I've seen here in Shorpy (and I've seen quite a few!) this has to be one of the most striking. Thank you very much for sharing it with us! 48 States in the FlagIn 1928, there were, in fact, 48 States in the Union. Someone up top needs to retake history class. [That may have been someone's idea of drollery. Or trollery. - Dave] "Sally ship!"Something seems odd about the comparative views of the Capitol building and the ship. It looks as though she's making a sharp turn, but it doesn't seem likely that a zeppelin's speed could ever make her heel like that. Do the crew need to shift some ballast? [There seems to have been quite a bit of dipping and circling involved. - Dave] The Zeppelin entered Washington from the southeast, passing close to the Capitol, to which it dipped in salute as hundreds emerged from the House and Senate office buildings to view the spectacle. Continuing straight through the heart of the city, the dirigible swung through the northwest section over the German Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue, down past the State, War and Navy Building toward the Washington Monument. By this time its altitude was estimated at about 1,000 feet. It swung easily with a slight roll, the rip in its port fin plainly showing. It circled the Monument, passing almost over it and dipping in salute. She then turned her nose to the northeast and went directly over the White House, where she again dipped in formal salute and then straightened away toward Baltimore on her way to New York and Lakehurst. Run for your lives!!It's heading for the Capitol!! (five minutes later) Keep on running! It's halfway there!! Fake PhotoPhoto is obviously fake. Flag doesn't even have 50 stars on it. Duh. D'oh! Fake Photo?Let's see ..... 1928 ..... hmmmm.... how many states in the Union? Hat Crime"he stepped outdoors, bareheaded ... " A scandal ensued. Atop the domeYou know, I've probably seen a zillion pictures of the US Capitol in my lifetime, but this is the first time (probably because of the object hovering over it, and because I'm looking at the photo in full size format) that my eyes were drawn to the statue on top. I'm sure I've seen it with my eyes, but not with my comprehension. I had to look it up myself to get a closer look at it. It's a statue called "Armed Freedom" and the best shot of it that I could find was, oddly enough, at AllPosters.com. ProgressThis event was hailed as momentous, and a mere 41 years later, America would plant a 50-star flag on the Moon with space flight. The Moon! In only 41 years after a dirigible was touted as progress! Up in the airThe photo looks like a montage to me. The image of the Zeppelin is exactly the same as the image on the newspaper front page, which was obviously taken while looking up as it flew over. [The propulsion pods are lined up vertically in the Capitol photo. Not so in the newspaper photo. Obviously two different views. Also note that the haze over the zep in the Capitol photo blends in very well with the haze in the rest of the sky. Our source here is a glass negative, as opposed to a print on paper. - Dave] The GrafWhat a beautiful ship. If I could take part in one event in history, I would want to be a passenger on the Graf Zeppelin's around-the-world voyage in 1929. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Zeppelins & Blimps)
Sutro Baths: 1915
... scenes from the film. -tterrace.] Frigid Pacific Ocean water is what they're swimming (er, standing) in, which only hits a high ... San Francisco is never-ever warm. Ever. In addition to the ocean current rotating clockwise down from Alaska, off the coast is the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2015 - 5:00pm -

San Francisco circa 1915. "Sutro Baths. Spectator's view to Small Pools." 1970s copy negative of an image formerly of the Martin Behrman, Wyland Stanley and Marilyn Blaisdell collections. View full size. The LineupGood views of Sutro Baths, now gone. [Also, check out some then and now scenes from the film. -tterrace.] FrigidPacific Ocean water is what they're swimming (er, standing) in, which only hits a high of 60°F, in September. The western side of San Francisco is never-ever warm. Ever. In addition to the ocean current rotating clockwise down from Alaska, off the coast is the continental shelf that drops many thousands of feet, from which an upwelling of extremely frigid water from the black depths maintains the impossibility of ever seeing the sun on the beaches of San Francisco, let alone feeling compelled to get in the surf and "cool off." That, and the San Francisco Bay is fed by melted snow from the Sierra Nevada, which flows out through the Golden Gate, to the immediate north of Sutro Baths -- just in case. I'm cold just thinking about it. I'm going to go make a cup of tea. For you fans of old moviesThe Sutro Baths were part of an area just above the Cliff House (which Shorpy has also featured great photos of here) and were located near the area where a scene from the movie "Harold & Maude" was filmed. Fans may remember the scene where Harold's uncle tries to talk him into joining the army and Maude is a "war protester" who meets her demise on the rocks below. One of my father's proudest momentsWas diving off the top platform at Sutro Baths, practically at the roof. The other was being assigned the helm when the freighter on which he was a deckhand transited the Panama Canal. Fascinating!The photo made me want to know more. Turned up this site with tons of great photos of the baths. One of a KindSutro's was a magical, and scary, place in 1960. Not all of it was operating then (I don't remember the baths being open) but they had a great ice skating rink and creepy old museum filled with what could have passed for a haunted house. By the time I returned from Vietnam in 1966 it had burned to the ground. I heard many fond stories from older folks who frequented the place earlier in the century. A Range of TemperaturesActually, the six saltwater pools in Sutro Baths were heated to a variety of temperatures, offering bathers ample options for seawater soaking. Boilers in the powerhouse could warm ocean water up to 98 degrees. Generally, the four small pools visible in this photo were heated from warm to cool as they marched away from the photographer. Only the water in the largest pool (barely visible at upper right) came directly from the unheated ocean. A "dare ya" challenge among kids involved soaking in the hottest pool then immediately jumping into the frigid Pacific-temperature pool. BTW, there's a great new book about the Baths titled "Sutro's Glass Palace: The Story of Sutro Baths" containing a wealth of historic photos, drawings, and technical information about the now-vanished landmark: http://holeintheheadpress.com/sutro.html (Disclosure: I'm the author.) Lots of seatingWere competitions held there? I can't understand the quantity of bleachers. Surely there wouldn't be that many people there just to watch a bunch of other people splash around. Seating for ThousandsSwimming competitions were indeed a regular attraction at Sutro Baths, sometimes drawing upwards of 20,000 spectators. But the bleachers were also filled by a dizzying array of entertainments that included band concerts, high-diving exhibitions, tug-of-war contests, vaudeville performers, operatic singers, breath holding contests, boxing matches, animal acts, underwater escape artists, re-creations of shipwrecks and rescues, and May Day exhibitions with thousands of kids participating. You got a lot for a 10-cent admission in the 1890s. (The Gallery, San Francisco, Swimming)
All Suits Sterilized: 1910
... George Grantham Bain Collection. What we have here is an ocean of people and a puddle of ocean. What is it? What is the guy to the left with cigarette in his ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 5:57pm -

