The sign THROW OFF is on a trolley wire for the streetcar system. The message is for the motorman to cut off the power from the controller so that the streetcar will "coast" through the section insulator where there is no power. This prevents a jerk for the passengers, and prevents an arc from wearing out the insulator. Electric streetcar and trolley bus systems have the power system divided into sections so that a power loss in one area will not affect the rest of the system. Here is a photo of a section insulator for trolley buses on Dunbar Street in Vancouver: POWER OFF.

You could use the wire shadows as crosswalks, if crosswalks had been invented in 1900. Many wires = a sign of the times.

In this view and in many others on Shorpy from around the country, streets appeared to be so wide in old photos. Modern streets seem so narrow in comparison. Is this due to the type of camera being used or were they that much wider in reality?

[As noted in the caption, this is the city's Public Square. - Dave]

Meaning?

According to Nashville History