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Over the River: 1902
... account of Kate on the net as well. Boone-area railroads Boone and Scenic Valley (with their Chinese-built steam loco) ... a stereoview of this somewhere... (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, W.H. Jackson) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 3:04pm -

"Chicago & North Western viaduct over Des Moines River near Boone, Iowa" ca. 1902. Photo by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Kate Shelley High BridgeThat's the Kate Shelley High Bridge, which had just opened when this photo was taken. Since the 1880s, Iowa schoolchildren have learned how its namesake, 15-year-old Kate, went to heroic lengths to warn an approaching train that a (different) bridge had washed out. A new span is being constructed next to it, with completion due in June 2009. For the story of the bridge, Kate, and its replacement, click here. To see it today (with its replacement nearly completed) click here. 3, 2, 1, spit!That's a line they haven't ripped out, thankfully. Here's a photo of a steam loco they use on their scenic railway. I love trains......and this is an amazing picture of one. Wow. William Henry JacksonIt's terrific to see another image by William Henry Jackson, the great photographer of the American West. Jackson, who lived to 99, had an extraordinary career--he even worked on 'Gone With the Wind'!--this 70 years after he was taking his most famous landscape photos. He was also one of the longest surviving Civil War veterans. High BridgeI think the photo would be a little later than 1900 as photos of the bridge under construction, which were displayed in the old CNW headquarters at Boone, are dated 1903 by the photographer. High Bridge VideoKateFound this anonymous account of Kate on the net as well. Boone-area railroadsBoone and Scenic Valley (with their Chinese-built steam loco) operate on trackage previously owned by the one-time electric line Fort Dodge, Des Moines, and Southern. Chicago and Northwestern routes (including the Kate Shelley High Bridge) are now part of Union Pacific. Please pleaseplease please let there be a stereoview of this somewhere... (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, W.H. Jackson)
Feeding Station: 1942
... train should look. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/11/2024 - 11:06am -

December 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. Chicago & North Western Railroad switching and classification freight yards. Locomotives at the coaling station." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Snorting beasts“A Modern Dragon,” by Rowena Bennett: A train is a dragon that roars through the dark He wriggles his tail as he sends up a spark. He pierces the night with his one yellow eye, And all the earth trembles when he rushes by. Engine mislabeledThe Chicago and North Western Class E-4 was a class of nine streamlined 4-6-4 "Hudson" steam locomotives built in 1937 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_and_North_Western_E-4_Class A C&NW E-4 waiting to be refueled at a Chicago-area coaling station in December 1942 WowThat's how a powerful train should look. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Checkin Tender: 1942
... View full size. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/18/2024 - 10:36am -

December 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. Engineer taking a last look at the tender before going out on the road from a Chicago and North Western railyard." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Frosty Freight: 1942
... View full size. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/16/2024 - 8:56pm -

December 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. Switching and classification freight yards. Looking out toward the icehouse from the freighthouse at a yard of the Chicago and North Western Railroad." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Lonesome Highway: 1942
... in the U.S. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Landscapes, Railroads, Rural America) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/02/2024 - 11:53am -

November 1942. "Deaf Smith County, Texas. Panhandle highway." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Erastus SmithThe county was named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith (1787–1837), a partially deaf scout and soldier who served in the Texas Revolution, and was the first to reach the Alamo after its fall in 1836. The pronunciation of "Deaf", as used by Smith himself, is /diːf/ DEEF; however, most residents pronounce it /dɛf/ DEF. En Route to AmarilloThis is looking northeast on US 60, probably between Hereford and Dawn. Transposition of WiresOn the left side of the highway there are electric power lines, and on the right side telephone wires on insulators. At the far right of the photo there are four wires on insulators that have been placed on a bracket to change their position on the next pole. This is called transposition. It helps prevent "crosstalk" between the wires - two wires close to each other with different signals. I first noticed this on train trips, and the railway in the distance has signal and telegraph lines that would also transpose the wires. You can see a wire connection to the semaphore signal beside the tracks. Still lonesomeAs can be seen in Doug Floor Plan's post, that stretch of US60 is now four lanes. Whatever prompted the highway folks to do that is a mystery. The "Lonesome Highway" moniker is as appropriate now as then. "White line fever"Highway hypnosis, a phenomenon truckers know well. https://www.pridetransport.com/news-and-events/tired-or-fever-the-white-... The land is vast and unbelievably flatTruman Capote was describing Kansas, but he could have just as easily been describing Deaf Smith County, or most of the Texas Panhandle. I've always compared this part of the world to living at the beach. You're able to look out and see to the curvature of the earth. Structures that are miles and miles away are clear and recognizable, like ships far out at sea. Unfortunately, the flat landscape also lets weather fronts blow right through. There was a time, in the early 1970s in Lubbock, when clear, warm skies were replaced by a dust storm, then a light rain (making everything that was covered in dust now covered in mud), then snow ... all within a 24hour period. After a dust storm, your parked car with the windows rolled up would have dust across the dashboard. I am a lineman for the county --That's all I have today. Middle of NowhereGo another 270+ miles east and you'll probably be in the middle of Nowhere. Flat doesn't beginThe comment about it being flat only hints at it, this part of the plains makes Kansas look like the Swiss Alps. It is actually a bit unsettling to drive through there. POVAs an artist for many years, I see the Point of this photo. The Point Of View (POV) that is. As an art major all of my instructors and professors made it a point (forgive the pun) to stress the importance of using POV as a guide to the whole drawing/painting. Only then could you have a piece that reflected an almost true to life landscape/portrait. This photo in my mind is an excellent example of that art illusion. Note: If you want to see a master of the POV look up Maurits Cornelis Escher (M.C. Esher). You will then understand the importance of POV. Not thereI find it ironic that, to Google, a search for "NOWHERE, TX" suggests "Now here" as a possibility. Where God lost his shoesAs my good friend would say. John Ford was not always right"Put the horizon in the middle and it's BORING." So said director John Ford to teenage Steven Spielberg (an event reproduced in "The Fabelmans"). John Vachon clearly found an exception. That SemaphoreThat railroad semaphore must certainly be a part of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad's trans-continental line. To Chicago in one direction and to the West Coast in the other direction. The Santa Fe was described by Fortune magazine in 1948 as THE top railroad in the U.S. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Landscapes, Railroads, Rural America)
Animal Trap Company: 1942
... (The Gallery, Factories, Marjory Collins, Railroads, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/28/2024 - 7:59pm -

