Interesting Look Back In Time

[enigma57]

Interesting look back in time. Moving picture made from street car on Market Street in San Francisco shortly after the turn of the last century. Bear in mind that this is circa 1906 or thereabouts, not long before the massive earthquake and fire that destroyed much of what you will see.

Note that the street car does not stop nor slow, but remains at a steady 6 to 7 mph and folks getting on and off do so whilst the car is in steady motion.

Also keep in mind that traffic lights and such did not appear even in large cities until the 1920s. Folks had to fend for themselves, although there was the occasional cop on the beat who might direct traffic on an as needed basis......

http://www.flixxy.com/san-francisco-190 ... ootage.htm

Enjoy,

Harry

[1989TransAm]

Thanks for posting the interesting film Harry. I'm amazed at the number of people out on the street and the traffic. I would say things are a little hap-hazard and I'm sure there are the usual accidents from some miss-judgements.

[enigma57]

Probably so TransAm, but likely no more than we would have now of days, as folks were used to the situation as it existed in their time and no doubt acted accordingly. Much in the way car crashes lessened initially when the speed limit was lowered to 55 mph in the '70s because we were used to driving faster and reacting more quickly...... But soon rose again as folks lost their 'edge' and their reaction time slowed to match the lower speed limits (well, except for those of us who continued to drive 75 - 80 out on the highway and Nixon and Carter and their 'double nickle' be damned).

In some ways, the cross traffic in this video reminds me of the wild taxi ride my wife and I had in Caracas in the late '90s not long before Chavez and his goons took over down there. We had spent a week at the Meliá Caribe Hotel on the coast there and as we headed to the airport, literally careening down the narrow winding coastal highway at 65 - 70 mph in the back seat of a beat up '70s Chevy sedan during the early morning 'rush hour' when many of the locals were making their way across the road to the bus stops to go to work...... The combination of a leaking exhaust system and a long-untuned engine belching clouds of unburned fuel literally made our eyes burn and we had to roll down the windows in order to breathe.

The coastal highway east of Caracas is a narrow, winding blacktop road with a combination of sheer cliffs on the seaward side and steep hills above on the landward side. No shoulders. Kinda like old Highway 101 following the Pacific coastline in southern California used to be in places many moons ago. One mistake and you're gonna 'sail right out there' as did Jimmy Durante in his '57 Ford in the movie 'Is a Mad Mad Mad Mad World'......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH4nVMJEopU

By the grace of G-d and the excellent driving skills of our Venezuelan taxi driver, who pulled a nicely done moonshiner's 180 and outran the local cops via the unpaved back roads up into the hillside amidst the shanties of the colonias when they attempted to block our progress and check his nonexistent taxi license at one point...... We made it to the airport on time. Of course, his heroic effort was all for naught, as we were flying out on a Viasa flight (the national airline back then)...... And our flight was 8-1/2 hour late departing.

Seems the pilots had partied all night and we couldn't leave until they sobered up enough to fly. Which was alright by me, as I don't like flying anyway. Oh yeah..... The 'nonsmoking section' consisted of 4 seats in the middle of the cabin and nearly everyone else was smoking like stovepipes. My wife has asthma and we spent the return flight breathing through folded tee shirts we fished out of our carry on luggage and held over our noses. The in flight dinner was very nice, though. And we managed to live through the flight and walk away from the landing in Miami after our plane touched down and very nearly overran the end of the runway when the brakes failed. Always a plus.

Happy Motoring,

Harry

[crazyman]

I'd be willing to bet nobody sued back then, due to injuries too...

[machine shop tom]

Absolutely fascinating.

Thanks for posting, Harry.

tom

[Engguy]

Isn't it amazing how not having "bigbrother" in your face works just fine.
Yeah lots of stupid people getting in the way of the machinery, but still, freedom must have been nice.

[David Redszus]

Really cool fim, Harry. Thanks a lot.

Seems the streets were very wide compared to the traffic density. And the sidewalks were not. Also, it seemed that pedestrians, cyclists, horses and others knew enough to stay out of the way of a larger vehicle that could hurt them.

Whatever happened to common sense?

[BLACK BART]

David, I just have one thing to say about common sense that my grandmother used to tell me when she was alive.

"Common sense ain't so common"

CJ




P.S.

Harry, that was a great film to watch. I really enjoy seeing old things like that. It's neat to see people as they were back in the old days. Thanks for posting that.

[nitro2]

Thanks for posting it. At the end of a busy day, very refreshing and relaxing. Book marked it to watch in the future when I need a change of pace for a few moments.

[af2]

David, I just have one thing to say about common sense that my grandmother used to tell me when she was alive.
"Common sense ain't so common"
CJ
P.S.
Harry, that was a great film to watch.

There is no common sense as of late.

[Whitewater Racer]

I initially tended to focus on the machinery. Go back and watch the people that are walking! These were folks that walked, a lot! Some of those folks are covering almost 4 feet with each stride! They look completely different in the way that they are moving as compared to us "moderns".

[BLACK BART]

Adam, as I've grown older, I now understand what my grandparents used to be so concerned and worried about when they talked about what the future held for the younger generations. We all get to see it on a daily basis today and it's not looking good IMO!

I like the way everyone put their best foot forward and dressed up in a fashionable manner back then. Look at how all the women have full length dresses on and all the men have suits on. Now a days, crappy clothes are the in thing and nobody gives a damn about what others think!

CJ

[enigma57]

Glad everyone enjoyed the moving picture of the 1906 street scene in San Francisco. I found it fascinating. And not just the various modes of transportation, but the people, their manner of dress and how they interacted. Guess a picture is worth a thousand words.

Best regards to all,

Harry