Shorpy | Old Photos - Comments

Platforms

r0gald — Wed, 13 May 2026 19:55:50 +0000

In reply to Ferry Terminal: 1906:

The carriage would drive over them - notice the sloped/worn one in the foreground - and then the passengers could use the railings to more easily disembark (or embark by forming a que on the wooden area).

Structures in the middle?

pennsylvaniaproud — Wed, 13 May 2026 13:30:09 +0000

In reply to Ferry Terminal: 1906:

Hoof and boot scrapers maybe. King size.

Terminal Platforms - Another idea

bobstothfang — Wed, 13 May 2026 12:19:01 +0000

In reply to Ferry Terminal: 1906:

As previously mentioned a Hitching Post for horses seems to make sense.
However they also seem to be the right height for the typical tail gates on the horse drawn wagons. Could they be used to somehow facilitate loading/unloading of wagons?

Terminal platforms

louJudson — Mon, 11 May 2026 20:30:57 +0000

In reply to Ferry Terminal: 1906:

What are those platforms in the open space?

Purpose

Hawk777 — Mon, 11 May 2026 04:19:00 +0000

In reply to Ferry Terminal: 1906:

Trying to imagine what the two platforms in the center of the image are ... the rails seem to be where horses are tied but the structure in the middle of the rails is ... ?

Church no more

TundraKing2014 — Fri, 08 May 2026 17:50:08 +0000

In reply to Chacon: 1943:

Looks like they lost the RR and the church.

BrakemEn

gilmore — Fri, 08 May 2026 14:32:00 +0000

In reply to Laguna Layover: 1943:

It's hard to believe brakemen ran on the tops of cars like that in motion, in all weather. Is that a Jordan spreader just ahead?

That upside-down box --

crazyanglo — Fri, 08 May 2026 00:10:00 +0000

In reply to Hot Daily: 1943:

... appears to say "slug cutter". So I looked it up:

Still a Key Freight Route LA to Chicago

Sals — Thu, 07 May 2026 21:48:00 +0000

In reply to Laguna Layover: 1943:

To my delight, I found this lovely 2023 video - a BNSF Southern Transcon freight winding around Mesa Gigante, the impressive land formation shown in the Jack Delano transparency. The segment link begins at 40:50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2oLSPTi4kU&t=2450s

On the ATSF

KAP — Thu, 07 May 2026 13:53:14 +0000

In reply to Laguna Layover: 1943:

From a 1957 topo map, it looks like this is the Marmon water stop at Mesita, just Southeast of Laguna. Notated by the red arrow.

Copy editing, not proofreading

TRH — Thu, 07 May 2026 02:35:05 +0000

In reply to Hot Daily: 1943:

They appear to be copy editing, not proofreading. Copy editing is the step before page layout and typesetting. They edit the "copy" (reporters' typewritten stories) and add some markups to guide the typesetters.

Proofreading is a later step after page layout and typesetting. Proofreaders check the typeset pages ("proofs") for mistakes. On a daily newspaper, usually the mistake must be serious before correcting the page, because resetting the type is time consuming. Minor typos are usually overlooked to keep from delaying the press run.

Your comment about the horseshoe-shaped copy desk is correct. The copy editor in the "slot" is the chief copy editor who supervises and approves the work of the others who are seated around the rim. The chief copy editor is nicknamed the "slot man." When a copy editor corrects a particularly bad mistake, sometimes we said "it was nailed on the rim."

(Retired journalist here. I started on a copy desk and later became a reporter.)

Some got it some don't

Ozinor — Wed, 06 May 2026 16:14:50 +0000

In reply to Hot Daily: 1943:

Proofreading is definitely a skill some have and some don’t. My wife can spot an inverted “ie” at a hundred yards, and I cant spot an eror if presented on a plate with watercress around it.

I don’t know if the difference is something genetic, or if is because I was taught to read using what is now called phonics while she learned via the see-and-say (whole word) method. Or maybe it’s because she worked in newspapers, where correct spelling is important, while I worked in radio, where the ability to “rip and read” while ignoring garbled text is a virtue.

Looks like a good way to lose an arm.

ChrisL — Wed, 06 May 2026 13:24:00 +0000

In reply to Paper Work: 1943:

Hopefully the machine isn't on at that moment.

Same (close anyway) view - 2024

ChrisL — Wed, 06 May 2026 13:09:00 +0000

In reply to Chacon: 1943:

So much gravel in those voices, you could open a pit.

Olentzero — Wed, 06 May 2026 07:33:39 +0000

In reply to Hot Daily: 1943:

"Dinkins dropped a participle again. Fifth one this week."

"That's what you get for hiring an Austin boy..."

