A wonderful memento from one of the battleships of the Great White Fleet. 1910

The USS Louisanna was one of the battleships that sailed on the Great White Fleet sent by Theodore Roosevelt around the world to do a little saber rattling. Congress refused to pay for the journey, Roosevelt sent them anyway, forcing Congress to pay for their return. This novety card has within it a little flag that is enclosed inside the post card. By pushing a little tab on the back the US flag comes out the top of the card. It is a cute item from a more innocent age.

The Civil War Vet, my Great Great Grandfather, and his wife. Some memories of them and some of the writings of my Great Grandmother

This is my Great Great Grandfathers discharge from the Army in 1865. Now there are as far as I know, no photographs of Jacob Schick. So all I have of his is this discharge. But I know a little of the man. I had good historic conversations with my Grandfather when I was a little boy. Now these conversations took place when I was between the ages of 6 and 8. Needless to say that was a long time ago. So I am trying to recall in as deep a fashion what he told me about his Grandfather. My conversations with my grandfather took place between 1963-65. As it was the 100th anniversary of the great war and I was full of questions.

This I recall...My Grandfathers Grandfather was born in Bavaria Germany in 1842. He came to the United States in 1864. His trade was a good one for the time. He was a blacksmith. In fact I recall my Grandfathers story about Jacob Schick. He said that he had been kicked on the head by a mule, and for all of his life he had the imprint of a horseshoe on his bald head. I remember my Grandfather said he was bald. He originally lived in New York City. Then he joined the Union Army as a blacksmith on April 5, 1865. Well, the war ended in May, and he was taken out of the army in July. But it sure is a treat today to have his papers from the Civil War. His wife Theresa Schick was also originally from Germany. They would eventually move to West Hobo ken, New Jersey and lived out the rest of their days there.











This is my Great Great Grandmothers passport from the 1860's


There is not too much listed save for the fact it says Amerika


The final page of her passport as to where anything is written.


This is my Great Great Grandmother Theresa Schick (1841-1926) with my Grandfather William Henry Rothermier (1899-1968). This photograph was taken in front of the family homestead on Clinton Street in West Hoboken in 1917. It is the only photograph I know of, of her. The only way I can think of getting closer to them is a few items I own that I know were in the Schick homestead back around 1900. I have 2 items I know of here.


This is part of a set that was in the Schick household around 1900. I also have the other, but it is quite similar to the other one. They are quite beautiful and have velvet around the picture.



This is my Great Great Grandmother's tea pot. From the 1890's. This is another item I know came from that house. It is quite beautiful. I also have a number of pieces of china and dishware that was a part of that household.


This was the wedding document for my Great Grandparents in 1898, as you can see by the date on it. My Great Grandmother kept some information in it. It is here I learn more about my Grandfather and also some other members of my family. It is quite a piece of history.



Info for the wedding, which I see was witnessed by my Great Great Grandmother and signed by her too.


Then come the sad death notices for my Great Grandfather. By the way he was a baker who came to this country in 1892. I have his immigration papers and will show them another time. But he was a baker and caught a bad flu and died from its effects.



This is information my Great Grandmother kept concerning her son. There were two newspaper notices concerning him. One covers his being wounded. In which I spent quite a bit of time on in a previous article.


Here you see my Great Grandmothers notes and clippings concerning my Great Great Grandparents and their deaths.

It is really interesting to have some history around from my family and I am glad to share some of it with you.

New York's Croton Water System. A tour through woodcuts of the bridges tunnels and workings of the system.... From Harpers Weekly Dec. 1860

The water to New York was once delivered by the Croton water line. It was built in the mid 19th century. In Harper's Magazine of December, 1860. It took us on a tour of the system in a series of wood cuts.
There is a lot of narrative here that I have left out. But in future writings I can put some of it in. But this was as it was on the eve of the American Civil war, and New York's water system.
The final placement of the water was the great reservoir which once stood on 5th Ave and 42 to 44th streets. The New York Public Library stands where some of that massive water storage area once stood. I have written a history on that already in a previous entry into this blog.















The Croton on its way to town.





Scene below the Croton dam.





Glimpse on the Croton lake.





The Hudson Highlands-Source of the Croton.





Sections of the aqueduct, showing its construction.
1.Embankments across valleys
2.Masonry in earth excavations
3.Tunnel cutting in earth
4.Tunnel cutting in rock
5.Open cutting in rock.