November 1942. "Lititz, Pennsylvania. Small town in wartime. The Animal Trap Company of America now makes bullets, but almost no traps. Mrs. Julian Bachman is a gauge inspector for the company." Photo by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. Comedic TrapsVictor mouse and rat traps were made here, and maybe still are. They’re the traps with the big red V on them. They are often seen on the fingers or noses of the Three Stooges. The Animal Trap Company of America is now the Woodstream Corporation. Rail GoneBuilding still stands: (The Gallery, Factories, Marjory Collins, Railroads, WW2)
The Hotel Essex: 1906
... to me. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2024 - 4:53pm -

Boston circa 1906. "Atlantic Avenue elevated at Hotel Essex (Terminal Hotel)." Completed in 1900, now the Plymouth Rock Building. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing. View full size. How could they resist?I can attest that certain letters -- always the same letters -- were often out in the neon sign on the roof, resulting in HOT SEX. Clearly, this was not due to chance, but creative vandalism. Gone? Then what is this?https://maps.app.goo.gl/HeJRkk4dkxWC9dP79 Really echoes the architecture of the Hotel Essex. Is this just a similar building in a close location (next to South Station. I guess if it was industrial, then look alike buildings could be all over I guess?) [Oh right. Not gone! - Dave] Despite certain neon letters not working properly... this is the cleanest 1906 photograph I've ever seen. Fireproof, as featured inFireproof Magazine, July 1906. No interior photographs or floorplans, but the architect is identified, Arthur Hunnewell Bowditch. His Wikipedia page doesn't include the Hotel Essex among his notable projects. But, in 1931/32 he designed the Art Deco Paramount Theater, the last of the great movie palaces built in downtown Boston. Looking at the two 1906 photographs and Street View, I'm certain there was a second-floor entrance to the Hotel Essex, directly from the elevated train platform. A nice perk for guests. If only --So 120 years ago, I could walk to my local train station and arrive at South Station, walk out and up the stairs to wait for the next elevated train to my office at North Station. But today, I have to go below ground and take two overcrowded subway rides to get to the same location. MBTA, please bring back the Atlantic Avenue line! Platform AdsOne of the advertisements I can see on the platform is for Mennen's Toilet Powder. The rest are inscrutable to me. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC, Railroads)
Lil Shuckers: 1906
... slice of the Gulf Coast will disappear too. Oyster Railroads North & South, Vol. 3, 1904. Oysters and ... the ships come in and pull up alongside the little "oyster railroads" with their miniature trains of cars standing easy to receive them. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 3:53pm -

Biloxi, Mississippi, circa 1906. "Point oyster houses." Just add ice and beer. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Point CadetThis is known locally as Point Cadet (pronounced "Point Cady" for you Yankees). Oyster, crab and shrimp processing have been done in this location for years. This area was damaged by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Gambling casinos are now occupying much of the this seafood processing area. Sad News from the GulfThe news this week is that the 2011 oyster season may have to be canceled, because of too much fresh water entering the Gulf this Spring. With the recent hurricane, oil spill, and now the floods, the booming oyster business of the coast is in danger of disappearing, and with it a unique slice of the Gulf Coast will disappear too. Oyster Railroads North & South, Vol. 3, 1904. Oysters and Fish Gulf Coast Canning Industry — Oysters, Shrimp, Figs — A Fisherman's Paradise. … Scattered along the coast between Mobile and New Orleans are many great oyster canning factories where from September until May the business of pulling up the giant product of the Sound is carried on. Biloxi has the largest factory in the world, and quite a group of the canners are congregated here so that the name of this city is synonymous with that of oysters, and is perhaps the most widely known of any on the Gulf Coast. … At the oyster wharves an interesting scene is enacted when the ships come in and pull up alongside the little "oyster railroads" with their miniature trains of cars standing easy to receive them. With automatic hoists the oysters are lifted to the wharf and emptied into the cars. When filled each train runs into the factory where a picturesque line of Bohemians, men, women and children, awaits them and falls to opening the shells as soon as they are steamed. The dexterity with which they learn to extract the bivalve is fascinating. As their tin cups are filled they are paid in cash. Shuckers make from 60 cents to $1.25 per day and besides this wage, receive free houses, fuel and water from their employers. Labor is an ever-present problem with the oyster canners— most of it comes from Baltimore, but the briefness of the season and lack of all year round employment deters many from making the long journey to the coast, especially if they are certain or steady work elsewhere. Lack of oystersThis happens every time they have to open the Bonnet Carre spillway. The influx of fresh water kills the oysters. They will be back next year, barring another flood. The oil really didn't bother the oysters much at all. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Chenoa Depot: 1905
... -- things are getting busy in Chenoa! So here are the two railroads mentioned earlier, resulting in the station being called a union ... a distant signal for the interlocking limits ahead. Two railroads went through town, the Chicago and Alton (C&A), and the Toledo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:39pm -

