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Title: Murphy & Allison Car builders. 1908 Market Street, Philadelphia
Description: Advertisement showing the busy "Car Factory & Bolt Nut & Washer Works," of John Murphy and J. C. Allison, also proprietors of the Girard Tube Works, who established a partnership in 1851 at 1908 Market Street. A completed rail car and a horse-drawn double decker omnibus depart from the sign-covered factory and "Office of the Girard Tube Works." A worker labors on a rail car in an upper window, a man on horseback stops near the entrance to the "Blacksmith Shop," and clusters of pedestrians walk in front of the works. A small crowd flanks the omnibus that is adorned with illustrations of rail cars as it leaves the factory bay. In the foreground, men and boys, across from two men shaking hands, inspect an ornately painted "City Passenger R.R." car on display in the street in front of the factory. Nearby, a boy admires an elegantly dressed lady while a newsboy hawks a paper to a gentleman on promenade with two ladies who pass a woman, possibly attired in mourning garb. Murphy & Allison assumed proprietorship of Girard Tube Works, manufacturer of wrought iron gas tubes, in 1856 and began construction of cars for the City Passenger Railways circa 1857. The firm made several improvements to the cars including adding more head room and lamps to the center of car roofs and in front of the overshoots., Not in Wainwright., Annotated in stenciled letters below title: DESTROYED BY FIRE SATURDAY MAY 3. 1863 AT 3-AM., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 494, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 35 M 978, Label pasted on verso: Purchased at auction from Freemans May 20, 1959 Library Fund., Rease, a prolific lithographer of advertising prints, relocated his studio to 4th and Chestnut in 1857.
Creator: Rease, W. H.
Date: [ca. 1857]
Location: Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 35 M 978

Title: West view of Schuylkill Falls Laboratory. Powers & Weightman, manufacturing chemists, Philadelphia
Description: View showing the laboratory complex established in 1848 on Ridge Avenue near a covered bridge in Schuylkill Falls (i.e., East Falls). Within the complex, laborers haul goods by horse among the several stone buildings, smoke stacks, and trees. Near the Schuylkill River in the foreground, other laborers move crates by a pulley on a pier. Also shows a man on foot and a wagon entering the bridge, a steamboat traversing the water, and a train traveling past the complex and several adjacent lots of pasture land in the background. In 1847, Powers & Weightman succeeded Farr & Kunzi (established in 1818), and became internationally renown for their manufacture of medicinal and other fine chemicals. The company was the first to introduce quinine to the United States. A second factory complex operated between 9th, Parrish, Brown, and Darien Streets. The East Falls operation included housing for employees., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 828, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 38 Sch 89, Trimmed.
Creator: Rease, W. H.
Date: [ca. 1860]
Location: Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 38 Sch 89

Title: Explosion and burning of the cartridge factory, cor. Tenth and Read [sic], March 2[9]th 1862
Description: Disaster scene showing the aftermath of the explosion of the factory of Professor Samuel Jackson located in South Philadelphia. Shows people fleeing, trapped, and engulfed in flames at the ruins of the burning factory. In the foreground, a man rushes to cover a man's body that has had its head and arm amputated; men throw buckets of water and blankets on women on fire; individuals carry the wounded; comfort the survivors; rush in with buckets; and hose the fire. Also shows a man looking in horror from a train car in the left of the image and debris flying in the air and lying on the ground. Over 15 people, including the son of the proprietor, perished in the explosion of the factory that was contracted to produce one and a half million experimental "solid water proof patent cartridges" during the Civil War. Jackson, a Philadelphia pyrotechnist and inventor, began the manufacture of fireworks in Philadelphia in 1837. He continued in pyrotechnics until 1887, when he began to manufacture danger signals for railroads. During his pyrotechnic career, a number of his establishments were destroyed through explosions., Name of artist supplied by Wainwright., The numeral "9" printed in the reverse in the date in the title., Inscribed on recto: North of Moyamensing Prison. Philada., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 215, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bb 83 C 328
Creator: Magee, John L., artist
Date: [1862]
Location: Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bb 83 C 328

Title: Plan of the United States dry dock, at Philadelphia, on the new system of the sectional floating dock, basin, & railways, now constructing by contract with Mess. Dakin & Moody Area available for docking in the plan 350 by 90 feet, 31, 500 square feet. Area available for docking in the U.S. dry dock at Norfolk, 210 by 60 feet, 12, 000 square feet. It will be observed that area available for docking in this dry dock is twice and a half greater than in the U.S. stone dry dock at Norfolk, enabling the former to receive a vessel covering twice and half as much space as the utmost limit of the latter. It will also be observed that the efficiency of the Norfolk dock, is limited to docking one ship of the line at a time, of about 200 feet in length, whereas the new Philadelphia dock, will be able to dock three war steamers of 350 feet in length each, and ten ships of the line all at the same time. The Norfolk dock cost $962, 459 and the cost of one on that plan capable of taking only one vessel 350 by 90 feet, estimated on the same basis would be $2, 406, 147 or about three times the contract price of the Philadelphia dock
Description: Plan showing the future dry dock at the first U.S. Navy Yard established by shipbuilder Joshua Humphreys and Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert in 1801 on the Delaware River in Southwark. A three-masted frigate rests in dry dock on land and a three-masted sidewheeler rests in dry dock on the floating dock in the river. Two workers stand on the deck of the sidewheeler. Between the frigates, completed hulls are visible in four storage bays. Across from the bays, a hull under construction rests in scaffolding. Tools and machinery lay near the hull. In the background, a worker hauls wood by horse-drawn cart in front of the naval yard factory. Also includes cityscape and Spark's shot tower. The facility, which built, overhauled, stored, and disposed of warships, operated in Southwark until 1876 when the Navy Yard enlarged and relocated to League Island., Not in Wainwright., Published in Sketch of the plans, present condition, and proposed results of the United States dry docks at the Navy Yards of Philadelphia, Kittery, and Pensacola: ... (New York: P. Miller & Son, 1849)., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 609, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 57 P 544
Date: [1849]
Location: Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 57 P 544

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