Wrapped around a tree, nose down in a ditch and dangling precariously over water. Fascinating photos from the 1920s and 30s show the dramatic and tragic side effect of the golden age of American motoring. The pictures were taken in and around Boston, Massachusetts by Leslie Jones, who was staff photographer at the Boston-Herald Traveler newspaper from 1917 to 1956. Mr Jones captured everything that happened in the city for five decades and when he died in 1967, his family donated a vast collection of 34,000 prints to the Boston Public Library. They included these fascinating photos of vintage car wrecks from the great motoring boom. Motor cars became affordable to the masses for the first time in the 1920s. By the end of the decade a Model T Ford cost $298, just a fraction of the $1,200 it cost in 1909. The introduction of hire purchase also made it much easier for members of the public to buy cars, and by 1929, 20 per cent of Americans were on the road. Ford, Chrysler and General Motors were all competing for the boom in business and by the time the depression hit in 1929, Ford was producing more than one car every minute. Technology meant these early cars were capable of achieving speeds of up to 50 miles per hour - but safety measures were nowhere near as advanced as they are today. Add in the fact drivers didn't need to pass a test before they got behind the wheel, and it's easy to see why accidents were frequent and often spectacular. Leslie Jones full collection http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/collections/72157609377724906/ More photos click in the link below (281 photos) http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/sets/72157626646768526/
Wow! Like others, it is hard to believe how crisp those pictures are. Thanks for posting. The wreck scenes are erie and sad.
I'm from Massachusetts -- and it took a guy from Argentina to show me those local photos ?? Thank you Thank you Thank you
I havent checked, so maybe you guys can help me out... Are these the same accident pics that keep being posted over and over again, or are these different ones?
Yup. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Duray https://home.comcast.net/~webspinner/dralstin/stories/LeonDuray.htm http://theoldmotor.com/?tag=leon-duray
'Norman Batten breaks a record on this Brockton track in auto try out October 1928'. (he would soon perish from this earth) ...And an earlier shot -Norman Batten's fiery escape from a still rolling car at Indy 500 in 1927 -Batten died after spending several nights in cold water during the sinking of the Vestris (sailing from Hoboken New Jersey), It was bound for Barbados and South American ports. -"On 12 November 1928, Batten and fellow racer Earl DeVore died when the SS Vestris sank. Batten was pulling survivors from the ocean when sharks attacked. Again, Batten’s concern for the lives of strangers outweighed his regard for his own safety." (This was just less than a month after the picture that ratamahata posted) as noted near the bottom of this page: http://www.taurtoisemotorsports.com/twenties/Specters.html .
Trichloropropane (TCP) is a chemical compound that is commonly used as an industrial solvent. Although it is not currently labeled as a contaminant by the United States federal government, new research shows that it could have severe health effects. Currently, only California has significant regulation on this compoundHumans can be exposed to TCP by inhaling its fumes or through skin contact and ingestion. TCP is recognized in California as a human carcinogen, and extensive animal studies have shown that it causes cancer. Short term exposure to TCP can cause throat and eye irritation and can affect muscle coordination and concentration. Long term exposure can affect body weight and kidney function. [2] Shell manufactured the chemical product D-D that farmers injected into the soil to kill nematodes - tiny worms that can attack root systems and kill crops. The use of D-D is common by farmers, but Diggs said Shell included an uncommon - and unnecessary - chemical in the D-D compound. Shell put another chemical called Trichloropropane, or TCP - a chemical leftover in the manufacturing process - into the D-D compound, Diggs said. Chemical manufacturers are required to incinerate the chemical to dispose of it. But Shell instead hid the TCP in the D-D, Diggs said. "They would add the TCP to the D-D to get rid of it," he said. And the farmers injected the D-D into the ground.
Great collection of pictures. I will love to have more like these. Nobody like to met with an accident but they happen suddenly and you can't do anything about that.