Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 Public Domain. Release under the CC BY Attribution license--http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/--Credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library; From the California Historical Society Collection at the University of Southern California Send requests to address or e-mail given USC Libraries Special Collections specol@usc.edu
Description
Photograph of a man sitting in Hayne's open-air automobile, California, ca.1900. This is America's oldest automobile. It was built by Elwood Haynes of Kokomo, Indiana, and was exhibited in Chicago in 1895 and chased off the streets by the police (according to Scribner's Popular History of American Inventions). The driver is wearing a white skimmer and rumpled suit and, grinning broadly, is hunched over in the driver's seat clasping the steering column. A truck is visible parked in the background adjacent to a two-story brick building. "First automobile mishap described by local man, son of its victim: Old dobbin on Indiana road rears, bolts and tosses driver under horseless carriage -- The first accident attributed to the 'horseless carriage' was described today by Dr. Z.U. Loop, 3702 Bagley Avenue, Culver City, who told of how he rendered first aid and sent the patient to the hospital. It was in 1894, and according to what Dr. Loop was able to gather from eye witnesses, it happened like this: -- At that time I practiced in Galveston, Indiana about nine miles from the home of Elwood Haynes, inventor of the Haynes automobile, one of the first three automobiles developed. -- My father was in the habit of touring the countryside in his buckboard. Mr. Haynes was just beginning to startle the farmers by appearing on the roads with his experimental models. -- Mr. Haynes' quivering, gasping 'tin steed' and my father's horse met on the road one day. Father's horse gave the 'gasoline nag' an indignant look, executed a sharp U turn, which deposited my father under the wheels of Mr. Haynes' car, and bolted. They took dad to the nearest farmhouse and sent for me. I reckon it was the first motor traffic accident. I've never been able to find a record of an earlier one." -- Newspaper clipping.
Type
image
Format
3 photographs : photoprints, b&w 21 x 26 cm., 15 x 20 cm. portraits photographic prints photographs
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