Circa 1905. "Station & buildings at Chenoa, Illinois." Plus: circus posters! 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Changes in a few yearsHere's a post card found online, dated c. 1911, that shows the station from another side. It looks to be the wrong size at first glance, but refer back to the Shorpy photo and note how oversize the doors and windows are compared to the man checking out the postings by the door. A row of trees have been planted. The express company building appears to be moved or removed by about 1911. Diamonds/crossings and new track are in place right by the station -- things are getting busy in Chenoa! So here are the two railroads mentioned earlier, resulting in the station being called a union depot in the post card inscription. In the 1911 picture, I wonder how long that (electric?) line lasted hanging over the tracks? It had to have been blasted by stack exhaust from engines that passed under it. Circus stars leave townI see the trunk escape artists are waiting on the platform. WaitingFor the 5:25 from Joliet. OS ChenoaTo bad Bobby Troup didn’t roll Chenoa into his famous tune, “Route 66.“ Looks like a train departing after dropping off freight for the United States Express Company to handle. Train order board is at stop, most likely for the occupied block the departing train is in. My guess is that the smaller semaphore is a distant signal for the interlocking limits ahead. Two railroads went through town, the Chicago and Alton (C&A), and the Toledo Peoria and Western (TP&W). The TPW is still at it, owned by Rail America. I get a glimpse of their trains in Kentland, Indiana now and again while rambling on highway 41. The old C&A is now part of the Union Pacific. Can only wonder which main is pictured. Graffiti or signage?Look to the right at that smaller structure. I think I see a prancing horse painted on a panel. [That's a seal on one of the circus posters mentioned in the caption. - Dave] When railroads interesctYou end up with beautiful little Midwest towns like this. Even today it's hard to find towns this small except in the middle of nowhere whose form and function derived from being on a rail line. It's still a small beautiful town. Passing ByThis past March, my wife and I drove past Chenoa on I-55. We were returning to the Bull City from a Shorpy-inspired visit to Dwight. I guess next time we'll stop in Chenoa. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads)
Illinois Central: 1942
... (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/31/2024 - 4:09pm -

November 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. Locomotives in an Illinois Central Railroad yard." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Doobie BrothersWell, The Illinois Central ... and the Southern Central Freight. Gotta keep on pushin' Mama, you know they're running late! City of New Orleans"City of New Orleans" is a country folk song written by Steve Goodman (and first recorded for Goodman's self-titled 1971 album), describing a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans on the Illinois Central Railroad's "City of New Orleans" in bittersweet and nostalgic terms. (Wikipedia) and made famous by Arlo Guthrie Still RunsAmtrak still runs "City of New Orleans". It still goes thru Kankakee and Memphis. https://www.amtrak.com/city-of-new-orleans-train (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
See You in Iowa: 1943
... the entire trip! (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/26/2024 - 8:39pm -

January 1943. "Conductor handling engineer copy of train orders before a Chicago and North Western freight pulls out of Chicago for Clinton, Iowa. Since the track between those points is under automatic train control, the engineer hands the conductor the key to the automatic train control lock of the engine. The conductor will keep the key in the caboose until the train arrives at its destination." Acetate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. What a beastJack Delano sure knew how to capture the essence of steam engines. That locomotive positively looms behind the two humans. It is a thing of power and beauty. C&NW Class H-1 LocomotiveAttached is a photo of 3014 charging across farmland taken at about the same time as this. The H-1 was a 4-8-4 "Northern" type loco -- one of the final modern steam engines used by the North Western before dieselization. Interestingly, Mr. Delano has set a telephoto equipped camera upon the air pump seen above the heads of the crew. [LOL! - Dave] Here Casey!Smoke one of mine. It'll keep ya warm for the entire trip! (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Carrier Mills: 1939
... taken in June, 1938. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Railroads, Small Towns, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/04/2024 - 8:43pm -

January 1939. "Carrier Mills, Southern Illinois. Small towns and rural areas of a once prosperous mining region, suffering from the Depression." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hard times That ole boy with his hands in his pockets standing between the café and the drug store seems to be either challenging the fella walking by or asking for a quarter. Even the railroad tracks are goneThis is my best guess as to where the 1939 photo was taken. The railroad tracks ran diagonally against the town's grid layout and this is where they came closest in what appears to have been a business district. The 1939 two story brick building on the corner is curious. On the right side, in the shade, is a grand entrance to the First National Bank. But the Clover Farm Stores seems to run up against the back of the bank and the window with the ruffled curtains appears to be a door to stairs to the second floor (surely -- don't call me Shirley, it can't be a side door to the bank!). All that would make the First National Bank interior pretty small for such a grand entrance. My heart goes out to men, then and now who stand on corners hoping a paying work opportunity comes along. Doug's got itI'm pretty sure Doug is right. The brickwork on Hillside Taxidermy matches the building on the left in 1939 perfectly. Not much left of Carrier Mills these days. Hey! I grew up near thereI'm from Harrisburg, one town over. My mom graduated from Carrier Mills High School. When I was a kid in the late '70s and early '80s, my dad used to get my winter rubber boots from (IIRC) the store right behind the building on that corner (Main and Oak streets). Less than half of what used to be downtown Carrier Mills is still standing. Nailed ItI believe Doug Floor Plan nailed the location. The taxidermy shop brick work in the current photo matches the building next to the drug store exactly, although the top line of windows have been covered up. The stance of the gentleman standing on the far right reminds me of a gangster in an old film noir picture. Only One Building LeftHere is the location of the picture. The only building left is the one on the far left in the original picture. https://goo.gl/maps/743Edvn3d7y6L9KY6 The high altitude USDA photos of Illinois taken in the late 30's and early 40's are available online. This is a blow up of downtown Carrier Mills taken in June, 1938. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Railroads, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Trackwork: 1942
... and nine shovels. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/17/2024 - 2:55pm -