"Hot day at Coney Island." Circa 1910. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. What we have here is an ocean of people and a puddle of ocean. What is it?What is the guy to the left with cigarette in his mouth, holding in his hands? Compare and Contrasthttp://www.flickr.com/photos/graciepoo/182734002/ I find it interesting how muscular almost all the guys are. It seems like every one of them has clear muscular definition in his arms. The same scene today looks nothing like that in terms of body physique. Cig guyit looks like he's holding a picture on a handle. why it's on a handle, i can't imagine, but that's what it seems. Pix on a stickPhotos. Selling them, I guess. He's holding an example of the finished product. MuscularMen worked much harder in those days, and women too. Even men with office jobs had duties such has hauling in coal for heat in the winter, plus industrial jobs were much harder then, demanding much more physical energy than today, and especially men in the farm industry, they had to work probably ten times what they do today. My grandfather said that a day of work began at dawn and ended at dusk, as he put it; "See 'til can't see". When I ask him about getting into trouble as a teenager, he said "You were so tired and wore out that you did not have the time or energy to get in trouble" No Beach BlanketsLook how many people are burying themselves in the sand. Staying cool, or having fun? The woman at Cig Guy's feet did have legs, I presume. ThinPeople were also not guzzling fruit juice and soft drinks 24/7. No Big Macs either. what he's holdingHe is holding what is now days called a 3D view finder. Your eye piece went on the end of the piece he is holding in his left hand. (He appears to be folding or unfolding that piece) There are 3 pictures to a slide. You then can move the picture right or left to see them individually in 3D. You're right about those bodies.Sure different from today! As for working from before dawn to after dusk, the old-timers in Texas say "from cain't to cain't" (can't see until can't see). SterilizedI think that a silent film "Coney Island" had some reference to renting bathing suits. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0007819/plotsummary Wonderful Snapshot in TimeWOW! I could sit and study this photo for hours, really. I think people were more handsome back then precisely because they were less self-conscieous and far less preoccupied over their looks. Great site! Anti- Rash cream availableThe thought of wet wool, and heat, mixed in with an extra bonus...sand. Sanitize all you want. More money could have been made selling anti-rash creams. (The Gallery, Coney Island, G.G. Bain, Swimming)
Cliff House: 1955
... System terminal in SF, have lunch with my dad, then off to Ocean Beach for the afternoon. If you turned that car around and went back up ... in the Sunset District of San Francisco. Two blocks from Ocean Beach, a few blocks from Playland at the Beach, Golden Gate Park and the ... 
 
Posted by motobean - 01/18/2014 - 6:01pm -

In 1955 my father visited San Francisco. This picture shows what the Cliff House looked like at that time. View full size. One of My Favorite Places as a KidDown that hill, besides Playland (which is featured in the Orson Welles/Rita Hayworth film "Lady from Shanghai" there was the Musee Mecanique (now at Fisherman's Wharf) which was a paradise for a mechanically minded kid and the Camera Obscura. I used to take the F train from the top of Solano Avenue in Albany all the way across to the Key System terminal in SF, have lunch with my dad, then off to Ocean Beach for the afternoon. If you turned that car around and went back up you'd go past Louie's cafe and to the Seal Beach Inn, where Ken Kesey wrote "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Left at the Seal Beach and you'll find yourself at the USS San Francisco monument and an old Nike base. Fascinating corner of a fascinating city. Breathing roomParking places sure have gotten a lot narrower than they were in 1955. Early fastbackAny ideas on the blue beauty, 4th from the left, pointing west. What a time. Just Up the RoadIn 1955 we lived in the Sunset District of San Francisco. Two blocks from Ocean Beach, a few blocks from Playland at the Beach, Golden Gate Park and the Cliff House was up the hill from us along the Great Highway. A great time to be a young lad in San Francisco. Same restaurant, same vintage, different angleHere's a different view of the same restaurant, taken a few years later. Some of the same cars were probably in the parking lot in both pictures! https://www.shorpy.com/node/13472 That fastbacklooks to be a Buick Roadmaster Sedanette, possibly a 1949. What a wonderful picture!Thanks for sharing this great photo. It's before my time in SF but it sure makes me wish I'd come here a couple of decades sooner. 4th car from the leftI think the blue beauty is a 1949 Olds. Chevy, Olds, Buick and Caddie had the same fastback models, the Olds, Buick and caddie with fancier chrome and tail lights. This body style was used '49 to '52. The '49 had the simpler trunk handle. My '50 Chevy FB was my favorite ride. How many cliff houses are there?Would that be this one? [Yes. Today's Cliff House, the same one on the photo, is the fifth third built on the site, restored to its original 1909 appearance. -tterrace] View Larger Map The hamburger jointA place more in line with my budget I am sure, and it is piquing my curiosity as it seems to be long gone. Another PossibilityI think that the sleek blue fastback is a 1946 or '47 Cadillac. Note the vertical taillights, as well the trim bars in the back window. Also, the '46-'47 Cadillacs appeared somewhat wider in the rear than their '48-'49 successors, as they had more bulbous back fenders. Cadillac SedanetThat fastback on the left is a 1946 or '47 Cadillac. Note the dividers in the rear window which were a feature of all Cadillac models during the '40s. The car in the foreground is a '49 DeSoto. Coming out of its shellHere's another comparison taken from nearly the same location, this time during the 2003 remodeling when the "moderne" facade was being removed to reveal the original 1909 building hidden behind the 1950s addition. Later, missing details such as cornices and parapets were restored so the Cliff House today looks much as it did when first built in 1909. (As a side note, San Francisco historian argue over how many Cliff Houses have been on the site. Some claim three, others as many as six. It all depends if you consider a remodeled building a "new" structure.) [Further research seems to indicate there are only three basic structures solidly documented, so I've corrected my utterance in the comment below. -tterrace] Also up the road...Just a short hike from the Cliff House are the Sutro baths. For anyone who is a fan of the 1971 movie "Harold & Maude" the Sutro baths were where Harold and his Uncle Victor discussed Harold joining the military and where Maude, masquerading as a "protester" stole Harold's shrunken head and then fell through the hole when Harold grabbed her sign and chased her. Great movie and great location! [Also featured prominently in the 1958 feature "The Lineup," based on the TV show of the same name. -tterrace] Four V-8s and a LimoInline engines are still in the majority, but there are four V-8s, one a flathead in the Caddy fastback, two modern ones in the '50 Olds and '49 Cadillac with the '53 Buick the newest addition for that line. Update: Sorry, Lincoln! To the right of the Oldsmobile, you're a flathead V-8, too, with Hydra-Matic. The black car to the far right just before the Plymouth Suburban's tail light is a very rare 1950 Chrysler eight passenger limo with its driver waiting in front for the owner to return. If it's a Windsor, it's one of 174, if a top of the line Crown Imperial on the 145.5" wheelbase, it's one of 205 and weighs 5,300 lbs. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Savannah: 1905
... or the second City of Columbus (sister ships) of the Ocean Steamship Company of Savannah, a subsidiary of the Central of Georgia ... postcard from the Detroit Photographic Company, titled, "Ocean Steamship Co's Docks, Savannah, Ga." from the New York Public Library ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 1:19pm -

