Santa Catalina Island / Washington, D.C. / Mt. Wilson, California Part 2
Description
The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: a. View of island - tourist on a high point viewing shoreline. “The shoreline of the island is broken by many cave formations.” Shoreline cave formations. “The U.S. Government Quarry.” “An old Chinese pirate craft. Perhaps someday our modem engines of warfare will be treated as relics of a piratical custom.” Man in rowboat beside Chinese Junk. “The boat is named after Commodore…” Chinese signs. “The main mast is a solid piece of iron-wood, ninety-seven feet long and twenty-five inches in diameter at the base. It would be impossible to secure a piece of timber like this today.” Man examines main mast. “Starvation cage, or a sort of third degree system applied by the pirate crew.” Man enters cage, secured by two other men. “Seal Rocks.” Seals on rocks off island. As cruise boat passes, seals jump from rocks into the water. “The next picture was photographed through the glass bottom of a boat. Boats are so constructed to enable tourists to view the strange fish and marine growths, the water around the island being exceptionally clear.” Plant life and swimmer under water. [1917] b. “New Hampshire Avenue.” Automobile traffic. “Union Railway Station…” Tourists viewing statuary. “Scottish Rite Masonic Temple…” Exterior, roof, sphinx. “Building once used as German embassy and occupied by Germany’s representative before he was returned to his government.” “Naval radio station…” Three steel towers. “Connecticut Avenue. Boulevard Bridge over Rock Creek.” Traffic, bridge arches. “Home of Robert E. Lee in Arlington National Cemetery.” Front entrance, flag flying in breeze. [1917] c. “At six in the morning we swung aboard our long-eared transports and turned up the pass toward Wilson’s top.” Tourists mount mules, ride along mountain path. “Winding our way up the slopes and across the canyons, the view became more inspiring at every turn.” “Where there’s a mule there’s a way -- sure-footed and confident that haste is of the devil.” Tourists mounted on mules travel single file up winding path, several men walk. “At an altitude of 3,000 feet we reach the snow line, deep and crisp, covering the mountain like frosting on a huge cake.” “Here he is, ‘Old Sandy.’ 40 years young, he has climbed the mountain a thousand times but unlike the prophets he refuses to ‘ascend on high’ rather has he one speed -- low, decidedly low.” Pack mule and guide. “At the top we found the snow three feet deep, in fact, we were caught in a blizzard that rendered the trail impassible and held us prisoners on the mountain for several days.” “Mount Wilson has been selected by astronomers as an ideal location for their work, a colony of star gazers living on the mountain the year round.” “The Snow Horizontal Telescope, known as a sun glass. The telescope has a focal length of 154 feet, the largest in the world.” Telescope and observatory. “Echo Rock, where your shout is returned threefold from the neighboring canyon -- no chance girls for the last word here.” Tourists view snow covered surrounding areas. “When the clouds are on the hills -- They’ll come down by the mills.” Cloud covers mountain tops. [1917]
Read more