Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
- Overview of the Collection
-
Historical Note
- Historical Background
- Content Description
- Use of the Collection
- Administrative Information
-
Detailed Description of the Collection
- Workers adding concrete slabs to existing streetcar tracks
- Concrete paving slab plant on 8th Avenue Northwest & Northwest 42nd Street
- Concrete paving slab plant on East Marginal Way South & South Brandon Street
- Streetcar fabrication and repair in shop
- Streetcars in downtown Seattle
- Bus
- Seattle Municipal Street Railway application for Federal Emergency Relief Administration funds
- Names and Subjects
Federal Emergency Relief Administration Seattle Municipal Railway photographs, 1932-1936
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- United States. Federal Emergency Relief Administration
- Title
- Federal Emergency Relief Administration Seattle Municipal Railway photographs
- Dates
- 1932-1936 (inclusive)19321936
1934 (bulk)19341934 - Quantity
-
22 photographic prints (1 box)
1 album (16 photographic prints) - Collection Number
- PH0661
- Summary
- Photographs of 1934 Federal Emergency Relief Administration project in Seattle, Washington to pave streetcar lines, to repair the streetcars and other works
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Seattle Municipal Railway, the streetcar system owned and operated by the City of Seattle beginning in 1918, was facing financial instability during the 1930s due to the heavy burden of high bond payments, increasing competition from private car ownership, and poorly maintained tracks and equipment. Some relief was provided through the Rehabilitation Project for Track and Equipment of the Seattle Municipal Street Railway, approved by the the Civil Works Administration, beginning on November 11, 1933. The project was a cooperative effort between the City of Seattle Engineering Department and the Seattle Municipal Railway, assisted by state Civil Works Administration officials. According to project reports at the time, the project was the largest Civil Works Administration project in the state of Washington.
The purpose of the project was to replace the dangerous unpaved portions of the railway tracks with concrete paving slabs. Four-inch-thick pre-cast concrete slabs were manufactured with relief labor at three plants located at Valley Street and Boren Avenue, at East Marginal Way, and at 8th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 42nd Street. In addition, the project entailed the reconstruction of operating equipment for the streetcars, including the restoration of car bodies, the overhaul of car trucks, and the repair of the electrical equipment on the cars.
A 1934 progress report indicates that there were approximately 3000 men employed in all areas of the project, including 1,500 laborers, 450 concrete helpers, 115 concrete finishers, 228 carpenters, 100 reinforcing steel men, 76 foremen, and many other kinds of workers. Workers were taken from the relief roles, and most of the manual labor jobs rotated workers in order to give employment to as many needy men as was possible. Foremen were also taken from relief roles but were not rotated because their experience could not be easily replaced.
In total, crews lined up and surfaced over 32,000 feet of track, laid 651 linear feet of new single track, and placed 24,752 pre-cast concrete slabs. The combined results totaled 19.91 miles of equivalent single track and the rehabilitation and paving of an equal amount of trackage. The project was completed on February 28, 1935 under the supervision of Washington Emergency Relief Administration.
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) started in May of 1933 as the first of the major Depression-era relief operations instituted under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal. Roosevelt believed that relief – payment for work performed – was needed to maintain morale and was preferable to having large numbers of workers on the dole. FERA was intended to provide work for employable people on relief roles through a diversity of relief programs. FERA worked with state governments to provide federal grants for relief purposes. Unfortunately, states were slow to accept federal projects and begin instituting work relief programs. Faced with continued high unemployment and concern for the welfare of the public during the winter of 1933-1934, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration instituted the Civil Works Administration as a short-term measure to get people to work. The Civil Works Administration program ended in March 1934. It was replaced by the Emergency Relief Program of FERA. At the state level, the Washington Emergency Relief Administration began in April 1934.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection includes 22 photographs and a funding application for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration that contains 16 photographs depicting the rehabilitation and overhaul of streetcars, activity at two pre-cast concrete paving slab plants, and the paving of streetcar tracks of the Seattle Municipal Railway in 1934. In addition, there are a few scenes of streetcars in service on the streets of Seattle. Most photos were taken to document work funded through the Civil Works Administration and Federal Emergency Relief Administration.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
View selections of the collection in digital format.
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Preferred Citation
The required credit line for use of images from Special Collections is: University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, [plus the negative number].
The negative number is provided with the image and is a letter + number combination such as UW13452; Hegg 1234; or NA1275. A typical credit line would be, University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, UW13452.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Arranged by project.
Processing Note
Processed by Linda Corets in 2005.
Related Materials
Many of the images in this collection are duplicated in the following collections:
PH Coll. 263 - Federal Emergency Relief Administration Photograph Collection
PH Coll. 266 - Seattle Municipal Railway Photograph Collection
PH Coll. 267 - Civil Works Administration Photograph Collection includes Report on Project CWA 17-199 Municipal Street Railway and Standard Plans Precast Concrete Slabs for Paving Car Tracks blueprints.
