Two sisters, 12-year-old Anna Glasso and her 9-year-old sister, Hilda, lie in the old graveyard where I occassionally walk my dog. They, along with 41 others died on July 4, 1900 in one of Washington States worst trolley car accidents. The girls and, believe it or not, 91 other people had all piled on a single car headed for a big 4th of July parade in downtown Tacoma. The car was jam-packed with passengers crowded onto both front and rear platforms, standing on the running boards, clinging to outside railings and even riding on the cow catcher,(a wedge-shaped device on the front of some of the street cars which cleared the track of debris and/or animals.) Rain had made the track slick and just before a dangerous curve where the car had to go over a deep ravine, the car started to slide. The driver applied the brakes, released the brakes, emptied the storagebox of its sand, all to no avail. As it picked up speed, those who could leaped off, then the car "jumped the tracks, cleared the trestle’s foot-high guard rail and plunged 100 feet to the bottom of the gully, landing upside down." The 300-foot-deep gulch was strewn with dozens of injured passengers who had escaped the runaway car. People falling to the bottom of the ravine landed on several felled trees, which bridged a shallow stream about six feet wide and a foot deep. At the head of the ravine was a large pumping station that sent water into the city’s reservoir. Those who were rescured alive (65 of them) were taken to the local hospitals. The dead (43) were wrapped in blankets and gunny sacks, hauled to the top of the ravine with ropes, loaded onto wagons and taken to the morgue, hopeully to be identified.
Therein lied the problem. (or is it, "layed"?)
Just imagine 43 bead bodies whose pockets carried no ID. Imagine having to, in effect, tour the morgue and review the bodies, looking to locate friends and/or family.
Before ID
Before IDs, people had to be identiied by their scars, their dress, unusual body shapes, by crests they might have had somewhere on their clothing, or seals or by being known in their community.
Where & When
In 1876, the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures and Products of the Soil and Mine was held in Phidelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the first official worlds fair held in the United States.
Enter a Canadian named William Notman
As with pretty much all large expositions, it became a struggle to properly identify the employees, officials, exhibitors and members of the press who needed regular access to the grounds. At events in the past, people used simple, signed passes or tickets which could be, and were, easily given to someone else. This created problems for large expositions such as this one which relied on ticket sales.
William Notman was an internationally-known photographer. "He was a regular contributor to the photographic journal Philadelphia Photographer who, in partnership with its editor, Edward Wilson, formed the Centennial Photographic Company for the Centennial Exhibition. And to solve the fair's problem, he created the first-ever photo identification which, in addition to a photograph, included the holder's name, their role at the fair, and a space to write each day of attendence.
In spite of its success, photo IDs took a while to catch on. In the 1870s and 80s, France's Bertillion records included photographs; by the 1890s mug shots were common. European passports circa 1914 had photographs and within a year the United States followed suit. But clear up until the1980s some states were still issueing drivers licenses without a picture.
Wow!
Interesting post.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting! I love these historical details of life. Often they do come about because of tragedies. Thanks for a great post, Karla!
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