Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

Traveling back to Illinois from Georgia last week I saw hundreds of signs. Exit here for this. Exit there for that. Home cooking at ???? Lying bastards. One sign really got my attention. It was in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The sign marked the exit for the International Towing and Recovery Museum. Two thoughts came to mind at about the same time. First, there's a museum for that? Second, why in the hell is it in Chattanooga?

The first question is the tougher one for me to answer. I don't think I would ever see the need for a museum for towing or recovery. The are museums for lots of stuff I never considered important enough to require a museum. Beer bottles and cans for instance. I love my beer but don't see any point in going to look at a bunch of old bottles and cans. I didn't see any reason for this one until I started to think about how dependent we Americans are on our cars. When they break down or get stuck or damaged in an accident we need some way to get them moving again. Enter the ever present tow truck. Someone had to invent something to do the job and someone did.

The answer to the second question is answered by learning who the inventor was. I had never heard of Ernest Holmes, Sr. He was a mechanic in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1916. He got a call from his old business school professor John Wiley. It seems Mr. Wiley and his son were out driving their Model T when it veered off the road and flipped upside down in a creek bed. He called Ernest Holmes to recover the car. It took Mr. Holmes 8 hours and 6 men to get the car out. Mr. Holmes thought there had to be a better way. He modified a 1913 Cadillac (you must admire his sense of style) by adding a crane and pulley system. It didn't work. He added a pair of outriggers to stabilize and brace the vehicle while he lifted and pulled the damaged vehicle. The invention created an industry. Mechanics could go out and "capture" damaged vehicles, bring them back to their shop for repair and not have to worry about competitors. It was a clear advantage over shops that waited for customers to stop by. Mr. Holmes started making tow trucks full time and selling them to repair shops. Here is one of his early creations.

 This is a modified 1913 Locomobile altered by Ernest Holmes, Sr. into a tow truck.

This is another early tow truck.

I will now dine on the crow I have so richly earned. Even the lowly tow truck has a great American story. Someone who saw a problem and created a solution. It is fitting a proper we honor him and his invention.