Heavy freakin' metal - NYC style

[RM Vivas]

Periodically, in my search for material relevant to my field of interest, I find stuff so fascinating that I feel compelled to share it even though it is a little bit 'outside the lane' of this group.

The NYC Municipal Archive digitized several thousand images and has them on their website.

Recently I came across some images that I thought absolutely incredible and had to share them.

The images shown below are just a taste. You ---REALLY--- need to go to the website and zoom in on them there. The images were made from very large glass negatives, so they retain astounding detail!

Please believe me when I say GO TO THE WEBSITE AND ZOOM THE ORIGINAL IMAGES!!!!! The detail is amazing!

The first image is one that came up while I was searching for images of police firearms. It is two US Coast Guard Artillery men guarding the waterfront armed with M1903 Springfields with fixed bayonets and a Model 1909 Benet-Mercie Machine Gun on a limber. Patrolman #9173 stands at right shoulder arms with them!

The exceptionally high precinct number on the officers collar brass makes me wonder if he is from the Police Reserve or just from before one of the periodic 're-alignments' of Precinct numbers.

You really need to go to the link ( bps_iii_1794 - BPS: Bridges/Plant & Structures ) and zoom in there for the incredible detail. You canmake out the eagle snaps on the cartridge belts and the finer details of the Model 1909. Absolutely a peach of a find!!!
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This image has a lot going on in it. Again PLEASE look at the zoomable version on the website! bps_iv_1678 - BPS: Bridges/Plant & Structures

Some interesting notes:
Gatling Gun!!!!!
Possible ammo limber partially visible on extreme right
USCG property markings on bolt handle side of rifle stocks
Man at right has some sort of property marking on his bayonet grip
Hailing speaker and lantern under gun
Gun is anchored by rope to steel rails and wheels are chocked

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What might be 37mm cannon, secured to dock by spikes and recoil rigging. Great detail.

See the original image

bps_04871 - BPS: Bridges/Plant & Structures

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I find the damndest stuff sometimes!

Best,
RM Vivas

 

[swsig]

How about heavy metal San Diego style? San Diego had two of these 16-inchers (plus a large number of smaller artillery pieces) overlooking the harbor entrance at Fort Rosecrans during WW II.

 

[lihpster]

Oregon wants representation. This is video of one of the guns at Fort Stevens firing during the '30s IIRC.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUmkb_g7cx4[/ame]

 

[Rustyt1953]

Don't forget my backyard.

My dad retired from Cincinnati Milacron, formerly Cincinnati Milling Machine Co.

From the webz:

"The milling machine business of the Cincinnati Screw & Tap Co. was formed into Cincinnati Milling Machine Co. in 1889 by Fred Holz, who subsequently sold out to Frederick A. Geier in 1905. The business was successful. In the mid-1920s they acquired the patents for centerless grinding and then worked with the Timken Company to perfect the technology. The resulting machinery allows Timken to produce automotive bearings that were both lower cost and higher precision than their predecessors.

Frederick A. Geier died in 1934, and although Geier's son, Frederick V. Geier, was felt by some to be too young, he took charge and ran the company for the next quarter century. The younger Geier had a college education, considerable experience as a machinist, and had served in the military during World War I when he fixed production problems with 75 mm cannon. During a trip to Germany in the early 1930s Geier realized that another war was inevitable and upon his return he aggressively expanded his company's production capabilities (by 1939 they were the largest in the US), and when he realized that the then-future Allies would not be able to machine the barrels of big naval guns, he tooled up his factory to do just that. During the Second World War, all of the country's largest guns were machined by Cincinnati Milling Machine Co."