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Ice House: 1943
... PRR photo. The way it used to be For sure, the railroads used ice for their own purposes. Creameries also usually had their ... natural sources. In some sections of the country, the railroads ran solid trains of ice from the collection points to city ice ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2023 - 11:35am -

January 1943. Blue Island, Illinois. "Inside the ice storehouse of the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad near Chicago. It has a storage capacity of almost 15,000 tons." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Always wondered, now I know -- thanks ShorpyI've always wondered what it was like inside those giant cold storage ice warehouses you see in so many old warehouse districts in the USA. I assume all of this ice shown in the pic was sawn out of Lake Michigan. Strong guyWonder what one of those slabs weighs -- 300 pounds? Or more? Passengers, too!Some of the 'heavyweight' passenger cars of the era were cooled by recirculating the chilled ice water through coils in the air conditioning system. PRR photo. The way it used to beFor sure, the railroads used ice for their own purposes. Creameries also usually had their own ice house attached for icing down the milk in season. In the days before mechanical refrigeration, private homes needed natural ice for their "ice boxes", and that ice came from natural sources. In some sections of the country, the railroads ran solid trains of ice from the collection points to city ice houses. They used reefers and even boxcars for the service. If an ice house burned to the ground (not such a rare event), the resulting mound of remaining ice that survived might take a full year to melt. Big chillThe reason that a railroad needed "icing" facilities was that refrigerator cars - "reefers" (before those became something you smoked) used ice for cooling. That particular railroad connected to the Chicago stockyards and so probably shipped a lot of refrigerated loads. Ice makersIt surprised me to see ice harvests this late, so i found an article here: 1. Until the invention of mechanical ice makers, ice was the second-largest export from the US (after cotton). 2. Ice harvesting continued on into the 1950s. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Great-Grandpa was a PA coal miner
... coal mines that had been worked heavily since the first railroads went through in the 1840s. mining accident My great ... 
 
Posted by gmr2048 - 02/01/2008 - 1:18pm -

Miners from near Hazleton, PA. Exact year unknown (probably early 1900s). My great-grandfather is the bottom-left miner. View full size. Great photo! Where isGreat photo! Where is Hazleton?? My Gr. Granpa and Granpa were from "Six Mile Run". Also miners. don't think they are in your photo, but really looked. Gayle [The caption says Hazleton is in Pennsylvania (as opposed to Hazelton, in West Virginia). Google Maps shows it near Scranton. - Dave] PA CoalminersMy great-grandfather (a Lithuanian immigrant) was also a coal miner in the Hazleton area right around dthis same time frame. I'd love to know more about the people in the picture, or at least your great-grandfather. PA CoalminersI just happened to stumble onto this site and boy, the memories are flooding! My grandfather and greatgrandfather were both minors from Hazleton. Both are long gone but I still travel from Connecticut to Hazleton on a regular basis to visit family there. We have 5 generations going there. PA CoalminersI too had a grandfather and greatgrandfather from Hazleton who were coalminers. They came from Czechoslovakia around 1910. I still make trips from CT to PA to visit family there. PA Coal MinersMy grandfather came from Poland and also worked in the mines in Hazleton, PA. I seem to remember the family saying it was the highest point in Pennsylvania. I had relatives who lived both in Freeland and Highland not far from Hazleton. - Chris PA coal minersHazleton, PA is in the "hard coal" or anthracite region of PA mining country. I grew up in Windber, in southwestern PA, in the "soft coal", or bituminous region. My uncle worked in the mine. I remember the "strike breakers" going to work, and more than that, I remember the BIG men with BIG guns who prevented anyone from interfering. I was about 5 or 6 yrs old. I still have a dear friend who lives there. (We are octogenarians). Has anyone else noticed the 3 or 4 very young men, boys really, in the picture? My great grandfathers tooMy great-grandfathers both worked as coal miners in northeast PA, not sure if it was Hazleton or another town though. One was from Poland and the other was from Romania. Pa. CoalminersMy great grandfather. grandfather, and great uncles were all coalminers in western Pa. One great uncle was killed in a cave in in 1927. Back then mining was done with picks and shovels and work was sporadic at best. Mines in BelgiumI had too a grandfather and others in my great grandfamily who were miners here in Frameries - Borinage - Belgium. Some of them and many other coworkers and friends died in the many coal mines installed in Borinage in the 19th and half part of the 20th century. They worked hard and live wasn't very pleasant everyday. A link to the last mine in Borinage closed in 1961, now a museum. http://www.pass.be/index.jsp Other links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frameries http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borinage http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borinage http://www.google.be/search?hl=fr&q=borinage+mines&btnG=Rechercher&meta= PA CoalminersMy grandfather and great grandfather were coal miners in NE Pa (Plymouth, near Wilkes-Barre, which is of course near Hazleton). They were of Irish descent, and lived very hard lives. My great-grandfather lived in a home owned by the coal company, as did most of his time, and died in a mine collapse in 1895. His son lived into his late forties, and succumbed to 'black lung'. Fortunately, the family line continued and are all living much healthier and longer lives, some of them still in the NE Pa region. coal dust in our veinsAlthough no one in my family was a miner, I am from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvcania and grew up with the consciousness of coal. I recall vivdly being a very small girl in the early 50s and hearing every morning on the radio the announcements of which mines wouild be working, and which, idle. Presumably, if the mine didn't work, you didn't get paid. Mining was the only economy of the area, and when the mines finally closed, the Wyoming Valley -- probably never ever a real boomtown, certainly never for the miners--sank into depression from which it has never recovered. Our house was heated with coal; the truck would come periodically and empty its load into the chute. I would take the dark, hard crystals that had spilled in the driveway and try to draw on the sidewalk with them. As the 60s and 70s wore on, obituaries in the paper were filled with notices of old, and not so old, men who had succombed to anthracosis--black lung--the miner's scourge. The men in the mines were taken ruthless adventage of by mine owners, who exploited them and offered them shacks to live in which, even into the 60s, had no indoor plumbing. I would like to recognize all of the souls who worked so hard for so little, many of whom met their deaths deep underground. Benetah those smudged faces were proud and hardy men. Plymouth PA CoalminersMy Mother was born and raised in Plymouth, moving away in 1936-37. Her Father, and other relatives were miners. I'd like to hear from others with similiar backgrounds from the area. I still drive thru Plymouth a couple times a year. bb1300@aol.com coal miner's granddaughterGreetings from another NE PA native. My great-grandfather, great-uncles and grandfather all worked in the coal mines of northern Schuylkill County. Other relatives worked in the factories, foundries and mills in the area. This part of the country was also the birthplace of the American labor movement and I am proud to say I'm a union member. Does Anyone Have?My mother told me that we had an ancestor who was killed at one of the Southwestern PA coal mines in the early 20th century. Where might I find a list of those who lost their lives in the PA coal mines long ago? Please contact me at pje6431@hotmail.com. Thanks. PA CoalminersMy step-grandfather was also a miner in Western PA in the period 1910-1920?? I don't know if it was Hazelton. His name was Dominick Demark or Demarco. He and my grandmother and my father came from Canada, but my father and grandmother were originally from Chaleroi, Belgium. Hazleton, PA CoalminersMy great-grandfather and great-uncle worked as coal miners in Hazleton, PA. Both were born in Kohanovce, Slovakia. Great-grandfather, George Remeta, immigrated around 1892. How would I find which mine he might have worked in? I keep thinking I might be looking at a picture of him and never know it! Also, does anyone know if payroll records or employee records exist? Mine near HazeltonThe Eckley Mining Village is located near Hazelton and Freeland PA. It is an interesting village and informative as well. Some of the homes are still lived in but when the occupants die the homes belong to the village. Well worth a visit. There are some names available and the museum and churches are very good. Dot Great-grandpa was a PA coal minerGreat photo...my grandfather was too a Lithuanian immigrant and worked in the mines in Scranton Pa. I cherish the stories my mom told me of her father during that time. I once took a tour of the Lackawanna Mines..it was an experience I will never forget. My hats off to our forefathers! grandpa worked in the mines.My grandfather worked in the mines in the Hazleton area also, he kept journals, the year 1946 he speaks about working in tunnel 26 and such....hard life. HazletonHazleton is in east central PA, near Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Wilkes Barre and Scranton. Upstate, as my grandparents called it. They were from Welsh coal miner stock and were born near/in Hazleton. These are hard, anthracite coal mines that had been worked heavily since the first railroads went through in the 1840s. mining accidentMy great grandfather was killed in a mining accident at Highland #2 colliery in Luzerne Co. PA on 2/13/1888. Would anyone know how I could get a newspaper article/obit/any info available on this accident???? Anthracite mining recordsI don't think they are available online, but the Pennsylvania Archives has microfilm of old PA mine accident records http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/Coal%20Resources.htm I'm pretty sure the coal region county historical society libraries have them too. Re: Mining accidentTry newspaperarchive.com. What was your great-grandfather's name? anthracite mining recordsFound some online. They even have 1888. Try here: http://www.rootsweb.com/~paluzern/mines.htm Throop Coal Mine Disaster of 1911I see you are from Scranton. I am from Pittston. I put together a booklet on the Throop (Pancoast) mine disaster. I included a few Scranton Mine accidents. If interested the booklet sells for $12. I will pay postage. Jim Bussacco 1124 Main St. Pittston Pa email bing1124.1@netzero.com Anthracite coal miningI always like logging onto your site. My father and three brothers were coal miners in the Pittston region. I worked as an outside laborer in the tipple of a mine. In 1943, I left the mine to go into the US Navy. When I returned after the war. I worked in strippings. Pittston was the greatest town in anthracite mining and had plenty of accidents. The last being the Knox mine disaster in 1959. I wrote a book about coal mining in Pittston, including most of the major disasters. I also have a great collection of coal mine pictures, including the Knox Mine Disaster. I hope more people with coal mine connections log in your site, Thank you Jim Bussacco bing1124.1@netzero.com PrepselsLooking for info on Prepsels, late 1800s early 1900's. My grandfather Raymond Prepsel (spelled Prepsal on some papers) came from Austria/Hungary to work the mines in the Hazelton area. On his certificate of competency issued by the Miners' Examining Board of the Fifth District of Luz. Co., Pa. dated July 16, 1898, his name is spelled Bribsel. He resided in Deringer in Luzerine [Luzerne?] County. My great-grandfather Paul was also living in the area and in Lost Creek, Pennsylvania. I'm doing my family tree and hope someone who reads this can help me. I only know that Elizabeth Prepsel (Raymond's sister ) married a Leo Witkowski and lived in Lost Creek. I'll keep checking back on this site. This is the names of the people who signed his competency certificate are Anthony Reilly, Isaac Williams and William Dinko. My Great Grandfather is in the photo too!John Yuhasz, the tall gent in the back row, fifth from the right (including the boy) is my great grandfather. He migrated from Hungary to work in the mines. He built a home on Goodman Street in Throop by the ball field just before he was killed in the accident. His wife never remarried, but his son, my grandfather Louis, worked in the mines until he was in his early 30's, then moved to Detroit, where he worked for Packard Motor Cars. My mother has this photo too. Louis passed away in 1994 at the age of 87, but he still had his carbide lamp. My Great-Grandfather was a Coal Miner too!He lived near the Hazleton area and actually died in a mine collapse in 1928. I have tried to find records of this mine explosion, but all I can find is a list of mine explosions, and there was one where 10 men died in Parsons, Pa. There was no article attached. I'm thinking that might have been the one where he died. According to family stories, he died during a rescue attempt. Anyway, on the upper right hand corner of this picture is a young man standing in the background who has a strong resemblance to some of the pictures I have of my Great-Grandfather. I would love to be able to find out if that was him. Looking for CoalAnyone know where I can order/buy a sample of anthracite? Mine AccidentGo to www.nytimes.com, and do an archive search for the 1851 to 1980 archives. Put WILKES BARRE MINE in the search box, and confine your search to May 25, 1928 to May 31, 1928. You will come up with three articles about the Parsons mine disaster. However, you will only be able to see the headlines. If you can find a public or college library that has ProQuest, which gives you free online access to the NY Times, you can read and print these articles. Good luck! Joe Manning, Lewis Hine Project. Johnny DeVeraMy dear father passed away one week ago. he and my mother are both from Pittston. PA. while going through his things, we came upon a story about a coal miner who never wanted his 11 year old son to follow in his footsteps, but rather wanted him to find a new life. Unfortunately, as the story goes, he found a new life, only to return to the old and meet his death. it is a two page story. beautifully written. my grandfather was a great writer. the story has no author. we are trying to locate the author. could be my father too. we wonder if this is a true story, regarding the outlaw, Johnny DeVera, the son of a coal miner in PA Hazleton, PennsylvaniaHazleton is near where the Luzerne, Carbon, and Schuylkill County lines meet. It is about 28 miles South or Southeast of Wilkes-Barre. PA Lithuanian Coal MinersMy grandfather was a Lithuanian miner sometime before 1960. He lived in Pittston. I'd like to find out more about the Lithuanian miners and their families. Pancoast mine disasterMy grandfather (Joseph Urbanowich) and perhaps his father worked the Pancoast mine .. I was wondering if your information includes the names of the 72 people who perished in the disaster. My grandfather was only 12 at the time, and I cannot find any information about his father. My grandfather was Lithuanian, lived on Bellman Street in Throop (Dickson City) in 1917 .. and then a couple of other places in Dickson City. I vaguely remember him saying something about being born around Wyoming Pa as well .. In any case, I'm interested in your booklet .. do you take paypal ?? Belgian minersDoes anyone have information on Max Romaine or Alex Small from Primrose Pa.? Alex was my grandfather and Max my great uncle. We are trying to build a family tree and don't have much information on the Romaine part of the family. I know for sure Alex worked in the mine for 50 years and helped get benefits for black lung. I believe Max was also a miner. Throop PAI was just reading your reply regarding your greatgrandfather being in the photo. i was born and raised in Throop and both of my grandfathers worked at the pancoast mine and also my wifes grandfather. Do you have any other names of people in the photo? I hae a lot of info regading Throop and can be contacted at sandsroad1@hotmail.com. thanks Anthracite coalYou're asking about a chunk of anthracite coal. I can sell you a 5 or 6 pound piece for $5 plus postage. I live in Pittston. Jim Bussacco bing1124.1@netzero.com River ferries & PA coal minesMy grandfather ran a river ferry at Frank, Pennsylvania, also called Scott Haven (name of the post office). The name of the coal mine was different and I have forgotten what it is. I would like to know if anyone knows where this place is today. I have pictures of the ferry and the school. Granddad moved the family in about 1920 to Crooksville, Ohio to a dairy farm. The mine either closed or was a strike and he had a family to keep. Any help is appreciated. Judy Langsford PAI am also interested in confirming a Lithuanian miner of No. 9 mine in Langsford, PA. Any help would be appreciated. Michael Lucas or Lukas or Lukasewicz. Thanks! Lance Lucas Amherst, MA Scott HavenScott Haven is on the Youghigheny River south of McKeesport.Coal mines in this area were Shaner,Guffy and Banning.Many other small independent mines.There is not much left in Scott Haven now.I'm not sure there is even a post office left. Knox mine disasterMy grandfather was the last one pulled out. Next Jan 22 is there any talk of a get together? Hazleton MinesMy great grandparents Stephen and Mary Dusick came to this country in 1888 from Spisska Nova Ves in Slovakia. They knew the place as Iglo Spisska Austria. They had a one year old son also named Stephen. My great grandfather and my grandfather worked in the mines. On the 1900 census I learned that my father, a 13 year old boy, was working as a slate picker. Perhaps George Remeta or his children knew my family. :)My grandfathers 1917 draft registration gives the name of the mine but I find it hard to read. Looks like Pzeda Bros. & Co Lattisonee Mines PA. I know I'm not close but maybe someone will recognize a few letters. correction: Lattimer Mines is place where my grandfather workedAfter doing more research I now know the place was Lattimer Mines but I still cannot read _____ Bros. & Co ____ Lattimer Mines and Mine RecordsPardee Brothers and Co. Ario (Ariovistus) Pardee was patriach of one of the three prominent families (Markle and Coxe Families are the others)who first developed the mines in the Hazleton Area also known as The Eastern Middle Anthracite Field. Pardee operated the Lattimer Mines where my great grandfather worked and where my grandmother was born. For those looking for mining records, look for the Annual Report of the Inspector of Mines. These reports cover PA's anthracite and bituminous mining districts from 1870 to present. The reports from 1870 to 1920 or so are particularly detailed. If you had an ancestor who was killed or injured in an accident, his name, age, and a description of the incident will be included. You can find some years for some districts online at rootsweb. Otherwise if you know the area where they worked, the local library may have copies. If not the State Library and PA Geologic Survey Library in Harrisburg have the complete set. Lansford PAIt's Lansford, not Langsford. The No. 9 mine is now a tourist attraction. It also has a museum which has lots of history and photos. WOW!Wow! I haven't been back to Shorpy for a while now, and it's cool to see that this photo has sparked such a discussion! I'll take a look at my original scan when I get home tonight and see if there is any other info on the back of the image. I scanned both front and back. (The original photois in the possession of my Uncle). As I remember it, tho, the only person identified is my great-great grandfather. I'll post back if I find anything else interesting. Your grandfather John YuhaszDo you know the names of the other miners in the photo? I'm still looking for information on my great grandfather, George Remetta and his son, also George, who were coal miners in Hazleton or Freeland during that time. Also, what was the name of the mine? Stephen and Mary DusickIf you could let us know the exact name of the mine it would help! Not sure if my great grandfather, George Remetta, knew your relatives. If there were Slovak Lutherans, there is a great chance they knew each other. My great grandparents attended Sts. Peter and Paul Slovak Lutheran church in Freeland. Church records are available through LDS Family centers and are complete although they are written in Slovak! Let me know...I'll be checking back with this site from time to time! Deb Remetta DusickThe 1900 census just says that my great grandfather worked in a local mine. Doesn't help. They were Roman Catholic as far as I know. My grandfather's 1917 draft registration form gives more clues. He worked in the Lattimer mines and lived on 992 Peace Street Hazleton. When my great grandfather was 60 in the 1920 census he said he worked with a timber gang. Does anyone know what that was? My grandfather worked as a slate picker when he was 13. Those poor young boys. John McGarveyMy grandfather died in a cave-in in 1887, before my father was born in late November 1887. Name John McGarvey. wmcgarvey@tampabay.rr.com Great-GranddadMy great-grandfather John Davies was a coal miner from Milnesville. I believe he's in this photo, bottom right hand corner, second from the right. He came to the U.S. from Wales between 1880 & 1895. Hello from WindberHello from Windber, Pa. I am writing stories at the present for our new quarterly historical newsletter for the Windber Area Musuem, it is being mailed out to museum members as a thank you for their support, membership is only $5 per yr, if interested in receiving it. Your story of remembering the guns, etc. is one of the few I have heard from someone who actually still remembers that period of time in Windber's coal strikes., etc. If you have any photos, or a story of interest, small or big, memories, etc. that I could put in our newsletter I would be happy to receive it. Also if you happen to have served in the military service we are planning to honor the men and woman from this area by having their photos and service records displayed during the month of July in the museum. thank you for your interest in our endeavor. Patricia M. Shaffer, dstubbles5@aol.com No. 9 MineMike Lukas was my grandfather from Lansford, Pa., and worked in the No. 9 mine until it closed in 1972. - Mike Futchko badkarmahunter@yahoo.com No 6 mine LansfordI am looking for any info on # 6 mine in Lansford. My grandfather was a miner there and suffered a massive stroke in the mine. PLEASE if you have any info or pictures of this mine, PLEASE contact me papasgirl@verizon.net. Thank you very much. Lithuanian Miner George NeceskasMy grandfather George Neceskas was a miner in Scranton PA at the Marvin Mine. (His Army discharge papers list his name as George Netetsky). Some of his relatives still live in Scranton, although I am not personally acquainted with any of them. None of us ever went down in the mines after he did. He had 4 children. 3 of those 4 had a total of 6 children (including my brother and I) and those 6 children had a total of 8 children. 2 of those 8 children have 2 children each. None of those 4 bear his last name anymore, although there are still some Neceskases living in New England now. Only his children spoke Lithuanian. None of his other descendants were taught the language. Pa. MinersHi! My family (from Plymouth) were all coal miners. They were McCues, Burnses and Keefes, from Carver Street and Vine Street and Shawnee Avenue. My Uncle Fritz (Francis Keefe) was blown up in a mining accident in the 1950's, and nearly killed, but left with a green freckled face on the left side. The early relatives were Hugh McCue and Peter Burns from Ireland. County Cork and County Downs. Do you know anything of that? My mother's father, Patrick McCue, born in the 1870's, worked as a breaker boy starting when he was 9. He was orphaned that year. Please respond to Turkeyfether@aol.com Thanks, Kathy My great great grandfather My great great grandfather worked in the PA coal mines. He died in 1906 in Scranton when he failed to heed his helper's warnings to not go back and relight the fuse. He was 46. I have his obituary and death certificate. He suffered a crushed hand, fractured skull and a fractured radius and died from shock. There were reports that his eyeball fell out but I'm not sure. His wife had a ride to the hospital but did not have a ride back so she had to walk 15 miles back home to tell my great grandfather and his siblings that their dad had died. So, my great grandfather and his younger brother started working in the mines when they were 11 and 10, respectively. He was born in Switzerland and only spoke German at home. He's buried in Forest Home Cemetery in Taylor. I think my great grandfather started working Pyne Breaker in Taylor and my aunts at the Economy Silk mill in Taylor. Coal miners in the 1920 CensusI'm researching family in VA and WV. I found in a 1920 census in column 13 (normally for year of immigration) the letters BWF and sometimes MH and these men were coal miners. Can anyone tell me what the initials stand for? I'm aware of the UMWA, a union. Could they be the initials of the company name of the mine? Also the birth state has USW above the state name. Am I on the right track? Thanks for any help. Carol Caf1b2h@cox.net [Googling those initials gives this answer: The census abbreviation BwF means boy living with father; MH means a miner is the head of the household. - Dave] Two Lithuanian GGF's were Coal MinersOne was naturalized in 1892. He lived in Scranton, Nanticoke or Sheatown at various times. I suspect he was brought over as "Contract Labor". That was the story from Grandfather, supposedly it was a German firm. Anyone know the names of the companies that did this sort of thing, in those days? Does anyone understand what the immigration process was at that time? I'm trying to work backwards from the Naturalization to establish the year he came over. His last name was Lastauskas (which morphed into Lastowski). Underwood CollieryI am looking for pictures, information, families that have relatives that lived in Underwood Village near Scranton that are interested in sharing photos, etc. My grandfather was a mine superintendent there until they tore the village down. Thanks. [How are people supposed to get in touch with you? - Dave] Underwood Connection?I recently found a photo of breaker boys on a site called "100 Photographs that Changed the World" by LIFE. My grandfather and G. Grandfather worked in the mines in PA and W.V. The 4th boy from the left, in the front row I believe is my grandfather. If you took my nephew, put him in those clothes, and smeared coal dust on his face, you would not be able to tell them apart. Even the way he stands to the look on his face (we call that the Underwood scowl, my dad had it, my son has it, and my granddaughter has it. In researching the picture, it was breaker boys from South Pittson, PA. If any one has any information on Clyde or Fred Underwood, I would be excited to hear from you at: kenginlaz@comcast.net. Thanks! Mining disaster 1911I live in the uk and have two family members with a date of death/ burial 13/5/1911. Can you tell me where I could find a list of miners killed in Throop disaster in 1911. My email is caroleh1@hotmail.com Mining disaster infoI would recommend contacting the following for starters: http://www.pioneertunnel.com/home.shtml After that, try the Pennsylvania Archives at: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=2887&&leve... One other area is the Luzerne County website. http://www.luzernecounty.org/living/history_of_luzerne_county These people are an excellent resource at the Osterhout Library: http://www.osterhout.lib.pa.us/ Last but not least. Go here first: http://www.luzernecounty.com/links2.htm I do not think you will be too successful in your quest. I hope I have been somewhat helpful to you and not caused too much confusion. Good luck. Williams Coal MinerMy great-grandfather and great-uncle both died in a coal mining explosion near Scranton. I am not sure where though. My dad says it was before he was born, prior to 1928. He thinks it was in Taylor, PA. Anyone have any info on Williams? rcanfield4@yahoo.com Davis miners of Schuylkill Co. PAMy David ancestors were all coal miners from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. John Davis, my great-great-great grandfather, came from Wales as a small child. He married Ann Hanna and died in 1902. One of their sons, David David Davis [??] (my great-great grandfather), and Charles Garfield Davis (great grandfather) were miners. I don't know if at any point they spelled or changed their name from Davies to Davis. But there were so many Davis and Davies miners during that time. This was such a huge family with so many children from each generation and I know there were other John Davis'/Davies in the family. Do you have any further info about the family I could research and maybe help? Please email me, froggy3538@msn.com Lithuanians in the PA minesMy great grandfather and great-grandmother worked in the Scranton mines during the early 1990s [1890s? - Dave]. My grandmother was born in Scranton in 1915.I am interested in finding more info especially documentation of their existence. Their names were August and Anna Palukis. Have you found any similar info? My email address in barthra@utrc.utc.com Thanks Bob Barth from CT. Taylor Borough Mine Disaster 1907I now have more information regarding when and where my Great GF and Great Uncle were killed. It was the Holden Mine in Taylor Borough, PA. Any information would be great! rcanfield4@yahoo.com dot2lee@yahoo.com Hazelton MinesMy mother's father, Conrad Sandrock, worked the mines around Hazelton most of his life. They lived in a small town just out side of Hazelton called Hollywood. There were strip mines across the road when I was young (1950s and '60s). I always love looking at the pictures on this site and wondering if my grandfather worked with any of these men. I know I have never worked a day in my life that would compare to one day in these mines. I take my hat off to all the men who fed their families do this kind of work. Would love to see the average kid nowadays try that. G-Grandfather Lithuanian coal miner in Hazleton.Apparently my Lithuanian G-Grandfather was a coal miner in Hazleton, PA around 1900-1915. Haven't been able to find out much more information than that. Anyone know where I can find census records, by chance? Information pleaseMy great-grandfather immigrated from Hungary to work the coal mines at Derringer and Tomhicken circa 1887. I welcome any information you may have about how they were recruited, how they were transported from the port of entry to Tomhicken. The Pennsylvania Historical society record of Lucerne County said miners paid for a plot of land to bury their loved ones. My great-grandparents lost three of their children and I would like to locate where they are buried. Also I am interested in knowing if their deaths were recorded by the State of Pennsylvania or some other agency (Town, County) that existed at the time. Finally, I want to know of any stories that were written about the life that they and their families endured during this time. Please contact me at mtkotsay@gmail.com Thank you very much. [Your great-grandparents -- what were their names? - Dave] Taylor, PA, Coal Miner RelativesMy mother's family is from Taylor where her father, George Zigmont was a coal miner. They lived in a neighborhood called "The Patch." The houses were built on top of the mineshafts while they were digging the coal out underneath. Years later the abandoned shafts started caving in and the houses became unstable. The entire community was condemned and the homeowners forced to move. My grandfather, his daughter, my great-aunt (who owned Rudy's Bar at the top of 4th Street) and her daughter were among those who had to give up their homes and got virtually nothing for their property or houses. I believe this was in the 1960s or possibly early '70s. George's father, Anthony Zigmont, immigrated from Austria/Poland in 1893 and settled in Taylor. How did these immigrants wind up in Taylor from Ellis Island? Did someone direct them there? Did they already have relatives in the area? Was there a group who immigrated from the motherland and settled together in Taylor? If so, does anyone know where in Austria/Poland they came from? Slovakia, miners fromOne looks like my grandfather. Second row down on left in white shirt and tie. Mikula is last name. He came to PA mines after death of his father in mine accident. Also Mikula. GF left mines to work in auto plant in Detroit. Greenwood Colliery & drifts behind Birney Plaza, Pa.Information received. Immigrant coal minersMy grandfather immigrated from Slovakia and worked the coal mines in Coaldale, Pennsylvania. Does anyone know what year this might have been? My great-grandfatherMy great-grandfather was also a coal miner for Moffat Mines. His place of employment was near Taylor in Lackawanna County. I recently retraced his steps and wrote about it here. What a challenging life they led. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Mining)
8th Avenue Elevated: 1905
... IRT elevated line. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/21/2023 - 11:55am -

