Dirigible ground crew of the 125 member 3rd Balloon Company, Fort Lewis, surround the motorized C-6-3 undercarriage and the airship's pilots Master Sergeant A. E. Miller and Corporal Henry Pelhum. The new blimp is making its first flight since arriving on February 10. (T.Times, 3/11/1938, p.1).

Balloons (Aircraft)--Fort Lewis; Balloonists; Air pilots--Fort Lewis; Military personnel--Fort Lewis; Fort Lewis (Wash.); Miller, A.E.; Pelhum, Henry;

Loading of Norwegian ship "Nordhval" with scrap streetcar tracks. Man watching as rails are lowered into ship's cargo hull through a hatch. The ship sailed on October 15, 1938 with 2,500 tons of scrap metal. Over 1/2 of that amount came from the rails of the discontinued Tacoma streetcars. (T.Times, 10/17/1938, p. 5).

Cargo ships--Tacoma--1930-1940; Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940; Shaffer Terminals, Inc. (Tacoma);

Close up of port side view of lumber laden cargo ship "American Robin" tied up at North Coast Dock on City Waterway (Thea Foss Waterway) below Stadium High School.

Cargo ships--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma--1930-1940; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Loading docks--Tacoma; North Coast Dock (Tacoma); Warehouses--Tacoma;

ca. 1938. "S.S. Wildwood", full side view of American Shipping Company freighter in Commencement Bay.

Cargo ships; American Shipping Company;

Fireboat on Puget Sound. Firefighters spray water from equipment mounted on the stern of the fireboat.

Vessels - Boats - Fireboats - Tacoma

Tony Hull's children at beach. Young boy straining to row a boat across the water. Long wharf in background.

Vessels - Boats - Row Boats

ca. 1938. Truck manufactured for Cooney Transfer & Storage by the Highway Truck Co. Man in cab of truck; another man in frame work of flat bed holding machine and tools. Highway Truck Co. manufactured large, heavy duty work trucks. (T. Times 9/30/1938, pg. 8) (filed with Argentum)

Trucks--Tacoma--1930-1940; Highway Truck Co. (Tacoma);

Airplane crash at Mueller-Harkins Airport. Group of people checking out airplane.

Accidents - Aircraft Accidents Transportation - Aircraft - Airplanes Transportation Facilities - Airports - Pierce County - Lakewood - Mueller-Harkins Airport

Boeing Stratoliner crash at Alder, Washington, 30 miles southeast of Tacoma, on March 18, 1939. Close-up of wrecked airplane debris. The experimental craft, costing $500,000, and weighing 20 tons, crashed and killed a crew of ten on Saturday afternoon, March 18, 1939. Both wingtips and part of the tail broke off without warning, plunging the aircraft to the hillside two miles below. Flying conditions were excellent and there was clear visibility. The Stratoliner was preparing to be licensed for commercial flying and was scheduled for a governmental inspection flight on March 20, 1939. It had already logged in twenty flight hours. The plane's crew was composed of several experienced Boeing pilots and two Dutch representatives. (T. Times, 3-18-39, p. 1, 3-20-39, p. 1)

Aircraft accidents--Alder--1930-1940; Boeing Stratoliner;

Stratoliner crash at Alder, Washington, March 18, 1939. A large crowd gathered around the wrecked airplane which had unexpectedly broken up and plunged two miles into the rural hillsides near Alder, 30 miles southeast of Tacoma. There were no survivors among the ten member crew. The tragedy would draw people from all over the state, necessitating the deputizing of several local residents to handle crowd control. Despite additional police help, avid souvenir hunters made off with bits of debris from the Boeing craft. The $500,000 airplane weighed twenty tons and its cabin was constructed to carry 33 passengers when completed. It was designed to fly "sub stratosphere," 5-6 miles above earth, in the "no weather" zone. It had already logged in 20 hours of flight time prior to the accident. (T. Times, 3-18-39, p. 1, 3-20-39, p. 1)

Aircraft accidents--Alder--1930-1940; Boeing Stratoliner;