The bane of creative writers

rneth — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:29:21 +0000

In reply to Hot Daily: 1943:

These copy editor rim wizards are fine and dandy when it comes to spelling, syntax and grammar. But they are the devil's spawn when they start butchering creative copy fit their soulless narrow view of good writing.

re: Why a reading circle?

JeffK — Tue, 05 May 2026 22:44:29 +0000

In reply to Hot Daily: 1943:

My dad was hired as a copy editor at the Grand Rapids [MI] Press in 1968. His team had a circle of desks.

It was a brand-new very-briefly state-of-the-art building where reporters pinned their typewritten copy to a conveyor which zipped it to the copy editors. The fine-tuned content was sent as paper via the rails to the Linotype operators.

Computers made the process more immensely more efficient within a few years.

Proofreading

Juan de la cruz — Tue, 05 May 2026 22:34:43 +0000

In reply to Hot Daily: 1943:

I agree with KimS about errors being rare. I will also admit the I make my mistakes when proofing my own writing. I don't catch all my errors.

What stopped me looking at one particular site is when I commented to one of the half a dozen writers about a glaring error. He responded with words to the effect that maybe I should join so they could hire a proofreader. Too bad the coworkers weren't proofing each other's work.

Having said that, I wonder how many mistakes I made above.

Slow Forward

Commishbob — Tue, 05 May 2026 21:17:00 +0000

In reply to Chacon: 1943:

Just landing on a random spot on Google Maps and it appears not a lot has changed in the area in 80+ years.

Color tone

jtkirkland — Tue, 05 May 2026 20:05:00 +0000

In reply to Chacon: 1943:

I love the look of Kodachrome transparencies from this era; like vinyl records vs. MP3s ... And what a spectacular scan!

Ah, for the days ...

KimS — Tue, 05 May 2026 12:21:00 +0000

In reply to Hot Daily: 1943:

when errors of grammar, syntax, and spelling were rare in the news.

Why a reading circle?

Doug Floor Plan — Tue, 05 May 2026 10:27:00 +0000

In reply to Hot Daily: 1943:

I've always thought proofreading was something you did in uninterrupted isolation. What was the reason these men proofread sitting in a circle? I'm certain some Shorpy reader can explain. Thanks.

[There is no "uninterrupted isolation" when you're on deadline. Copy desks are traditionally U-shaped, with the individual editors handing their marked-up copy to the "slot" seated at the end. -- Dave]

Bulldog caption

n2uk — Tue, 05 May 2026 04:04:00 +0000

In reply to Hot Daily: 1943:

To the left of the "Hot Daily" note, you'll see a paper titled "Bulldog" at the top that lists several items. I wonder if this was a reference to steps to follow or to sections of the paper (e.g., local, national, etc.).

[The "bulldog" is the first (earliest) edition of a daily newspaper. -- Dave]

A handsome rake

Doug Floor Plan — Tue, 05 May 2026 01:23:46 +0000

In reply to Paper Work: 1943:

Yes, I believe we are looking at a handsome rake. I wouldn't have guessed newsprint production produced triceps like that.

Not the children of PA coal miners

Doug Floor Plan — Mon, 04 May 2026 20:12:34 +0000

In reply to Newer Yorkers: 1920:

At the time this photo was taken, the York Motor Car Co. had just ceased operations in York. Pfaltzgraff pottery was probably the major employer in the area.

The two older girls tell me it's possible, but not probable to stay in school past a relatively young age. None of these students appear to come from a family of means, but the barefoot boy in rolled-up overalls probably lives a particularly hardscrabble life. The boy in front, just right of center, with his hands in his pockets reminds me of the character S.J. Tuohy in the movie "The Blind Side." He has a "What's in it for me" vibe.

Springtime photo

mgolden — Mon, 04 May 2026 19:32:47 +0000

In reply to Newer Yorkers: 1920:

I wonder what the barefoot kids did when it was winter. How did they get to school in the snow?

Not a Screen in Sight

Vonderbees — Mon, 04 May 2026 18:00:58 +0000

In reply to Hot Daily: 1943:

This is definitely a lost art that we could surely use today.

Good old Golden Rule Days

Frisco1522 — Sun, 03 May 2026 15:40:29 +0000

In reply to Newer Yorkers: 1920:

Looks like the two barefoot guys are brothers.
Makes you wonder what they all became as grownups.
Also wonder how today's kids would fare with the lessons and tests these guys had.

V for Victory!

SteveLexington — Sat, 02 May 2026 21:19:33 +0000

In reply to Truck Check: 1943:

Befitting a truck in wartime, the bumper carries a V for victory. But the Morse code is backwards -- designed to be seen in rearview mirrors, or simply an error?

Keep on truckin'

SagebrushCity — Sat, 02 May 2026 14:19:31 +0000

In reply to Truck Check: 1943:

According to Autocar's website, they built the first truck in the United States -- in 1899.