New York City circa 1905. "The Elevated, Eighth Avenue and W. 110th Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Old meets newI superimposed the Google Street View over the Shorpy image to see the changes around the building on the left. Don't jump !!As they say, there's only one chance to make a first impression, and you don't want it to be in the pavement: the (in)famous Suicide Curve. Reckitt's BlueAn early manifestation of the consumer-goods conglomerate Reckitt Benckiser: Spectacular PhotographWhat an impressive perspective and composition. The foreground cobblestones taking an important part of our attention. The use of above ground rail is such a good conserve of space. The ground footprint of the support stanchions is very small in comparison to the benefit gained of mass transport without congestion. This idea should be implemented more today to ease traffic chaos on choked arterial roads. A second level can carry vehicles and/or trams/trains via point to point destinations. Much less intrusive than demolition of huge swathes of buildings to create more lanes. Is this the same Elthat appeared in the thrilling car chase sequence in "The French Connection"? [The car chase in that 1971 film was shot in Brooklyn; the Manhattan tracks seen here were gone by 1940. - Dave] Why Here?After reading about the numerous suicides at this location, I found myself asking "Why here?" Wasn't the elevation of the entire El the same height as at this spot? Why did so many choose to jump only from this curve? [This particular curve (actually two curves, shaped like an S) was the highest part of the IRT elevated line. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
D.C. Transit: 1961
... (The Gallery, D.C., Railroads, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2023 - 4:48pm -

March 12, 1961. "D.C. Transit trolley in front of the U.S. Capitol." 8x10 inch gelatin silver print by railroad historian Ara Mesrobian. View full size. Pulling the PlowA great photo of a classic streetcar, but what really sets it apart is the unusually clear view of the plow (behind the front truck) which drew electric power through the conduit slot between the two running rails. Washington DC and Manhattan were the only two significant installations of conduit traction in North America. It was costly to build but spared the street the clutter of overhead wires. The car does carry a trolley pole, but this was for use in suburban areas where conventional overhead was used. Car 766 was already an antique when this photo was taken, used only for charters and special trips. It's preserved at the National Capital Trolley Museum, mentioned in a recent Shorpy post. Must Have Been a Special OccasionThe pre-PCC 1918 vintage 766 was an older car relegated to excursion only use at the time of this snap. It's currently being restored at the National Capital Trolley Museum: http://www.dctrolley.org/dccollection/27 (The Gallery, D.C., Railroads, Streetcars)
Silver Sightseer: 1961
... it was burned in 1970, by arson. (The Gallery, D.C., Railroads, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2023 - 12:39pm -