Circa 1905. "The docks at Savannah." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Is something amiss?Looks like there has been a derailment in the middle of the street. FinallyA Pepsi-Cola sign. Interesting shipCabins all around, but the way it is riding high in the water it seems to wait for bulk cargo as well. I wonder what it was and how it got stowed on board. No big conspicuous cargo hatches I could see. Re: Interesting shipI posted a link to the photo on the Southern Railway Historical Society Yahoo group, and one of the members, Bob Hanson, a resident of Georgia, posted the following comment: "The ship on the left taking coal appears to be either the City of Atlanta or the second City of Columbus (sister ships) of the Ocean Steamship Company of Savannah, a subsidiary of the Central of Georgia Railway." Steam and Sail.Looks like the need to get that coal onboard to stop the listing to port! Not too much cargo goes on board this ship, only one noticeable cargo hatch forward towards the bow and only one crane to service it. And yes this ship does have sails as well. You can see a furled sail on the aft mast. Back in those days sails were breakdown insurance and used to help supplement steam power. Savannah Docks, Detroit's finished productA 1904 postcard from the Detroit Photographic Company, titled, "Ocean Steamship Co's Docks, Savannah, Ga." from the New York Public Library Collection. The faded message is dated March 30, 1906, and reads: "Margaret & Irene, Arrived here this morning, we had a fine trip, been doing Savannah all day. We found it a lovely place and the weather like July in New York. Oh, it is just lovely. We take train to Atlanta tonight. Marie & John" Potential Disaster In Savannah?I should have gone into a little more detail in my earlier comment. I really wish that smoke/steam was not obscuring the view of the locomotive as much as it is. The tender appears to have derailed in the middle of the street. It looks as though it might have become detached from the engine. If so, and the water supply to the engine was interrupted, then everybody in the area should be running for their lives. I've posted some photos to my Flickr site of a 1948 boiler explosion that illustrates what happens when a steam locomotive runs out of water while the firebox is hot: www.flickr.com/photos/michaeljy/3514234654 Also, notice that something has happened to the boxcar on the left side of the street, causing its load to shift and push its door out at the bottom. It looks like it might be loaded with bales of cotton. This poses a great dilemma for the railroad, since the door is barely hanging on and could fall off at any time. Those things are heavy. The car is half blocking the street, and it can only be moved with the greatest care, perhaps it can't be moved at all until the problem is fixed. Meanwhile, all of this has blocked the rail access to this entire area, meaning that until these problems are solved, these extremely busy docks cannot be serviced. Sleek That passenger/packet freighter sure has the sleek lines of that time. I like that architecture! It must have taken a long time to shovel all that coal from the barges into the bunkers of the ship. [Coaling was accomplished with a mechanical conveyor, seen here in its raised position. - Dave] I didn't notice the conveyer. That will speed things up a lot but the end is really nasty like using the grain legs in Buffalo, NY. I can't decide if I like the ships more or the mishmash of rooflines in this photo! Coaling at SavannahAs one always interested in the early 20th century coal economy (e.g. Berwind's Eureka Coal), any chance for an application of ShorpyZoom™ on the coal barges in this photo? Gone To HistoryI tried finding this location, but the port of Savannah has changed so much that it is impossible. This area is likely under where the Talmadge Bridge now is. Re: Coaling at SavannahWhat a dirty and labor-intensive job that was! Looks like there might be as many as a dozen or so men on that barge next to the ship, including one at the bottom of the ladder. There is no sign of any motorized vessel in the area, so I guess they had to use a combination of wenches and lines from the ship, along with sheer manpower, to maneuver the barges around as they were emptied. The mechanical bucket, scuttle, collier, or whatever it was called, looks as though it had to be filled manually in the barge (as opposed to a clamshell-type contraption). Even with that many hands working, moving that much coal had to be a back-breaking task. But I guess people back then were accustomed to such. [If any wenches were used, it wasn't for coaling. - Dave] Steady as she goesThe sails on the ship to the left were probably only used as a staysail to stop the boat from badly rolling in swells, as there seems to be lots of rigging and substantial shrouds to get in the way of efficiently using wind power as a backup if the engine conked out -- you wouldn't want all your passengers too seasick. The Cadsbyis the vessel in the center of the picture opposite the liner in the foreground. In the Cadsby photo, the vessel seen in the background may be the same as in the original, not sure. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads, Savannah)
Standard of the World: 1960
... ton behemoth probably had a motor big enough to power an ocean liner. I love the long lines and the tail lights embedded in the fins and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/09/2020 - 9:19am -

Warren, Michigan, sometime in 1959. "Nineteen-Sixty Cadillac 6339 four-window Sedan de Ville at the GM Technical Center." This was a General Motors body style popularly known as the "flat top." Color transparency from the GM photographic archive. View full size. Such a great driverMy Pop had one or two of these along with a '66 too. I got to drive one. Luxury at its best back then. I was in total awe when he told me about the "Guide-Matic Autronic Eye Automatic Headlight Dimmer" on the dash! You can see it in the photo. These cars were Solid As Sears! Hot CarThis photo made me weep. in the late 1980s my grandmother gave me this exact car - though pearl white with light blue interior, one bought new in 1960 and sat with less that 30K miles in a barn since the early '70s. My dad cleaned it up, had a tune-up and new tires and brakes fixed for me, and set off driving from East Texas to Austin. About 100 miles into his trip something went wrong with the brakes — he noticed the drag and figured it was bad gas or something. The friction of the pads heated up the rear wheels and by the time he noticed smoke he barely had time to pull to the side of the road before the rear end was engulfed in flames. The beautiful Caddy burned to a crisp beside the road. I sometimes wonder how my life would have been different had I cruised Austin in that land yacht instead of my third-hand Buick. *sniff The End ResultThere were, however, parking consquences. Junk in the TrunkThat has some insane trunk space! Like piloting a bargeAbout 50 years ago, I learned to drive in a Peugeot 504, but several times I got to drive a 1960 Sedan de Ville. As the title says, I felt like I was piloting a barge. Or driving a living room. Sorry, I'm searching for just the right analogy. Flatland carImagine Karl Malden and Michael Douglas driving that car on The Streets of San Franciso in a hot pursuit. Or Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks in P.A.G.A.N. gear. Second-Hand MemoriesMy father's boss bought a new Cadillac every other year & sold the last to Dad's coworker. Lionel's wife always got the "new" one. She & Mom were good friends, so we kids spent a lot of time in Ann's Cadillacs out shopping & hitting the drive-in. The '60, like this one, but in metallic lilac, was memorable for the roominess in the back seat for 5 kids. (That was before seatbelts were required in back. My '65 Sedan DeVille that I've had for 48 years didn't have rear seatbelts either.) Garage Stretcher Required?My memories of 1940/1950 houses seem to remember garages that were not very big. This Sedan de Ville looks to be a bit long to fit in those small garages. Maybe a bit in the width dimension too. The image in the earlier post "The End Result" in this thread from tterrace seems to validate this thought. One that got awayIn 1983 I went to see a 1959 flat top, to possibly buy it. It