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Photo Gallery One
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Photo Gallery One 106 The Newburgh Steel Works darkens the skies over Cleveland, 1893. Riotous growth and industrialization pushed cities into a state of environmental crisis toward the end of the nineteenth century, creating the ominous feeling that nature had run amok on the streets of big American cities. Western Reserve Historical Society, courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, haer ohio, 18-Clev,32—6. [54.166.234.171] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 09:27 GMT) 107 Downtown Philadelphia traffic, ca. late 1890s. The transportation functions of big-city streets became much more important during the 1880s and 1890s as traffic grew thicker, faster, and more dangerous. U.S. Bureau of Public Roads. 108 Horse droppings and refuse bury the pavement of Morton Street, New York City, March 1893. In big cities, especially, streets attracted growing public attention as they devolved into increasingly noxious, chaotic environments, prompting aggressive reform campaigns to place disinterested “experts” in positions of power over street cleaning and administration. From Waring, Street-Cleaning, 8. 109 An engineering sketch of the various systems running underneath the intersection of Wall, Nassau, and Broad Streets, New York City, 1882. In the late nineteenth century, streets became conduits for the spread of a cacophony of new underground technological systems designed to solve urban environmental problems, beginning with sewers and then expanding to a host of systems delivering amenities such as natural gas, steam heat, electricity, and telephone service. From Engineering News 1 (Nov. 1890): 402. [54.166.234.171] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 09:27 GMT) 110 Overhead wires in New York City after the great blizzard of 1888. City dwellers objected both to the unsightliness of overhead wires and to the alarming number of fires and occasional electrocutions that they caused, provoking intense discussions about exactly who had control —and who ought to have control—over decisions that shaped the urban street environment. New York Historical Society. 111 A giant horse-drawn combine makes its way through an Oregon farm field, 1903. Industrialization and rapid technological advances sparked changes in the American countryside that were every bit as profound as those in big cities. Courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, lC-UsZ62-88985. 112 A typical turn-of-the-nineteenth-century rural road. The poor condition of rural highways—characterized by dust in dry weather, mud in wet weather, and rutted, treacherous surfaces year-round—highlighted what reformers saw as the backwardness and isolation of rural farmcommunities,despitetheirincreasinglysophisticatedfarmequipment and ready access to urban markets via railroad. From Bureau of Public Roads, Bulletin No. 27, pl. I, fig. 1. [54.166.234.171] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 09:27 GMT) 113 Mercedes touring car, 1901. The possibility of designing vehicles that could handle rough rural roads—and transform rural transportation in the process—grew exponentially with the introduction of this vehicle, which marked a quantum leap forward for automotive design in the realms of power, speed, and reliability. This Mercedes departed substantially from the “horseless carriage”–style designs that had prevailed before its introduction, but it had to be adapted to American road conditions before enjoying wide success in the United States. From Horseless Age 21 (Aug. 1901): 431. 114 Along with two-seat runabouts, high-wheelers like this 1910 Holsman offered a low-priced alternative to much more sophisticated (and expensive) Mercedes-style automobiles. High-wheelers served reasonably well as a substitute for horse-drawn carriages over poor rural roads, and they enjoyed their greatest popularity in the rural Midwest as well-to-do farmers and townsfolk moved into the ranks of motorvehicle owners. From Automobile 9 (Sept. 1909): 450. 115 A Model T shows off its simple but extraordinarily effective suspension , which reduced stress on the chassis while providing excellent performance on rough, rutted roads. By combining the strengths of other motor-vehicle types while avoiding their most significant weaknesses —all in a remarkably affordable package—the Model T design helped Ford make good on its grandiose marketing description of the Model T as the “Universal Car.” From the collections of The Henry Ford, thf32262. [54.166.234.171] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 09:27 GMT) 116 When workers responded to the rigor and monotony of new assembly -line methods by quitting in droves, Ford responded with the Five Dollar Day—roughly doubling the industry’s prevailing wage rate. Its widespread adoption as a basic part of Fordism marked an industrial and environmental watershed. Cincinnati Times-Star, 7...