There’s a lot going on in this photo of Exchange Place (Providence, R.I.), c. 1910. There are pedestrians; cars, horse-drawn vehicles, and a streetcar traveling down both sides of the large square; cars, carriages, and delivery vehicles parked along the right-hand sidewalk; and a multitude of cars parked in the square itself. Then, in the foreground, are eight working vehicles and trailers of various sorts. It looks like these are being used to haul equipment and supplies for road work or construction, judging by the piles of rocks, etc.
December 8, 2012
cars, cars, cars
Posted by Jennifer under carriages / carriage types, history | Tags: postaday |Leave a Comment
December 7, 2012
traveling on the river
Posted by Jennifer under carriages / carriage types, history | Tags: postaday |[2] Comments
Here, we’re on the Ohio River at Louisville, c. 1905. The river barge in this photo looks like it’s being unloaded, judging by the poultry wagon (far right) being driven down one of the ramps.
According to the caption, the large barrel-like objects (there are three of them on the dray hitched to a pair of horses) are hogsheads of tobacco.
And is it my imagination, or does it look like a calf is being loaded on the delivery van hitched to the single horse?
This photo doesn’t have any horses or carriages in it (or does it?*), but it’s interesting because it shows the rest of the Georgia Lee riverboat at the far left of the first photo.
*Is that a wagon, all packed up in a crate and being shipped somewhere, in the bow of the Georgia Lee?
December 6, 2012
We’ve all seen photos of fire horses, and I’ve even posted quite a few here. Most of them are posed fire-house portraits, but some show the horses, men, and equipment (purportedly) on their way to a fire. I do wonder how many of these photos may been staged … the photographic (and even, in some cases, film) technology of the day didn’t exactlyallow for a photographer to run up and quickly snap a photo like we can now.
But this is the very first fire-horse photo I’ve seen with an actual fire.
The photo was taken on May 18, 1913, in Washington, DC. As you might imagine, there are quite a few “ghosts” in the photo, indicating that people and horses were moving around during the long-ish exposure … which certainly isn’t surprising under the circumstances.
December 5, 2012
in which Mr. Johnson gets his wheel repaired
Posted by Jennifer under early roads, history, horses & driving, Mr. Johnson's trek, people | Tags: postaday |Leave a Comment
… About two weeks after his run-in with the Stagecoach driver, after stopping for days at a time along the way when, first, his horse ran away and, then, when she lost a shoe, Mr. Johnson drove from Little Lake to Ukiah.
“Little Lake is simply a station for the changing of horses for the mail coaches, and for drivers and chance passengers to eat and drink, the thirst being the greatest every time.
“About noon I was traveling a really good road, equal to a fair eastern road. I stopped, fed my cattle, made a fire, cooked some dinner and ate it all alone, no one around, not a house for miles, and had not seen one since leaving Latonville. Rested till half-past one o’clock, and then resumed the journey, passing what is known as Sherwood valley — coming to a cross-road I read on a board, ‘To Bartlett’s Spring and over the mountain to Sacramento.’ So far today have seen but one man. I do not have a chance to ask where does this road go, or how far is it to this place or that, yet I must soon come in sight of Ukiah.
“Presently I came in sight of a house, and then another, and I found myself in comparatively a large town. I urged Fanny along and soon we were in the city. I call it a city, not being positive it is, but it is one of the large towns in this part of California.
“On arriving in Ukiah, I made for a wheelwright’s shop to have my broken wheel repaired. If I knew the name of that rascally driver I would give it to show his meanness, yet doubtless he is telling the story to some of his boon companions as a good joke served on that eastern chap.
“I found a carriage shop and asked the proprietor if he could repair my wheel; I told him that I had, soon after crossing Eel river been run into by the stage driver, crushing one of my wheels. ‘Where is your carriage, let me look at it?’ ‘It is in front of your shop, sir, I have come all the way from Eel river with those splints on the wheel, as you see.’ ‘Those splints make a strong wheel.’ ‘Yes, but what can you do to make them stronger?’ I asked. ‘I shall have to take the wheel to pieces and glue the spokes anew.’ ‘How much will you charge me?’ ‘I will do it for $2.50.’ ‘Can you do it this afternoon?’ ‘Yes, this afternoon.’ It was then four o’clock.
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This reminds me of last Saturday, when we took our car (which had suffered a flat tire on our drive back to Kentucky from Georgia over Thanksgiving weekend) to get a new tire so we wouldn’t be driving around on the spare. We didn’t realize that the shop closes at noon on Saturdays, and we got there at about 11:30 a.m. They took us in anyway, and got it done quickly … but it did cost considerably more than $2.50.
December 4, 2012
“homemade” wheel repairs
Posted by Jennifer under early roads, history, horses & driving, people | Tags: postaday |[3] Comments
[continued from yesterday]
… “I began the ascending of the mountain feeling jubilant, as the fording of this river had been a terror to me ever since leaving Eureka. About two miles from the river I met the mail stage, a heavy two-horse wagon. I was ascending. It was not a bad place to pass and I gave him right of way.
“The driver sang out for the road and stopped. I told him he had ample room to pass. He had but two passengers aboard. The driver said that he ‘would teach me to get out of the way for the mail driver.’ With that he started up and came down on the rear wheel of my carriage, crushing it down.
“He did not stop to see what damage he had done, but went on his own way. I was vexed and felt badly, being all alone.
“Soon after, the man I left at the river came up; and seeing what a fix I was in, assisted me in placing my wheel back into shape, and then put my things on his wagon; we went on until we came to a sheep ranch. Here I remained two days to make necessary repairs. There was no wheelwright shop for sixteen miles. Having some tools with me, such as an axe, saw, and square, I got some timber, sawing it into splints, length of the diameter of my wheel, and lashing them to the spokes of the wheel, tied them down so as to keep the disc of the wheel in its proper place.
“Next day I was again ready to resume my journey.”
The Slower Road 