J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding, sea trials of the Mary S. The galley of the new tuna clipper, the Mary S. TPL-630

J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Ship trials--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fishing boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Galleys (Ship kitchens);

Tacoma was the nation's leader in the plywood industry. Douglas Fir Plywood Association and the Plywood Research Foundation were working on developing new and additional products that could be manufactured from parts of the tree not already being utilized. View of two unidentified DFPA representatives at the annual DFPA conference, being held at the Winthrop Hotel; conference welcome sign in background.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Meetings--Tacoma--1940-1950; Signs (Notices); Plywood; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Crust breaking machine at Permanente, Bill Gorman. A specialized machine has been manufactured to perform the work that had previously been done manually. A crust would form at the openings to the reduction pots where alumina was melted into raw pig aluminum. The plant had two potlines containing 240 reduction pots producing 41 million pounds of alumium per year. (Permanente Metals Corp. 1947-1948 Annual Report)

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery;

Northern Pacific started a gradual change from steam to diesel power in 1938, they had their first freight diesel electric locomotive in operation and on the road in 1944 and passenger diesels have been added since 1947. Throughout the years Northern Pacific has expanded in Tacoma and in the United States. View of water column at Northern Pacific Railway Company's yards, located at 2102-2324 East L Street in Tacoma's tideflats area.

Railroad tracks--Tacoma; Penstocks--Tacoma; Hydraulic facilities--Tacoma; Water pumps--Tacoma; Water use--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroads--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad companies--Tacoma; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma);

Machinery at Wesley Crawford & Sons, U.P. Freight Terminal, Mr. Crawford. Wesley Crawford was president of Mutual Fruit Co. Seven women are working at a conveyor system packing fruit.

Wesley Crawford & Son (Tacoma)--Employees; Farm produce--Tacoma; Packaging; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Cascade Pole Co., Mr. Bowman. A man is tightening the cables holding the nearly 40 utility poles to the trailer of this truck. The poles have been treated with creosote, also manufactured at Cascade Pole, to increase their life as utility poles. Chas. E. Newbury of Tacoma, Washington, is painted on the door of the cab.

Cascade Pole Co. (Tacoma); Utility poles--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Several shots at Milwaukee shops, also studio shots of three people, Great Lakes Steel Crop., Steel Floor Div., Detroit, Mich. Three unidentified people are talking together outside where they can overlook the industrial Tacoma Tideflats. The man on the left holds a cane in his hands, crossed in front of him. The woman in the middle wears a straw hat decorated with artificial flowers. The gentleman on the right is wearing a bow tie and a double-breasted suit.

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Aged persons--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Several shots at Milwaukee shops, also studio shots of three people, Great Lakes Steel Crop., Steel Floor Div., Detroit, Mich. Men are working on a railroad car at the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company shop. A man has stopped his welding job while several men in suits are reviewing the work.

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Railroad cars--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad companies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Welding--Tacoma--1940-1950;

DFPA. A workman is laying a plywood sub-floor at what is believed to be the Devlin home. The walls have been covered with plywood as well. An edge of a brick fireplace is seen on the right. Large floor-to-ceiling windows are seen on the left. The beams are left open on the ceiling. The home was being restored after purchase earlier in 1949.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Devlin, Charles E.--Homes & haunts; Floors--Lakewood--1940-1950;

J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corporation. Six unidentified men lean over the railing on the upper deck of a boat at J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corportation.

J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

New machinery at Titus Manufacturing Company, Mr. Leon Titus. A workman is bench testing one of the rebuilt Ford "flathead" V8 engines.

Machine Shops--Tacoma--1940-1950; Titus Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Engines; Automobile equipment & supplies; Vehicle maintenance & repair--Tacoma--1940-1950;

New machinery at Titus Manufacturing Company, Mr. Leon Titus. A workman is installing camshafts or honing camshaft housing during rebuilding of Ford "flathead" V8 engines.

Machine Shops--Tacoma--1940-1950; Titus Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Engines; Vehicle maintenance & repair--Tacoma--1940-1950; Mechanics (Persons)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma--1940-1950;

New machinery at Titus Manufacturing Company, Mr. Leon Titus. A workman at the machine shop is assembling rebuilt Ford "flathead" V8 engines. He is measuring one of the moving parts with calipers. Bins of parts are conveniently located behind him.