was light gray with a white roof. The seller was asking $750 and I talked him down to $650, but ultimately I got into an argument about the car with my parents and meanwhile it got sold out from under me. It needed some work, but it ran well and all the power windows worked. I was so bummed. I always preferred 1959 over '60, though both are really cool to me. But then I've always loved Cadillacs. This is a great picture. Environment FriendlyThere's room on top for solar panels. That panoramic view!Must have made navigating that barge easy in tight spaces. Rollover protection, not so much. Long Story ShortFor some, if you hadn't stretched your garage prior to getting this land yacht then attempting to squeeze it in would "stretch" it for you. My grandfather had his garage stretched by adding a half-height shed extension. Only the hood of the car would fit into it. The house, and I presume garage, were built in the 1920s. I remember my grandmother's 1957 Coupe de Ville in that garage and later I had to park her 1962 model for her. It was a squeeze both getting the car in and then getting out of the car. Comparison1960 Sedan De Ville 225” Long 80” Wide No Height Wheelbase 130” 4,703 lbs 2019 Yukon XL 224” Long 80.5” Wide 74.4” High Wheelbase 130” 7,500 lbs Looming LargeA barge indeed, or like someone put wheels on the front porch and drove it away. And this type of ride also depends on a lot of wide open suburban spaces. As one of the Top Gear hosts said of an enormous luxury car, "In London, it's like trying to park the moon." Forget the garageI need a bigger monitor. When the image is full sized, I can't see more than two-thirds of the car. How many gallons per mile?Thank goodness gas was probably going for about 25 cents a gallon, if not less. This 3.5 ton behemoth probably had a motor big enough to power an ocean liner. I love the long lines and the tail lights embedded in the fins and in the bumper along with the wrap-around back windshield. Beautiful car! [The car weighed 4,705 pounds. 3½ tons would be 7,000 pounds! - Dave] An investmentIn 1960 there was a "data book" for dealers. It contained exhaustive details on how to order hundreds of combinations of models and options, as well as detailed technical info that included what types of metals were used for piston rings and crankshafts. A 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham had an MSRP of $13,075 or just under $115,000 in 2020 dollars. Only a few more than 100 were made. [101, to be exact. - Dave] Comparison CorrectionThe comparison between the 1960 Sedan DeVille and the 2019 Yukon XL is interesting, but slightly misleading. The weight listed for the Yukon (7,500 lbs.) is the gross weight. In other words, its the maximum weight of the vehicle fully loaded with passengers, gear, etc. The curb weight of the Yukon is actually just under 6,000 lbs. Still formidable, and still a lot more than the Caddy. Fuel consumptionmpg (U.S.): extra-urban: 10.1-12.2 city: 5.6-6.7 highway: 8.9-10.7 average: 8.5 simulation based on the European type of traffic From https://www.automobile-catalog.com/comparison.php This website offers the ability to compare two or more cars from pretty much anywhere in the world. GaragesMy grandfather had the same experience when he bought a 1958 DeSoto Firedome, drove it home, and tried to get it into his 1930 garage. The car was like a wedge, with the fins giving it greater width at the back. I had accompanied him, and got out of the car first, because you couldn't get out on the passenger side in the garage due to an inconvenient staircase. He then drove it carefully into the garage, only to get it stuck with about a foot of car left outside. He then very gingerly backed it out, without visible damage. The next time I went to their house, he had cut two little wedges out of the door frame. If you aimed the car just right, it would go in without getting stuck. (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos)
L.A. Again: 1899
... went near the city center, always staying as close to the ocean as we could. The worst part is that, over 100 years later, it has only ... least the east coast from now on. I do miss the Pacific Ocean, however. Call Dirty Harry Guy on a roof, centre right, where ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 8:20pm -

Circa 1899. "General view, Los Angeles." The lefthand section of a three-frame panoramic set. (The middle section, alas, is not available in high resolution.) Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. L.A. love it or hate itWhat an interesting photo. I didn't think L.A. was that built up & congested in 1899, as this photo shows. I grew up & lived in L.A. from 1958 thru 1985 when it was actually a nice, fun & affordable place to live. It amazes me how that town completely turned around for the worse, which is why I'm glad I live 170 miles away. I was there for this last Thanksgiving visiting family and it seems to be getting worse in every sense with every visit. [Stop visiting! - Dave] You know what's missing?Not a palm tree to be found anywhere but still plenty of "smog." How sadThis is the most depressing cityscape I have seen on your site. This includes bombed cities which, at least, often show the elegance of what they were. I am now reminded of why my parents and, later, my own family never went near the city center, always staying as close to the ocean as we could. The worst part is that, over 100 years later, it has only gotten worse. This actually helped me get over my nostalgia for California -- I'll stick to the suburbs of D.C. or at least the east coast from now on. I do miss the Pacific Ocean, however. Call Dirty HarryGuy on a roof, centre right, where ladders are. The Great DivideAmerica begins west of the Delaware, and ends east of the Sacramento. St. Vibiana'sAhhhhh, FANTASTIC!. This is looking east/southeast. The small dome atop the column right of center is the steeple at the rear of St. Vibiana's Cathedral -- still standing -- which fronts on Main Street just south of Second. A Spreading MetropolisThere's a lot more city out there than I expected for a town that has not yet solved its water supply problems. Lots of large trees, probably eucalyptus (a fast-growing, drought-tolerant species imported from Australia). The tall royal palms, also not native, apparently are not yet part of the scene. Not a motor car in sight of course, and few carriages. The streetcar system should be highly active -- LA's famous "urban sprawl" was a result of streetcar extensions, not the motor car (which of course furthered the ability to sprawl by the 1920s). The aforementioned haze has always been a factor in the "valley of the smokes" due to the air basin trapping natural haze, probably augmented by dust from unpaved roads (although downtown looks paved). The nearbyoil fields are still decades in the future, but the spectacular Mount Lowe Scenic Railway opened in 1894, and during the winter the trolleys carried sightseers through poppy fields on the way to Pasadena. Building identificationI've been trying to identify what the different businesses might be. I think the building at the intersection in the lower left might be a bank. Anyway, any idea what the large round building towards the right just a bit below the horizon might be? The CityAmerica has been on a quest to recreate the great cities of Europe. New York is our London at the height of the British Empire. Washington is our Athens, in an idealized Hellenic Empire. Los Angeles is our Rome. Mail Pouch Tobacco, Goldwater Bros.Good eye on St. Vibiana's. I think the photo is being taken from the top of Fort Moore Hill, looking south. The 101 Freeway and newer government or institutional buildings replaced most of what is seen here. And this must be one of the earliest images of a Mail Pouch Tobacco billboard. These can still be seen on barns all over the Midwest. Also, Goldwater Bros., this is the same Goldwater family as Barry Goldwater. (The Gallery, DPC, Los Angeles)
Kodachrome Vegas: 1958
... Great show set in the early 60s. Or watch the original Ocean's 11 movie, with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. 1959 Model Behind ... 