August 22, 1961. Washington, D.C. "Silver Sightseer, D.C. Transit air-conditioned trolley, in tunnel under the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing building." 8x10 inch gelatin silver print by railroad historian Ara Mesrobian (1924-2019). View full size. The real thingThis appears to be a genuine PCC car. That ungainly thing onetwo pics back, lurking outside the amusement park, was one of 20 lookalikes -- though I guess not too alike -- delivered before the design had been finalized. Sightseeing underground?One wonders what sights they see. Chartered? And empty. Interesting. I have never heard of a trolley with "air conditioning" before. And if I may digress, why don't they call it cooling, like heating? The term "air conditioning" must've originated with a corporate source to sound more appealing. [The "conditioning" encompasses cooling, filtering and dehumidification. - Dave] Still rolling -- sort ofThe DC Trolley Museum offers rides on some of the historic cars that served the area in times gone by. Sounds like fun. Not Just SightseersWhen FDR traveled by train during WWII, he often boarded the presidential car in the railroad tunnel under the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. There was a now-abandoned spur connecting the building to the main line tracks between Union Station and the "Long Bridge" railroad bridge across the Potomac. He left from there on his last trip to Warm Springs, Georgia shortly before his death in April 1945. The Late Great Silver SightseerThe Silver Sightseer started life as a standard PCC-type streetcar (fleet number 1512) that was fancied-up in the late 1950s with air conditioning, plush seats and other refinements to ferry tourists around D.C. It was also said that it was a demonstration of how the fleet could be upgraded, at a time when the transit company, still privately owned, was involved in franchise controversies with the government. After the D.C. streetcar system was closed in 1962, the car went to the new National Capital Trolley Museum, where it was set on fire by vandals several years later and completely destroyed. Fortunately the museum has other PCC streamliners in its collection, but the Silver Sightseer was one of a kind. Saved for a whileThis particular trolley car was saved by the afore mentioned National Capital Trolley Museum, but like many hotels shown on Shorpy, it was burned in 1970, by arson. (The Gallery, D.C., Railroads, Streetcars)
Goliath & Goliath: 1942
... noted by Steamin. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/12/2023 - 2:39pm -

December 1942. "Locomotives in the Chicago and North Western departure yard about to leave for Clinton, Iowa." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Switching dutiesEngine 2519, on left, listed as a road engine, wheel arrangement 2-8-2, C&NW J-A class, builder: Schenectady Locomotive works. Engine 2637, on right, listed as switching type, wheel arrangement 0-8-0, C&NW M-4 class, number two in the (2636 was first). builder: Richmond Locomotive works. Maybe it was pressed into road service at this time. In addition to the wheel arrangement, this engine gives a clue to its switching role as you see the footboard on the front bumper of the engine, (instead of the 'cowcatcher' seen on #2519) where a switchman would stand as the engine moved around the yard and assembled the train cars from the yard into a train for a road engine to haul away. MassiveIf you've never been in the presence of mighty locomotives such as these, you don't realize how massive they are. I went to see the Norfolk & Western 1218 arrive in Salisbury, North Carolina in 1989. I stood at the edge of the ballast of the track along with many other people and had to look almost straight up to see how tall she was. I've ridden behind the 1218 and the Southern 4501 in passenger cars with the windows down and boy did my face get dirty. Good times. Flags and markersNote the flags and marker lamps on the 2519. The flags are dirty, but don't appear to be white which would denote an "extra" train (not shown in the timetable). They are likely green, indicating that another section of this train will be following. The lack of flags or markers on the 2637 suggest that it will not be leaving the yard, and is in fact engaged in switching duties, as noted by Steamin. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Jack & Mary: 1936
... 41 times! (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Movies, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/29/2023 - 1:45am -

March 13, 1936. Washington, D.C. "Man and woman disembarking from train." 4x5 inch glass negative, Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size. Washington Post, March 14, 1936: Arriving for Week at Loew's Fox         Arriving in the Capital early yesterday morning, Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone -- Mrs. Benny in private life -- were met and breakfasted by a group of Loew's executives and newspaper representatives. Mr. and Mrs. Benny are here for a week of personal appearances, in conjunction with an elaborate stage revue, at Loew's Fox Theater. Mr. Benny's Sunday night broadcast will be made from the auditorium of the National Press Club ... Watch your step Jack.Just about missed the stepstool. Won't be any vaudeville dancing for a couple days. Fabulous Fox, fabulous BennyThey're headed for a venue appropriate to Benny's stardom. Loew's Fox, opened in 1927, was the last theater designed by Cornelius Ward Rapp of the Rapp & Rapp architectural firm. The grandest of Washington's movie houses, it was renamed Loew's Capitol five months after this Shorpy photo was taken. Closed in 1963, it was demolished the following year--all but the elegant archway, which is now the entry to the National Press Club from which Benny made his March 15 broadcast. Benny: "Think of it, just one mile from the White House--it's closer than Al Smith ever got." Watch your step JackIt would be awfully easy to miss that cheesy little step they put down. A PI lawyer would be salivating at that these days. Forever 39And in this photo, Jack has just celebrated his 3rd 39th birthday the month prior. He would pass away in 1974 having celebrated his 39th birthday 41 times! (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Movies, Railroads)
Union Station: 1906
... from May of 2023. (The Gallery, DPC, Indianapolis, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/25/2013 - 3:08pm -

Circa 1906. "Union Station, Indianapolis." If we step on it (but not in it) we just have time to make the 3:25 to Terre Haute. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Before it was elevatedAbout 10 years later, the tracks were elevated throughout the city so train traffic would not impede vehicular traffic. The station house and tower remain intact but the structure has seen considerable modifications to its exterior. In addition, the area under the tracks and directly south of the station house was enclosed and docks put in place for use by freight companies. You can see the Illinois Street tunnel heading south under the rails. It was removed and the street returned to ground level. I think this was the only tunnel, all other crossings were at-grade. It must have been tough getting to anywhere south or east of the tracks as they formed what was called the Belt Railway. As you can imagine, expansion of the city was primarily northward until this barrier was alleviated. Why Union?Why are so many train stations named "Union?" [Wikipedia says this. -tterrace] Electric light gains a toeholdIn the foreground, an arc light is seen on a particularly tall pole... in 1906, they're fairly well established as the modern, whiz-bang way to bring noonday brightness to the public places in your city, like the plaza in front of Union Station. Edison's long-life, low current incandescents would eventually dominate, replacing the buzzing, sparking novelty fixtures. And just in case your fussy arc lights failed, we see several old-fashioned gas fixtures back by the station building. Fringe On Top, Grade BelowIf this were Oklahoma, that surrey would have a fringe on top. A deeper thought: I'm surprised at the steep grade change between street and rail tunnel. Wonder if it caused problems for the engineers/drivers. and today --View Larger Map +117Below is the same view from May of 2023. (The Gallery, DPC, Indianapolis, Railroads)
The Rest Is History: 1914
... locomotive tracks. [It would have nothing to do with railroads or trains. The conveyor travels on a track behind the excavating ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/27/2022 - 1:10am -

"Man, possibly William B. Greene, with model for a machine that appears to be designed to scoop up material." Circa 1914-1918, an inventor and invention that scarcely need introducing to anyone born in the 20th century. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. It's either It's either inspired by monkeys at the zoo, or some form of travelling fan. Such a fan might be used in orchards on cold nights, to stop a frost settling on the fruit. But, I'm going with the monkey device. Back to the drawing board"1914. George Ferris's famously unsuccessful first attempt at a carnival ride." Salt Water TaffyI agree it's a taffy puller by Peter or a peter puller by Taffy. I know what it is ...It's a waterway power generator. An advanced form of the old-fashioned waterwheel. Obviously. Unless it's a power ice cream scoop. ContraptionThe machine could never be an excavator since the buckets are located in line with the wheels. Also, because of the chain arrangement, the buckets would never tilt over to dump anything. A friend of mine who has a M. E. degree says it must have been some sort of windmill. Be nice if someone could run down the patent application. At the time of this photograph, it was not necessary to have a model of an invention with the exception of those for perpetual motion machines. Maybe as has been suggested, it was intended for removing bats from mine tunnel roofs? [No one said it was an excavator. We said it's the conveyor that follows the excavator. If the buckets were full and not in dump mode they'd be facing up, side by side. - Dave] Well of course.It's the prototype of the machine that would eventually add two scoops of raisins to Raisin Bran. This one could do two boxes at once. How longare you going to keep us guessing? It's slowly driving me crazy! You can build this!My first thought was an early Erector Set. Another way of looking at it What it isObviously (or maybe not) this is some sort of mining conveyor designed to travel on a track in the tunnel behind the excavator. The buckets are shown here in the dump position. The electric motor would be for demonstration purposes. [I think you're on the right track. So to speak. The archive caption for these is "unidentified machine model." - Dave] Wensleydale ExcavatorQuite clearly a young Wallace. But where is Gromit? He can explain everything. Drive TrainI'm still not sure of this device's intended purpose, but based on the two images, I'm pretty sure this is how it operated. Perhaps with this sketch, someone might be able to come up with the intended application. The sketch shows the chains and sprockets in bold and the electric motor at left. The "buckets" on the end of each arm are kept synchronized in the shown position relative to the floor based on the evidence supplied by the second photo. Only one of the two arms is shown in this sketch and the "phantom" arm is provided only to show the synchronized orientation of the "buckets" as the arm rotates. The chain was intentionally disconnected in the first photo so that the arm could be manually rotated to show the construction details. The second photo show both arm aligned parallel with each other. The relationship of the buckets with respect to the floor could be varied depending on how both "bucket" sprockets were initially aligned with their sprockets on the drive shaft. Based on the small number of teeth on the motor sprocket, this was a low-speed device (less than 100 RPM). My guess is that this is a working model that was submitted along with the patent application. Scoop?With the open sides of the buckets it doesn't seem that it would be a very efficient scooper of anything unless that which it was scooping was larger than the openings. I can't imagine what that would be. For that matter, I can't imagine what this is. Maybe we need to think larger scale. Perhaps this is a small scale model of what is intended to be a much larger contraption. If the sides of the buckets were closed it could scoop just about anything. I think the key here is the two sets of buckets on either side. Maybe this was for a farm for digging rows for planting. Maybe it was an early ditch witch for burying power lines - a hot and a neutral. [I'd say our 3:36 commenter pretty much nailed it. - Dave] I am the energizer bunny of waiting DaveI think Dave has gotten our expectations too high, and now he will not be able to deliver. To say that anyone born in the 20th century will instantly go "oohhh...so that's who/what he/it is" may be a promise he can't keep. Universal recognition of a piece of mining equipment, and by anyone born during anytime of a whole century? No, sad to say, I think Dave realizes his mistake, and is delaying, hoping to wait and tire us out. But I will be here Dave...waiting...waiting...waiting. [Did we not read all the comments? The answer, such as it is, is down below. - Dave] Dave cracks me upIts his witty comments that make the difference as we ply around in the dark trying to figure out some goofy photo. Its Dave who makes it such fun. What a goof! Well of course.It's a taffy stretcher. Am I warm? Car.It's simply an automobile that moves by pushing air. The scoops are obviously less practical than propellers, but perhaps the idea of a propeller wasn't as obvious then as now. Or the inventor was just dumb. That's Peabody, famous in West VirginiaExperimental model of a dragline or bucket conveyor. SprocketsI've got no idea what this is, but it's never going to work as long as the crucial middle chain remains off the sprocket. If the inventor spent less time looking fiercely proud, in his obviously used-to-ridicule way, and more time hanging all his chains, we'd have guessed what this is by now. Not Scoops or ScrapersEach pair of hoppers is facing in the same direction at all times, as controlled by the chain drives when the central shaft rotates. So it can't be intended to operate as a set of scoops for wind or water, or scrapers, or conveyor buckets. This inconvenient arrangement shot down my pet theory that the device was intended to clear roosting bats from the ceilings of railroad tunnels. Generator, tooI see it as a generator, too, but a hydro-electric one. Small scale, for use in a stream, or at a small waterfall. Wheels just for display purposes? CannibalizationI dunno what it is, but Mrs. Inventor is going to be plenty ticked off when she finds out what's happened to their baby carriage, bicycle and coal scuttles. SnowplowIt's a early electric snowplow. Not only did the electric cord do it in, but it didn't have anything attached to it to knock over roadside mailboxes or pile up snow at their driveway entrances. A flying machineThe scoops take up air at a constant aspect angle as they rotate. My guessA generator, perhaps wind-driven. Obviously"Harry Reese's early attempt at making machinery for use in combining and cupping chocolate with peanut butter." If it was intended for useIf it was intended for use in a mine, it wasn't well designed. That motor would not last more than a day or two if that in the dust of a mine. All those friction points would be dangerous in a gaseous mine environment. And if it's a miniaturized model, full size it would be too big to operate in the tight confines of a mine. Maybe it was a prototype that never went into production. [As noted below, the motor would be for demonstration purposes. As for "friction points," just about any coal conveyor would have had zillions.- Dave] You may laugh now......But just wait 'til you wake up to see an army of those things marching down your street! Following in Grandpa's Footsteps...It's Eli Whitney the Fifth, and his Patented Gin Cottoner Medical technology setback"This well-intentioned but ill-conceived invention thwarted doctors' attempts to encourage regular colonoscopies for almost fifty years." Sound effectsIt's clearly a "clip-clop" sound effects machine for the movies. Unfortunately, the inventor failed to realize that talkies were still several years away. Congressional Sanitation DevicePrototype device, designed to patrol the Congressinal aisles, scooping up massive amounts of government waste and depositing it in a trailing container for recycling. The practical Dual Scoop System permits it to work both sides of the aisle. A fleet of them were subsequently manufactured and work diligently to this day. Road Apple CleanupThis is a nice Electric Rolling Pooper Scooper. This inventor would have been a household name but for the phasing out of horse-drawn carriages. WowNicest apple peeler I've ever seen. Please, introduce us!Well, yeah, gee that thing sure does look familiar, I had one in my backyard growing up, but even then I wasn't sure if it was to rock the baby or pick the corn or thresh the wheat. I'm sure I'll slap my forehead and feel real dumb when you tell us, but what the heck is that, if not a ferris wheel with finger-removing gearwheels? It's a KlugeAs the story goes, a Navy captain wanted to know every man aboard his ship and what they did. All went well until one sailor came before the Captain, gave his name, rank, and serial number followed by "Kluge maker, first class." After some discussion among the officers, the Captain said he would certainly like to see a kluge in action. The young swabbie said he would demonstrate the next day. And sure enough, at noon sharp the sailor wheeled an ungainly object to the rail, and threw it overboard. As it hit the surface it went "Kluge." Obviously this is a prototype kluge. Another Fine Acme ProductNew! Acme Little Giant Spilz-All (Pat. Pend). Despite the helpful drawing, I'm still mystified by the orientation of the hoppers, since the very simple gearing and chain drives appear to keep them rotating to preserve the same angle (i.e. dumping only, as shown) through the full rotation around the main horizontal shaft. UNLESS the gear on each hopper is actually rotating it 360 degrees as it circles the shaft. Even with a fixed rate of rotation there might be a point in the rotational cycle in which a hopper is on the horizontal to receive loose material from one source and then, as it rises and turns, dump it onto a receiving conveyor positioned at a higher level. The device might then function as a sort of elevator from one conveyor to the next. But this still seems pretty whack, since the usual way of doing this is by ramping pairs of conveyor belts one above the other. This device may be so mysterious because the inventor offered a solution to a non-existent problem, and it never got beyond the demonstration model stage. Holy bucketsThe "buckets" can't be for holding anything because they are open at the sides. Maybe the "working" side of the bucket is the outside. Perhaps it's an automated skein for winding yarn or some other textile manufacturing process. [The buckets in this coal or ore conveyor would be closed in a working example. The near end of the bottom left bucket shows how it would look. - Dave] Maybe & Maybe NotSome seemed convinced that this is a coal or ore conveyor designed to ride behind a coal car, but I'm not convinced. If it was meant for that task, wouldn't the scooping buckets clear a wider path than just over the rails? This design would account for a lot of waste. If that is what it is, then perhaps that is why the design failed, but I don't think so. Since it is only scooping over the rails, perhaps it was designed to ride in front of the cars and was meant to clear debris off the rails to keep the cars from derailing. Perhaps it is (also) meant to run in front of a train to clear heavy snow off locomotive tracks. [It would have nothing to do with railroads or trains. The conveyor travels on a track behind the excavating machine in an underground mine to get the coal or ore out of the tunnel, moving its cargo both horizontally and vertically. Or it might move along a track in an open-pit mine. Whatever it is, it looks mining-related. Designed for carrying and dumping. - Dave] Ok I don't want to give up...Thank you for this one, it has been one of the most entertaining posts I have witnessed. You need to do more mystery objects/people often. Ok but...This will be my last comment because I'm obviously not understanding the explanation that you seem so sure of. There is a large gap between the 2 buckets. If this is the design then it would only scoop coal or ore off the two sides and leave a large gap in the center. Unless I'm missing something - which is always a possibility - that does not make sense. [I think you are confusing the excavator (the machine that does the mining) with the conveyor. Which conveys -- i.e. it is designed for carrying and dumping. Not scooping. - Dave] Ummm, no.You're grasping at straws. [Below, an electrically powered excavator. The coal is carried to the left along the conveyor belt on top and dumped or dropped or shoveled into coal cars or buckets, which are on a track. - Dave] Beating a dead horseNo, I'm not confusing anything about the terminology. This "conveyor" that you are imagining this thing to be, if it runs behind the excavator, as you claim, only conveys material that is sitting on top of the rails. There is a huge gap between the rails that is left untouched. Nothing is conveyed between the rails. This is the issue I have with the explanation being given. [The excavator fills the buckets of the conveyor from above. The coal is not "sitting on top of the rails." - Dave] Re: Ummm, no.Yikes. Nightmares! Sing along now...It went "zip" when it moved and "pop" when it stopped and "whirrr" when is stood still I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will What's the nameof the inventor? [We don't know. At least not yet. - Dave] The buckets always face the same waySo it must be a seed spreader. (A person pushes the device along and the seeds spill out of the openings in the side of the buckets as the buckets move gently up and down.) Barber-GreeneIt's a bucket loader, invented by Harry H. Barber and William B. Greene. I don't know which of the two is the guy in the picture. [I think you're onto something. Among Barber-Greene's early products were a coal conveyor and a mobile bucket loader for use in cement plants. Who are you and how'd you figure this out? - Dave] Founding Barber-Greene Barber-Greene was founded in 1916 by Harry Barber and William Greene, co-workers at Stephens-Adamson, a conveyor company. Interested in embarking on a business venture of their own, the two became partners – Barber would handle product design, while Greene would be in charge of finance and business administration. The partners were interested in mechanizing small jobs "out of the shovel and wheelbarrow stage." The First Conveyor Orders Initially, Barber and Greene operated their new company from a makeshift office in a guest room at the Barbers’ residence. They subcontracted W.S. Frazier and Co. of Aurora, Ill., to manufacture the products Barber-Greene designed. In October 1916, the partners established credit with General Electric, and ordered the supplies they would need to make their first conveyor, the "No. 1," in the Frazier workshop. Before long, the company had received an order from Lilley Coal Co. With the profits made from this order, the partners began advertising in the Retail Coalman, a Chicago-based publication. As a result, the company began to receive multiple orders, and began to grow. Harry H. Barber, William B. Greene (The Gallery, Curiosities, Harris + Ewing)
South Water Street Terminal: 1943
... freight terminal, Chicago. The C & O and Nickel Plate Railroads lease part of this terminal." 4x5 inch Kodachrome transparency by ... it? (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/11/2023 - 2:44pm -