An aqueduct ventilator.





Aqueduct bridge at Sing Sing.





Bridge over Mill River in Tarrytown.





Bridge over the Napperhan at Yonkers.





The high bridge at Harlem.





Section of the high bridge over the Harlem River.





One of the bridges over 98th, 99th, and 100th Streets, New York.





The distributing reservoir in the 5th Avenue, New York.

An amazing record label from 1906. The American Record Company. It gives the average view of Indians in the beginning of the 20th century.

This blue shellac record from around 1906 is one made by the American Record Company. It is in many regards a beautiful label. And the records rich blue color adds to the effect. Yet once you look at it and see it, some interesting things come to mind. First off lets look at the label closer.




Here is a close up of the label. it has an American Indian listening to a phonograph.







What does it say here "Music have charms".....Let's think of that statement. Music hath charms to calm the savage beast. So what they are saying here is that the music on this record will calm even an American Indian, who of course in their view was a savage. It is amazing that such a label was made. But in its day it was looked on as perfectly normal. Needless to say the American Record Company did not last long and these labels are quite scarce today.

The Last acoustic Edison Diamond Disc Machines. The Edisonics. Here is the Schubert model of 1928

The Edison Edisonic was the last of a breed of hill and dale disc phonographs to play Edison Diamond Disc Records which by the time this catalog was published in 1928 were not selling at all well.

One of the main problems was that there was a stigma to Edison records and what was on them. It all went back to the earliest days of the Edison disc industry in 1912. Thomas Edison had for many years been in charge of picking the music for his company. While it can be agreed that it was "his" company, it was a terrible move and led to its ruin.
By 1926 Charles Edison had finally removed his father from control more or less. But the damage was done and by this time they were loosing over a million dollars a year.
The electrical system of recording and acoustic playback had been developed by Bell Labs/Western Electric and marketed by the Victor Talking Machine Company in it's Victrolas and records.
However, records only by the Columbia Graphophone Company, as the rights to the folded horn technology for acoustic playback of electrical recording were controlled by the Victor Company.
This had happened in the end of 1924. Victor and Columbia in 1925 started issuing electrically recorded discs in 1925. By November Victor issued it's new machines. They were called Orthophonic Victrolas. They were a smash.

Thomas Edison had little love for the Orthophonics. By this time in his life he could hardly hear anyway. Walter Miller, his assistant said that the Orthophonic sounded like music coming out of a Rain Barrel. I guess he said that to keep his boss happy. But it was one wonderful rain barrel.
But once Thomas Edison was out of the way, the company went to work on developing a system of electrically recorded discs. This was under the control of his son Theodore Edison.
What ended up happening was they purchased RCA microphones and amplifier equipment to make the electrically recorded Edison records as crazy as that sounds!

But once they had developed the system they needed machines to play these discs. As most of the lineup of machines for the Edison Company were from the 1915 era. That meant some serious revamping. But money was very tight.

The end result was 2 machines issued in 1927 to play the new records. They were called the Edisonic, to copy the popular Orthophonic of the Victor Company. The workings of these new machines were designed by Theodore Edison and would encompass a new type of reproducer and the longest horn ever put on a Diamond Disc Machine.

It was to add to the bass response and was as close as the Edison company could come to making a horn responsive to electrical recordings with out stepping on Victor's patents.

The Machines were called the Schubert and Beethoven. They were handsome machines but never really took of. Hence today, they are quite rare. But they did play wonderfully.
They were truly the last gasp of the acoustic Diamond Disc phonograph. One must remember by the time these machines came out Victor, Brunswick, and a few other companies had electrically powered and amplified machines.

These machines were produced from 1927 till the end of the company in late 1929. However they could still be purchased in early 1930 as well as leftover records from the company.








A 1928 Edison Edisonic Schubert


The inside of the machine. Showing the gun metal reproducer and the orange/peach turntable and felt cushions




The doors open to show the horn grill and cloth and storage for records. Both the Beethoven and Schubert used the same sized horns. Just there was a difference in the size of the cabinet. I have always been partial to the Schubert as I feel it was a better designed machine.




The grill removed and the horn of the Edisonic revealed. It was a good sized horn. The machine was usually equipped with a single spring. However many people opted to have a double spring put in. As you can see on this model.




