Perilous Parking - period photo

[Billy Kingsley]

 

Not sure when, where, or what kind of car it is, but that is not somewhere I would ever want to go. 

 

I think this is the most perilous parking spot I've ever seen. 

[1935Packard]

I would guess it was taken at the Grand Canyon, as a reverse image search suggests it was posted in some stories about the grand canyon.  

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20081011062712/http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/education/images/grand_canyon.jpg

[Mark Wetherbee]

I wonder if he trusted the brakes, or pushed it there for the picture?...

[TAKerry]

Parking spot!!! I would be more concerned with where he decided to sit down and take a rest!  I was at the Grand Canyon and felt woozy when I got within about 15 ft from the edge.

[Guest]

 I was holding onto the railing in the Grand Canyon when a teen ager ran down a slope and jumped onto an angled rock at the very edge.

 I guess he thought that he was a candidate for the Darwin Award. 

                                        👻

[ojh]

I think his right front tire has run over the 'HandiCapped Only' parking sign - boy, is he in trouble!

[padgett]

Wonder if the deuce and a half is still sitting on top of Green Mountain.

[BearsFan315]

but that view

[Paul Dobbin]

Looks like a Auto Red Bug car with a rock as a parking brake.  Reminds me of the steel workers pictures when building the Empire State Building.

I wouldn't do either.

[Graham Man]

Looks like there are rocks blocking 3 of the wheels.  1911ish speedster,  Looks like a real car, round dash, nice looking fenders.  It could be a female?  Looks like the hair is in a high bun? or some strange hat?

 

 

[Fossil]

If it's a girl she looks to be about 4-5 months pregnant. 

 

 

[wayne sheldon]

The car is a 1914 Metz, and the official factory and sales model name for that IS "Speedster"!

To drive another 'era correctness' bugaboo crazy, the original color for that car is orange! I have a project parts pile for a '13/'14 Metz that includes part of the radiator from that model, with good samples of the original paint. 

There have been several articles written and published about this very journey, and some are well worth reading. In 1914, the car was driven down one side of the Grand Canyon, crossed the river, and then driven back up the other side of the canyon. Try googling Metz Grand Canyon trip. There are about a half dozen famous photos of the car on that trip.

 

Wire wheels were an on again off again option on many Metz models, and standard equipment on some early "plan" cars, as  well as standard equipment on this one model for this one year.

Edited October 26, 2020 by wayne sheldon
Additional thought. (see edit history)

[Graham Man]

Here is the.... wait for it...  The Rest of the Story...

 

https://www.classicspeedsters.com/blog/2020/6/11/the-1914-metz-speedster

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by Graham Man (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

THANK YOU! Good stuff! Bob 

[Peter Gariepy]

Higher quality version.

[John348]

2 hours ago, Paul Dobbin said:

Looks like a Auto Red Bug car with a rock as a parking brake.  Reminds me of the steel workers pictures when building the Empire State Building.

I wouldn't do either.

 

Paul,

if it is the famous photo that I am thinking of where the Iron workers are eating lunch on a beam, that is actually 30 Rockefeller Center known as "30 Rock" It has always been assumed that it was the Empire State. 

 

  

[Paul Dobbin]

There have been several photos if high steel workers in that period.

You would never find me in any of those pictures.

[SC38dls]

My older brother worked for a construction company fixing the face of the Tribume tower in Chicago, in the mid sixties. He was about 22 years old on a narrow scaffolding about 20-25 floors up when the older guy he was working with reached out and grabbed him by the front of his shirt as he was falling backwards. He had no idea he was going over. The older guy said kid you better get the hell off this building the right way before you do it the quick wrong way!  My brother quit that job that day. It was the best paying per hour job he ever had but not worth his life. 
 

Edited October 26, 2020 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[John348]

3 hours ago, Paul Dobbin said:

There have been several photos if high steel workers in that period.

You would never find me in any of those pictures.