 
Posted by Deborah - 01/16/2013 - 7:57pm -

Classic Las Vegas -- Fremont Street. 35mm Kodachrome film taken by my father-in-law, Woodrow Humphries. I'm guessing 1958 or so. The Westerner was open from 1950 to 1962. The Mint and The Boulder Club (with its famous sign) are on the right edge. The marquee above the Nevada Club was a late-'50s addition. Any other thoughts are welcome. I just noticed the VW Beetle! View full size. KudosAmazing photo. Car is the foreground is a 1958 Chevrolet. Kudos tooAnd parked at the curb at left, a 1958 Rambler. Neon KodachromeA beautiful photo. I love the colors. The 'CLUB' sign in the upper left corner has a curious appearance of neon green outlines at only the outermost points on the illuminated letters. A neat effect from however Kodachrome reacts to the combination of incandescent and neon lighting. Is that a searchlight in front of the Nevada Club? [The much-brighter incandescents are blown out (grossly over-exposed) either on the film or, more likely, the scan, thus bleeding over and obscuring the neon outlines. Film still has the edge over digital in dynamic range. - tterrace] Union PacificSeeing the Union Pacific depot at the far end of the street reminds me of riding the train. During the 50's my family would ride the Challenger from the East LA station to North Platte, Nebraska to visit relatives. When we stopped in Las Vegas, late at night. I would step off the train and watch the lights of Fremont Street while my dad had a cigarette. Thanks for the memory. Stunning Image!Kodachrome and Vegas neon; what a combination! There's something about the way Kodachrome reacted to and rendered green that is always eye-catching, but this is just amazing. I wonder if they still make Cibachrome prints?!??! I'll take this in a 24" x 36", gloss lammed, on black Gator Board, please. Nice to see Vegasbefore it got gaudy. Henderson Home NewsHere's a newspaper that shows the exact same headliners at the Nevada Club from August 20, 1959. Music music musicI see the Hilltoppers headlining the marquee, and their site lists them as being active from 1952 to 1957, so pretty good chance this is 1958. Tuesday NightsYou might get the feel of this place and time watching the new CBS show "Vegas". Car guy's eyeI noticed the '58 Rambler and '58 Chevy first thing. My first car was a '58 Rambler, a gift from my parents, well-used by the time I got it. It had its good points, but style was not one of them. The Chevy came from another universe; a universe where things were beautiful. Visiting the old Golden NuggetWhat a beautiful picture this is of the old downtown Vegas. I used to love visiting the old Golden Nugget years back. I loved the old downtown area when I was a young kid. My folks used to let us see downtown as we drove through Vegas to visit with my godfather who lived just outside of downtown. I later gambled and usually ate at the Golden Nugget casino there on visits in the early 70's. I loved the howdy pardner sign down the street. I remember when Glenn Manning who was the giant man from the "The Amazing Colossal Mant" movie, tore down the frontier and howdy partner sign on the set for the movie. Fremont StreetI was on Fremont Street just a couple of weeks ago. The Plaza Hotel is still there, recently remodeled. The Golden Nugget is probably the nicest hotel on the street, but the casino is pretty tight compared to Binion's across the street. The Golden Gate, right at the end of the street and across from the Plaza, has a really nice little cafe called Du Par's. The giant cowboy is still there and hopefully will be forever. Live It Up (at the Union Plaza)@rfleischer, The Union Pacific station continued to operate in that location as long as passenger trains served Las Vegas, Amtrak's 'Desert Wind' being the last scheduled train to leave the station in 1997. There was a lovely moderne station on the site until it was demolished to make way for the Union Plaza Hotel (last I knew it was known simply as the Plaza). Passengers continued to be served by a station on the UP property connected to the hotel. It was very convenient to step out of the train and into the hotel, as I did more than a few times. From time to time, there are reports or rumors of a LA - LV passenger train being resurrected but I wouldn't hold my breath. @Vintagetvs Quite right! Before they tarted it up, "The Meadows" was a nice place to go for a tranquil holiday. Not Just a 58 RamblerBut a 1958 Rambler DeLuxe, which meant there was no side trim or excess chrome (though still more chrome than 10 cars put together by today's standards). And instead of two headlamps on each side, there is only one. Many were sold as fleet vehicles, taxis and government use. I purchased this model in 1996 and restored it. Despite its clunky family car look, I won my share of awards and trophies. Mine had the pushbutton transmission. A Roof Over ItPrevious posters failed to mention that this part of downtown Vegas now has a roof over it. It is the called the Fremont Street Experience. It's referred to as a "light canopy." The screen contains 12.5 million synchronized LED lamps, including 180 strobes and eight robotic mirrors per block. You have to see it to believe it. As Mr. Mel mentioned, check out "Vegas" on CBS, 10 pm on Tuesdays. Great show set in the early 60s. Or watch the original Ocean's 11 movie, with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. 1959 ModelBehind the searchlight trailer it looks like there is a 1959 Mercury or Ford station wagon. Since the dark wood does not appear to go above the front wheel it cannot be a 1958 Mercury, and since there is no center hood scoop it cannot be a 1958 Ford. [The car is a 1959 Mercury Colony Park. - Dave] More CarsBehind the Beetle is what looks like a 1955 Plymouth (it's hard to tell), followed by a 1956 Pontiac. We had one of the Pontiacs; it was the first car I ever drove. August 1959@SouthHammond63 – good find. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Father's Day: 1964
... the combination of lots of sun and moist breezes off the ocean. Wish I were still there. Carnations vs. pinks Those little ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 4:46pm -

I can't guarantee this is Father's Day, but going by the date imprinted on this Kodachrome slide mount it's certainly plausible. This is on the deck seen previously, with our dog Missie and my mother engrossed in the paper under the grape arbor. Today I'm six months older than my father is here, which in some undefinable way doesn't seem possible. View full size. How old is mom?I'm "only" 52, but somehow I don't see myself dressing or wearing my hair like Mom any time in the next decade. Women were much older then. The glasses are kind of retro-cool, though! Momma's Boyfrand?Gee, what a surprise. Momma's boyfriend was her husband and babies' momma was his wife. Although so many are surprised by this idyllic picture of a fully functioning and secure family, this beautiful arrangement was the way it was for most people up until the 60's when everything went to hell in a handbasket. Can any sociologist put their finger on why it all changed into the "anything goes" clans we have today? I am not judging, just trying to figure out why so many are so mixed up. I don't have any answers but sometimes it does seem as if we are being less civilized instead of more. 