ca. 1943. Electric automobile. Man stands beside a classy electric automobile in pristine condition. It's parked in front of Puget Sound Battery Company. Bergh-Griggs Company building on right. (T. Times).

Electric automobiles; Puget Sound Battery Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1943. Blue Gray bus accident. Police have been called to the scene of a bad highway accident with automobile in foreground cut-in-half with driver's side missing. Bus in ditch on right. Accident occurred circa 1943.

Traffic accidents; Buses;

ca. 1943. Blue Gray Lines bus accident. Rear of bus in ditch showing bus line emblem "Blue Gray Lines. Safety Service." Traffic on highway at left has probably slowed to observe the damaged bus. The accident occurred circa 1943.

Traffic accidents; Buses;

ca. 1943. Teamsters Union. A sleek four-door sedan with white wall tires parked by a two-story wooden building, perhaps at the shipyards. Photograph was taken circa 1943. Ordered by (Harry) Satterlee, secretary of the Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen & Helpers Union No. 313.

Automobiles--1940-1950;

ca. 1943. Blue Gray bus accident. Bus, part of the valley system, in ditch on left. Automobiles and motorcyles parked on right. A double-decker bus moves around accident as it travels down the highway in this circa 1943 photograph.

Traffic accidents; Buses;

ca. 1943. Blue Gray Lines bus accident circa 1943. Full view of bus which has run off the highway into a barbed wire fence. The Special bus was part of the valley system servicing Puyallup. The driver's side and radiator are damaged.

Traffic accidents; Buses;

ca. 1943. An emergency ambulance is parked by a large wooden building circa 1943. Ordered by (Harry) Satterlee, secretary of the Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen & Helpers Union No. 313.

Ambulances;

ca. 1943. Electric automobile. Man stands beside open door of classy electric automobile in pristine condition. It's parked in front of Puget Sound Battery Company. Bergh-Griggs Company building on right. (T. Times).

Electric automobiles; Puget Sound Battery Co. (Tacoma);

Powell Hauling Co., truck at commercial moving. View of a hauling truck from Powell Hauling Co., in foreground and Northern Pacific train car in background.

Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Wreckers (Vehicles)--Tacoma; Powell Hauling Co. (Tacoma);

Ray Langdell accident picture of skid marks. View of skid marks left on South 13th Street and South Tacoma Way intersection, after an automobile accident. Photograph ordered by Ray Langdell.

Traffic accidents--Tacoma--1940-1950; Streets--Tacoma--1940-1950; Crosswalks--Tacoma;

Ray Langdell accident picture of skid marks. View of skid marks left on South 13th Street and South Tacoma Way intersection, after an automobile accident. Photograph ordered by Ray Langdell.

Traffic accidents--Tacoma; Streets--Tacoma; Crosswalks--Tacoma;

Overturned truck and car accident. A Pacific Coast Motor Freight Co. semi-trailer truck, driven by Earl W. Brook of Portland, Oregon, and loaded with 500 barrels of cherries and berries was overturned, causing damage to two cars in October of 1944. The accident was caused by a combination of the motor stalling, the malfunction of the airbrakes and another vehicle which blocked its safe passage. View of overturned truck and cars on the corner of So. 25th and Pacific Ave. (T. Times, 10/3/44, p. 3).

Traffic accidents--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; City & town life--Tacoma;

Pontiac Motor Division. The Pontiac dealership offered new and used automobiles, excellent service, body rebuilding and accessories for Pontiacs and Cadillacs. View of seven unidentified men using "Sun Motor Tester" equipment on pontiac car.

Automobiles--Tacoma--1940-1950; Automobile inspections--Tacoma; Automobile equipment & supplies; Pontiac automobile; Cadillac automobile;

On February 8, 1945, a flatbed truck with an extra long load was parked in front of Tacoma GMC Truck Co. at the corner of East C and Puyallup Ave. East. The 60 foot long retort was being moved by Inter-City Auto Freight. Inter-city Auto Freight was founded in March 1938 with just two trucks and no facilities. They primarily did hauling between Seattle and Tacoma, but they had done heavy hauling throughout the state. They had set up ideal facilities, including having their own railroad siding which facilitated unloading, storage and distribution. John H. Galbraith was president of both Inter-City Auto Freight and Tacoma GMC Truck Co. Born in So. Dakota, Mr. Galbraith was prominent in Tacoma/Pierce County in both the lumber and transportation businesses, and was mayor of Eatonville for 23 years, resigning in 1941. He died in 1960 at the age of 70.

Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Moving & storage trade--Tacoma; Inter-City Auto Freight, Inc. (Tacoma); Tacoma GMC Truck Co. (Tacoma); Mack trucks;

Inter-city Auto Freight started up in March 1938 with just two trucks and no facilities. They primarily do hauling between Seattle and Tacoma, but they have done heavy hauling throughout the state. They have set up ideal facilities, including having their own railroad siding which facilitates unloading, storage and distribution. View of Inter-city Auto Freight 60 ft. retort on truck.

Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Moving & storage trade--Tacoma; Inter-City Auto Freight, Inc. (Tacoma); Tacoma GMC Truck Co. (Tacoma); Mack trucks;

Engineers' Union, truck, crane and trailer. Another section of culvert conduit is loaded onto an emply truck next to the railroad track. In the background you can see another empty truck waiting for its load. An advertisement for Sunnen Auto Freight-Heavy Hauling is placed in the upper left-hand corner. TPL-10053

Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Shipping; Hoisting machinery; Culverts; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma;

Engineers' Union, truck, crane and trailer.This view of the unloading operation performed by Commercial Distributing Company shows the empty truck parked close to the railroad car where 56" pipe for city truck line from Green River to Tacoma is being unloaded using one of Commercial Distributing Company's 4-ton capacity A-frame cranes. Another railroad car stacked with pipe is on the track ahead of the empty railroad car. (T.Times, 2/26/1947, p.3-B)

Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Shipping; Hoisting machinery; Culverts; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Railroad tracks;

Engineers' Union, truck, crane and trailer. Men are unloading 56" pipe from a railroad car using a mobile crane on back of truck from Commercial Distributing Company. More culvert conduit is stacked on a railroad car behind the emply truck from Cooney Transfer Company. (T.Times, 2/26/1947, p.3-B)

Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Shipping; Hoisting machinery; Culverts; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma;

A commercial truck is pulling a trailer loaded with a crane. The crane has continuous, belt-type conveyance rather than round wheels. Smaller commercial facilities are seen in the background.

Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hoisting machinery;

Truck and tractor, Buck & Bowers. A man wearing a soldier's uniform is driving a Ford tractor with a large blade on the front. Directly behind him is a flat bed truck with side. A sign for Ford Tractors-Ferguson System is painted on the side boards and Buck & Bowers is painted on the truck's door.

Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tractors--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Five men are working on a truck cab in a large garage. The truck has a "fifth wheel" towing mechanism directly behind the cab. Tools and truck parts lie on the floor and table along with cables, hoses and pieces of lumber. Out the garage door can be seen an auto supply store and used car lot.

Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Garages--Tacoma--1940-1950;

A trailer is shown. It only has back wheels and is the type of trailer that would fit on a "fifth wheel" type of hitch such as in D21444-2. The trailer is parked next to a house in a residential neighborhood. Separate garages for several of the houses can be seen.

Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Garages--Tacoma--1940-1950; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tacoma Transit wreck. Tacoma Transit had most of their drivers on strike this week. The Transit Co. and the Union were at a standstill over seven cents. Many people were affected by the strike. Some bus drivers and other Tacoma Transit staff had decided to not strike. View of Tacoma Transit bus with "Sixth Avenue" sign on side and broken windows, after traffic accident.

Traffic accidents--Tacoma; Buses--Tacoma; Broken glass; Pierce Transit (Tacoma);

Buck & Bowers picture of truck. Buck & Sons was owned and operated by Parker J. Buck. They manufactured farm machinery, sold tractor tires and did tractor repairs. View of Ford truck with Buck & Sons information painted on side.

Ford trucks; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Buck & Sons Tractor & Implement Co. (Tacoma);

In April of 1946, a milk truck attempted to cross under the gas station canopy at Weir's Electric and Hardware at 8419 Portland Ave. Unfortunately, the truck was too tall and the canopy came crashing to the ground, taking the store's neon sign with it. The Mac's Super Service truck was at Weir's to begin repairs. Mac's was located at 4003 McKinley Ave. During World War II, the Weir family lived in the housing above the store and gas station. The accident was a memorable one for the family. (story courtesy of a Weir family member.) TPL-8742

Accidents--Tacoma; Wreckers (vehicles)--Tacoma; Automobile service stations--Tacoma; Electric signs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Weir's Electric & Hardware (Tacoma); Mac's Super Service (Tacoma);

Weir's Electric & Hardware store sign appear to have fallen on top of gas pumps and a tow truck. The store appears to have been located adjacent to Mac's Service Station, it later moved to 2815 Sixth Avenue. Louis Weir was an electrician at Seattle Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. before he opened up Weir's Electric & Hardware store.

Accidents--Tacoma; Wreckers (vehicles)--Tacoma; Automobile service stations--Tacoma; Weir's Electric & Hardware (Tacoma); Mac's Super Service (Tacoma);

An automobile collided with a Northern Pacific train near the Shaffer Terminals on Commencement Bay in April 1946. Two people were seriously injured and rushed to Tacoma General Hospital. The train engineer stated that the train was travelling 20 miles per hour, the driver of the car must have felt that they had plenty of time to cross the tracks. View of car that was hit by a Northern Pacific Train near the Shaffer Terminals (T. Times, 4/2/46, p. 1).

Traffic accidents--Tacoma; Railroad accidents--Tacoma; Automobiles--Tacoma--1940-1950; Broken glass; Railroad tracks--Tacoma;

An automobile collided with a Northern Pacific train near the Shaffer Terminals. Two people were seriously injured and rushed to Tacoma General Hospital. The train engineer stated the train was travelling 20 miles per hour, the driver of the car must have felt they had plenty of time to cross tracks. The car was pushed by train for about 32 paces, before it came to a stop. View of train tracks (T. Times, 4/2/46, p. 1).

Traffic accidents--Tacoma; Railroad accidents--Tacoma; Railroad tracks--Tacoma;

Commercial Distributing Co. made five daily trips from Tacoma to Seattle, they transported machinery to many industrial facilities throughout the Tacoma and Seattle area. They were fully insured and bonded and provided their customers with fast and reliable shipping. View of Commercial Distributing Co. truck driver delivering the stern section of a tuna boat to Marvin Marine (T. Times, 6/26/46, p. 5).

Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Shipping--Tacoma; People associated with transportation; Commercial Distributing Co. (Tacoma);

Lowell T. Murray. The back door of this automobile is open inviting us to view the elegant interior, upholstered in leather with armrests and interior lights. A lap robe hangs from the back of the front seat. Passengers could step down to the running board before stepping to the street level. The back doors open from the middle. These were later called "suicide doors". A crank handle raises and lowers the window.

Automobiles--Tacoma--1940-1950;