November 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. Maintenance crew repairing roundhouse tracks at an Illinois Central Railroad yard." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Digging in the GardenTracks that radiate out from a turntable are sometimes called Garden Tracks. Here, speeds are low here, so things don't have to be perfect. However, the foreman has determined it is time to dig out the soot and cinders, maybe change out a weak tie or two and firm things up. On the adjacent track on can see two track jacks that are used to raise up a portion of the rails and ties so that additional ballast can be place beneath the ties to firm up a low spot. To the right is a small maintenance car where the spoils can be pitched in for disposal. Union Smoke Break?There are four laborers and nine shovels. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Henrietta: 1943
... Depot today View Larger Map Naming Railroads Atchison, Topeka (and the) Santa Fe sounds great. It's also the ... have the same ring to it. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/04/2009 - 11:10am -

March 1943. "Henrietta, Missouri. Going through the town on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad between Marceline, Missouri, and Argentine, Kansas. The operator has just handed up a message." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Someone had to say itDo you hear that whistle down the line? I figure that it's engine number forty-nine, She's the only one that'll sound that way. On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe. Santa FeThe railroad was just the Atchison & Topeka at first; Santa Fe was added as a goal. In fact the main line went to Lamy, not Santa Fe, with a minor branch to SF added later. Can't write a song about Lamy. But the rhyme in the song didn't work for the many folks who pronounced it Santa Fee. Before the popular song came along, the railroad tried to correct this by spreading the slogan "All the way with Santa Fe!" The slogan caught on, but it didn't help. Dismayed station agents would hear customers saying things like "Yep, I like that slogan. All the way with Santa Fee!" This ties several photos togetherHere is the operator having delivered train orders to the engine and train crews walking back to his office after inspecting the train and waving "all OK" to the brakeman or flagman at the rear car. In the distance you can see the water column between the two main tracks for steam locomotives. Beyond that is a cantelevered bridge supporting a semaphore signal with its blade having already descended to the horizontal position for "stop." Before the train arrived at this location, the semaphore would have been vertical to indicate "proceed." Soon when the train is clear of the next signal ahead (perhaps a mile or more down the track), this semaphore will rise to a 45-degree angle indicating "approach," meaning slow to 30 mph and be prepared to stop at the next signal. Today this route is owned and operated by the BNSF Railway and hosts 75 or more freight trains each day plus two Amtrak Southwest Chiefs that operate between Chicago and Los Angeles. Henrietta Depot todayView Larger Map Naming RailroadsAtchison, Topeka (and the) Santa Fe sounds great. It's also the route of the railroad from east to west. It all worked out for the best. PoetryWho was the inspired wordsmith who named the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe? Its founder Cyrus K. Holliday, apparently, and as far as I can see the poetry of its name was a happy coincidence of the significant placenames. Maybe their rhythmic ordering was an artistic decision: even "Topeka, Atchison & Sante Fe" wouldn't have the same ring to it. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
I.C.R.R.: 1942
... with this shot. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/16/2024 - 4:47pm -

November 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. Locomotives in the Illinois Central railyard." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Wowsers!A truly beautiful photograph: great subject, great composition, great light, great developing! Thank you, Shorpy - one of the finest photos you have published! Where's my time machine?I would go back to that exact place and time for a few minutes, not only for the sight but the sounds. I'd even bring along my 1937 Ikoflex, the same make and model as one of the cameras that Delano used. Was disappointed when they sold to Canadian NationalI lived most of my life right next to the Illinois Central track at the southern end in Louisiana. Even in the swamp, where I was, the railroad was very well maintained. I believe the sale to CN was in the '80s. I was sad to see it go. Paducahbuilt2530 is a heavy freight 4-8-2 Mountain type locomotive assembled by the IC in its own shops in Paducah, Kentucky, just before or in the early years of WWII. The large tender only has 2-axle trucks, but you can see that the top of the tender was modified to carry additional coal. Perhaps the small car between it and the next locomotive is an auxiliary tender to carry additional water. Huffing and Puffing American PowerGetting ready to go. Penny SmashersI'll never forget those Mountains southbound out of Louisville along US 31, thundering through Valley Station, Kentucky, headed to wherever our 12 year-old imaginations had them destined! Better Times on the HorizonThis is an extraordinarily powerful image. A dreary November Chicago day and a bleak unknown future for our county all less than one year after Pearl Harbor. But looking deep into this black and white photograph 80 years later, we can see the power and resiliency of our county with its manufacturing coming to life augmented by our massive railroad system. Mr. Delano scored a winner with this shot. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Engine of Change: 1942
... past and present. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/08/2024 - 7:29pm -

November 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. In the roundhouse at an Illinois Central Railroad yard. This former switching engine is being rebuilt for use on the road." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Kid peering over the topIs that one of those 'steam punks' I've heard about? Dirty workYears ago I worked in the shop of a construction company that used a lot of heavy equipment. A big Caterpillar diesel engine had just been rebuilt and was ready to haul out to a jobsite to be reinstalled. The shop foreman suggested that the outside of the engine should be sprayed with oil and grease so that "the guys in the field will know what it is." Keep to the codeThe two crouching guys up top look like they're trying to spell a word. I see a k and an e. Putting the old dog back into service"This former switching engine is being rebuilt for use on the road." Getting any available rolling stock ready for railroad service because not many new locomotives would be getting built for use in domestic service due to wartime material constraints and shifting heavy production to war materials like tanks and artillery. MachineThis photo should included with the definition of "machine". Look at all that has to happen to get this thing to move. Not to disrespect today's technology but a general explanation of a modern locomotive is a big diesel engine spinning a big generator that sends electricity to electric motors in the drive wheels. Incredible technology past and present. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
The North Yard: 1942
... no. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Landscapes, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/11/2024 - 1:36pm -