April 1943. "Illinois Central R.R. freight cars at the South Water Street freight terminal, Chicago. The C & O and Nickel Plate Railroads lease part of this terminal." 4x5 inch Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. formatYou asked about the format. It looks like 4x5. It's sheet film -- you can see the sheet film ID notches and and marks from the developing hangers, which are only used on sheet film. It's proportioned like 4x5 or 8x10. It looks like 4x5 because of the sizes of the notches and hanger marks relative to the size of the picture. I think that back in the early days Kodachrome was made in sheet film sizes. I can't read the ID on the edge of the image, but that should tell you. FormatThanks for the info. Along the edge it says "EASTMAN -- SAFETY -- KODAK 62" (they all seem to be KODAK 62 or KODAK 3) and in two places is the number 679. Some of the others also have 679. Others have 678 or 640. The dimensions seem to be about 4.3 by 3.4 inches. FormatIts 4x5 for sure. Thing I'd like to know is if it is indeed Kodachrome. I know 4x5 Kodachrome did exist in the 1950's. However I'm not sure about 1944. I tried looking up code notches on a Kodak web site but they didn't go back that far. I was able to confirm based on the notches that is at least on Safety Film and not a nitrate base. Steve Crise NumbersThe numbers indicate the batch number of a particular run of film. Photographer who shot may images over a short period of time always tried to buy film of the same batch number to try to insure some color consistancy from box to box of film. Steve Crise FilmThanks Steve! Here is one from 1943. I reversed it so the lettering isn't backward: https://www.shorpy.com/images/photos/1a34708u.jpg FormatIf the dimensions are indeed 4.3 by 3.4 inches, then this was most probably taken with a 3¼ X 4¼ Graflex, which was a popular professional camera of the time. Graflexes were big reflex cameras made from the 20s until after WW2. They lost their popularity to more modern equipment and today can be found only on eBay... FormatThe outside (uncropped) dimensions are 4x5. Many of these were taken with Speed Graphic press cameras. SkylineChicago certainly had a more elegant skyline back then, didn't it? (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Hello Up There: 1910
... (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cleveland, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/04/2023 - 12:24pm -

Cleveland circa 1910. "Lift Bridge (raised) and Superior Avenue Viaduct (swing bridge at left), Cuyahoga River." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Re: What's Up?Did he climb up or ride it up? Single-leaf BasculeGrowing up in along the St. Johns River, I was fascinated by the Florida East Coast Railroad bridge, which (like the one in this Cleveland photo) raised its metal deck and superstructure on a single pivot with a heavy counterweight. Now I know this is called a single-leaf bascule bridge. Below is an impressive modern example (albeit for pedestrians only) in Poland. Large box kites?Or perhaps fishing nets on drying racks in front of the Monson Fish Company? What's Up? Treasure Island MishapFour Canadian women visiting Florida in 1973 got hung up for two hours in their 1962 Thunderbird when a drawbridge opened. The full story is here. What's Up Too?Maybe that's Charlie Chaplin before he became famous? They have better bridges and water nowThere is still a lift bridge in Cleveland; I'm not sure if it's this one or not. But you can visit Jack Knife Bridge No. 464, a historical landmark. Seen below from the Willow Avenue Bridge. I remember when the Cuyahoga River was awarded Laugh-In's Flying Fickle Finger of Fate for catching fire in 1969 from all the chemicals in it. But the river had already caught fire in 1868, 1883, 1887, 1912, 1922, 1936, 1941, 1948 and 1952. However, in 1969 the times were a-changing, plus Cleveland manufacturing jobs were disappearing, so cleanup efforts began in earnest. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cleveland, DPC, Railroads)
City of Angles: 1915
... courthouse. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Railroads, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/14/2023 - 10:44am -

Circa 1915. "Mount Adams incline, Cincinnati, Ohio." One of five "Cincinnati incline" railway elevators serving that city's hillside suburbs. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Sadly goneAll of Cincinnati's inclines are long gone. The Mount Adams was noteworthy in that it carried streetcars up the incline, and traces of the right-of-way can still be discerned today. But any hopes of reconstructing it are but a dream, since the area at the foot of the incline is now a tangle of limited-access highways. A second coming (and going)in HO scale: maybe only 1/87th the size, but definitely a lot more than 1/87th as exciting! The view todayRookwood Pottery is still visible on the left on the mountain. So InclinedThe Mount Adams Incline wasn't noteworthy for carrying streetcars, since four of Cincinnati's five inclines did that. The exception was Price Hill, which had a separate passenger-only plane and open platform freight plane. Mount Adams was noteworthy, however, for being the only incline to carry city trolleybuses and motor buses in its waning years (Price Hill did occasionally carry private motor buses on its freight plane in the 1920s). https://www.jjakucyk.com/transit/streetcarinfo.html Also at the bottom of the photo is a remnant of the Miami and Erie Canal. Ten locks were required to descend the 3/4 mile distance to the Ohio River now occupied by Eggleston Avenue. Since canal barges can't navigate the river, and the numerous locks made this a tedious section to traverse, it was abandoned in about 1863. After that time the canal terminated on higher ground near today's county courthouse. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Railroads, Streetcars)
Upper Lower Manhattan: 1917
... didn't it? What's in it now? (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/10/2023 - 1:36pm -

New York circa 1917. "Skyscrapers, looking north toward towers of Woolworth and Singer buildings." Double-barreled tower in the foreground is the Adams Express Building. 5x7 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Awnings anyone?When I view these wonderful glimpses back into the past, I am in awe of all of the awnings gracing the windows. They have gone the way of the "records" of my youth. Interesting...the awning business must have been tremendous back in the days before air conditioning. New nameThe Adams Express Building lost that moniker over the years and today is known simply as 61 Broadway. It is occupied by a number of different businesses and turned 100 last year. Part of the famous Trinity Church can be seen a short distance to its north. The building with the ziggurat top to its right is 14 Wall Street, built around the same time and originally known as the Bankers Trust Building. It's across Wall Street from the New York Stock Exchange and across Broad Street from Federal Hall National Memorial. Like 61 Broadway, it is occupied by a variety of businesses. Toward the left of the photo you can see two elevated transit lines complete with stations and trains on each. Immediately to the left of the Adams Express Building is the Sixth Avenue El, running along Trinity Place, while a short block further left is the Ninth Avenue El on Greenwich Street. Each line's station at Rector Street is visible. A couple blocks further south the lines merged, shortly before ending at the South Ferry terminal. Both lines were gone by 1940, although a some remnants of the Ninth Avenue line including an abandoned tunnel are still visible in the Bronx near Yankee Stadium (note: I *may* have sort of, ahem, not-quite-legally "urban explored" the abandoned tunnel about ten years ago). The building right between the elevated lines, with the elaborate stonework near the top, is 62 Trinity Place, an office building that was about ten years old at the time of this photo. @Timz: In the 1930's the Walker-Lispenard building was incorporated into the much larger building known as 32 Sixth Avenue. For a while the building was AT&T's corporate headquarters. It now has a variety of tenants, including a number in the telecommunications industry, though there is no longer any AT&T presence. The Double Barreled BuildingIs still there; here's a bing map bird's eye view Tops of skyscrapersThe views from above of the tops of tall buildings today look entirely different from these beauties thanks to HVAC machinery, but I still can't account for the delightful sight of all those cabanes on the roof of the still-existing building to the left of the tower under construction. (I put this shorter building at the northwest corner of Trinity Place and Rector St., although I heartily welcome correction and/or elucidation from Peter or any other NYC specialist.) [You mean cabañas, right? -tterrace] I was using the Quebec word. But what are those things, anyway? [Ah; merci. But if you mean these, they're skylights. -tterrace] That architectureis truly magnificent, Oh to return to to some visual eye candy, now we see glass covered macaroni boxes filling the skyline. Very GoodI like the way you added Shorpy to the side of the building in the lower left as though it were a painted on ad as was popular in the past. Clever! Expression Adams Express, a freight company not unlike American Express at that time and now a publicly-traded diversified equity fund again not unlike American Express but not as encompassing. At the beginning of the US involvement in WW1, both firms, along with several others, were taken over by the Government, merged into the newly formed Railway Express Company (REA). This was done to insure uninterrupted rail service during that emergency. AT&T?Near the left edge of the pic, between the camera and the Metropolitan Life tower in the distance... think that building is still there, but it's been much expanded into the Walker-Lispenard building. It housed hardware for long-distance phone lines, didn't it? What's in it now? (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
Commonwealth Pier: 1913
... a ship. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Boston, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/20/2023 - 1:55pm -

Circa 1913. "Commonwealth Pier No. 5, South Boston, Massachusetts." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Still There! New name, same faceStill a productive -- and proper! -- Bostonian. But just as is the case with many of us, a facelift was in order. Stand your groundDespite the rest of the area being demolished and rebuilt with faceless towers and renaming Boston Harbor's fish pier the "Seaport District" where the sea is far away from the harbor. Commonwealth Pier still stands surrounded by nouveau riche mundane squatty towers pretending to be on a seaport. Rare is the sight of a boat, let alone a ship. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Boston, DPC, Railroads)
Single, Looking to Hook Up: 1943
... and eventually a small shelter quickly followed. Some railroads, for clearance and other reasons, favored a "bay-window" on either ... Pennsylvania (The Standard of The World) and several other railroads put rear-facing "doghouses" on locomotive tenders as kind of a cupola ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 6:37pm -