'Twas so good to be young then. Mom and PopWhat I love about your parents is that they are so entirely comfortable with who they are. Mr. TerraceA handsome and elegant looking man. That is one happy dog!This is a wonderful shot. I love the interaction between your father and Missie. When grownups dressed like grownupsI like the way men dressed back in the day. No cargo shorts, graphic tees, ballcaps and ridiculous looking hi-tech sneakers. Tempus fugit>> I'm six months older than my father is here, which in some undefinable way doesn't seem possible. I know exactly how you feel. I recently turned 65 and the granddaughters are the focus now. Happy Grandfather's Day! Contentedness They don't look like they're always looking to get even with someone. Time does that, doesn't it?I too have past the milestone mark of my father, although he died in 1982, at age 62 and nine months. I am now 63, so have passed the magic number. Mind suspect as we all age, we can't help thinking, "How did we reach this numbered age that we now find ourselves?" Banding togetherDid Papa Terrace usually wear a wedding band? Mother Terrace? Your Fatherknew how to see - to really see as an artist does completely and fully at one with his subject. Did he paint or have some other creative expression? Wait just a minute.>> I'm six months older than my father is here, which in some undefinable way doesn't seem possible. Obviously there's been some mistake. You're a little kid splashing around in the water! Those NumbersMy father died December 2, 2001 at age 97. My mother on April 7, 2008 at age 103. Neither one ever smoked and I think that added to their longevity. In my wildest dreams I don't think I could ever reach those numbers and I'm not sure that I want to. Sweet SpotDad has found the spot that hypnotizes Missie. She is blissfully zoned out. My Father"[Your father] knew how to see - to really see as an artist does completely and fully at one with his subject. Did he paint or have some other creative expression?" My father's creative expression was our yard, of which the deck and arbor here and the cut flower garden seen below are just small portions. It wasn't just a yard, but something of a world unto itself, especially to a little kid growing up in it. Childhood's End"Obviously there's been some mistake. You're a little kid splashing around in the water!" Not quite, Dave. I grew up and became the person you see in my profile picture, gazing out the window at something only I could see. Carnation generationI wish I knew the trick to growing carnations like that. Mum and Dad and Missie all look so in sync. Or is that controlled calm around the time the sons were hooning around in convertible tanks? Hmm? And I think they are snappy dressers and neat as a pin. Just can't get over those bushels of carnations. They must have smelled divine! People were contentI'm not a sociologist, but I can guess that the people who lived through the Depression were happy with and grateful for everything they had. Their world was small, and they were content with that. With the advent of TV, children started seeing a larger world and comparing their families with the families on TV -- and what parents could live up to Ozzie and Harriet Nelson or Charles and Caroline Ingalls? Moreover, TV introduced people to a world of "stuff." No longer did the Jones family just live next door, we wanted to keep up with the Jones family that lived in LA or NYC. The more we see, the more we want. DIY AncestorsSpeaking of family photos, has anybody come across "I Am My Family"? It's a book of ancestral photos with quite a difference -- the photographer is posing as his own ancestors. A bit odd, but quite an accomplishment. This review has a few sample photos. Kodachrome, RIPAfter 74 Years, Kodak Kills Kodachrome NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kodachrome, the film brand touted as the stuff of memories, is about to become a memory itself as Eastman Kodak stops production due to overwhelming competition from digital cameras. CarnationsThe first thing you have to do is live in the right place and California certainly qualifies, especially if you live somewhere along the coast. Everything I stuck in the ground grew including carnations but especially begonias. It's the combination of lots of sun and moist breezes off the ocean. Wish I were still there. Carnations vs. pinksThose little low-growing jobbies are pinks, which of course are a kind of carnation. We had a bunch of actual carnations, as well. And yes, the scent is one of those aromas that always sends me back in time. I must have a zillion slides of flowers from Father's garden, but now I wish I'd taken more of people and buildings (and cars!) back then instead. Those were the daysWhat lovely pic of times gone by. And yesterday is only around the corner. Love every detail of that picture. Even the dog enjoys a day in a time when it was all so innocent, so not today. At the risk of striking a discordant noteThe comments here tend mostly to view the past through extremely 'rose-tinted' spectacles. My memories of the late 1940's and those years immediately following are not reflected in these pictures. My experiences of those times were brutal and mean. I would not want to have the dentistry and medicine of those times practiced upon me now. I would not want the brutish parenting of those days to be repeated. The kids in those times were tough; bullying was considered a rite of passage. You sucked it up or were called a sissy. The teachers at school were rarely kind and discipline was meted out without the right to have one's opinion respected. The 'law' was to not 'talk back'. I could never celebrate Father's Day. Mine went missing in action at sea fighting for his country and against tyranny. My mother received that fateful telegram a week before she went in to have me. Our lives changed forever. I come from an alcoholic home; most of my friends lived the same experience. Many of us were not 'middle class' like those represented here. We did not own our own home or car. We traveled by streetcar and waited on freezing cold days at car stops. We didn't live in the temperate climates often pictured here. Compared to many of our neighbors, we had it fairly good. Some of the kids at my school literally walked around in rags. Many did not know from where the next meal was coming. I'm not saying this to be rancorous or negative. I feel it important to give the rest of the picture. I, most definitely, would not want to return to 'those days'. The amazing thing about memory is that it only recalls the pleasant times. I guess it is that, that keeps us relatively sane. That is all to the good. The world is NOT going to hell in a hand-basket. 'The world is unfolding as it should.' Let the past be the past. The future awaits. Our noses were pressed to the glassTterrace, I love your pictures of the '50s, '60s and '70s, though the world they memorialize was not my world. Instead I grew up poor in the Midwest, and I do mean poor -- without a dad, and with a multiplicity of revolving-door stepdads and "uncles." Guess you'd say Mom was ahead of her time with her free-wheeling love life. Believe me, it wasn't that much fun for my siblings and me. Thank goodness for friends with kind mothers and fathers like yours. We saw that another way of life was possible, and the times we spent with them were among our happiest memories. What wouldn't I have given for your parents and your life! The '70s blew by me and the values of that era were (and still are) as alien as if they had come from Mars. I was too busy trying to create what your hard-working folks gave to you and your siblings. Thanks for these lovely, lovely pictures. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Dogs, tterrapix)
Buffalo: 1905
... own tour of America: "All that has been said of this fine ocean ship on the Great Lakes is not exaggerated." "North Land" operated ... Montreal, Quebec. Plans to convert and operate her as an ocean liner or troop ship never materialized. She lay in her dock until 1921, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 7:17pm -