November 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. General view of the north classification yard at an Illinois Central railyard." Acetate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. All downhill from hereThis image shows the many power switches and retarders used to direct and control the speed of cars that have been shoved over the top of the hump and roll by gravity to their intended classification tracks. The hump yardmaster (located behind the photographer) arranges the switches and retarder operators (in their small towers) slow the cars by squeezing their wheels so that they roll their intended distance before coupling up to cars already in the track. Wind, different car weights and number of cars already in the track require a lot of judgment to prevent a car from "stalling" before reaching its intended destination or rolling too fast and slamming into a standing car. I count 13 guysThe north classification yard is not as abandoned as first appears. There are two men in the center foreground, huddled over working on something together. Then, straight up from them and a little to the right, is a man walking the tracks. Beyond him, where the railroad cars are, I count 10 men walking (I'm pretty sure they're all men). I hoped to see one of the control (switch?) towers occupied, but no. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Landscapes, Railroads)
Yardwork: 1942
... camera. - Dave] (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/09/2024 - 3:11pm -

November 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. Tender and switch engine at an Illinois Central railyard." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. FuzzyAt first I couldn't figure out if it was my glasses needed changing or a part of the photo was out of focus. Come to the conclusion probably both! [It's in focus -- twice. Maybe something bumped the camera. - Dave] (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Oil Train: 1942
... oil supplies. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/09/2024 - 3:05pm -

November 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. An oil train from the Southwest leaves an Illinois Central railyard for the Pennsylvania Rail Road to be sent on to the East." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Oil trains are still (again?) a thingLengthy oil trains like this move through Chicago and Milwaukee today. I have read that the boom in American & Canadian production from oil sands & fracking exceeds the pipeline capacity, so oil trains are rolling. A big one passed as I was re-photographing a Shorpy scene, (Chicago: 1956) it took 10 or 15 minutes to go by. Oh no! Not Algebra!"An oil train from the Southwest leaves an Illinois Central railyard for the Pennsylvania Rail Road to be sent on to the East." At the same time a coal train leaves the destination in the East, bound for the Illinois Central railyard. I can't go on ... anymore, I can't remember the difference between a coefficient and a variable. The only constant was I wanted to take geometry. Markham YardPresumably that is the north end of the yard in Homewood, IL. One can see the electrified commuter tracks on the left (west) side. Illinois Central was later acquired by CN who still maintains the large yard and a locomotive facility and administrative offices in the area. Photographer Delano seems to have spent quite some time capturing images in the area. Oil strategy WWIIOil played a major role in World War II strategy. The US had it; Germany and Japan didn't. Japan's early moves were dictated by the need to get at the oil of the Dutch East Indies. And it is said that a major reason for Hitler's worst blunder (to attack the USSR without neutralizing England) was the need to secure access to oil reserves in the Caucasus. Though it required rationing, the US provided 85% of Allied oil supplies. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
PneuTube: 1942
... tie. (Technology, The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads, The Office) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/05/2024 - 3:13pm -

November 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. A pneumatic tube system connects the main yard office with yardmaster offices throughout the Illinois Central railyard. Switch lists and other communications are quickly sent in this way." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Ol' Dan TuckerThe operator looks like he combed his hair with a wagon wheel. But hold on!It also cuts hair! A technology no long pneuMy local bank branch abandoned its drive-thru tube system within the past few years, but some remain, as do manufacturers of the equipment. Probably the main use today is in hospitals, providing safe and monitored transfer of laboratory and pharmacy materials. The largest urban pneumatic mail system was in Paris, where 'pneus' could be sent from 1866 to 1984, with peak usage (30 million messages) in 1945. The last such system, in Prague, was wiped out by flooding in 2002. Emails, 1942 styleI had once the privilege to work for a company that was using a pneumatic tube system well into the 1990s. Back then that was still the most efficient way to quickly share drawings and documents with colleagues who were working at the other end of a mile long facility. Back then that was the most economic way to provide prints and copies within such a company. Printers and plotters were much more expensive and needed to be utilized. Hence a central printing and copying offce. Which was located next to the microfiche archive. And also sported a microfiche printer and a cyanotype copier (as in "blueprints"). I must be getting old. BTW, the City of Prague (Czech Republic) may have been the last city to have had a municipal pneumatic mail system in operation. Alas, it got swamped during the Great 2002 European Floods, and that was that. SENDSo it's essentially an early version of text messaging. Department stores had them.I remember them c. 1958 in Cleveland, at Sterling-Lindner-Davis. There was a restaurant, too, with a child menu I was treated to a few times. And elevator operators. Red light bulbsAt least I think they're red and not blacklights. Also they don't have any protection form being broken by a wayward cylinder. Most frequent pneumatic tube communicationU up Smith's Department StoreAs a kid growing up in Windsor, Ontario in the 1950s a trip to Smith's with Mum was always a treat. When she made the purchase the cash was put into the cylinder and away it went to the cash room. The store employee wrapped up the purchase, and a short time later there would be an increasing volume of hissing air coming from the return tube and suddenly POP. The cylinder fell into a cushioned bin, and the employee would open the cylinder to give my mother her change and receipt. But the real treats were the trips to the massive Hudson's Department Store in Detroit where they had cash registers with eight drawers. In 1972 I flew to Chicago from Seattle and my cash was sent off in a pneumatic tube. Central Cashier StationI remember several stores that had a secure (caged area) that served as a central cashier location that would receive customer payments from the floor sales clerks via the tube. They would process the bill and the included cash payment and send any change back to the clerk through the tube. This way only a few folks had access to the cash drawer. Still in UseThe UK supermarket ASDA (still with a minority Walmart holding) still use pneumatic tubes to send cash paper money in pods from the checkouts to the cash office. I worked in one for a time and can still hear the vacuum motor winding up, a whoosh of air and then the rattle and clatter as they fell into a tub in a sealed safe. (I didn't tell you that OK?) I know you are, but what am I?This looks like Pee Wee Herman working his first job! It must be really hot in that office since he has actually removed his jacket and bow tie. (Technology, The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads, The Office)
Copper Hopper: 1942
... going on. Third - Still scary. (The Gallery, Mining, Railroads, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/30/2023 - 2:29pm -