Machine Shops--Tacoma--1940-1950; Titus Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Engines; Vehicle maintenance & repair--Tacoma--1940-1950; Mechanics (Persons)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Truck loaded and dumping lumber, St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber, Helgeson. Three large logs are loaded on the trailer of a Rucker Brothers truck. The enormous logs are on their way to the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Robert G. Helgeson was a forester with St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. TPL-8290

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Rucker Brothers (Tacoma); Logs; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

The freight train is said to have moved forward before the track switch was completed, the train then "cornered" the engine, and the caboose crushed into the left side of the cab, pinning Sigvard Hill and killing him instantly. The railroad company plans to have a complete investigation. View of steaming wreckage and overturned cars near East 11th St. and Milwaukee Way. (T. Times, 10/16/47, p. 1).

Railroads--Tacoma; Railroad tracks--Tacoma; Railroad accidents--Tacoma; Railroad cars--Tacoma; Disasters--Tacoma; Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma);

Fern Hill's kindergarten and first grade classes were receiving a tour of the Northern Pacific's roundhouse, inspecting rail equipment and would get to ride aboard a Union Pacific train in November of 1947. In appreciation for the field trip the school children presented the railroad companies with a train frieze from their art class. View of Fern Hill's school children, teachers, volunteers and train staff at the Northern Pacific Roundhouse near East D St. and So. 23rd St. (T.Times, 11/14/47, p. 1, 17).

Railroads--Tacoma; School children--Tacoma--1940-1950; School excursions--Tacoma; Railroad roundhouses--Tacoma; Union Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Fern Hill School (Tacoma);

Sun Traveler is 121 feet long, 18 feet deep, has a 27 foot beam, 600 horsepower Washington Diesel engine and 3 General Motors diesel auxiliary engines, full speed is at 12 knots. This wood all-brine super tuna clipper was built by Puget Sound Boat Building. "Sun Traveler" is owned by Captain Ralph McCabe and the Sun Harbor Packing Company, both from San Diego, California. The vessel sets sail for San Diego this week (Pacific Fisherman, 1947 Yearbook Number, 1/25/48, p. 300; T.Times, 2/25/1949, p.16). TPL-8939

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fishing boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Puget Sound Boat Building Corp. (Tacoma); Ship trials--Tacoma--1940-1950;

ca. 1947. Plywood testing, ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. The plywood industry was one of the most rigorously self regulated businesses in America. Its own labs were constantly testing its product, plywood, for new uses and limitations. All of the testing, promotion and self regulation were performed under the banner of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Here plywood is being tested at extremely high temperatures, also under what appears to be a weight. Wires lead from sensors to meters being monitored by the tester.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Experiments; Product inspection;

New store building, Industrial Equipment Company, Harry Andrews. This photograph was used in a newspaper advertisement inviting people to attend a Rototiller demonstration held at the newly opened Tacoma Industrial Equipment Company on January 24, 1948. It was located one-half mile east of Fife on the Tacoma-Seattle Highway. Free coffee and chicken sandwiches were served and guests were invited to guess how many minutes the rototiller would run on one gallon of gas. First prize was $150 credit on the purchase of a rototiller. (T.Times, 1/23/1948, p.12)

Industrial Equipment Co. (Tacoma); Agricultural machinery & implements--Tacoma--1940-1950; Stores & shops--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lease & rental services--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tacoma Boat. A view of the interior of the "Defiance" showing the engine room from the engineer's workbench located on a stepped bow tank. Included in the view are the three diesel auxiliaries, fresh water still, two ammonia compressors with control panel and distribution headers, snychronizing switchboard, power panel and motor starters topped off with a 600 h.p. heavy duty diesel propulsion engine weighing 40 tons. To the far left side is a compressor which supplied refrigeration for the freezer sections of the hold. Tacoma Boat announced their 16-year record in February 1948 as: 104 new commercial vessels of wood and steel; and, 1,073 commercial vessels rebuilt, modernized, converted or repaired. (T.Times, 2/26/1948, p.43; Tacoma Boatbuilding Co., Inc. Catalog, 9/1/1953) TPL-8947

Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Boat engines;

Tacoma Boat, the "Defiance". During its water trials the Definace, a 106 foot steel tuna seiner, shows her grace and power with a 600 hp Washington main engine. The Defiance has three decks with the pilot house on the second deck. She was built for Ted Luchich, et al. (Pacific Fisherman Yearbook 1948, p. 197) TPL-8943

Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Ship trials--Tacoma--1940-1950;

New Ford truck at Carstens' garage, Titus Motor Company, Henry Zachow. Titus Motor Company was the authorized Ford Truck distributor in the Tacoma area. Carstens had a large fleet of trucks not all of which were Fords. They had at least two refrigerated trucks built on Chevrolet chassis.

Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma); Meat industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Ford trucks;

Great Northern Box Car being loaded by Sperry Flour Company at Ocean Dock, DFPA, Edith Leik. A view inside the box car. Bags of flour are being moved by a forklift to fill the upper spaces in the box car. The interior of the freight car is lined with plywood and paper to protect the flour and meal being shipped. TPL-10457

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Great Northern Railway Co. (Tacoma); General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma); Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Railroad tracks--Tacoma; Flour & meal industry--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery;

Several operations in plant, Tacoma Lumber Fabricating, Mr. Patterson. Young men work alongside older men in creating the structural beams for which Tacoma Lumber Fabricating was well known. The company created prefabricated portions of buildings for an entire prefabricated house as well as curved beams used to roof large buildings. The top floor of their modern office building was the plant loft for giant layout work. They had a complete sawmill and planing mill plant. (T.Times, 1/16/1949, p.18)

Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Several operations in plant, Tacoma Lumber Fabricating, Mr. Patterson. Workmen are dipping completed trusses into a liquid mixture using a pulley system. Stacks of lumber are seen further back in the plant's yard. The company manufactured materials from heavy timbers such as power line cross arms, bridge timbers and roof trusses to little pieces four feet long for refrigerator car rack slabs. (T.Times, 1/16/1949, p.18)

Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

When the Rainier Steel Corporation began operations at 2201 Lincoln Avenue, on Tacoma's tideflats, in December of 1948 it became Tacoma's only steel plant at that time. Here an unidentified employee of Rainier Steel, in special safety glasses, monitors work being done in the facility. Eugene Cunningham, president and general manager, started the Rainier Steel Corporation because of the acute steel shortage after WWII. Rainier Steel used scrap iron as its raw material and their furnaces melted the iron and produced steel. The company planned to employ fifty people once they reached full operating capacity which was 100 tons daily with the present equipment. The steel was sent to Detroit for use in the automotive industry. (T. Times, 12/13/48, p. 5-article).

Foundries--Tacoma; Founding--Tacoma; Iron & steel workers--Tacoma; Steel; Steel industry--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Furnaces--Tacoma; Rainier Steel Corp. (Tacoma);

The first steel plant in Tacoma opens on December 3, 1948, at 2201 Lincoln Avenue, on the tideflats. Rainier Steel Corporation's owner, President and General Manager is Eugene Cunningham. View of Phil E. Haglund (left) and Eugene Cunningham standing by the furnace on the first day of operations at Rainier Steel Corporation (T. Times, 12/13/48, p. 5).

Foundries--Tacoma; Founding--Tacoma; Iron & steel workers--Tacoma; Steel; Steel industry--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Furnaces--Tacoma; Rainier Steel Corp. (Tacoma);

The Rainier Steel Corporation is the first company in Tacoma and in this regional area of its kind. The steel produced is being used to manufacture automobiles, company representatives stated the automobile companies are offering the best prices for their products. View of steel workers watching the first pouring of steel at Rainier Steel Corporation (T. Times, 12/13/48, p. 5).

Foundries--Tacoma; Founding--Tacoma; Iron & steel workers--Tacoma; Steel; Steel industry--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Furnaces--Tacoma; Rainier Steel Corp. (Tacoma);

Washington Co-op's new feed mill would be one of the finest and most modern feed mills ever constructed. The building was built in Tacoma Tideflats area, at the Hylebos waterway, built over 8-1/2 acres. The mill would have access to the most efficient transportation, including all transcontinental railroads and any sound or ocean going vessels. Interior view of feed mill, machinery and feed equipment is ready for the official opening of facility.

Food storage buildings--Tacoma; Machinery; Equipment; Mills--Tacoma; Farming--Tacoma; Food industry--Tacoma; Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma);

The feed mill was conveniently located on the Hylebos waterway, the Washington Co-op would later add a large dock which would provide water transportation. The feed mill had 110 foot tall elevators, 18 feet in diameter, these grain elevators had a capacity of 276,000 bushels of grain. Interior view of the new feed mill facilities, located at 1801 Taylor Way in Tacoma.

Food storage buildings--Tacoma; Machinery; Equipment; Mills--Tacoma; Farming--Tacoma; Food industry--Tacoma; Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma);