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Film, Video Troops embarking at San Francisco

Digital viewing copy

About this Item

Title

  • Troops embarking at San Francisco

Summary

  • Shows troops of the First Regiment, California Volunteers, boarding the Pacific Mail steamer City of Peking to serve in the Philippine theater of the Spanish-American War. The film was shot at the Pacific Mail Steamship Company dock between 10:50am and 1:50pm on Friday, May 13, 1898. The dock was located at First Street between Brannan and Townsend streets. The camera is probably facing north.. The film begins with flag-waving relatives in the foreground [Frame: 0108]. The troops are seen climbing the gangplank with full travel kits and rifles [0787]. As the crowd watches the troops, at least one woman raises a handkerchief to her eyes [1059]. In the bright background between the ascending soldiers, troops are seen lining the ship's rails and a lifeboat is visible [1500]. Over a thousand troops boarded the City of Peking after marching across San Francisco from their bivouac at the Presidio army base. After loading, the steamer pulled out into San Francisco Bay and re-anchored, awaiting the loading of two more steamers, the Australia and the Sydney. The fleet departed for the Philippines on Sunday, May 15. Built in 1874, the City of Peking was a long-serving 5,070-ton steamer of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. The ship made 116 round trips between San Francisco and Hong Kong before being scrapped in 1920.

Names

  • White, James H. (James Henry), production
  • Blechynden, Frederick, camera
  • Thomas A. Edison, Inc
  • Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)
  • Niver (Kemp) Collection (Library of Congress)

Created / Published

  • United States : Thomas A. Edison, Inc., 1898.

Headings

  • -  City of Peking (Ship)
  • -  United States.--Army.--Regiment, California U.S. Volunteer Infantry, 1st
  • -  Soldiers--Transportation--California--San Francisco
  • -  Spanish-American War, 1898
  • -  Transports--California--San Francisco

Genre

  • Actualities (Motion pictures)
  • Silent films
  • Short films
  • Nonfiction films

Notes

  • -  38256 U.S. Copyright Office
  • -  Copyright: Thomas A. Edison; 22Jun1898; 38256.
  • -  Duration: 0:52 at 15 fps.
  • -  Paper print shelf number (LC 0065) was changed when the paper prints were re-housed.
  • -  Additional holdings for this title may be available. Contact reference librarian.
  • -  Sources used: Niver, K. Early motion pictures, p. 337; American Film Institute catalog, film beginnings, 1893-1910, p. 1102; Musser, C. Edison motion pictures, 1890-1900, p. 436.
  • -  Camera, Frederick Blechynden.
  • -  Photographed: May 13, 1898. Location: Pacific Mail Steamship Company Dock, San Francisco.
  • -  Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as digital files.
  • -  Early motion pictures : the Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress / by Kemp R. Niver. Library of Congress. 1985.

Medium

  • viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (28 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • viewing print 1 film reel of 1 (ca. 50 ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
  • dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (28 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • dupe neg pic 1 film reel of 1 (ca. 50ft.) : si., b&w ; 35 mm.
  • master pos pic 1 film reel of 1 (ca. 30 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.
  • paper pos 1 roll of 1 (ca. 50 ft) : b&w ; 35 mm.
  • paper pos (copy 2) 1 roll of 1 (ca. 50 ft.) : b&w ; 35 mm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • FLA 3079 (viewing print)
  • FEC 1497 (viewing print)
  • FRA 0420 (dupe neg pic)
  • FPE 6801 (dupe neg pic)
  • FRB 0656 (master pos pic)
  • Box 0137E (paper pos)
  • Box 5080F (paper pos, copy 2)

Repository

  • Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA dcu

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 00694413

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Before and After the Great Earthquake and Fire: Early Films of San Francisco, 1897 to 1916 Collection are in the public domain and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division, Before and After the Great Earthquake and Fire: Early Films of San Francisco, 1897 to 1916 Collection.

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Blechynden, Frederick, Camera, Inc Thomas A. Edison, Paper Print Collection, and Niver. Troops embarking at San Francisco. produceds by White, James H. Uction United States: Thomas A. Edison, Inc, 1898. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/00694413/.

APA citation style:

Blechynden, F., Thomas A. Edison, I., Paper Print Collection & Niver. (1898) Troops embarking at San Francisco. White, J. H. U., prod United States: Thomas A. Edison, Inc. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/00694413/.

MLA citation style:

Blechynden, Frederick, Camera, et al. Troops embarking at San Francisco. prod by White, James H. Uction United States: Thomas A. Edison, Inc, 1898. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/00694413/>.