September 1942. Deer Lodge County, Montana. "Anaconda smelter, Anaconda Copper Mining Company. Cars containing 50 tons of copper ore are dumped by an unloading mechanism into a 200-ton hopper." Acetate negative by Russell Lee, Office of War Information. View full size. Waste notI've never seen such sight. What happened to the cart that rolled into that chamber on those tracks? Did it just roll off the tracks down into oblivion along with its load of copper? And look at the flimsy housing they built around such a powerful impressive machine. Strange. [That "cart" is a fifty-ton railcar. It goes back on the train tracks after being emptied. - Dave] NOW I see the railcar still in there. I didn't realize I was looking at the back of the railcar. I thought it was just the back of the chamber. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ STAND BACK!That is one nasty pinch-point. The car on the tracksis actually still on the rails. The mechanism which rolls the car over clamps the car and the tracks together, and as soon as the car is empty, it rolls on over so that the car can be rolled out of that area. This is same way that coal cars are emptied at electric power plants. In most cases the cars have couplers which can swivel so that a car still in a train can also be emptied, one car at a time. Impressions ProgressFirst - What are we looking at? Second - Ok, now we get what's going on. Third - Still scary. (The Gallery, Mining, Railroads, Russell Lee)
Yard Cop: 1942
... for Mr. Vachon's camera. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/04/2023 - 11:27am -

October 1942. "Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mid-Continent Petroleum Corp. refinery, Tulsa station of the Great Lakes pipeline. Armed railroad guard inspecting an oil tank car in the yards." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. The trusty WinchesterI've seen pictures of the yard cop with a night stick. Winchester is the baseball bat. I guess for the war effort and saboteurs? Changing job focusA few years earlier the railroad yard cop would have been after hobos; movies of the 1930s have many such scenes. By 1942, war and economic activity had largely solved the hobo 'problem'. Now the concerns were sabotage, theft of raw materials, and security in general. The Case of the Missing Journal LidSomeone obviously pilfered it! The oil-filled journal box should have a snug-fitting cover, as seen on the one at far left, to keep rain water and road dust out of the bearing area. The journal box closest to the gun-toting lawman seems to have taken its leave? Black and White HeatA rifle ... next to an oil tank(er)??? Guess he didn't see the movie (But he had a good excuse: it wouldn't be released until seven years later) Vintage graffiti?I hadn't thought about graffiti in 1942. But then why not. Much less ugly than spray paint! [Those are yard-crew markings. - Dave] How StylishIn a three-piece suit & tie complete with handkerchief, this fellow seems quite overdressed. Railyards (especially in the days of steam locomotives) were very dirty places. Bib overalls would have been more appropriate. Maybe he spends time in an office or just wanted to look good for Mr. Vachon's camera. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Railroads)
Copper Country: 1942
... (The Gallery, Factories, Industry & Public Works, Mining, Railroads, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/29/2023 - 3:08pm -

September 1942. Deer Lodge County, Montana. "Anaconda smelter. Ore cars and smokestack." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full size. Copious copperIt's indeed a beautiful picture. And look at all the copper! It takes a lot of electricity to run an operation to mine the metal. Sootpunk chicI'm not sure which bowl game -- if any -- Utah would compete against Montana, but they're definitely facing off in the most photogenic mining infrastructure contest. Carr Fork Canyon, also -- and probably not coincidentally -- 1942, won my heart first, but this shot tests my loyalty, Answer: Right there at Anaconda, MontanaQuestion: Where were the bricks made to build the smokestack? I can't find a modern reference to support this September 1905 trade journal article. But it seems in Deer Lodge County, Montana, "There is no clay in the world that produces such durable and heat-resisting bricks as those that are turned out at the Anaconda yards. The silica brick made here surpasses the celebrated Swansea brick ..." Swansea brick is made in Wales. Click to embiggen: Butte, Anaconda and Pacific RailwayThis photo from the Butte - Silver Bow Public Archives shows the electric locomotives that brought the ore cars from Butte to the smelter in Anaconda. Electric power for the railway came from Great Falls, Montana. The power was converted from AC to 2,400 volts Direct Current at several substations along the line. How GreenAn absolutely amazing photograph. I'm getting a 'How Green Was My Valley' (John Ford 1941) impression. (The Gallery, Factories, Industry & Public Works, Mining, Railroads, Russell Lee)
Big Mack: 1942
... Cars, Trucks, Buses, Industry & Public Works, John Vachon, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/05/2023 - 12:31pm -

October 1942. "Tulsa, Oklahoma. Trucks being loaded with motor oil at the Mid-Continent refinery." Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Factory FreshThat Mack looks brand new. It is not sporting a dented fender or well-worn steer tires. The same cannot be said of the International. Small rearview mirrorsMack does have two , don't see a passenger side mirror on the International . Good picture ! Thanks ! Five Bucks MoreOr thereabouts, for a second windshield wiper. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Industry & Public Works, John Vachon, Railroads)
NA-TI-ON-AL LIFE: 1905
... BUT Implosion!!! they gather in the hundreds. Railroads, coal and money Wonder about the dominant businesses of the day? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2013 - 4:21pm -

