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Washington, D.C., 1918. "Liberty Loan bonds -- Bureau of Engraving and Printing." Financing the war effort. 8x10 inch glass negative, Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size.
I actually followed your suggestion, Dave. Then I went to the next picture.
No matter how hard I try, can't see the train. Am I the only one?
No errant bits of paper, no piles of discard. I wonder what it would have looked like before the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in 1911, with the consequent workplace safety laws.
As a retired railroad special agent, experience makes me wonder if the railroad is conducting tests to determine whether or not a human body laying across track will have any effect upon railroad block signals. Possibly railroad defense attempt involving a litigated suicide incident? Nothing conclusive here, however several items of note, such as the particular track location where there appears to be permanently mounted trackside electrical apparatus from which Dave pointed out an electrical conduit which appears to connect such apparatus to the track at an insulated track joint. Also, it appears to me to be an attempt by the man who is obviously contacting both rails with his body, however making a very deliberate attempt to electrically insulate such bodily connection by his "dress shoes" on the one rail, and his jacket collar pulled up under his head to insulate where his head and neck is resting on the opposite rail. None of the three men appear to be dressed as train crew members, but more like RR Engineering Dept. members, and the man laying across the track wearing (as previously pointed out) "dress shoes", but would naturally (except for dress shoes) put on old clothing he did not care about for repeated laying down across track for testing procedures. Mostly conjecture here, but that's how it looks to me.
[Pro tip: If you can't see the train, try crossing your eyes. - Dave]
To see what all that activity is about, here's an example of a Liberty Loan bond from WWI, courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
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