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Car in the "Period Photo Thread"


89tc

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I saw this car in the "Period Photo Thread" and was curious as to where the photo was taken, so I did a little research. It was taken in front of the "Soldiers and Sailors" monument, Washington Square, Rochester New York, some time after 1912. The picture below is of the same location today. The South Park Garage, 941 Genesee Street, was in business in 1912 as an auto repair shop with a detached garage. In 1938-1941 is became a gas station, and then as a dry cleaners from 1947-2003. The buildings were knocked down in 2009, and as of today is an empty lot with chemical contamination (brownfield), slated to be cleaned up and the property re-used for a new purpose....

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My guess is a cross country tour. The block and tackle is to pull yourself out in the event you get stuck. But in those days it was not if but when you became stuck. They planned on driving at night as well by the looks of the Prest-o-lite tank on the frame. It appears to only have one seat as well. Going cross country alone in 1912 would have been a big deal.

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  • 3 weeks later...

1911 “LOCO-mobile”

… I really like this photo; I think it is significant that although this “LOCO-mobile” was promoting the ‘South Park Garage’ across the street, they chose the "Soldiers and Sailors" monument as the backdrop. Wow this guy was going cross country in the winter, solo! Also note the Winch on the back, plus all the Snatch Block and Pulley’s and enough rope to forge a river crossing; he could pull himself forward as well, and ‘all wheel chains’. Under the center there is what could be a PTO Shaft; this is back “When Iron Men Sailed Wooden Ships”!

This could have been some sort of retrieval / rescue vehicle but without a Boom on the back it would have been limited on what it could do.

Can anybody figure out what the long horizontal 3’’ tube with a ring, hung along the side would have been for?

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