Note the long extension of the horn designed by Theodore Edison to make the most of the mathematical properties in bass response. It has great sound and is most amazing to see in operation.

Here you will see an advertising piece for the Edisonic in 1927. Although Thomas Edison had nothing to do with this machine. It was always good press to use his name. Stigma or not, he was a god to many.









The sad part of it all was the Victor Orthophonic was the king of the industry. The Edison Company tried some radios and electric phonographs. But it was too late. Riddled in debt and mismanagement the phonograph company was quietly discontinued in 1929. Sadly few even noticed.

The Weeping Room at Grand Central Station. Track 42 Grand Central Station

If you walk around Grand Central Station look for track number 42. It is the last track in the massive station. Today the room leading to it does not get much traffic in the evening, but during the day travelers go to and fro to their destinations.

But what few know is that Track 42 was the track in which all the soldiers were sent from. It was outside the gate in the room that leads to 42nd street that soldiers from WWI and WW2 said their last farewells, many forever.

So go and look at that room and remember the great sacrifice given by so many as they went away on track 42. It has always been known as the Weeping room since the first soldiers were sent away from there in 1917.

It was interesting to know I was where my grandfather left for the war and all the many hundreds of thousands of young men went to fight and for many to die.

It is where so much happened, so much took place. So as you honor veterans of past wars this Veterans day, remember this place. You can feel the passion in this room. It lingers like a distant memory. But one you can feel the presence of.

Go in the evening, it is so quiet there, like a tomb or monument..It really is a monument to many brave men and women. A special history hidden in the hustle and bustle of New York City.

Thomas Marshall (1854-1925) Vice President of the USA during the Wilson administration 1913-1921.. What is he famous for?

We rarely hear of this gentleman today. He was Vice President under Woodrow Wilson, who was a very powerful force. So we do not hear about Marshall much at all.
He was the Governor of Indiana. He did quite a bit. But today, to be honest, there is only one thing that he usually is remembered for. He had a rye sense of humor and at times it did show itself. Here is the moment where it truly did.

He was in a session of Congress and it was a boring slow session. Lot's of talking going on and nothing really being said. During this long session Marshall was heard to exclaim.. "What this country needs, is a good 5 cent cigar." That was it. It brought laughs and still does today. That is about all that is remembered about Thomas Marshall.
Who was in every way a great Vice President. So good, you never heard of him.

The monitor. During the civil war they were worth their weight in gold. But by the end of the war they were obsolete. Yet we kept making them!! ???

One of the old monitors from the American Civil War. Rotting at a pier in the 1870's

This was the big problem with a monitor. This is just moving rather slowly in calm waters. Can you imagine sailing at a good rate of speed or in rough water? It was a fatal flaw specially for the first monitor.




Here are a few pictures of monitors taken around 1900-1902 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. You can see how low they are in the water. But still at this time they were sailing. They were a massive blast from the past as we entered the 20th century.

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The USS Monitor was designed by John Ericsson to be used to defend the coast and the wooden battleships that were being terrorized by the Confederate ironclad Virginia. The Virginia was built on the burnt remains of the wooden sailing ship Merrimack. The Monitor was a god send to the Union.
It was in every way an equal to the Virgina and was far more advanced. Through the war there were many monitors made. In fact there was a glut of them after the war. Many were scraped or sold to foreign governments.
But there seemed to be a hard core group who kept pushing for monitor style ships for the US navy. In the 1870's there were many designs put forward for monitors. They were finally built well into the 1880's and 90's. By then they were as obsolete as the wooden ships that they replaced in the civil war.
However Monitors were built as late as the beginnings of the 20th century!

One of the big problems with monitors was that they were very low into the water. In fact, the first monitor was called a cheese box on a raft. As it had a turret, the first ship to have such an item. The ship itself was nearly submerged in the water, which led to many difficulties. One being that the ship when even moving slowly would have water pouring over its decks and often pouring into the ship!
One must remember that as wonderful as the original monitor was it did have this problem. In fact the original monitor was not lost in battle, it was lost in stormy seas.

So through out the years that monitors were made they could not sail with other ships. As they could not sail so fast due to the fact that they would be practically submerged by doing so.
The navy had monitors in use till the time of WWI. By then the last of the monitors were scraped and every vessel built afterwards would have a higher free board.

The monitor was a great development. But sometimes we hate to let go of great developments. And we keep them till they become disasters.