Accn. 9512-72 - Washington (State) Emergency Relief Administration Report includes Pre-Cast Slab Laying and Manufacturing Project report.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Workers adding concrete slabs to existing streetcar tracksReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
1 | 1 | February 6, 1934 | |
1 | 2 | February 6, 1934 | |
1 | 3 | Streetcar tracks
under construction on 15th Avenue West, looking north from Garfield
Street |
February 14, 1934 |
1 | 4 | January 23, 1934 | |
1 | 5 | February 14, 1934 | |
1 | 6 | February 27, 1934 | |
1 | 7 | Overview of
exposed streetcar tracks under construction, probably at North 34th Street and
Fremont Avenue North |
undated |
Concrete paving slab plant on 8th Avenue Northwest & Northwest 42nd StreetReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
2 | 8 | Concrete paving
slab molds at plant |
February 1, 1934 |
2 | 9 | February 1, 1934 |
Concrete paving slab plant on East Marginal Way South & South Brandon StreetReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
2 | 10 | Rows of concrete
paving slabs |
February 3, 1934 |
2 | 11 | Workers with
concrete paving slabs |
February 3, 1934 |
2 | 12 | Workers hauling
concrete paving slabs |
February 3, 1934 |
Streetcar fabrication and repair in shopReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
3 | 13 | January 19, 1934 | |
3 | 14 | January 19, 1934 | |
3 | 15 | January 19, 1934 | |
3 | 16 | January 19, 1934 | |
3 | 17 | January 19, 1934 | |
3 | 18 | January 19, 1934 | |
3 | 19 | January 19, 1934 |
Streetcars in downtown Seattle Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
4 | 20 | Streetcar probably on Pike Street near
2nd Avenue |
undated |
4 | 21 | Streetcar near 8th Avenue and Olive
Street |
March 8, 1932 |
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
5 | 22 | Men with Washington Motor Coach
Cross-State Route bus
Bus Transportation
(photographer)
|
1936 |
Seattle Municipal Street Railway application for Federal Emergency Relief Administration fundsReturn to Top
Container(s): Folder 6
This application includes series of photographs showing work done by the Seattle Municipal Railway under Civil Works Administration Projects.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Page | item | ||
1 | 23 | Slab fabrication plant at Valley Street
and Boren Avenue |
March 2, 1934 |
1 | 24 | Workers fabricating steel reinforced
cages |
March 2, 1934 |
1 | 25 | Workers pouring and finishing concrete
slabs |
March 2, 1934 |
2 | -- | Description notes of
photographs |
undated |
3 | 26 | Workers placing "dummy" slabs for
streetcar tracks using a wrecker-type truck |
March 2, 1934 |
3 | 27 | Workers placing concrete slabs using
chain block portable tripod |
March 2, 1934 |
3 | 28 | Workers using boom-type truck to place
concrete slabs for streetcar tracks |
March 2, 1934 |
4 | 29 | Streetcar tracks project on 12th Avenue
South prior to any work being done |
March 6, 1934 |
4 | 30 | Ballast removed from streetcar tracks
on 12th Avenue South in preparation for laying of concrete slabs |
March 6, 1934 |
4 | 31 | Section of concrete slabs installed
along streetcar tracks for 12th Avenue South project |
March 6, 1934 |
5 | 32 | Workers loading concrete slabs on truck
at fabrication plant |
March 2, 1934 |
5 | 33 | Workers raising streetcar track to
change ties and bring to grade |
March 2, 1934 |
5 | 34 | Concrete slabs and streetcar tracks on
completed project along 2nd Avenue |
March 2, 1934 |
6 | 35 | Workers and armatures in electrical
department
Seattle Engineering Department
(photographer)
Duplicate of item #18.
|
January 19, 1934 |
7 | 36 | Armature winding, probably in
electrical department
Seattle Engineering Department
(photographer)
Duplicate of item #19.
|
January 19, 1934 |
8 | 37 | Workers overhauling streetcars in
carpenter's shop
Seattle Engineering Department
(photographer)
Duplicate of item #13
|
January 19, 1934 |
9 | 38 | Workers painting overhauled streetcar
in shop
Seattle Engineering Department
(photographer)
Duplicate of item #15.
|
January 19, 1934 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Electric railroads--Cars--Maintenance and repair--Photographs
- Street-railroads--Maintenance and repair--Photographs
- Street-railroads--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
Corporate Names
- Seattle Municipal Street Railway
- United States. Federal Civil Works Administration
- Washington (State). Emergency Relief Administration
Geographical Names
- Seattle (Wash.)--Photographs
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)