Circa 1905. "Williamson Building, Cleveland." Bonus points to the first person to transcribe all those windows. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. I'm impressed by how clear these old photos are.Can anyone tell me the type of camera that would have taken this photo? The edge to edge clarity is pretty remarkable for something 100+ years ago. [This photo was taken with a view camera on a photographic glass plate that measured 8 x 10 inches. -tterrace] Boom!Imploded in 1982 to make way for the Sohio (later BP) skyscraper. It served as the headquarters for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland from 1914 to 1923. Final MinuteMy son and I watched and photographed the final moments of the Williamson Building but, as the huge dust cloud rolled across Public Square we, and hundreds of others, became quite alarmed. There was a telephone booth nearby so we ducked into it and continued to shoot photos of the bewildered spectators. Scan of prints from 35 mm color negs. ImagineSignage such as this on a 'modern' skyscraper. I can just imagine the dentist's office on the 25th floor with a nice, hand painted tooth in his window, touting his painless services. Euclid AvenueThis photo overlaps this recent one. Euclid Avenue exits to the right in the current photo. The big arch on the Williamson Building is at the extreme left edge of the previous photo. The "Otis" building was home to the Painless Dentist and Weiss Credit, as can be seen by matching up the upper Moorish windows. The streetcar switch on the upper (westbound) track at the far right of this photo would be the one controlled by the trolley wire contactor in the previous photo. Come & Go awayFew people gather to admire the beauty in the construction of old buildings. BUT Implosion!!! they gather in the hundreds. Railroads, coal and moneyWonder about the dominant businesses of the day? More railroad offices than I've ever seen in one place; bankers, brokers,insurance; and so much coal. (And some ice.) This was clearly commerce central. Rail officesThe cluster of rail offices are offline freight agents. I have no idea what they actually did or how one went about determining how to route freight shipments but almost all cities had dozens of freight agents representing various lines. Baltimore & Ohio apparently has the largest offices and they served Cleveland through a branch line but had multiple routes through Ohio and neighboring states. Great photo! Because I have no lifeI transcribed all the windows in the Corner Building -- as much as was readable. The pdf is here. (The Gallery, Cleveland, DPC, Streetcars)
Mineral Electric: 1942
... Information. View full size. (The Gallery, Mining, Railroads, Russell Lee) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/30/2023 - 2:18pm -

September 1942. Deer Lodge County, Montana. "Anaconda smelter, Anaconda Copper Mining Company. Individual ore cars are pushed to the ore dump by an electric locomotive." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full size. (The Gallery, Mining, Railroads, Russell Lee)
Office Cubicle: 1911
... (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Cleveland, DPC, Railroads, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/13/2023 - 2:36pm -

Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1911. "Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Bldg., St. Clair Avenue and Ontario Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The whole building?B of LE Building ... does that mean the brotherhood used the whole building? [They owned the whole building. - Dave] Full frontalSo we get the glamour shot of what we only had a tantalizing glimpse of a half-year ago. Still around, and still durned impressive ... or incredibly monotonous, depending on your preferences. [Er, no. That "tantalizing glimpse" was of a different building. - Dave] We can take comfort in being wrong together: you're pointing to the building across the street - which wasn't built until a decade after this picture, and I was mistaken that this is extant ... sadly StaredownIs that a Studebaker electric facing off with that horse? No Safety BarriersThe unfinished streetcar tracks catch my eye and how it is not surrounded by any sort of safety barriers - another reminder of how it was a different time back then. Also, wonder what the BoLE Auditorium looked like. Probably not as ornate as what would be created in another 10-15 years. Safety lastA torn up street and no barricades or traffic cones. Must have been before personal injury lawsuits were invented. At home in ChicagoThis style is from the Chicago School of architecture, which emphasizes the building's structural grid, uses relatively little ornamentation, and has large plate-glass window areas. I think it's a good look, especially considering that buildings would eventually be clad in only glass curtain walls. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Cleveland, DPC, Railroads, Streetcars)
The Vanderbilt: 1907
... tracks. Syracuse was notorious for its street level railroads with supposedly up to 100 trains a day traveling down the middle of ... Washington Street tracks. And more about the early railroads of Syracuse . Trolley guards The tracks coming in from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2015 - 7:59pm -

Syracuse, New York, 1907. "Vanderbilt House." With "Credit Parlors," billiards, a bowling alley and Trunks just around the corner. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Jamestown Exposition "Held in Norfolk, Virginia, from April 26 to November 30, 1907" Perhaps that narrows the date down a little closer, or maybe they were selling tickets in advance, for $15.45? [Oh! Good eye. - Dave] The reason there are no streetcarson those tracks is because they are not streetcar tracks. Syracuse was notorious for its street level railroads with supposedly up to 100 trains a day traveling down the middle of Washington Street (which I believe is the line we see here) by the early 1930s. There are some pictures in this article about some recently dug up Washington Street tracks. And more about the early railroads of Syracuse. Trolley guardsThe tracks coming in from lower right are apparently a steam railroad. The trolley line crossing these tracks has the most common form of trolley guard, a woven metal cage running above the wire, which catches the trolley pole in case of a dewirement, and supplies power for the trolley to get across the crossing. Note that the guards for the two tracks are staggered, so they can protect the pole located toward the rear of the cars. The guards are probably overkill in this case, as the steam trains would have been moving down the street trackage at very slow speed. However, dewirements were rather frequent, resulting in the conductor grabbing the retriever rope and "fishing" the pole back onto the wire. I've seen it happen many times. Looking at patent records and Google books turns up some alternative designs, which were apparently unsuccessful. 1907 Pawn Stars?Tried researching "credit parlors" to no avail. Were they turn-of-the-century Amscots? Or were they an early pawn shop? I'm assuming that there was a business relationship to the many nearby billiard "parlors". [A credit parlor was a clothing store that offered time payments. - Dave] Come On DownI think what they were really trying to sell were the Railroad tickets. FrankieLooks like a '05 Franklin, Model E parked at the curb (The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Syracuse)
Joe's Clothes: 1942
... service. (The Gallery, Marjory Collins, Movies, NYC, Railroads, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/27/2023 - 5:27pm -

