David Rockola

Eric Baker Jane Martin, great inventions, good intentions, Chronicle Books, 1990

The jukebox owes much to Canadian-born David Rockola, who was born in Virden Manitoba in 1897. He was an inventor and entrepreneur who started working at the age of 14 and learned engineering in the oilfields in South America.  He first saw and installed a primitive fruit machine in the Chicago cigar store he was operating in 1919 and from that, in 1926 started building weighing machines and parking meter housings.
 After he lost money in the coin-operated amusement games business, he needed a scheme to repay creditors and so he convinced them to help him buy old jukebox patents and begin designing his own.
 Among the masterpieces that put him in competition with the two largest manufacturers, Wurlitzer and Seeburg, was the 1941 dial-a-song Spectravox (Des. 1 27,924), a wood-grained column with red neon bands and a deflector bowl over the speaker. It was connected to a separate record player, the Playmaster, which was usually kept out of sight behind the counter or bar.

Patent medicine tribulations, 1899

Gunagathon, sounds legit...

Chrysler Imperial "80" 1928

"A car of today for the sophisticated tastes of today!" 

"With the "Red-head" high compression engine..."

Ad for the new 112 horsepower Chrysler by the McCann-Erickson Agency, still around today as the McCann Worldgroup

Streamline is the future!

In the thirties, Streamline was the buzzword in styling.

 To my eye, both these vehicles fit into the "also ran" category, unlike the train in the previous post- not attractive at all. 

Santa Fe Super Chief

The new Santa Fe Super Chief westbound in the El Cajon pass in 1937. 

The Electro-Motive Division of General Motors had developed a system of diesel electric power units, freestanding units but coupled together as multiple unit locomotives, controlled from the lead cab unit. Initially these were square unstyled boxes but the GM styling department designed them into sleek stainless steel streamlined units. 

Leland Knickerbocker and the the Art and Colour department came up with the red, yellow and silver warbonnet scheme. The modrn stainless steel passenger cars of the train were designed and built by Budd and the whole train heralded a new era for railroads.

1956 Chevrolet trucks

We used to make things in this country; #291 Coward's Boat Factory, 1909

Another small boat building business that has completely disappeared. No address given in Kingston but I expect you would have found him on the waterfront. The model shown in this ad demonstrates he has embraced the new gas-powered speedboats.
 Update:

British Whig (Kingston, ON), 13 Jul 1911 "Industry To Go? Alfred Coward, Boat Builder - inducements to move to Iroquois."

Future Issues of the Rod and Gun magazine show Alfred Coward of Iroquois, ON as a boat builder who uses engines manufactured by the Wonder Manufacturing Co (USA based).

Sidecar Mothers Day

BSA ad, 1930s

Sidecar Sunday

The ‘Rasputitsa’ – the season without roads...

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