Category Archives: Transportation

Man Attacks Wife, Commits Suicide in Custody Dispute

Posted on March 15, 2010 by lmharnisch

March 15, 1920: Two streetcar passengers prevent J.B. Claverie from slashing his wife and escape injury when his pistol fails to fire. After the attack failed, Claverie killed himself with strychnine.

Posted in #courts, Suicide, Transportation | Comments Off on Man Attacks Wife, Commits Suicide in Custody Dispute

Texas Politician Opposes the Automobile

Posted on March 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 12, 1920: Former Texas Sen. Joe Bailey wants to abolish autos except for businesses, according to his opponents in the governor’s race. Bailey says, “I believe that next to the dog, the horse is man's best friend." More … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Comics, Politics, Transportation | 1 Comment

Robber Holds Up Streetcar

Posted on March 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

March 12, 1910: This story reminds me of Walter Collins’ streetcar robberies, but those didn’t occur until 1923. In fact, a streetcar conductor killed a robber in 1908.

Posted in Changeling, Robberies, Transportation | 1 Comment

No Street Parking in Downtown L.A.

Posted on March 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

March 11, 1920: What Los Angeles is coming to without street parking in downtown, by Edmund Waller “Ted” Gale. The ban was adopted to ease the seemingly ageless problem of traffic. 

Posted in Downtown, Transportation | Comments Off on No Street Parking in Downtown L.A.

Pasadena Raids Illegal Stock Exchange

Posted on March 10, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 10, 1910: A speeding streetcar takes a curve too fast at 7th and Alvarado, jumps the tracks and goes tearing into what’s now MacArthur Park. If it hadn’t run into a telegraph pole and a pepper tree, it … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Transportation | Comments Off on Pasadena Raids Illegal Stock Exchange

Car Thief Bluffs His Way Out of Tight Spot

Posted on March 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 9, 1910: One car thief is a fellow with a lot of nerve who tries to talk himself out of a bad situation. On the jump, the rest of the story… and a dying woman uses her children’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Transportation | Comments Off on Car Thief Bluffs His Way Out of Tight Spot

Baptismal Records Hold Evidence in Suit Over Pioneer’s Estate

Posted on March 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

   March 3, 1920: I’m sure the concept of this ad seemed fine. But we have a slightly malevolent fellow spilling grease that turns into a highway. Maybe that’s why we don’t hear much about Gredag these days. On the … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Comics, Environment, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | 2 Comments

Downtown Parking Ban to Ease Traffic

Posted on February 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

  To ease congested streets, Los Angeles will ban street parking from Figueroa to Los Angeles streets and 1st to 9th streets. Notice that Spring hasn’t been straightened out yet, another attempt to relieve traffic.    L.O. Keown  and his … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Education, Freeways, Transportation | 1 Comment

Mob Beats Strikebreakers, Police

Posted on February 27, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Feb. 27, 1910: Crowds in Philadelphia attack non-union men operating the streetcars, beating them and the police officers protecting them …  F.D. Underwood, president of the Erie Railroad, says: "There is a growing spirit of greed in this country … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Transportation | Comments Off on Mob Beats Strikebreakers, Police

California Limited Sets Speed Record

Posted on February 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Feb. 26, 1910: The Santa Fe’s California Limited cuts hours off the trip from Chicago to Los Angeles, hitting 65 mph between Gallup, N.M., and Winslow, Ariz.

Posted in Transportation, travel | Comments Off on California Limited Sets Speed Record

Artist’s Notebook: Corvette Driver

Posted on February 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

 “Corvette Driver,” by Marion Eisenmann Feb. 22, 2010: Marion Eisenmann sends a drawing of a Corvette and its driver that she saw over the weekend. Marion writes: After heading out for a bike ride with two male friends at Bonelli … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Marion Eisenmann, Transportation | Comments Off on Artist’s Notebook: Corvette Driver

Police Urge Ban on Women Drivers

Posted on February 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

“The Saddest Scene,” by Clare Briggs.     Feb. 23, 1920: Los Angeles is the deadliest city in the nation for pedestrians, The Times says. Solution? Ban women drivers because women account for more than 30 percent of the fatalities, says … Continue reading →

Posted in LAPD, Transportation | Comments Off on Police Urge Ban on Women Drivers

Found on EBay – Streetcar Items

Posted on February 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

The Pacific Electric Railway routes radiated from downtown like the spokes of a wheel, as one early transportation engineer observed. What's this? A subway to Avalon? A recent post referred to the dangers of streetcar crossings. These photos provide a … Continue reading →

Posted in Transportation | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Streetcar Items

Chinatown to Make Way for Union Station

Posted on February 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

     Feb. 22, 1920: Guy W. Finney, the author of “Angel City in Turmoil,” touches on the Chinese massacre of 1871 in exploring the changes ahead for Chinatown, which is being moved to make way for Union Station. Union … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Transportation | 1 Comment

1910 Auto Show

Posted on February 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

Feb. 20, 1910: The Auto Show at Fiesta Park featured nearly 200 cars. An enormous tent was built at the park and redwood limbs were used to disguise the uprights so that the entire show resembled a forest. There are … Continue reading →

Posted in Front Pages, Sports, Transportation | Comments Off on 1910 Auto Show

Streetcar Crossings Pose Danger

Posted on February 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

   Feb. 19, 1910: A Board of Public Utilities meeting focuses on the dangers of speeding streetcars at crossings on the Pacific Electric right of way from 8th Street to Vernon Avenue on the Long Beach line.  “ ‘It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Transportation | Comments Off on Streetcar Crossings Pose Danger

New LAPD Chief Takes Office

Posted on February 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

   Feb. 16, 1910: Police Chief Alexander Galloway receives his badge and is told that it will allow him free passage on all the streetcars. The chief says that if a conductor insists, he’ll pay rather than risk getting into … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, LAPD, Transportation | Comments Off on New LAPD Chief Takes Office

Found on EBay – Pacific Electric Trolley Waltz

Posted on February 15, 2010 by lmharnisch

I would have never guessed that there was a tune called “The Pacific Electric Trolley Waltz,” but there is. It was written by Eliza Mahala Greenough and published in 1906. In case you’re wondering, it sounds like this. A copy … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Transportation | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Pacific Electric Trolley Waltz

Through the Lens – Aviation Meet

Posted on February 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

 Los Angeles Times file photo Jan. 12, 1910, Louis Paulhan sets an altitude record. Los Angeles Times file photo Jan. 12, 1910: Many photos from the Aviation Meet show a balloon advertising the Los Angeles Examiner. Someone at The Times … Continue reading →

Posted in Photography, Transportation | 1 Comment

Los Angeles Speedway to Open

Posted on February 8, 2010 by lmharnisch

    A gas station occupies the spot where the track's gateway used to be. Feb. 8, 1920: The Los Angeles Speedway is about to open at Pico Boulevard and Beverly Drive. The property was sold in 1923 to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Sports, Transportation | Comments Off on Los Angeles Speedway to Open