March 18, 1939, Boeing Stratoliner crash at Alder, Washington. Large crowd standing on and around the wrecked airplane. Pierce County Sheriffs and police from surrounding communities had to move the crowd back from the crushed aircraft. 3000 gallons of gasoline had spilled under the plane and the danger of explosion was present. The accident occurred approximately 1:21 p.m. on Saturday, March 18, 1939, when the experimental craft lost its wingtips and part of the tail and plunged into the rural hillsides near Alder. Ten men lost their lives, including two representatives from the Netherlands. The four-engine aircraft was supposed to revolutionize cross-country transportation and had already logged in twenty hours of flight time. (T.Times, 3-18-39, p. 1, 3-20-39, p. 1)

Aircraft accidents--Alder--1930-1940; Boeing Stratoliner;

View of cracked fuselage. On March 18, 1939, people living near Alder, 30 miles southeast of Tacoma, looked-up to see this Boeing Stratoliner fall to earth in a fatal tailspin. The four-engine aircraft, designed to revolutionize cross-country transportation, broke apart as it fell and crashed into Nisqually Canyon. All ten men on-board the test flight were killed. The Air Safety Board of the Civil Aeronautics Authority immediately ventured to the scene to investigate the tragedy. (T. Times, 3-18-39, p. 1, 3-20-39, p. 1)

Aircraft accidents--Alder--1930-1940; Boeing Stratoliner;

ca. 1939. Airplane accident at Mueller-Harkins Airport circa 1939. About a dozen people looking at crashed single-prop airplane whose wings have separated from its body. Cockpit appears empty.

Aircraft; Aircraft accidents--Lakewood--1930-1940; Mueller-Harkins Airport (Lakewood);

In July of 1937 the Tacoma Times newspaper chartered the steamer Arcadia to carry several hundred Times carriers from Tacoma to Redondo Beach for the annual carriers picnic. A "perfect day" marked the outing which included athletic events of all kinds and plenty of food for all. The carriers returned at the end of the day with no injuries or untoward events to report. (T. Times 7/12/1937 p.5).

Ferries--1930-1940; Mass transit--1930-1940; Transportation--1930-1940; Newspaper carriers--Tacoma; Newspaper vendors--Tacoma; Recreation--Tacoma; Tacoma Times Publishing Co. (Tacoma);

Ferry strike showing automobiles lined-up at slip and ferry at end of the dock for the Point Defiance ferry to Vashon Island. (T.Times).

Ferries--Tacoma--1930-1940; Marine terminals--Tacoma; Strikes--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1937. Ferry strike showing automobiles at slip. Small trucks and automobiles line the road to the ferry dock. (T. Times).

Ferries--Tacoma--1930-1940; Marine terminals--Tacoma; Strikes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Automobiles--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Old London Dock destroyed by fire on January 7, 1936, as the Waterside Milling Co. wheat warehouse is engulfed by flames. The 2000 foot structure was divided into long sections separated by brick fire walls. It is believed that wood dust exploded causing the fire; fortunately, there were no fatalities listed. Damages were set at $260,000. The city fireboat, led by Chief Emory Whitaker, and four Foss tugs succeeded in successfully containing the blaze. (T. Times, 1-7-36, p. 1, TDL 1-8-36, p. 1, 100 Years of Firefighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 94-95).

Fires--Tacoma--1930-1940; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1930-1940; Fireboats--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1936. Turner Richards large motor boat, filled with civilians and Navy personnel, speeding across the water.

Vessels - Boats - Motor Boats

ca. 1936. Boats moored at a marina.

Facilities - Transportation Facilities - MarinasVessels - Boats

ca. 1936. Tacoma Fire Company, Fireboat No. 1. Firefighters at stations on fire boat with far-reaching sprays in action.

Fireboats--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1936. Tacoma Fire Company, Fireboat No. 1. Firefighters at stations on fire boat directing far-reaching sprays of water into Commencement Bay. Industries in background.

Fireboats--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1937. Automobile accident in South Tacoma, circa 1937. Highway lined with vehicles, including an Armour (meat products) truck, and telephone poles. Large group of people standing around wrecked automobile.

