Classic crashes: Incredible black and white photos show the chaos on roads in the early days of the automobile with beautiful vintage motors smashing into trees, careering into canals and plummeting off bridges

A fascinating collection of black and white photos show the chaos on roads during the dangerous early days of the automobile.

The stash of pictures, displaying the precarious nature of life behind the wheel for Americans in the 1930s, were taken by Leslie Jones, a photographer for the Boston Herald-Traveler newspaper.

The snapper, who worked for the Herald from 1917 to 1956, took hundreds of photos, capturing destroyed motors in the aftermath of often fatal crashes.

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Boston Herald-Traveler photographer Leslie Jones had an eye for a dramatic scene, including when this seven-tonne dump truck plunged through the Warren Avenue bridge, in Boston

Among the vast collection is this shot of a truck crashing through a garage several storeys up in the East Cambridge area of Boston

Often the dramatic and tragic scenes that Jones captured involved fatalities and in this shot a policeman tries to pull out a car that has crashed into icy water in the Boston area

Aaron Schmidt, of the print department at Boston Public Library, where Jones' images have been digitized, said: 'Leslie Jones had something that can't be taught, which turns a technology into an art - a great eye.

'He would arrive at the scene and instead of snapping off a series of indistinguishable informational photographs, he would create dramatic compositions for his camera using the wreck to tell the visual story of an intimate catastrophe.

'While he would highlight and dramatize the destruction of the auto, as evidence of the violence of event, he would also work in telling details to add emotional impact to the photograph.

'Streets signs, debris from the crash and interested bystanders in the background would be used to humanize the scene.'

Such was the dramatic and brutal nature of driving on the nation's roads that President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote to state governors, asking them to curtail the number of deaths linked to car crashes.

In April 1938, photographer Jones even took pictures of an accident involving a motorcycle that was part of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's motorcycle escort.

This photo powerfully coveys the danger of driving on roads in the 1930s during winter. The icy roads appear to have been too much for this car to handle and it is literally wrapped around a tree after a crash in the village of Auburndale in Massachusetts

A number of the shots in the Jones collection involve cars being hauled out of water and here a car lies completely upright before it is taken out of a canal

This shot captures an accident that took place as a woman was being rushed to hospital. The car taking her to get treatment jumped a curb and careered into the steps of a nearby house

However, despite the crashes, the 1930s was an era of advancement in the motor industry, with features such as hydraulic breaks slowly being introduced.

Jones' family managed to salvage tens of thousands of glass plate and film negatives from the snapper's extensive career and as Boston Public Library continues to digitize Jones' collection, it is hoped that the images will keep providing a great insight into American life. 

Although he was telling stories through his images, Jones, who died in 1967, preferred to be referred to as a cameraman, rather than a photojournalist.

Aaron added: 'Car accidents seem to have been one of the most heavily re-posted subjects from the online collection. 

The 1930s was a decade of advancement in the motor industry with additions like hydraulic breaks coming into use - however, this motorist seems like they may have had their foot on the gas pedal rather than the break

In this interesting photo, members of the fire and police departments try to rescue people from a car stuck in Boston's Fort Point Channel

The mail could have been a little late after this crash. The photo also offers a compelling insight into the design of early automobiles - which by the looks of the truck - were very limited

Aaron Schmidt, from the Boston Public Library, said Leslie Jones had a 'great eye' for a dramatic scene as this great shot shows

'People seem to be drawn, in general, to tragedy and disaster, but I also think they appreciate the aesthetics of the images themselves.

'As a daily press photographer, his job was to document the history of his community in real time.

'His photographs were seen by thousands of people every day - creating, for the public, virtual memories of places and events.

'His job was to allow people to bear witness without having to be there.'