Buffalo, New York, circa 1905. "Looking up Main Street. Steamer North Land at Long Wharf." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Splendid New SteamshipBuffalo Enquirer. January 5, 1895 SAFELY LAUNCHED. The New Northern Steamship, NORTH LAND, Launched in Cleveland. A Sister Ship to the NORTH WEST and Similar in Construction and Equipment.         Cleveland Jan. 5. -- The splendid new steamship NORTH LAND was successfully launched at 2:30 this afternoon at the shipyards of the Globe Iron Works.         As the launching signal was given by Miss Gertrude Hanna, daughter of President M. H. Hanna, cheers went up from the thousands who had gathered to watch the great vessel slide into the water. The christening ceremony over this magnificent steel vessel, now the finest on the lakes, was performed by Mrs. F. P. Gordon, wife of the Assistant General Manager of the Northern Steamship Company. For the purpose a large platform had been built under the bow of the big vessel, and here the traditional bottle of wine was broken by Mrs. Gordon. The boat was launched sidewise, room being insufficient for a direct plunge.         The new vessel, which, both the Globe Company and the steamship people say is the finest that ever left these yards, dropped gracefully into the water amid repeated cheers of the crowd. The launching was carried out successfully, and now the Northern Steamship Company has two exclusive steel passenger steamboats, the best constructed and speediest vessels on the lakes.         The NORTH LAND is quite similar in beauty of design and in elegance of interior construction to the NORTH WEST. The Globe Company had the advantage of the experience gained in the building of the sister vessel, the NORTH WEST, and have made some improvements over what was last year supposed to be pretty nearly perfect in the way of construction. As one of the representatives of the steamship company said, the builder made improvements just as an architect is able to do when he builds a second house. He can learn to perfect his work after the first production. This experience has assisted the company in another way; it has enabled them to have the new steamer ready for launching 30 days earlier than last year.         This morning the Globe Iron Works were inspected by the officials of the Northern Steamship Company and the representatives of the Buffalo, Cleveland and Detroit newspapers, guests of the steamship company. At these works are built a great many vessels for lake traffic, and the facilities for the purpose are unexcelled. The works are among the largest industries in Cleveland, and employ a large number of men.         The NORTH LAND, which was launched today, is built of steel throughout, and its hull has been strengthened and subdivided through transverse and longitudinal bulkheads into numerous water-tight compartments. Strength and safety were as much requisites in building the vessel as are speed and comfort. The hull is of novel design, and is constructed around the shafts, giving as little resistance as possible, and also great strength.         In general the dimensions of the NORTH LAND is 383 feet over all, 360 feet between perpendiculars, the molded breadth is 44 feet, and depth 26 feet.         The interior arrangements of the boat are as fine as money and excellent taste can make them. Electricity is used in lighting, and one might fancy he was in the parlor of some elegant private residence on terra firma. Mahogany has been largely used in the wood work. I love the SteamerI admire the photo and I love the "North Land" at first sight. As i read about the steamer a little bit and I know she has an interesting story. The steamer was built in 1895 by (as we all see) the Northern Steamship Company. Mark Tawin wrote about her, whilst travelling on his own tour of America: "All that has been said of this fine ocean ship on the Great Lakes is not exaggerated." "North Land" operated between Chicago and Buffalo, from June through late September. In 1919 she was sold and cut into two pieces at Buffalo and was towed to Montreal, Quebec. Plans to convert and operate her as an ocean liner or troop ship never materialized. She lay in her dock until 1921, when she was dismantled and scrapped. Unfortunately. Admirably Appointed The United States with an Excursion into Mexico, Handbook for Travellers, by Karl Baedeker. 1904. 46. From Buffalo to Chicago. e. By Steamer. It is possible to go the whole way from Buffalo to Chicago by water, through Lakes Erie, Huron, and Michigan, without change of steamer. — The ‘North Land’ and ‘North West’, the two magnificent steamers of the Northern Steamship Co. (each 386 ft. long, of 5000 tons burden, and accommodating 500 passengers), leave Buffalo (wharf at foot of Main St.) every Wed. and Sat. in summer at 8 p.m. (central time). The — The ‘North Land’ goes through to Chicago, which it reaches on Sat. at 1 p.m.; the ‘North West’ goes to (3 days) Duluth (comp. p. 372), and Chicago passengers must change at (1½ day) Mackinac Island. Through-fare to Chicago $13.50, berths extra (to Mackinac from $3 up). Luggage up to 150 lbs. is free. Fares to Cleveland, $2.00: to Detroit, $4.75; to Mackinac Island, $8.50; to Sault-Ste-Marie, $10.75; to Duluth $17.00. These steamers are admirably appointed in every way and afford most comfortable quarters. BeautifulAmazing view of Buffalo in its prime. You can see several landmarks that are still standing, including the Ellicott Square Building, and the old post office (now ECC city campus). Looking forward to more photographs of Buffalo! She's YarHow beautiful she is. It's a shame old ships and old buildings don't live forever. 1895-1921Built in 1895 by Globe Iron Works of Cleveland, Ohio for the Northern Steamship Company. One of two sister-ships. Originally built with three funnels. By 1910 she had new boilers and two funnels as shown in this picture. In 1905 was running a passenger service between Buffalo and Chicago. The North Land had been built to undertake the round voyage between Buffalo and Duluth in a week and her owners, the Northern Steamship Company, became the first to introduce seven day cruises. Scrapped in 1921. ElegantGrowing up in Western New York State, I passed through Buffalo many times. I've always loved the graceful lines of those Lake steamers. They had to be a little narrow to get through the Welland Canal, which enabled them to bypass Niagara Falls (the direct trip was a little precipitous). Just about all gone now. Like ghosts. Sherwin WilliamsI didn't realize the Sherwin Williams logo was that old. I figured maybe 1940's or 1950's. It's changed in 100 yearsI live in buffalo and looking at this is a bit odd. Most of what you see there was torn down to make room for RT5 and the I190. First, that's not Main Street anymore, it's looking east down Church Street. The new Main Street would start around were the tall flagpole is, I think. The large white building to the right of the street looks like the Ellicott Square building (completed 1896, the largest office building at the time). The large tower to the right of that is the old post office, now Erie Community Collage. The problem is it should be closer to the Ellicott Square building. The steeple to the left of the street is Asbury Delaware Methodist Church. Now it's the home of Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center. The clock tower left of that is the old town hall. SpiresSadly, I've never been to Buffalo. There are a number of interesting church spires in this photo. Do any of them still exist? Map linkThe street centered in this photograph is indeed Main Street. A map from 1894, depicting the buildings along the left side of the photograph and along Main Street up to Seneca can be found here. The trapezoid shaped building with the large overhangs is the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western passenger station. It is Main streetTo David_T It looks strange to you because it is in fact Main Street. Then the location of the landmarks make sense. For example, the Ellicott Square building is on Main street. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Buffalo NY)
