Excavating for a New York Foundation - 1903

The scene is an excavation pit at an unidentified New York City construction site. A crew of six men can be seen shoveling dirt into a four-wheeled wooden cart. Then a full cart is slowly lifted out of the pit to street level by a steam-powered crane. These carts are similar in design to those shown dumping rubble at the end of the film New York City Dumping Wharf. Advertisements and campaign posters can be seen on the exposed wall of the building in the background.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• New
• York
• City
• excavating
• construction

[phoenix15477]

Doing actual labor like that is what built and "layed the foundation" for who we are and what we have now, just a thought to ponder...These souls forged us as a nation and as a people and we must NEVER forget that.

[BSNFabricating]

All that digging by hand...dang... There were steam shovels back then, but I guess they weren't very practical to use in the city...

I love these old films...thanks for posting it! ;)

[mcdonchris]

Ugh people think they have it hard at work these days...Just looking at these men shoveling that dirt in that cart over and over should make us feel lucky to be in the 21st centurty and not back then.