 

Most of the photos in NYC were done by a photographer Charles Ebbet, and a majority of those (if not all were taken at Rock Center. This ia photo of me in my younger days on a building in Times Square, around 1987?  About 900' up across from the Times Square Marriot. This is the only photo I have of myself. The hoist's stopped about 4-6 floors below and it is all straight ladders up to top steel.

However that said I would never hang on a sandy rock ledge like the photo in the thread, too much sand to slip on 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by John348 (see edit history)

[padgett]

I can fall off anything (no balance). Fortunately learned at an early age how to fall off tall horses.

[John348]

4 hours ago, Peter Gariepy said:

Higher quality version.

 

There is just a little too much daylight behind that persons right leg for me to feel safe. 

 

19 minutes ago, padgett said:

I can fall off anything (no balance). Fortunately learned at an early age how to fall off tall horses.

 

It is not the fall that kills you.... 

 

 

[wayne sheldon]

I would be that fellow sitting on the rim of that canyon! I do like to think that I have a healthy respect for heights? Maybe? There are a lot of things I would not do because of heights and other situations. I don't have any real fear of heights (or small spaces either). I made most of my living doing communications systems contracting. Oh, it was dirty work, even had to dig trenches from time to time. However, I was also that guy a hundred or more feet above the ground on a steel tower installing or repairing antennas. Large and small, I climbed towers thousands of times, and still have my belt. Sometimes I used my safety belt. Sometimes I would lean way out even when I didn't have my safety belt.

I worked with a lot of people doing all that. At one point, I had a couple coworkers that always seemed nervous in high places. One day, we were on the roof of a nine story apartment building. The equipment room was in a service area on the roof. We had identified our problem, and needed some things from the truck. I continued to work on the equipment while they went down to get the things we needed. When I reached the point that I couldn't do anymore without the things they were getting, I went out and over to sit on the parapet (nine floors up from the parking lot). It was a hot day, and really hot inside the equipment room, so the breeze over the edge of the building felt really nice. When the other two came back, they both nearly freaked out about where I was sitting! So I stood up ON the parapet and danced a jig! (It was actually a round of Charleston steps, gotta keep this Roaring Twenties related!) (N0, I have never told my wife, she is terrified of heights!)

By the way, they never complained about me in high places after that.

[Fossil]

It's funny, flying open airplanes or doing aerobatics doesn't bother me at all. Hanging on the outside of a building or standing at the edge of a cliff doesn't work. 

[padgett]

"It is not the fall that kills you....  " the joke goes "so far so good."

[Billy Kingsley]

I had no idea this was a known historical journey, very cool. I saved the image off Facebook years ago. 

Heights are one of the things that "get me".  Even using the family two step stepladder is too much for me. Not that I refuse to use it, but I try to avoid it as much as possible.

[zipdang]

I'm sure his GPS device is saying "recalculating."

[F&J]

Don't believe all that you read; that is not the one year only 1914 Metz "Speedster".  The 1914 Speedster had headlights molded into the front fenders exactly like Pierce Arrow.

[Walt G]

I am not enthusiastic about being up high, especially if I can see the ground many many stories below! Climbing a ladder to the first floor doesn't bother me .

My old car/height experience I recall the most was when I drove my 1931 Franklin out to Riverhead, NY about 80+ miles east of me. There was a meeting of the Long Island Early Fliers Club and aviation historic society at John Talmadge's farm. John T. was a nice fellow and owned several restored bi planes from the late 1920s/early 1930s. The group there was thrilled I drove the Franklin out because it had an air cooled engine. I opened the hood and answered all kinds of questions - , this took place 40 years ago and even then people didn't just get in their 50 year old cars ( at the time) and drive a distance to attend a meeting. Anyway Mr. Talmadge was very pleased I did that and offered me a ride in his bi plane ( believe it was a Waco brand) He had a landing strip at the property he owned and owned and restored several airplanes. The plane was an open cockpit and I was told seriously to use the seat belt ! Off we went me thinking a short ride not to far off the ground - uh huh - well up we went and all on the ground seemed to get very tiny very fast. then he decided to do a loop. Upside down in an open cockpit bi plane. Well it was an experience and I was glad to get back down on the ground and then immediately find a bathroom to deposit the cup of coffee I drank that morning. I really enjoy automotive history and aviation history as well, but seated in a chair on the ground much more so then hundreds of feet in the air doing a loop the loop. Once was enough and now that I have had some cardiac issues recently have an excuse not to try or seek to have another "in air" experience.