Chicago, April 1943. "General view of part of the South Water street freight depot of the Illinois Central Railroad. Chesapeake & Ohio R.R. caboose." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the OWI. View full size. The CupolaIn the days before sophisticated trackside detection equipment, and F.R.E.D. (flashing rear end detection device), the condition of the cars in a moving train was determined by three of our five senses. The head-end brakeman in the locomotive and the conductor and rear-end brakeman in the caboose were required to look, listen and smell for signs of hot wheel bearings, loose loads, dragging brake equipment, etc. Myth has it that the first cupola was invented near the scene of this picture when a mid-nineteenth century conductor stuck his head through a hole in the roof of a derelict boxcar being used as a caboose and was amazed at the better view it gave him of the train. Chairs on the roof and eventually a small shelter quickly followed. Some railroads, for clearance and other reasons, favored a "bay-window" on either side of the caboose. The Pennsylvania (The Standard of The World) and several other railroads put rear-facing "doghouses" on locomotive tenders as kind of a cupola for head-end "brakie." Cupolas and SkyscrapersWhat was the cupola on a caboose for? and what's that tallest building the background, please? That Tall BuildingI believe that would be the Chicago Tribune in the background. CupolaMain reason was so those in the caboose (conductors, brakemen, guards, etc.) could get a better view of the forward part of the train to ensure nobody was riding the roofs, that they were still attached to the engine, and other potential threats. Cupolas and Skyscrapers1) The cupola was there so crew could sit on elevated seats and look out over the train to see if there were any problems. 2) The Wrigley Building. I still see caboosesI still occasionally see cabooses up here in Canada. The CN uses them on short local switching runs out in the area, presumably because it would be too much of a hassle to disconnect and reconnect the FRED every time they dropped and added a new car. I've always wondered about the ride in a caboose. I See What You SawThe cupola was used by the rear end crew (Conductor and Brakeman) to watch the train in front of them. They had the responsibility to watch for smoking/burning axle journals, broken and dragging equipment, derailments, and the train uncoupling. It's an interesting view of the railroad, I have ridden in the caboose train at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union several times. Incidentally, the caboose rode on special trucks that gave a slightly smoother ride than a regular freight car. The tall building closest to the camera is the Chicago Tribune. I do not know the name of the building with the onion domed top. -- Ken SkyscrapersYay, Jack is back! To the left, with the flag atop it, is the Tribune Tower, looking rather soot-stained. To the right, with the copper dome, is the former Medinah Athletic Club, now known as the Hotel Intercontinental. Re: SkyscrapersThe building behind the Tribune Tower is the old Medinah Athletic Club. It's now the Intercontinental Hotel, and still has the beautiful ceramic-tiled indoor pool from the athletic club days. The distant building just to the right of the caboose is probably the old Allerton Hotel (home of the Tip Top Tap) on north Michigan Avenue, also fully remodeled in the last few years. Love those Jack Delano railroad pics! Purpose of the cupolaYou can read about the cupola on wikipedia (lots of other good info on cabooses (cabeese?) too). The EndI remember when I was little trains still had cabooses, and all the kids would be excited to wait for it at the end as the man would always wave and smile at us. I think I was only about 7 or 8 when most of the railroads decided to switch to automated cameras instead, but I remember being quite sad about it. I Have a DreamI always dreamed of having a caboose like this sitting on a piece of property somewhere - just outfitted enough to be an escape from the daily grind. It is never going to happen, but it is a nice dream. That toddling townThe gothic tower in the foreground is the Tribune Tower at 36 stories. The more distant one is the InterContinental Hotel, 42 stories. If wikipedia is to be believed, the mast on the hotel was built so that dirigibles could dock there. Cupolas for DummiesThe cupola provided a lookout. Where you see the windows on the outside of the cupola, you'll find seats (not comfortable) on the inside. A crewman, usually the rear brakeman or flagman, would occupy a seat, facing forward so he could watch the train ahead for any problems such as a dragging load, or a "hotbox" (an overheated friction bearing journal that could cause a serious derailment). There was also an air gauge and an emergency air valve so that the train could be stopped if needed by bleeding off the train airbrakes from the caboose. As freight cars grew larger, the cupola became less effective. There were also safety issues, as crewman could and did fall out of the cupola, a drop of several feet. Some roads opted for bay window cars as a result. Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co.Since no one else seemed to mention it I guess I'll throw it in. Although the building no longer exists, HS&B carries on under the familiar name of True Value Hardware. Little Red CabooseAs a very young kid, possibly 5 or 6, we used to sing, upon seeing one of these: Little red caboose, chug, chug, chug, Little red caboose, Little red caboose behind the train, train, train, train, Smokestack on its back, back, back, back, Coming down the track, track, track, track, Little red caboose behind the train. Now I will take my pills and go to bed. Loose CabooseSome railroads around the Chicago area still use a caboose for switching because of the necessity to run with the engine pushing the train. Also it offers more protection while preforming the switching operation and to allow the brakeman to be closer to the needed cars. The South Shore Line still uses a caboose and before the Union Pacific bought The Chicago and Northwestern many local or switching runs used a caboose. the later were in bad shape, very rusty and most if not all the windows had been covered with steel. WavingLike HME, I'm old enough to remember us kids on the playground, next to freight tracks, waiting to wave at the guy in the caboose, who always waved back. Waving rememberedYes, I also remember how the guys in the caboose (and the engine, too!) would return our waves. What was it about railroaders that made them so friendly to kids? Today, nobody has time for that. We as a society have lost so much in the last 70 years! Arlo Guthrie on the Illinois CentralIllinois Central Monday morning rail Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders, Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail. Well, Steve Goodman anyway.Steve Goodman was the writer of the song. Arlo has a pretty neat story about how he met Steve and the song. Caboose DriverMy grandfather was a caboose driver in Ohio in the Forties and Fifties. On certain days his kids used to gather at a certain part of the track after school and he used to throw them the leftovers from his lunch. Unfortunately I never met him because he died before I was born. The "Moose Caboose" in Kennett, MOThere used to be a train with a caboose that came past our small cotton farm in Kennett, MO and we would wave to the engineer if we were out in the pasture area of our place... We also would always wave to the guy that was always back in the caboose area of that small train... The engineer always tooted his whistle at us to let us know that he had saw us and that made us happy that "The Moose" had said "Hello" to us 8-) The railroad tracks and the train no longer runs in Kennett and our small cotton farm is no longer there either, as small town suburbia has taken over most of the small farm land(s) that is/were on City Limits. It is always sad to go back to our hometown and see that lonely, empty weedy abandoned railroad track... 8-( Ruth Chambers Holt (aka --> TheSteelButterfly) (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Woo Woo: 1942
... is. (The Gallery, Agriculture, John Collier, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/21/2023 - 12:53pm -

September 1942. "Boy and girl from Richwood, West Virginia, en route to upper New York state to work in the harvest." The young man last seen here. And here. Acetate negative (colorized by Shorpy) by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Guessing gameWhy did you feel the need to "colorize" it? [It wasn't a need, it was a want. It pleases me to do so. - Dave] Train of ThoughtEach time i see this young man I wonder why, in 1942, he's not on a troop train somewhere in the US or England instead of working a harvest. [He's a high school student, and the draft age when this photo was taken was 21. Out of the 34 million American men registered for military service in WW2, only around 10 million ended up being inducted. - Dave] Very Well DoneDave ... one of the best I have seen ... you expertly captured the look of aging Kodachrome. [The credit goes to Photoshop's "neural filters." - Dave] Nice Job DaveGood skin tone as well. Adds dynamic to the whole scene. Well done mate! Didn't KnowI wouldn't have known it was colorized. it looks like a vintage color photo to me. Well done. Boy, he looks tired, and she obviously is. (The Gallery, Agriculture, John Collier, Railroads)
Make It Stop: 1939
... passenger trains were really jointly operated by three railroads. The Chicago & North Western, the Union Pacific, and the Southern ... Union Pacific acquired Southern Pacific in 1997, the two railroads operated separate tracks across northern Nevada. Between Weso, just ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/25/2018 - 8:13am -

June 1939. West Carlin, Nevada. "Brakeman on the Union Pacific Challenger." Photo by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ChallengersThe Challenger passenger trains were really jointly operated by three railroads. The Chicago & North Western, the Union Pacific, and the Southern Pacific. The route through Carlin was off UP track, and onto the SP's. I spent some time in Carlin, not long after this shot was made, and I can tell you that the trains passing through town were almost certain to be the daily highlight to a young boy. Glad I like trains, I was. [Our brakeman is wearing a UP uniform. - Dave] What you write eventually was true. But, in the time of the photo, and during my youth, the shared track was owned by the Western Pacific, and only came under the UP's ownership when they absorbed the D&RGW, which had earlier gobbled up the WP. Of course, it all belongs to the UP now. I don't know the operating arrangement, but it could well be that the UP supplied through crews for the train. [Before Union Pacific acquired Southern Pacific in 1997, the two railroads operated separate tracks across northern Nevada. Between Weso, just east of Winnemucca, and Alazon, to the east of Elko, UP and SP operated dual trackage, with westbound traffic moving on one line and eastbound on the other. More on the Union Pacific Challenger. - Dave] The man takes pride in his work. Vest watch, creased trousers, shined shoes, with a shave. What is he holding in his left hand? First Transcontinental RailroadThis man is standing on the roadbed the Central Pacific built for the transcontinental railroad, which met the Union Pacific north of Salt Lake City. Southern Pacific acquired the Central Pacific through land leasing in 1885. Union Pacific purchased Southern in 1998. The thing in his left handThat container could be holding flares or railroad torpedoes. Flagging KitHe's holding a standard flagging kit, the larger diameter tube in the foreground holds fusees (flares to some), the smaller diameter tube on the far side holds the flag when not in use. Like many trainmen, he has wrapped a number of track torpedoes (explosive devices that make a very loud sound when a train rides over them, but don't damage the track or wheel) on the smaller tube to make them easy to get to. Challengers of Two TypesThe Union Pacific had both passenger trains and locomotives called Challengers. As far as I know, the two were not necessarily associated with each other. A Challenger (locomotive) might pull a Challenger (passenger train) over part of the trip. Length of serviceWould the three bars on his sleeve indicate the length of service on the UP? (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Railroads)
Rolling Stock: 1943
... have been durable. Wooden Cars By WW-II, most US railroads had figured out the maintenance and strength advantages of steel ... on use of steel and chromium. As a result, the railroads built large numbers of steel framed wood sided cars, designed to be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 4:46pm -

May 1943. Bensenville, Illinois. "C. M. St. P. & P. R.R. [Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad], general view of part of the yard." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. O'Hare expansion.Unless I'm mistaken, this is looking NE across E Irving Park Road toward the SW corner of O'Hare. Chicago bought up the Orchard Place-Douglas Field surrounding properties in 1949 for the new O'Hare airport and this is the SW corner of their purchases. The church off in the distance is (probably) St. Johns, moved to a new site at Highway 83 and Foster in 1952 and still there. The only thing remaining here beyond the Bensenville Yard are a couple of cemeteries (that might be the monuments of one cemetery, Resthaven, visible in front of the white barn - the St. Johns cemetery is north of that a couple hundred yards) which Daly is trying to get moved for further expansions of O'Hare. Even the raised Chicago & North Western tracks off in the distance were moved to jog around the new airport. Reefer MadnessNotice the hatches on top of the refrigerator cars, which were used for loading ice in the days before mechanical refrigeration was practical for RR use. The cars were usually painted yellow for easy identification. Nowadays, the term "reefer" has taken an entirely different meaning in common vernacular! Lack of detailIt's kind of sad how we've sacrificed the astonishing clarity of the large-format glass negatives for the convenience of smaller format films. And this one is still 4x5 - but very grainy. Quite a different backgroundBensenville's rail yards are still there today, but the surroundings are quite different. They're almost next to O'Hare airport. GoneEvery identifiable railroad in this crowd has either gone belly up or has been merged away out of existence. Sad that a part of America has gone with them! 1943 or today?As you scan this photo, block out the old, wood-sided and 40 foot long rail cars. If you concentrate only on the rural background, it's hard to tell what year this might be. Lumbering alongAmazing the amount of wooden rolling stock still in use at that time. If they survived WWII they must have been durable. Wooden CarsBy WW-II, most US railroads had figured out the maintenance and strength advantages of steel cars, and were well along in converting from wood to steel. The conversion was hampered significantly by the Depression, which put a damper on capital improvements. The buildup to WW-II brought a need for many more cars and locomotives, but also restrictions on use of steel and chromium. As a result, the railroads built large numbers of steel framed wood sided cars, designed to be resided with steel at the end of the war. They also ordered a large number of locomotives, which came out heavier than their predecessors due to restrictions on lightweight alloys. Thus many railroads had programs to retrofit lightweight alloy siderods on locomotives after the war. The government allocated diesel production and limited new locomotive designs, so many railroads that wanted diesels ended up with steamers that were copies of competing railroads' existing designs. Many of these were replaced by diesels after very short service lives. On the other side of the trees.On the other side of the trees and on the east side of the newly completed Orchard Place/Douglas Field runways is the newly completed Douglas C-54 factory. It's hard to make it out for the trees but the building's shape is just visible. Either an aircraft is taking off at the airport, visible over the plant buildings, or there's a spot on the film. It might also be a large windsock but I can't tell. A couple of months after your photo was taken, the first C-54 assembled there would take to the skies for the first time. This period photo is looking SW over the aircraft factory and airport, back toward Bensenville ... http://ohare.bensenville.lib.il.us/images/Douglas%20Field.jpg ... the Bensenville Yard should be in the distance, a bit left of runway 4L-22R (marked 22) in the Bensenville library photo. In 1976I started working for the MK&T railroad as a switchman in the yard here in town. I was a young man and had been interested in railroads since a little boy. Anyway, I only remember seeing one of those old type of reefers. Can't remember what road it belonged to, but we were rolling thru the yard one day in the switch engine and I was looking out the window and spotted the roof hatches open on this particular car, propped up with braces to keep them up. Also stored in one of the tracks they kept derelict rail cars in was a wood sided boxcar. It had had its drawbar (coupler) torn out and would never be in a train again, destined to be dismantled. But, it stayed in that track for a long time. It was the only one of those cars I ever saw, too. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
U.S.S. Onondaga: 1864
... also ironclads, telegraphy, balloons, Gatling guns and railroads. Freeboard or Lack Thereof... If you look up the U.S.S. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 5:20pm -

1864. "James River, Virginia. Monitor U.S.S. Onondaga; soldiers in rowboat. From photographs of the Federal Navy, and seaborne expeditions against the Atlantic Coast of the Confederacy." Wet plate glass negative. View full size. HangersDoes anyone know what the three objects hanging over the side of the boat are? Appropriate HeadgearFor once, someone's wearing a boater in a boat. . . . Low in the water.It would not take much to swamp this ship. Questions? Why were they built to ride so low? What is in those little bags tied next to the oars on the sides of the rowboat? I suspect the older man with the pipe at the stern using a rough stick is acting as a rudder. Interesting snapshot of life! How Low Can You Go?Not a lot of freeboard on the good ship Onondaga. [The Onondaga was, as noted in the caption, a monitor or ironclad. - Dave] historical shipI looked the Ol' Onondaga up and she had quite a history. She was built in New York and sent to Virginia where she saw several important engagements. She was decommissioned in 1865 and sold to the French navy and refitted with rifled cannons of just over 9 inch. Replacing the 8 in smooth bore guns of American vintage. She was scrapped in 1902. Pretty impressive! Buffers-low in the waterMonitors were built very low in the water in order to present as little as possible of a target to an enemy gunner. They were very useful in inland waterways, on the open seas, in any bad weather, they would be in serious danger. My guess on the three bags on the launch is they are buffers to keep the wood of the boat's side from getting banged up when it is up against a wharf or another vessel in wavy water BumpersThose, probably leather, bags over the rowboat's side are fenders/bumpers meant to protect the sides of ships when docking. Today we use plastic fenders which are plastic and much larger (shaped like a serious hot dog). Ride So LowMonitors were river craft essentially floating gun platforms. They are not ships in the normal sense. Their freeboard (distance between the main deck and water line) was very small so they would present less of a target to opposition fire. Heavily armored above the main deck, they could withstand direct hits from the guns of the day without serious injury. Boat FendersThe small round objects hanging over the side are boat fenders, used to prevent damage to the rails when the boat is moored alongside something like a dock or the Onondaga. These are probably made of leather, and if they contain anything, it's probably more leather padding or perhaps a disk of soft wood. According to Wikipedia ....The good ship Onondaga was built in 1864, near the end of the Civil War and was sold to France after the war. She continued in service in the French Navy until 1903. The delivery cruise to France must have been terrifying. Interestinghttp://americancivilwar.com/tcwn/civil_war/Navy_Ships/USS_onandaga.html Across the waves.The Onondaga was sold to France after the war. How did they deliver it? Surely they didn't sail her! OnandagaThe bags on the longboats are probably bumpers, designed to keep the boat from being damaged when at a dock, or tied up alongside a ship with a low freeboard. Monitors were designed by Ericsson to sit low in the water to improve stability by bringing the mass of the turret down, and to make them a far more difficult target to hit. The hull was protected by the water and it was hard to strike below the waterline. This made them maneuverable and hard to hit but could make them very unseaworthy in bad weather. Monitor - Ericsson's original "cheesebox on a raft" sank off Cape Hatteras in a 1862. Other monitors were designed to be more seaworthy. Onondaga hull was built entirely of iron rather than wood like earlier monitors. As for Onondaga, she was sold back to her builder in 1867 and then sold to the French where she served as a coastal defense ship. She was scrapped by the French in 1904, making her the longest lived of the Civil War monitors. Those hanging thingies ...look like bumpers to me. They are all at the right height. Low FreeboardThe very low freeboard on this (and every other) monitor was designed to make the ship very hard for another ship to hit with cannon fire. When the monitors were "cleared for action", everything but the turrets were stripped down and stored or thrown overboard. The rigging and life boats were eliminated, and the ship was steered from a small armored box only a few feet high. Even the funnel (chimney) was dismantled so that only a small stub protruded from the deck so as to present the smallest target possible. Monitors worked fairly well in protected estuaries, bays, and navigable rivers, but monitors were notoriously poor sea-going ships. Many foundered and were lost, often with all hands, in heavy seas. In every other nation, the monitors were regarded as a design fluke and were not widely copied. The U.S., however, continued to use monitors well into the 1880s and beyond....mostly because Congress refused to fund a modern navy. Does anyone know what the three objects hanging over the side ofThey are fenders. Why so low?Why were they built to ride so low? To make a small target. Great in battle. Not so good at sea, as the original USS Monitor proved. What is in those little bags tied next to the oars? I was curious about that, too. I couldn't Google up an answer, but my guess is simple oarlocks. Place the oar in the slot, then flop the weighted line over the shaft. The high-tech nature of the civil war continually surprises. Even though it was still a time of cavalry and slavery, there were also ironclads, telegraphy, balloons, Gatling guns and railroads. Freeboard or Lack Thereof...If you look up the U.S.S. Onondaga on Google you will find that after the war it was decommissioned and then transferred to the French navy. With so little freeboard how did they get it to France? I can understand the low freeboard patrolling the coastal rivers, but even there it probably had to enter the Atlantic to get from the northern ports to the southern ports. How dey do dat? Could the three objectsCould the three objects hanging over the side be fenders? That is: padding for when the bout bangs alongside the mother ship? Lil' bagsThose little bags are in fact bumpers to protect the side of the row boat from damage. FendersThey be fenders to protect the boat's planking when coming alongside I should think. Those wooden things on theThose wooden things on the side of the boats are most likely to prevent scuffing and other damage, when the boat is moored. Unfortunately I have no idea, what is the proper English word for those. these days they are made of plastic, and resembles big, straight sausages.... Hanging ObjectsI think they are cushions, to keep the side of the boat from banging directly against the side of another vessell when boarding, disembarking etc. FendersBoat fenders, that is, is what the little bags are. Hangers maybeI'm thinking those are clean drinking water for the rowers. I'd suspect the guy to theI'd suspect the guy to the left of the guy smoking a pipe is the one who actually has a hand on the tiller. As far as the three objects handing over the starboard gunwale, they might be fenders, although they do seem small. As far as the freeboard goes, it is very low in the water. The Monitors were susceptible to being swapped as evidenced by the original USS Monitor, which went down in a storm off the coast of North Carolina. FendersThe objects hanging over the side of the small boat(s) are probably fenders, meant to keep the painted wood from grinding against the edge of the larger boat - which would be particularly punishing given the low iron deck of the Monitors. Hangers@GeezerNYC Bumpers Nautical KnowledgeThe hanging things on the boat are fenders, aka bumpers, that prevent rubbing and damage when alongside other boats and docks. They are still required gear for boats of all sizes, though of different design. The gent with the pipe is probably putting his stick in the water. The tiller is more likely in the hands of the soldier in the aft. The boats in the background have rudders and tillers, so this should one as well. Barrier?In the background, are those sunken ships forming a barrier? I'd rudder not bump, if you don't mind.Following exhaustive research efforts, our crack Civil War historical artifacts team members have reached a somewhat tenuous conclusion. After sometimes heated discussions, it has been narrowly decided that the device held by the pipe smoking gentleman in the above photo should be rightfully placed under the "P.S." category of 19th century naval devices. In layman's terms the P.S. would simply designate this instrument as a "pushoff stick." Either that, or the man was an utterly misguided landlubber with a proclivity in providing great mirth to the more nautically savant. In regard to the mysterious pouch-like objects hanging from the sides of the launch, the less than timorous artifacts team has proffered the suggestion that these would likely be called bumpers in today's parlance. Please note that our team does take all our suggestions quite lightly. On monitors and freeboardsMonitors, throughout their history (Roughly the U.S. Civil War to WWII), were built to be coastal ships. A large freeboard (which means more ship to build, and a larger target) was not necessary because the ships were never intended to leave inland waterways or shallow coasts. This also worked well with U.S. foreign policy which was more concerned with its own waters. I'm sure many people are familiar with the story of U.S.S. Monitor (the original monitor) which was swamped and sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras. Monitor FactoidsThe "monitor" was a radical new warship design by engineer John Ericsson during the US Civll War. The standard high-sided wooden warship with its "broadside" of guns was still designed for sail power and to repel boarders. He conceived a fully mechanized ironclad "ship-killer" that presented a much smaller target and had several much larger guns housed in heavily armored rotating turrets. This proved quite deadly against wooden ships especially in breaking through blockades. Although not totally seaworthy, most waves washed harmlessly over the low deck. The concept gradually evolved to larger more seaworthy battleships with "real" armor-plated hulls, but the large, turret mounted guns became the new standard. The "canteens" alongside the rowboat are fenders to keep its hull from scraping against the sides of the ship. IDing the ObjectsThe things hanging over the side of the boat are called bumpers, buoys, or fenders. They're to stop the sides from hitting and scraping other boats and docks. Hangers...Id say these are used to draw wather from boat. Sorry for my poor enlish :/ The Objectsare bumpers. Coiled rope inside tarred leather to keep from scratching the boat or the ship. Much like the rubber ones we have today. She was a river monitorRiver monitors were not designed with high freeboard because it was needed. They were not supposed to put to sea, and the lower the freeboard the better because it made less of a target. HTH Re:HangersMy best guess is they are bumpers to protect the wooden sides of the rowboat when along side a ship or wharf. Notice the other rowboats pictured have them as well. What I see here is the bumpers were fitted for the average ship or dock and the ironclad, being so low in the water, caused the scraping and damage to side of this rowboat below the bumpers. Built low for a reasonWonderful photo! One of the ideas behind the Union's ironclads (called "Monitors" after the archetype U.S.S. Monitor) was that if little sticks above the water, there is little to effectively shoot at. Hence, the only things that are exposed are the (heavily armored) revolving gun turret(s). Note that this ship has two revolving turrets, in contrast to the U.S.S. Monitor, which just had one. Needless to say, though, these monitors were not the greatest thing to be used in rough open seas -- that's how the U.S.S. Monitor was lost. The Confederates took an entirely different approach (as with the C.S.S. Virginia, née Merrimack). Their ironclad vessels were heavily armored structures built upon traditional wooden hulls. Because most of the Confederate ship stuck out of the water, it would have to employ a lot more armor plating which added weight and made it much less manueverable and less able to be employed in shallow areas. Low FreeboardIndeed, as earlier comments note, this monitor has unusually low freeboard (not sure if they all did; certainly, all monitors had relatively low freeboard compared to "normal" ships.) The function of this feature was to reduce the target area that could be hit by shellfire, both to make hits less likely and to reduce the weight of armor required to cover the vertical side. (The deck was also lightly armored, since the technology of directing long range fire made a plunging, high angle hit very unlikely; the deck armor was enough to deflect a glancing hit whose angle of fall was only a few degrees). What was neglected in this design compromise was the fact that there was hardly any reserve buoyancy...a leak too big for the pumps to control would result in the deck edge going under and the ship sinking in a rather short time...and in fact, this happened to the Monitor herself on an open ocean passage on the last day of 1862. The objects dangling over the rail on the boats (both the manned boat in the foreground and the empty boats tied up to the ship) are probably fenders, although they look rather small for the purpose. Needless to say, protecting the side of a small, lightly built wooden boat coming alongside a vessel armored with iron was quite important. Re: Hangers (@GeezerNYC)I'd think that the objects on the boat are fenders, to keep the boat from banging into docks or the ship. MonitorThe Monitor-class ironclads like that in this photo were designed to offer as little a target to Confederate artillery as possible; most of their hull was kept below water, and practically the only structures above it were the chimney (those were steam-powered ships) and two revolving, armored turrets. The most famous of these ships, the U.S.S. Monitor (which gave its name to this class of vessels) took part in the first battle between "ironclads", or ships made or covered on metal, which took place on march 9, 1862, and is known as the Battle of Hampton Road. Quoting from an excellent article on Wikipedia: "...While the design of Monitor was well-suited for river combat, her low freeboard and heavy turret made her highly unseaworthy in rough waters. This feature probably led to the early loss of the original Monitor, which foundered during a heavy storm. Swamped by high waves while under tow by Rhode Island, she sank on December 31, 1862 in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. 16 of 62 crewmen were lost in the storm." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Monitor Rubber Baby Buggy Boat BumpersMy guess on the 3 objects hanging off the side of the rowboat (and visible on some of the other rowboats in the photo) is that they are "Boat Bumpers" a.k.a. "Dock Fenders". These prevent the side of the boat from coming in direct contact with another boat or the dock when the boat is tied up. FendersI took those things hanging from the gunwale of all the small boats in the photo to be fenders, used as a cushioning bumper when tied up against a dock or another hull. Modern versions: http://tinyurl.com/m4jgzu Somehow it crossed the Atlantic!According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Onondaga_(1864) after it was decommissioned in 1865 it was sold to the French navy and here's a photo of it in Brest http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/USS_Onondaga_60211.jpg I can't imagine it out in the Atlantic, even on a very calm day! objects on side of boatThey look like typical boat bumpers of the small variety.. Hangers Answer?Ballast, or bumpers. It's a monitorYes, it would be easy to swamp this ship- it was designed for inlets and calm waters; it is a double turreted descendent of the Monitor- the famous ironclad that did battle with the Merrimack/Virginia. It sits so low in the water so as to be an extremely difficult target. The turrets, along with relatively petite size allowed the monitor vessels to be extremely maneuverable and effective- although the crew had qualms with living below the waterline- which is why there are so many canopies on deck. Johan Eriksson, the designer of the original Monitor was one of the first developers of the propeller, and on his signature ship he patented hundreds of brilliant inventions from a then state-of-the-art ventilation system, to the rotating gun turret, and the first operable marine toilet. HangersCould be to scoop out water eh? three objects"Does anyone know what the three objects hanging over the side of the boat are?" Bumpers. Re: Hangers, et al.The 3 little bags visible near the oars are the Civil War-era version of fenders. They were generally filled with corncobs or sawdust and served as spacers to prevent the wooden boat from brushing against the ironclad and becoming damaged. Of more interest is the canvas coverings over parts of the ironclad. These signify that the monitor is in Union-held waters as they would never be used where there was a risk of battle. Ironclads were just that, iron plates laid over a wooden hull and still vulnerable to fire. The Answer: Fenders!The bag-shaped objects are fenders, or as you land-lubbers would say, bumpers. You hang them over the side to save your paint job when you're tied up to the dock or to a ship. I'm guessing they're made of leather or rubber. The Onondaga sits low in the water to decrease her vulnerability to enemy artillery fire -- by design, not by accident. Re: U.S.S. Onondagathose little thingys are bumpers for pulling next to a stell ship with a wooden boat. This was definitly a 'Lessons Learned' device From a River Far Far Away . . .The two circular towers that have awnings on them - they remind me of Jabba the Hutt's sail barge in Return of the Jedi. I'm just saying. Monitor designThe design of the USS Monitor and follow-on ships such as the Onondaga were revolutionary for the time. The idea of mounting one or two guns in a rotating turret versus rows of guns along the sides of a ship enabled monitors to bring more accurate firepower to bear more quickly, and most importantly, independently of the direction of the ship's travel. While some earlier ships had turreted weapons, I believe the USS Monitor was the first to rely on its turret as its only weapons station. Monitors were low to the water to provide a smaller silhouette for the enemy gunners. Most shipboard cannons at the time would have had rather low, flat trajectories, which would have slammed into the sides of opposing ships rather than higher trajectories which would have sent plunging fire through the decks. Obviously a ship that sat lower in the water would have presented a much more difficult target for other ships--it practically didn't have sides to hit! It also made them difficult to see--in the days before submarines, these were the original stealth ships. These ships were generally designed to work in what are now called "littoral" operations, close to shore, in bays or rivers. In those environments, heavy sea states that would cause a problem with the low freeboard design were not a major concern. Riverboat steamers had similarly low freeboards. As for the items hanging along the gunwales of the rowboat, the look like bumpers to protect the rowboat and its mothership from bouncing off one another. Today they're a rubbery plastic, but I don't know what they would have been back then, maybe cork inside a waxed canvas bag? Re: Hangers>Hangers >Submitted by GeezerNYC on Sat, 08/01/2009 - 10:29pm. >Does anyone know what the three objects hanging over the >side of the boat are? They look to be bumpers. All the boats in the background have them, or some form of them, too. Low in the waterTo answer Woodchopper's question, Monitors (originally intended for harbor defense as floating batteries) were designed to expose as little of the ship above the waterline to minimize the target available to enemy gunners. With less to see, there is less to hit. While naval architecture changed over the years, this design is coming back into vogue with naval designers in examples like the DD(X) programs. BumpersUpon reading ALL the comments and not finding a clue and after a thorough and painstaking research I have come to the conclusion that those three objects hanging over the side of the boat are bumpers! Now hold down the applause. You can thank me later. More if you haven't googled yet...http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/onondaga.htm (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Civil War)
Dandruff Avalanche: 1903
... Shorpy time travel. (The Gallery, DPC, Kids, NYC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/30/2023 - 8:52pm -