Traffic accidents--Tacoma--1930-1940; Automobiles--Tacoma--1930-1940; Trucks--Tacoma--1930-1940; Utility poles--Tacoma;

ca. 1936. Tacoma Tug and Barge Co. tugboat "Fearless" was photographed circa 1936 alongside a barge carrying a Brute Crane.

Tugboats--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hoisting machinery;

Pleasure craft stream out into the Puget Sound at the beginning of the "Capital to Capital" annual cruiser race. In 1935, the race course covered 150 nautical miles from Tacoma to Nanaimo, BC. 51 vessels started the annual race and 49 finished. A Tacoma vessel, the "Irvinetta," skippered by I.C. Rowlands finished 2nd overall. (T. Times 7/25-27, 1935; T.Times 7/29/1935, pg. 1)

Regattas--1935; Yacht racing--1935;

Cutter "White Cloud" moored near the shore. On June 1, 1936, Skipper Radner R. ("Rad") Pratsch and his daughter Carol were preparing their sailboat, the cutter "White Cloud," for the annual July Santa Monica to Honolulu yacht race. At 35 feet, the sailboat was just over the minimum size limit. It represented the Tacoma Yacht Club as Tacoma's only entry in the race. Skipper Pratsch and his crew sailed the 2,566 mile race in approximately 30 days; a feat matched by Pratsch in a solo sail in December of 1939. (T. Times 6/1/1936, pg. 1)

Sailboats; Sailboat racing; Yachts; Pratsch, Radner R.--Associated objects;

On June 1, 1936, Skipper Radner R. ("Rad") Pratsch and his daughter Carol were photographed standing near their yacht, the cutter "White Cloud," that they were entering in the annual July Santa Monica to Honolulu trans- Pacific sailboat race. The 35 foot vessel was Tacoma's only entry in the race and was one of the smallest, just over the minimum size limit. Mr. Pratsch was a veteran sailor and a Rear Commodore of the Yacht Club. He was also the owner of the Realart Theatre in South Tacoma. (T. Times 6/1/1936, pg. 1)

Sailboats; Sailboat racing; Yachts; Pratsch, Radner R.; Pratsch, Carol;

ca. 1926. A new 1926 Moon Jubilee 6-60 grinds up the steep So. K Street hill, showing off the strength of the new automobile. The Moon Jubilee was created to celebrate 20 years of automobile manufacturing by the Moon Motor Co. (1905-1929) of St. Louis, Mo. The vehicle, which sold for under $1,000, had European styling with a Continental motor. The local agent for Moon cars was the Bye Thompson Motor Sales Co., 3320 So. G St. The So. K St. hill, heading north from Center St., was often used to test the prowess of new cars. This portion of the road closed around 1960. A residence and the spire of Holy Rosary church can be seen in the background. (filed under Argentum)

Automobiles--1920-1930; Bye Thompson Motor Sales Co. (Tacoma); Moon automobiles; Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1920-1930; Dirt roads--Tacoma--1920-1930;

ca. 1925. Automobile circa 1925. Sign in the windshield reads "Now count the stars." This sign may refer to the Durant Star Cars, manufactured from 1922- 28 to compete with Ford's Model T. (WSHS- negative A656-0)

Automobiles--Tacoma--1920-1930;

The ghostly USS Macon, a dirigible, flew over the Jones Building (now known as the Pantages) in downtown Tacoma on August 22, 1934. The eerie airship was almost disguised by the clouds. Thousands of spectators lined the streets and rooftops of buildings to watch the dirigible make a wide circle over the city around 8 a.m. The Daily Ledger called the airship "a great silver fish of the skies." The Macon was lost over the waters of the Pacific Ocean offshore from Point Sur on February 12, 1935. (T. Times 8/22/1934, pg. 1)

Airships--Tacoma; Jones Building (Tacoma); Historic buildings--Tacoma;

ca. 1936. Small fishing boats on the Sound at Pt. Defiance. Stock negatives taken from ferry.

Puget Sound (Wash.); Boats--Tacoma;