[padgett]

Last time I was up on the rim am told was hit by lightning, glasses frame burned my nose. Heights do not bother me - if seen through a window. Having defective balance have a fear of falling.

[SC38dls]

I would love to go for a ride in a Waco!  They are absolutely beautiful airplanes. That big old radial engine just screams of power. They are really special airplanes. 
 

[padgett]

Talk about torque steer....

[dustycrusty]

[SC38dls]

That is not a Waco it’s a wacko! 

[zepher]

Back in my youth I worked on a bridge maintenance crew.

We were often hundreds of feet off the ground or above water.

I've hung off the side of bridges just using a harness and some lanyards.

Heights don't bother me a bit but sitting on the edge of a rock in unknown condition is not my idea of fun.

As I said, heights don't bother but stupidity does.

[wayne sheldon]

Heights don't bother me. But structure is very important. A rock like in the picture above? Would be a tough judgement call. One of the towers I climbed more often than any other, was right at 150 feet. We engineered it. We installed it. We dug and poured the foundation. We set the guy wires/cables. It was straight and solid and firm under my feet. I could climb that thing and spend a whole day up there.

The most scared I ever felt on a tower? No idea who put it there. On the side of a mountain, no foundation. The soil drift had caused the tower to lean a good fifteen degrees (feels a lot worse than it looks!). Like nearly all communication towers, it was a standard premanufactured sections tower. It was one of the cheapest and home ham radio type. I had to climb the thing to fix a failed antenna. It was only about twenty five feet above the ground, but I can't remember anytime in my life that I was more scared! Remember that in my first post above, I danced a jig on top of the parapet nine floors above the ground! The parapet was solid, and not moving at all. And I knew my balance abilities. That tower felt like it would buckle any second!!!!!!

[60FlatTop]

I knew an iron worker from the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. We were talking about walking the ironwork. He asked me how many times I fell off the sidewalk into someone's yard.

 

At times I have traveled the girders above a 26-28' dropped ceiling, You get a false sense of security not seeing how high you are.

 

Just remembered changing a steam flange gasket for the ship's horn on DD 707, top of the mast. Did that with one hand.

[Locomobile]

 

These type of pictures were sort of a thing back then, not sure why. This was taken on Mt Washington, a Locomobile steamer was allegedly the first car to successfully drive up it. I have several advertising pictures showing them in ''go anywhere, through anything'' situations.

[Locomobile]

On the subject of working up high, have a look at this. Not car related, but interesting. Delete it if you want.

 

 

[JACK M]

NO WAY !!!!!!

[keithb7]

I didn't realize I suffered from anxiety until I watched the Chimney Overhang video.... Yikes. No thanks. 

 

One time my 21 year old son stood up on the top of a safety hand railing. It protected people from a drop off, about 450 feet down to natural gulley. At a local large waterfall. It was probably 2x8 lumber on the top railing. He stood up there with his arms and hands up and open for a "photo op". How many people have died trying to impress others with photos and selfies to post on the internet? I had asked him not to do it. I was pixxed off, bit my tongue and walked away. I could not watch. It was reckless, irresponsible and stupid. Risk your life for what? His mother and I would have been devastated if he slipped or fell. 21 years of raising a son to lose him for stupid prank? Man, I was steaming.  He got his photo op. Grumpy old Dad kept his mouth shut. I walked away and calmed down when I saw he was fine. A senseless stupid act in my opinion. This sort of act is torture for a parent. You kids think about that for a minute and try to have some respect.

 

At this very spot:

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by keithb7 (see edit history)