May 1903. New York. "Newsboys at Greeley Square." Our title is a word salad plucked fresh from this 8x10 inch glass negative. Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Headline NewsAMERICANS ON MONT BLANC CAUGHT IN AVALANCHE! Greeley SquareGreeley Square is a triangular park bounded by Broadway and 6th Avenue between West 32nd and 33rd Streets, two blocks south of Herald Square. It is named for one of the most eccentric figures in American history and contains a seated statue of him. Horace Greeley (1811-1872) founded the New York Tribune, which by 1850 was the nation’s highest-circulation newspaper. One of the founders of the Republican Party, he was a continual irritant to Abraham Lincoln, not just because he thought he should dictate policy, but because he kept flailing among positions, supporting ‘peaceable secession’, then a strong war effort, immediate abolition, then a negotiated settlement with the South. Always enthusiastic, there was hardly any fad or ‘reform’ that he did not advocate at one time of another. (He was for, then against, women’s suffrage.) He supported Reconstruction but signed Jefferson Davis’s bail bond. Breaking with the Republican Party, he was nominated for president in 1872 on a fusion ticket with Democrats, lost badly to Grant, and died a month later. He is perhaps best remembered for “Go West, young man,” a phrase he denied coining. (It probably originated with John B. L. Soule, an Indiana publisher.) 6th Avenue ElOn the right side of the Shorpy photo is the 33rd Street station of the long-vanished 6th Avenue Elevated. The building is the Union Dime Savings Bank, also vanished (though it outlasted the El by 20 years). In center of the image below, you are looking straight down the sidewalk in the 1903 photo. No, thank you, I already have oneI notice our dapper pedestrian in his bowler (derby?) isn't being petitioned to purchase a newspaper from any of the several vendors around him, no doubt because he is already carrying a newspaper. Reminds me of men or women who wear wedding rings when they're not married. Old Style HumorDad (1919-1997) was a mixture of Jackie Gleason, Danny Thomas, Red Skelton, and Spike Jones. One of his many quips that he would shout out as he did household chores was: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! 20,000 soles found dead in a shoe factory! The New Coke!Prevents baldness and clear thinking. Later known as Herald SquareThat's the Sixth Avenue El in the photograph. 1903 places during the period when electrification of the line was new and the first subway was under construction. Today (from a different angle), courtesy of Wikimedia: The ShiningSmall detail; But every adult in the picture appears to have a shine on their shoes. Even the guy sitting on the right holding a stick, his shoes are a little rougher than the others, but there is still evidence of a shoeshine on the tip of the toes. Constitution wrecked?The headline about the Mount Blanc Avalanche is interesting. I wonder if they're referring to the ship Old Ironsides or some piece of legislation the paper believes wrecks our country's most precious document. I'll vote for the USS Constitution as in 1903, Charles Francis Adams III, descendant of two US Presidents and in his role as president of the Massachusetts Historical Society at the time, requested Congress rehabilitate Old Ironsides and place her in active service. That would happen 22 years later when her restoration began. [The Constitution was a racing yacht. - Dave] The Constitution was a Train WreckThe Constitution was a contender to defend the 1903 America's Cup. She lost to the 1899 winner Columbia, principally owing to the ineptitude of her crew. Columbia went on to beat Sir Thomas Lipton's Shamrock II in the 1903 Cup. The Frank SlideCanada's deadliest avalanche, known as the Frank Slide, occurred at the end of April, 1903. I wonder if that warranted a headline? [As noted below, the headline is about an avalanche on Mont Blanc in the Alps. - Dave] If I thought the Frank Slide was the subject of the headline pictured, I wouldn't have wondered if it warranted a headline of its own. Still loving my daily Shorpy time travel. (The Gallery, DPC, Kids, NYC, Railroads)
Union Station: 1921
... weren't captured. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/12/2022 - 12:42pm -

Washington, D.C., 1921 or 1922. "Union Station waiting room." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Union StationAs an example of post-9/11 mindset, I found myself searching for unattended bags. I think I see one. Union Station AgainThis waiting room is so distinctive and good-looking that despite 62 years between visits I remembered it well. In 1942 I was six, but in 2004 failed to take a photo; maybe someone else will show us how it looks now, especially the way there are dining areas that extend into the room. There must've been radiators hidden behind the screens at each end of the benches. EtherealI love the look of the spirits in this picture. The sedate passengers appear as corporeal entities and the more active appear otherworldly, as if this were a waystation for this world and the next. What are those screenson the righthand side of the photo, above the entrance to where it says "To Gates 16 & . . ." They look like three huge TV screens but, this being 1921, they must be another type of screen that indicates arriving and departing trains, etc. [The sign underneath has the answer. These may have used something like lantern slides to project an image on frosted glass. - Dave] For Refuse......And Fruit Skins. That signage made my day. You can't do that!Hey! Photography is not allowed in Union Station. Stop that! Passing ThroughEven the ghost images appeared to pause long enough to leave a faint impression. I often wonder in this type of picture how many people were passing so quickly through the shot, their images weren't captured. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
Backyard Railyard: 1935
... the photographer's impressive skill. (The Gallery, Railroads, Walker Evans) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/11/2023 - 2:36pm -

November 1935. "Crowded housing in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Phillipsburg, New Jersey." 8x10 nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. Washday in BethlehemClothes on the line ... it must be Monday. Don't fence me inKnowing Walker Evans as a scholar and influence on American photography, I thought of two photographs by Paul Strand (1890-1976). It's interesting that the first Strand fence was taken 19 years before Evans's, and the second 15 years after. Liquor in the backWhile I was employed at the Collinwood yard in Cleveland, the residents whose property abutted the tracks sold cold quarts of beer and shots of liquor through the back windows of their garages to thirsty railworkers. Phillipsburg, NJ?This source says it's Phillipsburg, NJ. Doesn't look like Bethlehem. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/267118 [The Library of Congress, where these negatives reside, says Bethlehem. - Dave] Wrong LoC-ationLooks like vjmvjm is correct -- here's the same row of houses in Phillipsburg, NJ DepthThe depth of field in this photograph is amazing! In reply to JazzdadAgree it is astonishing. The resolution and depth mostly to do with the 8x10 nitrate negative, probably low speed no/low grain stock, long exposure. Plus of course the photographer's impressive skill. (The Gallery, Railroads, Walker Evans)
Pabst Over Chicago: 1943
... freight is being handled here! This something that US railroads have discontinued; for decades, they haven't accepted any shipment ... saw? (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/07/2017 - 2:11pm -

May 1, 1943. "South Water Street freight depot of the Illinois Central Railroad, Chicago." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. DirectionalityI believe this photo is facing north. Quite a few of the skyscrapers are still there. All the way to the left, the black & gold building is the Carbide & Carbon (or is it Carbon & Carbide?) building on Michigan Ave. I seem to remember something about it being the "first" skyscraper. Just to the right, with the little cupola on top, is the original Stone Container Building at Wacker & Michigan Avenues. Off in the furthest distance in the center of the photo you can see what was originally called the Pamolive building (it became Playboy Towers, and is now a condo building). I think the building behind the Pabst sign at the right edge of the sign is the Chicago Tribune building, and across from it (underneath the main part of the sign) you can see the white building that is the Wrigley building. They flank Michigan Ave. just north of the Chicago river. Fellow (ex-)ChicagoanDefinitely facing North, definitely the Carbon & Carbide building - my dad used to have an office there. Not sure about the Playboy Towers.... might that be the Drake Hotel? 33 to 1?Blended 33 to 1? That sounds like a strange formula to me...but of course I'm not informed on the whole beer and beer history thing. 33 to 1Here's a 1940 Pabst ad that explains it. NorthThere is no question about it, this photo is facing north. Good Railroad ShotThe blue flags placed on the cars would be a violation of federal regulations today as they now have to be located at the switch providing access to the track. Also, note that several of the cars are on "yard air" in order to test the brakes on each car prior to movement. Finally you can see that this photo provides good images of several different types of car ends all together in one place. As I am from Milwaukee, I have no clue as to which buildings are which! I do know that the photo is definitely facing north as I now work for the South Shore commuter railroad and am familiar with the lakefront. I also know that the original Santa Fe railroad corporate headquarters was almost directly to the west of this photo and is still there today with the Santa Fe sign on top. It is now an historic landmark. Bootcamp BeerI went to Navy bootcamp in Great Lakes Il. in 1983 and after spending 10 wks. without beer our first chance to have a brew came. Unfortunatly for me the ONLY beer avaliable to us at the time was Pabst Blue Ribbon. Now, not being a Pabst fan I was very unhappy about that but after 10 tough weeks I said "what the heck" and ordered a couple of beers. I'll tell you what, that was the best beer I've ever had. I got so drunk the rest of the day was blur. I'd like to say "Thanks you Pabst" for the best beer ever and day I don't remember. Water Street DepotIt appears we are looking north from either Monroe or Randolph. I want to say we're looking from Monroe and that bridge spanning the width of the pic under the sign is Randolph. The row of low-rise buildings on the left side of the pic that are ~6 stories tall and have the water towers on top of them would then be on the east side of Michigan Ave and sitting directly on the north side of Randolph. I believe these trains are in the area east of Michigan Ave and north of Monroe, but south of Randolph as it used to be a railyard (now Millennium Park, north of the Art Institute). Furthermore there were never any buildings previously on this spot, as it would have either been a rail yard or part of Grant Park (where no buildings were allowed to be built, except for the Art Institute). This leads me to believe that we are looking north from Monroe towards Randolph and beyond. The vast empty space behind the Pabst sign spanning the whole width of the image would now be occupied by Illinois Center, the Prudential Building and of course the tall white AON Building (3rd largest in Chciago at the moment), or whatever they call it these days. Pabst SignCan anybody tell me if this sign was was animated and are there any night time shots of it? [The nighttime shot of this neon sign is here. - Dave] AnimationThanks Dave, do you know if the sign was animated in any way? [The hands on the clock moved! If you mean did various parts of the sign blink on and off, I don't know. - Dave] ChicagoI see the tallest building to the far left when I'm going to and from school. It's surrounded by a bunch of other buildings now. Chevrolet SignThis is a film clip of another Chicago sign. It shows how animated signs were operated. I can't find any date, but the technology looks like 1940 or so. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/410104.html Chevrolet SignAfter viewing this clip of the Chevy sign, I'm fairly convinced that it and the 'Pabst' sign are one and the same. Shown in the clip of the Chevy sign is the same tall building that is located to the left of the Pabst sign in the photo. There are other similarities as well, like the circular design of the sign, the clock at the lower right, etc. It's my guess that Pabst took over the sign after Chevy and made the slight changes to suit their logo. South Water Street TodayThis photo is facing North on South Water Street and intersecting roughly what is now Columbus Drive. The ground level of this photograph is now covered by an elevated roadway in this area. If you went to this spot today, the Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park designed by Frank Gehry would be just behind you. The Playboy Building is visible in the background, now once again called the Palmolive Building and converted to condominiums. It sits between the Drake Hotel and John Hancock Tower at the end of the Magnificent Mile. The Drake is not tall enough to be in view here. The Allerton Hotel and Northwest University Law School in Streeterville are also visible here, which they wouldn't be today from the site, although they are still standing. Several of the mid-rise buildings in this photograph are no longer standing, in particular the large red-brick warehouse at the center mid-ground, to the right of the Playboy/Palmolive. This is where the NBC Tower now stands, just north of the river. Driving and DrinkingThis was indeed the Chevy sign. Pabst took it over. You can still make out the Chevy logo in the superstructure of the sign. The lower left hand corner of the "B" in Blue and the upper right hand corner of the N in "Ribbon" served as the edges of the classic Chevy "bowtie" logo. Going to ChicagoIt's interesting to think that Muddy Waters would have just arrived in Chicago when this photo was taken. Pabst signThe Pabst sign was next to Randolph Street Bridge; refer to the 1922 Zoning map that is available at the University of Chicago library site - the Illinois Central may very well have called the yard the 'Water Street Yard,' but Water Street moved to the South Side when Wacker Drive was created after 1924; the Pabst sign was located nearest the Randolph Street bridge and is the current location of the Prudential Building, not the Pritzker Pavillion. Warehouse full of booksI believe the red brick warehouse-like building on the right (east) of the photo survived into at least the 1980s, serving as the temporary home of the Chicago Public Library's main branch after it moved from what is now the Cultural Center (location of many shots in DePalma's "The Untouchables" and just out of camera range to the left) and before the opening of the Harold Washington Library Center. I used their manual typewriters and xerox machines to peck out and photocopy my resume. Why Boxcars are blue-flaggedThese boxcars are blue-flagged because they have both their doors open and gangplanks spanning the openings between cars on adjacent tracks. This is also why they are all 40-foot cars and are all lined up with each other. Less-than-Carload (LCL) freight is being handled here! This something that US railroads have discontinued; for decades, they haven't accepted any shipment less than one car load. As effective highway trucks were developed, they took this trade away from the RR's for obvious reasons. But, back in the 1940's, RR's would handle a single crate! This required sorting en route, which is what is being done here. There's a large shift of workers shuffling LCL from one car to another by way of the side platforms and the above-mentioned gangplanks. The LCL required local freight crews to handle this stuff into and out of the freight stations, and required station agents to get the cargo to and from customers, collect charges, etc. Very labor-intensive, yet somehow the trucking companies do it at a profit. From Pabst To Rolling Rock Beer "33"This photograph has also added another “answer” to the question: “What does the “33” on the label of a bottle of Rolling Rock Beer mean?” http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/rolling.asp One person seeing this photograph concluded on a Rolling Rock Beer forum that the Rolling Rock "33" may have referenced the smoothness of blending “33 to 1.” http://toms.homeunix.net/toms/locFSA-OWIkodachromes/slides/blended33to1.... Makes you feel like a heroEven now, when I get a color transparency (2 1/4x2 1/4 or 4x5) and look at if for the first time, it is stunning. I can't imagine what it must have looked like to someone seeing it color for the first time ever! Sign BackgroundIf you look closely at the superstructure of the sign you can see the slogan "Blended 33 to 1" in the framework, which is seen far better in the nighttime shot Dave linked to. As to whether this would be considered animation I don't know, but a typical setup would be to light the Pabst Blue Ribbon sign, then switch to the "Blended" slogan, then light both. Don't know if that was done here. Those catwalksThe "down-the-throat" shot of those catwalks atop of the freight cars gives the viewer a good idea of what the brakeman had to deal with while setting the brakes. The uneveness of those platforms, even at a standstill, is enough to make the average person think twice about climbing up and traversing these planks. Before airbrakes became the norm, this had to be one of the most harrowing jobs a railroad worker had to face. And this would be on a nice calm day. With rain, wind or snow, even the most seasoned brakeman must've had second thoughts. Blue Flags?Mr. Leaman pointed out the blue flags were being displayed incorrectly by todays rules. But not being a train enthusiast, what did they indicate in the first place? Blue-FlaggedAny rolling stock or engine that is "blue-flagged" cannot be moved unless the person who placed the flag removes it. It's a safety rule, and for the protection of the workers, many of whom are between or under the cars. The iconic "Santa Fe" sign referred to in earlier posts is now on display at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL - not too far from Chicago and well worth the trip! http://www.irm.org The early brakeman's plightJKoehler, I read somewhere that a conductor remarked about brakemen in the days when cars used link-and-pin couplers, "If they still have their thumbs after three months, they must be really lazy!" Phantom Memory of a huge Chicago Phillips 66 Sign?For decades I’ve had a childhood memory of seeing a huge Phillips 66 sign atop the Chicago skyline, while driving with my family in the “wayback” of the family station wagon on the way to visit our grandparents in Iowa. We were coming from Michigan, and driving on Chicago streets because the still-under-construction Interstate Highway System still had gaps. (We were probably driving on/towards westbound US-30.) I remember being in awe of a big neon Phillips 66 sign receding in the distance as my dad drove west. It was a wide straight street, very busy. The sign had lots of neon motion, even in the daylight. This memory (if real), would have been somewhere between about 1963 - 1968. But am I mistaken? Did the Phillips 66 sign never exist, and could this Papst sign be the one I saw? (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Here You Go: 1936
... Life was simple. (The Gallery, Birmingham, Factories, Railroads, Walker Evans) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/22/2023 - 2:55pm -

