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1925. "Western Marine & Salvage Co., Alexandria, Va." Just the place to pick up a salty winch or crusty capstan. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size.
A slang term for a scrap dealer and final repository for brass and steel among other commodities.
The two gents breaking up steam steel appear to be using electrical power to do so (via the power pole, pulley, flywheel and belt).
You can use old marine thrust bearings as clothesline pulleys.
Western Marine& Salvage was charged with breaking up all of the Ferris Merchant Ships from WWI. My brother (Bigguy1960) just alerted me to this history last week!
Note that a lot of the equipment is identical. This equipment was from wooden steamships built at the end of an era by the US Government. Some were not even used. More information at this link.
Lots of these (or their ilk) being scrapped.
A surplus of operated apparatus which looks to be winches, boilers, and small engines all powered by steam.
Hello Diesel.
I am not sure but I think that most of these appear to be old steam engines in the foreground.
I have a feeling that most ships went the way of the new fuels
Not to mention supine screws and busted boilers.
I'm guessing the large triangular box-like structures scattered about in the background are coal bins. Ships were switching to oil power right around this time.
That photograph sure would make a fun 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle!
There is plenty of asbestos all over the place in this photo. The box-like look like small marine boilers.
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