Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry has moved into a new location at the south end of Lake Union into an old shipyard building.There are some museum vessels at the marina next to the building as well. This is the Arthur Foss tugboat under a tarp. There was a Saturday ‘work party’ working on the diesel engine and interior, but it was open to the public and we were invited inside. Built in 1889, it is one of the oldest wooden-hulled tugboats afloat in the United States. The hull is made of African mahogany : as impermeable and strong as steel (well, almost), said the tour guide.Calking (yes, without a ‘u’ since it is not the caulking one does to a bathtub) was done with hemlock. It involved sealing up the wooden deck slats by driving hemlock with its natural water-repellent oils into the crevices to make for a watertight seal. (The initial work is done with a much larger hammer and chisel tool set. This tool set is for finishing.)The original brass engine power control shows the settings available to the skipper.The diesel engine still works. It produces 700 hp at 200 rpm, and was one of the strongest tugboats back in its day.The Swiftsure is right next to the Arthur Foss. [From Wikipedia] Lightship 83, now called Swiftsure, is a lightship launched in Camden, New Jersey, in 1904. She steamed around the tip of South America to her first station at Blunts Reef in California, where she saved 150 people when their ship ran aground in dense fog. The ship was decommissioned in 1960.My friends Tony, Ken and Steve on the steps of the main entrance to the Museum of History and Industry building. The building used to be a Naval Reserve Armory, and it was built in 1941-42.A model of the Arthur Foss is on display on the left. The light comes from an 1885 Fresnel Lens from the Smith Island Lighthouse.Same picture, taken 10 seconds later, to show what the lens looks like. (The light source inside rotates).A picture from Boeing’s exhibit. No mention of the recent trouble with the Lithium battery that grounded all the Dreamliner 787s .. we all hope that gets resolved soon!Here is the view of the main hall from the 4th floor. The airplane is an US Mail airplane, and there’s the red R for the Rainier Brewery exhibit an even the iconic pink ‘toe’ truck (tow truck) that used to be seen around the city.Seattle got its start as a city with fish and timber. This tree was 11 feet in diameter and took a week to chop and saw through, said the description. (Today there are few enough of these left, so that we do not do that anymore, right?).And here is a steam train that transported the logs. The picture’s description did not mention which year this was.This beautiful antique clock is outside the building; very similar to one I saw in the town of Snohomish a few weeks ago.
Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry is not new, but it has recently moved to a new location : from its University of Washington location to South Lake Union, occupying the historic Naval Reserve Armory constructed in 1941-1942. I never did visit the museum at its old location, so the exhibits were all new to me. I also learned that there was a Great Seattle Fire in June 1889 that destroyed 29 city blocks (the story is told in the museum’s exhibit for it by a very cute short film, set to music and animated old pictures).
One Reply to “Saturday/ the Museum of History and Industry”
Very nice photographs Willem. You go have a good eye!
Very nice photographs Willem. You go have a good eye!