Pause for a moment, fellow traveler, to give a hat-tip to Ctesibius. Or should that be a nemes* tip? Ctesibius was an inventor in Egypt during the second century BCE. (That was the Ptolemaic Dynasty, of course.) He’s credited with creating the first force pump, a machine to move water. Without Ctesibius, our nation’s fireContinue reading “No. 153: Pump Like An Egyptian”
Category Archives: 1940s
No. 151: Stodgy Dodge
How many seasons has it rested here, the prairie wind sharp and whistling because nothing stands in its way except the battered sides of this old Dodge pickup? When did its owner finally walk away without a final glance? What did it haul? Where did it go? What human activities took place in its 6.5-footContinue reading “No. 151: Stodgy Dodge”
No. 137: No Fire in These Cylinders
At one time, this ’46 International K-series one-ton served an Arizona fire department. Now it’s a rusting windrow to the snows that whistle out of the White Mountains. Alpine, Ariz., 1,608 miles west of Atlanta.
No. 132: Go, Devil?
This quarter-ton hauler was built in Toledo, Ohio. The earliest it could have left the Jeep assembly line at the Kaiser Willys plant would have been 1946, when American manufacturers hustled to make vehicles for the civilian market. That year, Willys produced a Jeep that was a lot like the model that became famous inContinue reading “No. 132: Go, Devil?”
No. 107: Time’s Arrow
A 1940 International pickup is a rusty reminder that time takes a toll on everything.Royston, Ga., 85 miles north of Atlanta.
No. 100: GM’s Finest at Rest
No. 95: Big 6
One of the delights of driving country roads is rounding a curve and discovering something like this. Sylvia saw it first. “Look!” she said. I didn’t hesitate. The Toyota rolled to a quick stop. “Dodge,” I said. Boy, was I wrong. This is a Federal, one of a line of medium- and heavy-weight haulers that debutedContinue reading “No. 95: Big 6”
It Was Running When I Parked It 