September 1942. "New York, New York. Under the Third Avenue elevated railway." Starring Joe's Clothes Shop and the Variety Theatre, which had a bit part in the movie "Taxi Driver." Acetate negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. Cycle of the HoleNothing remains from this shot, except maybe - maybe - the block pavement (but if so it's buried under asphalt). The Variety went to that cutting room in the sky in 2005. However, where the doughnut shop once stood, more-or-less, is now the "Bagel Belly". A Bagel shop in NYC? I'm guessing it's not the only one. Sounds yummyI want to go to the Wheatland Doughnut Shop and Milk Bar. Lawrence LoansBoy, would I love to browse that pawn shop on the right to check out all those stringed instruments showing in the window. The Variety TheatreI grew up around there in the '50s and '60s, and I remember the Variety. It often featured live shows by old-school Jewish comedians who often performed in Yiddish. (There was a fellow named Ben Bonus who played there frequently.) That version of the Variety went away when the immigrant Jews in the neighborhood died off or retired away from Manhattan; their offspring weren't interested in that kind of entertainment. The Variety booked some rock 'n' roll acts in the late '60s and early '70s, but the interior acoustics were terrible. That was also when the inside of the theater started smelling less like a movie house and more like a public urinal. It had become a dump. [Also: Porn! - Dave] Bagel Belly... is at 114 3rd Avenue, where Joe's and probably the doughnut shop was. There is a film, c. 1983https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variety_(1983_film) The story centers around a woman who worked in the ticket box. It was reviewed in the Village Voice by David Edelstein. I commented on the review and he wrote back a response. Just a wild guess1937 Buick. Films at the VarietyI'd like to add that the last legit film I remember playing at the Variety was the first Matt Helm movie, which cast Dean Martin as a James Bond-type spy. It was The Silencers, released in 1966. More VarietyThe Variety theatre also played a role in the 1983 independent feature Variety, directed by Bette Gordon and written by Kathy Acker - both of them leading counter-cultural figures at the time. Sandy McLeod, then Jonathan Demme's girlfriend, works in the box office of a porn cinema and becomes obsessed with a mysterious rich patron. The film is currently available on the Mubi streaming service. (The Gallery, Marjory Collins, Movies, NYC, Railroads, Stores & Markets)
TRX: 1910
... - Dave] (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Mobile, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/19/2023 - 3:58pm -

Mobile, Alabama, circa 1910. "Unloading bananas." Tropical Refrigerator Express reefers at the ready. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Open Air Ship's WheelThis is likely an emergency wheel located close to the steering mechanism. The regular-use wheel is forward, in the bridge of this steamship. BananasThis was about a decade into the long march of the United Fruit Company through Latin America, leaving in its wake "banana republics", untold injustices, and the lasting model for multinational corporations. Open door policyI'm guessing that the reefers are in "ventilated car" mode, since bananas, while temperature sensitive, don't require the level of cooling some products do (namely frozen ones). The hatches are in the up position to facilitate air flow, rather than for icing. Where's Harry?I don't see the tally man. Norway?I can’t make out the name of the boat, and regardless it doesn’t appear that there’s a country listed, but the flag looks Norwegian to me. Does that even make sense? Mr TallymanThe tallyman and his buddy are on post, they even arranged a bench to check the unloading in comfort. The banana boat is NorwegianAs evidenced by the flag. It's from Bergen and its name ends in "DØ" The beginning is obscured by the flag Ship's WheelI don't remember seeing a ship's wheel quite so exposed to the elements outside of a pirate movie. Sidewheeler IDJas. A. Carney 1894 according to page 219 of the 1910 Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United Stares WHAT Bananas?I see coal and not bananas! "Yes, we have no bananas?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QqkrIDeTeA or if you prefer originals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDd8shcLvHI Where's the Day-O? Yes, we have no ...I'm banana blind -- not one in sight. Yes -- bananas!Look carefully at the conveyor just above the righthand white ventilator. The conveyor consists of a series of slings, each one lifting a bunch of bananas. Hellø BodøHere we see the diminutive 181-foot Norwegian steamer Bodø, launched as the Xenia in 1894 at Bergen by Bergens Mekaniske Versteder for Bergh & Helland of that city. At 666 gross and 398 net tons, it was powered by a triple expansion steam engine supplied by a Scotch boiler. It became the Bodø in 1899 and was chartered to the United Fruit Company to haul fruit, primarily bananas, between Jamaica and the the East Coast. United Fruit chartered many Norwegian vessels around the turn-of-the-last century beginning in 1899. Later named Plentingen, Polar, Samos and Ikaria, it was dismantled in Greece in late 1928. It has appeared before on Shorpy (as has a similar comment of mine!) Gaillard-Johnson Coal CompanyFrom the 1909 Mobile city directory. When cities had more than one telephone company. Coalyard located at foot of St. Anthony. Phone Bell 248 or Home 51. [City directories go back to before people even had telephones. - Dave] Walking the GangplankAs a free-range kid in Mobile, I have personally watched bananas being unloaded from a ship, circa 1950. It was nothing like this photo. There was a slanting gangplank between the ship and the dock, and a continuous line of men descending with stalks of bananas over their shoulders. I recall the gangplank being wooden, but am not sure of this. Nor do I recall how the men got back on board, but obviously they did. “Lighter”I’m interested in the boat off to the right of the ship. It’s actually a barge called a Lighter. These were, and in some cases still are, used to service ships in port. In this case the Lighter is providing coal to fuel the steam boilers. It has never been clear to me where the term came from. Some have suggested it’s from the German “Lichter” as some barges were used to off load (lighten) small deliveries to shore from large ships. Another great photo. Source of photo?The source of this great photo is described as Detroit Publishing Co., Library of Congress, but I am unable to find this photo at the Library of Congress website. Could someone provide me with a link to the photo? I've tried every search term I can think of. [This was one of a group of hundreds of damaged glass negatives added to the LOC archive in February. They have yet to be captioned, so will not show up in search results. - Dave] (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Mobile, Railroads)
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