Newspapering a century ago: The Times blasts the City Council’s spending in caustic language that is unimaginable today–and so much fun … Eight newsboys and messengers are arrested for–what’s this?–selling tips on the
horses … And complicated lawsuits in the courts. Note: A car that cost $4,200 in 1908 would be $87,639.37 USD 2006.
“A car that cost $4,200 in 1908 would be $87,639.37 USD 2006.”
No Model T either.
Cars like this one is what the the proposed Arroyo Seco Parkway “the boulevard from the mountains to the sea” must have been intended for.
A parkway for wealthy owners of luxury automobiles to cruise back and forth on. What’s the point of owning a luxury car without a grand boulevard to drive it on?
–It’s fun to read the early stories about automobiles. The streets (and roads) were terrible and the vehicles were primitive and unreliable. There’s more from 1907 at the 1947project.
–If you get a chance, go to the Library of Congress website and watch this Edison film of traffic in San Francisco right before the earthquake: Streetcars, autos, bicycles and horses. The utter chaos and anarchy is unbelievable by today’s standards.
http://memory.loc.gov/mbrs/lcmp003/01142s1.mpg
–Larry
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