March 1936. "Steel mill workers' houses, company owned. Vicinity of Birmingham, Alabama." 8x10 nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. ACROSS THE TRACKS.What are those little sheds lining the property? I thought they were outhouses at first, but they are not related to the houses. [COULD THE TITLE OF THIS POST BE A CLUE? - Dave] Mystery in the airThe RR electrification is puzzling: there weren't any mainline installations in Alabama, and a plant line would seem like it would present interference with all the loading in a a steel mill; a streetcar line? Power plant line? [That catenary is over the street, not the RR tracks. - Dave] OK, but doesn't that just deepen the mystery ?? Birmingham did have trolley buses, but apparently not as early as 1936. Perhaps they're just some kind of power or phone lines, but I'm unclear on why they're suspended. [The wires are for streetcar service. - Dave] Ah, so 'Curtain #2': not THE RR track, but still a RR track ... of sorts. [Those are train tracks. The street is not in the photo -- it's too close to the camera. - Dave] Gotcha: the curse of 2D!! Kite-Eating Tree... claims another victim! Going, going ...Wonder if one of the outhouses had a gas explosion. Looks a little run down. Random thoughtsThis photo is less than 90 years old; but is unimaginable today for factory housing. Our house had 2 bedrooms and 1 toilet, if you played by the rules; 6 if you didn't. That family next door is stealing our Sears & Roebuck! When it's everybody's business when you do your business. It's raining; don't tromp mud inside the house when you get back. At least your sister didn't lock herself in there for an hour. There you go-- a fine row of jakes. Something Street ThomasSeveral of these houses remain in Birmingham's Thomas neighborhood. The street railway had a route through here to neighboring Pratt and Ensley that ran to the east of the steam railroad. Not sure exactly which street/alley we're looking down, but we'd most likely be looking west from 16th Avenue Thomas to have the interurban-type overhead wiring (one wire for each direction to simplify signaling) and mast arm in the foreground. A better Loo for youThey could save themselves a walk to the facilities by just cutting a hole in the kitchen floor. My mumma always said I was a genius. Outhouse windowsDiamonds in the rough. Hope they saved their corn cobsOr had plenty of Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs available. The Two DoorsEach of these homes has two back doors which leads me to believe that these are actually very tiny duplexes. Trolley BUSESwere ordered in 1945, so as Notcom says there wouldn't have been double wires for them, but the ones in picture appear to be too close together for bus use. My grandfather was a conductor on the old trolleys prior to 1922, and all the pictures I could find did not have double wires, so? Perhaps someone from Birmingham might have more information. In many cities, street cars were also referred as trolley cars, as the little wheel at the top of the pole which ran against the wire, was a trolley. [The wires are for streetcar service. - Dave] Pratt-Ensley streetcarThe streetcar line in question appears to be the #6 Pratt-Ensley route of the Birmingham Electric. At this location the line was single track on a private right-of-way, which helps explain the use of bracket-arm overhead construction with dual contact wire (one for each direction). The route paralleled the steam railway for much of its length. In the background are the Thomas Furnaces of Republic Steel. (Info from "Street Railways of Birmingham", Hudson & Cox, 1976) They are DuplexesThere are 8 houses and 16 outhouses. Neat and humble beginnings Jeffrey Jakucyk, you got the right area! I think it's the houses down to the lower southeast corner of your overhead view. The tiny row houses on 7th Street Thomas and 8th Street. The Evans image just focused on the outhouses but there would have been another row of duplexes just off the left edge of the image. Life was simple. (The Gallery, Birmingham, Factories, Railroads, Walker Evans)
Night Riders: 1942
... a week! (The Gallery, Agriculture, John Collier, Kids, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/02/2023 - 4:23pm -

September 1942. "Boys sleeping as best they can on special train from Richwood, West Virginia, to upper New York state to work in the harvest." 4x5 inch acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Unconscious, but conscientious?I was friends with a man who was a conscientious objector in WW2. He was sent to a farm in New York to work the harvest. I wonder if that's what has the lads leaving the almost heaven land of West Virginia. [Um, no. These are boys not men. - Dave] PretzellyI bet those teens woke up, stretched once, and got on with their day. If I slept like that now, I wouldn't be able to move for a week! (The Gallery, Agriculture, John Collier, Kids, Railroads)
Peas Train: 1942
... seating for a long time, probably at least 50 years. The railroads weren't overly concerned about it, since uncomfortable coaches ... the new seats, they were an operational headache for the railroads, far beyond their initial high cost. They were much more complicated ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/01/2023 - 4:45pm -

Sept. 1942. "Special train carrying agricultural workers to upper New York state to work in the harvest." Our second look at the high schoolers recruited by the Farm Security Administration amid a wartime labor shortage to travel from Richwood, West Virginia, to Batavia, New York, to help bring in the fruit crop. Acetate negative by John Collier. View full size. DeKalb DetasselersI remember back in the '70s there was a ready job every summer for high school and college students detasseling corn in the fields around DeKalb, Illinois. The kids would go to DeKalb Ag HQ before dawn and board buses to be hauled to the next field needing detasseling. They often didn't get back until after dark. Mountaineer Farmers New York Times, September 5, 1942. West Virginians Help Harvest Here Mountaineers Are Being Moved by FSA to Five Counties in Western New York RICHWOOD, W. Va., Sept. 4 — A migration of mountaineer farmers to help harvest the tomato and peach and other crops of upper New York State began today. The first thirty-three of almost 300 volunteers in the food-for-victory drive left by bus for Rochester and 250 will go Tuesday, accompanied by their families, on a special train chartered by the Farm Security Administration. Recruited from the farms and gardens of Nicholas and Clay Counties, the force includes men, women, girls and boys. Leslie Atkins, representative of the migratory labor division of the FSA employment service, had certified the Nicholas-Clay County area of the Central West Virginia mountains as one in which the residents were in need of employment. The workers will be sent to FSA camps or to certified dwellings in a five-county area in New York and will remain there through the harvest season for tomatoes, peaches, apples, carrots, onions and other crops. The FSA will bring them back home, Mr. Atkins said, or they may go on to Florida to help with the Winter crops if they wish. Other contingents will move from areas in Virginia, Ohio and Tennessee. While away from the mountains the farm helpers will have guarantee of three-fourths employment and will receive rations when they are not employed. This Score Just InSeptember 14, 2013: The Beckley Registger-Herald reports that the Fayetteville Pirates "carved up" the Richwood Lumberjacks 61-0. "Walk-over" SeatsThose seat backs were not very soft, nearly vertical, and weren't adjustable, they didn't recline. But they were hinged in such a way that they could easily be reversed. The base of the seat never moved, only the back. This made it easy to set up forward seating no matter how the car was pointed. And it was easy to set up two seats anywhere for face-to-face seating of four people, as has been done with some in this photo. There was little improvement in coach seating for a long time, probably at least 50 years. The railroads weren't overly concerned about it, since uncomfortable coaches encouraged passengers to upgrade to first class. When new seats that resemble what we're accustomed to today came along, they were such a vast improvement that passengers made travel plans based on avoiding the old style seats. That's why, in timetables right up to the Amtrak era, you will almost always see "Reclining Seat Coaches" prominently printed in the schedules. While passengers loved the new seats, they were an operational headache for the railroads, far beyond their initial high cost. They were much more complicated to maintain, and it was no longer quick or easy to reverse seats at endpoints. Like dining cars and sleepers, it was usually easier to turn the entire car around than it was to individually turn reclining seats. Many passengers on long trips cannot--or will not--ride backwards. And the new seats were so much more expensive to maintain, bulletins were frequently issued asking train personnel to watch for, and prohibit, the use of seats as footrests, as is being done in the foreground of this picture. Times have changedThese young workers must have checked their baggage, since all likely had suitcases as they'd be staying through the harvest. There is almost no overhead stuff stored here. Today, travelers would have two or more pieces jammed in the overhead area, and all would be concentrating on hand-held devices instead of looking out the windows -- and certainly not reading as a few riders are doing here. RRCould be a coach from the DL&W. (The Gallery, John Collier, Railroads)
Amethyst Twilight: 1942
... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/15/2016 - 8:07pm -

December 1942. "Proviso departure yard of the Chicago & North Western R.R. at twilight." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. Fantastic ShotDoesn't matter how it was done, I wouldnt understand it anyway. trick shot?yeah - i'm a big fan of delano, too... but.. how'd he manage to have the lantern in the foreground be in sharp focus when it is in a field of soft-focus cinders? odd. shifted focusExposing for that scene would likely leave the lantern badly over-exposed. I'd bet that the lantern was masked and the focus adjusted mid-exposure. Perhaps...... my favorite Delano shot ever. a touch of tiltLooks like he tilted his focal plane to keep the ground in focus off into the distance (note the top of the building is also out of focus) Forgive my ignorance...I've seen a couple photos on Shorpy of railroad yards that have the same light trails like this one. I'm assuming that they were captured by leaving the shutter open longer (hence the double image of the rail car on the left), but what were they created with? Were they lanterns being carried around? Was this a Jack Delano trademark? In any case, beautiful photo, and one more example I'll be directing people to when I next praise this site. [Yes, lanterns. - Dave] Jack's lanternIf you look close you will see two lanters that left the trail of lights....One lantern has a freshers battery in it and thus produces a slightly brighter trail. One man was standing outside the shanty and the other was inside (probably getting a switching list, they both walked to the right where they were probably doing switching. [The other shots show kerosene lanterns, not battery-powered. - Dave] Nikon EM can achieve theNikon EM can achieve the same shot with given circumstances Jack's Lantern"how'd he manage to have the lantern in the foreground be in sharp focus when it is in a field of soft-focus cinders?" Photoshop maybe? Just kidding. I'm guessing he did it by tilts. Could the lantern have been flashing perhaps? This could prevent it from being overexposed. Or perhaps Jack knew when it was turned on and setup the exposure so that the lantern would be switched off for the first portion of the exposure and switched on for the second portion of the same exposure. this is simply stunning. onethis is simply stunning. one of my favorite photos as well. Jack DelanoThis is the work of a master. That's obvious, but I had to say it. LanternThat's a kerosene oil switchlamp. No on/off switch. The flashing lanternobviously on his other side from the camera. Stating the obvious, againAll you have to do is do is google "KODACHROME DELANO." Library of Congress has many more. Indeed he was great. Master of lighting KodachromeJack Delano, wiley photographer. Beautiful image. Most color films tend toward blue with long exposures, with Kodachrome the reciprocity effect goes more toward this gorgeous indigo/violet. I think this is a double exposure: a short one with the lamp lit and the boxcar nearer (fainter image) and a longer one after the boxcar was moved. If there had been a longer single exposure I would expect the boxcar to show a gradient rather than two states (think of electron field probability diagrams...) He clearly used a small aperture as focus is maintained through a fair depth of field (at least on the longer second exposure). I doubt he used any tilt--not a significant feature on Speed Graphics of the era (I use one), and rise (pretty limited) would not help with the Sheimpflug effect. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Over to Owego: 1901
... then click again. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, Small Towns) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/29/2022 - 9:25pm -

Tioga County, New York, circa 1901. "General view of Owego, N.Y., and the Susquehanna." At far left, a tantalizing glimpse of Hamilton's Novelty Works. Bottom right, J.C. Kenyon and his Low Prices continue to beckon. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size. A very orderly town.Apparently General Henry Martyn Robert found Owego so, as he resided there while producing his epic 1915 revised edition of Robert's Rules of Order. Just had to... put it together. En gardeWhat are the plentiful fern-like plants in the bottom right of the picture, just on the other side of the fence (see what I did there)? Are they sword ferns? [Looks like ailanthus, a.k.a. Tree of Heaven. - Dave] Fine detailIncredible. Plus 121 Years Hey!Who scraped the meringue off the pie? Spray paint hadn't been inventedOther than J. C. Kenyon's advertisement on the foreground rail, I don't see any graffiti. That's kinda nice. Ailanthus?While it's possible trees in the bottom right are Ailanthus, it is also possible that those compound-leaved trees are the native sumac (genus Rhus). While Tree of Heaven is an invasive ornamental that was widely planted in cities (which later came to regret it), sumac is a native that is distributed throughout New York (and the rest of the East. Their leaves are very similar, and I have known botanists who have mistaken one for the other. Sumac doesn't grow into a tall tree though, and, if the plants in question are as old as the trees to their right, I suspect they are sumacs. Hamilton's Novelty WorksSomewhat fire-prone, it would seem. Click to embiggen, then click again. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, Small Towns)
Morris Canal: 1900
... . (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/15/2022 - 11:10am -

Boonton, New Jersey, circa 1900. "Boat ascending plane, Morris and Essex Canal." (Actually just the Morris Canal, but whatever.) At right, the Bowden Bottling Works. View full size. Big Chute Marine RailwayYou can see a lock like this on the Trent Severn waterway in Ontario, Canada. The railway crosses a road as part of the operation. Here is a YouTube video of how it works. I wonder what they charge to paint the bottom?What an interesting photo for a couple of reasons. The first is the location. My old boss is from that area of New Jersey. The second reason is when they moved to Virginia in the late '80s, they purchased a marina that had a railway used for hauling boats out of the water so the bottom could be painted. Although the railway in this photo was used for lifting or lowering the canal boat to other parts of the waterway system it is very similar to what we used at the marina for pulling boats out of the water to be painted. Best if only one color usedI would think the operators of the Morris Canal wouldn't charge much for letting someone paint the bottom of boats as they ascend and descend over a New Jersey hill. But the painters are gonna have to work fast. I think it was like a car wash. Popular trick to avoid building expensive locks.Also still there in Poland. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)
Easton: 1935
... [People walking. - Dave] (The Gallery, Railroads, Walker Evans) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/23/2023 - 11:32am -

November 1935. "View of Easton, Pennsylvania, Lehigh River and Canal." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. Only one thing.I only know one thing about Easton, Pennsylvania. It was and is the home of "The Easton Assassin," the great Larry Holmes, one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champs of all time. He held the title for around 7 years and took on all comers. Even fought Mike Tyson when he admittedly couldn't beat him. Unfortunately, he also fought a greatly diminished Muhammed Ali, who came back for the money, and he beat Ali so bad even Holmes didn't want the fight to continue. After retiring, Holmes returned to Easton and opened businesses that employed hundreds of people from the area. Maybe he's not "the greatest," but a great son of Easton. Difficult divine survivalThe distinctive domed towers on the horizon belong to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, built in 1915. Easton’s Catholic churches served different ethnic enclaves: St. Joseph’s was German. The church had a difficult future ahead: in 2008 it merged with two other parishes to become Our Lady of Mercy. After 2013, only occasional services were held in the aged building, with what was announced as its final Mass in May 2016. However, in 2018 it reopened as Divine Mercy Healing Center, run by the Vincentian Congregation of the Eastern Rite Catholic Church. It looks good today. Is that a person under there?Or just some blankets for a person to lie on? The front of the car appears slightly elevated, but the rear tires are not blocked. The backgroundlooks like it could be a matte painting. What a stunning photograph!! All of itA classic Shorpy photo with just about all the requisite elements: a steam engine, a jalopy, simple down-to-earth housing, a church, hills, canal and river, laundry on the line (blurred in motion), and a comment that links the small, obscure place to someone famous (Larry Holmes). "Chief of the Sixes"Was Oakland's official motto when it began producing the first Pontiac Six in 1926. Sales took off so quickly that a new factory with 35 acres of floor space was erected exclusively for the Pontiac Division of Oakland Motor Car Co. This markedly aged specimen is a Five Passenger Landau Sedan (minus its left landau iron). An automobile wheel and perhaps other car parts are lying in front of it. Bridging the gapIn addition to Larry Holmes, Easton is known as the home of Crayola crayons. They continue to manufacture them just north of town, and receive large railroad tank cars of the necessary wax on a weekly basis. Visible in the center is part of the Easton suspension bridge, which when constructed in 1886 was the highest footbridge in the US. It was dropped in 1951. https://www.bridgemeister.com/pic.php?pid=1431 What is this?It looks like it's the town gallows but I doubt (and hope!) it's not ... [It looks more decorative than punitive. - Dave] It's a truckThe wheel in front of the Oakland is still attached to a C cab truck of some sort. Horse ghost?Any idea what is the blurry image to the right of the telephone pole? I'm guessing a horse in motion? [People walking. - Dave] (The Gallery, Railroads, Walker Evans)
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