Magic Moment: 1960
... View full size. Raging rapids This is along the ocean shore, actually, a few miles south of the river mouth. That's not the river... That's the Pacific Ocean there around those rocks (and not Goat Rock either, is it?). The river ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 07/02/2009 - 4:52pm -

One of my favorite places, the Sonoma Coast south of the mouth of the Russian River, captured by my brother during the golden hour on 35mm Kodacolor. His college friend Bob and me, gazing toward the setting sun. View full size. Raging rapidsThis is along the ocean shore, actually, a few miles south of the river mouth. That's not the river...That's the Pacific Ocean there around those rocks (and not Goat Rock either, is it?). The river has a confluence with the Pacific up north of this lovely scene, in Jenner. Raging beautyIt looks like the river is moving pretty rapidly around those rocks, but the photo has a rather calming effect. It is beautiful, and tterrace is fortunate to have so many wonderful photographs of his childhood. And what a great opportunity to share them. Many Fine Afternoons Were SpentRiding my motorcycle from the Golden Gate Bridge up Route 1 to Jenner then along the Russian River back in the 60's. Great memories. Golden BoysVery nice. Does it seem like only yesterday? American IdyllOoh, now I'm homesick. What a perfect picture. Mist coming down, boys touched with the light of sunset. *sigh* Could BE yesterdayNot only does it probably FEEL like yesterday to tterrace, but it LOOKS like it could be yesterday. I love these old color photos--especially when the subjects look so modern. Those kids could easily have come out of today. Great stuff. En Plein AirThis looks so much like a painting to me, amazing photo. Stay golden Ponyboy.Very nice shot. In the distance, you can see the usual summer fog covering the beach. You have found the sliver of sun that managed to break through. Did you climb Goat Rock on your trip up the coast? You really had the coast to yourself back then. You could actually build a fire out of driftwood that smelled like no other. Perfect for fending off the chill of the fog. Today you'd get fined for the fire and be arrested for climbing Goat Rock. So nearUgh. At work and that spot is so near. Raised in Sebastopol, currently live in Santa Rosa. Unfortunately I won't be going out there for the long weekend. The holiday idiot factor will just be too high. Yes, the coast has changed. JennerMy Aunt and Uncle live in Jenner and I have been to Goat Rock State Park a million times. The movie "The Third Day" with George Peppard and Elizabeth Ashley had its climactic scenes filmed in the surf there (at Goat Rock). George Peppard and Artie Johnson (!) duke it out on the beach. I have often opined that I wish I had a nickel for every ad which has been filmed at Goat Rock - mainly automobile commercials - shot with the vehicle coming up the road from the park so the surf and rock formations are the backdrop. My dreams are made of thisLast summer we drove from our home in Alberta to San Francisco via Reno. We took the coastal highway back and I have not been the same since! I fell in love with the Sonoma area and that beautiful coast and have plans to live there. Until then I have found a new "warm fuzzy" spot. Not quite a year later and I still go back there every night for a visit just before I drift off to sleep. A wonderful photo tterrance! Fit for a Movie -- by David LeanThat is some epic shot, my friend. Looks like the secret of life is about to dawn on you or something. David Lean momentIf it was a David Lean film, as Francesca suggests, it'd be Hobson's Choice: When summer's over, you can do whatever you like, as long as it's starting high school. Your choice of classes is completely up to you, as long as one of them is gym. You don't have to get undressed in front of other people, as long as you take a shower with them. In gym, if team sports make you feel like a dork, we have team sports. Re: David Lean momentHm. Looks like you have your island all picked out, but instead you end up with "Lord of the Flies." Still, it's 1960. Isn't everyone Really Nice in high school? (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
RMS Lusitania: 1908
... Lusitania passing Hoboken piers." The doomed Cunard ocean liner would be torpedoed by a German submarine in 1915 with a loss of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2021 - 2:58pm -

The Hudson River circa 1908. "RMS Lusitania passing Hoboken piers." The doomed Cunard ocean liner would be torpedoed by a German submarine in 1915 with a loss of 1,198 lives. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. PingInteresting perspective. Photo looks kinda like it was taken from a periscope. Stunning!What a stunning image! How majestic those early super-liners were. A couple of interesting details: I'm surprised how many wires are holding the smokestacks in place. Also, it looks like smoke's only coming from the middle two stacks. Does anyone know if the Lusitania also had a dummy stack, like the Titanic? Most interesting detail I'm noticing is the crow's nest on the front mast. Before the days of radar, it was still the human eye that warned the captain of dangers ahead. Wouldn't want that job on a cold, rough North Atlantic night! Yep, an interesting perspectiveOn this picture. Very cool. Save YourselfLet's see: Eight lifeboats this side, presumably eight on the other, 40 people to a lifeboat (probably generous) = room for 640. By the time she was torpedoed the Lusitania had 48 lifeboats (some collapsible). Only six were successfully launched. The TaniasLusitania, Mauretania, Aquitania, and let's not forget Wonkatania! The AniasLet's not forget the Beatlemania! Many ironiesThe "Hoboken piers" in the background were then owned by two German-based shipping lines - Norddeutscher Lloyd and Hamburg America line. The U.S. seized them when it entered WWI, and then used the piers to unload the thousands of caskets of GIs killed in battle. Four FunnelsThe Lusitania and her slightly faster sister ship Mauretania each had four functional funnels. In this picture many of her boilers were undoubtedly exstinguished to conserve fuel as she entered NY harbor. Unlike the Titanic these ships were built for speed as well as luxury and had to meet certain government specifications for use during war time. In return the British government subsidized the cost of building both ships. And fast they were, faster than most if not all "liners" on the sea today. Look closely at the painted white water line on the ship and you will notice that much of it is missing even thought the ship is barely a year old in this picture. That was a telltale sign of a seriously fast ship back in the days before gel coat or epoxy paints! It would be well over two decades before another ship was built that could barely outrun the Lusitania's surviving sister. Even then the aging 23 year old Mauretania nearly took the speed record back with a stunning 27+ knot average Atlantic crossing. This is a spectacular photo of an historic, beautiful ship. As fast as she was, she could not outrun the torpedoes fired at her off the coast of Ireland on that tragic, warm sunny day in May nearly 100 years ago. I just found outMy grandmother came to America on this ship! Not this sailing (which would have been way too cool) but this ship! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, WWI)
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