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[lilcoot]

Received this from a friend and found it to be fascinating.  What a great time to have been alive!  There were HDs being made at the time (no CVOs, unfortunately), but I didn't see one here.  The background music seems a little out of place...


 
NO TRAFFIC LIGHTS & NO RULES

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This is a fascinating movie.
A camera was mounted on the front of a street car 105 years ago (1906).
Perhaps the oldest "home movie" that you will ever see !

Look at the hats the ladies were wearing and the long dresses.
Some of the cars had the steering wheels on the right side.
I wonder when they standardized on the left ?
Sure were still a lot of horse drawn vehicles in use.
Mass transit looked like the way to get around.
Looks like everybody had the right of way.

At the 33 second mark and immediately after an oncoming trolley clears the screen,
a well dressed policeman walks across the street from left to right.
Notice his right hand that he's carrying a truncheon (26 inch police baton)
and although he appears walking his beat, he looks ready to use it.
Imagine the police of today walking down the street carrying a
26 inch club in their hand...

This film was "lost" for many years.  It was the first 35mm film ever.
It was taken by camera mounted on the front of a cable car.
The number of automobiles is staggering for 1906.
The clock tower at the end of Market Street at the
Embarcadero wharf is still there.

How many "street cleaning" people were employed to
pick up after the horses ? Talk about going green !

This film was originally thought to be from 1905 until
David Kiehn with the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum
figured out exactly when it was shot.
From New York trade papers announcing the film showing,
to the wet streets from recent heavy rainfall & shadows
indicating time of year & actual weather and conditions on
historical record, even when the cars were registered
(he even knows who owned them and when the plates were issued!).
It was filmed only four days before the Great California Earthquake
of April 18th 1906 and shipped by train to NY for processing.

[longlast]

Oldies love it 

[dlaws01]

I could have sworn I saw Jerry (grc) walking across the street as a young man.   

[smkymtnboy]

wow! thanks!

[grc]

I could have sworn I saw Jerry (grc) walking across the street as a young man.   

If he was grouchy then you are probably correct.   

Ahh yes, those were the good ol' days.  And concerning the title of this thread, what makes you think people don't drive like that now?  I can guarantee you I've seen stuff in recent years that is every bit as crazy as this film.

Jerry

[ultrarider123]

That's slick....love history and this short 35mm film shows quite a bit of it.  I find something interesting in this history lesson.  
Traffic and pedestrians back then went willy-nilly on the streets and as the description stated, no traffic lights and very little method to the madness....seems like it was flowing very smoothly, however, with no congestion, cross walks, lights...nuttin'....and there was LOTS of movement on that 1906 street.
It's funny how we've progressed/digressed with all the traffic/pedestrian/vehicle laws on the books...wish traffic flowed half as good today in the big cities as it did in 1906.

[KKM]

Fun film,
More horses but looks like London, Paris or Saigon today... and worse than any city in China.
Kevin

[TinSpinner]

It's funny how we've progressed/digressed with all the traffic/pedestrian/vehicle laws on the books...wish traffic flowed half as good today in the big cities as it did in 1906.

I think the invention of the cell phone has been one of the worst things ever for traffic safety. Notice that everyone in that film was actually watching where they were going and not texting or talking on a phone?

[D-N-D]

That was good, Thanks.