Monday, February 25, 2013

Richard Litson Jr. Emigration Account, Part 4 of 7

1866 locomotive. From Wikipedia.

Glade Family Line

Saturday, June 9 [1866] — We were going very fast last night. It is a very fine morning and the train is going very fast. We saw engines Shannon, Bethel, Montpelier, Superior, Montreal, Grand Trunk Railroad numbers 12, 18, and 249, which is our engine, also 96, 72 and John Molson. It is very fine weather this morning and we are going beautiful. The most of all we have seen all the way is trees and we have come 400 miles. We got out of the train and went into a shed with seats all around. We remained in this place until 6:30 p.m. and (then) we went into it (the train). It traveled very fast. It stopped several times that night. This train shakes more than the other, in consequence of the road being rougher and we are not so comfortably situated. We are in cattle cars. We went well all night. Sunday is tomorrow.


Sunday, June 10 — A very fine morning. We saw John Westons Railway house. We stopped there and had a bottle of whisky and our tea tin full of beer. We saw Kingston Station. We changed cars (at) this place and had (it a) little better, so we are off now again. We saw Napanese Station, Shanneville, Belleville, Colebourg, Newcastle, Port Union. We slept well all night.

Monday, June 11 — A fine morning. We saw station Berlin, Lucan, Ailsa, Craig, Enirge, Iova. We saw horses, cows, nanny and billy goats, and we have seen geese and goslings, some here and some there, about the fields. We saw Camlachee Station. We got out of the train and stood by the side of the river. A steamer came over to fetch some passengers and took them across and then came and took us across. The steamer's name is W. J. Spicer. We sat down on the platform. We saw engine Arab. We got into the train about 6 o'clock. The name of the engine is Dorchester.

Tuesday, June 12 — A little rain this morning. We saw engines Tartar, Corsair, Torrent, Henry Keep, White Bear, Wolfhound, Circassian. The train stopped an hour and a half. We saw engines Troubadour, Detroit Junction, Grand Trunk Junction. We saw stations Michigan, Southern India, Northern India. We saw engine Storm in the siding with some workmen filling earth into the trucks. We saw station Dearborn, engines Chicago, South Sea, Ylecta, Atlantic. We saw night station.

Wednesday, June 13 — We are 190 miles from Detroit. We saw engines Trade Wind, Rachet, Samson, Saxon, Racer, M. City, Ajax, Rusher, North Wind, Ceres, Rover, Artic Lion, Illinois, Pittsburgh. We saw many sceneries, houses and boats. We are traveling over water now. We stopped at Chicago, Illinois. We saw engines Hercules, No. 95, 96, 121. We got out of the train and went to the shed. We saw engines Giant, Saturn, and we saw boats Gallantin, Oswego, Linnie, Powell. We remained in the shed all night and slept on the floor in safety.

Thursday, June 14 — A fine morning. Brother Clark's father died yesterday and his granddaughter is dying this morning. This is the 4th death we've had. We went out of the shed and are sitting down on the floor (of the train). These are very nice cars though. We saw stations Naperville, Oswego, Sandwitch, Arlington. We went well all day and all night.

Friday, June 15 — This morning at about 8 o'clock we arrived in Quincy. We went into the steamer and went across the river (Mississippi). The name of this steamer is Rosa Taylor. Then we went into the Hannibal and St. Joseph's railroad train. This time we managed to get 2 seats but we had enough hustle to get them. We saw engines Stallion, Beckan, Shelby, Boone, Mohecan, Station Day.

Saturday, June 16 — We had a fine day. We reached St. Joseph by 4 o'clock, having been in the trains 8 days. The luggage is gone (going) into the steamer today. We saw engine Western shifting and shunting luggage vans. We slept in a shed that night.

Sunday, June 17 — We went into the steamer to go up to Wyoming (via the Missouri River). We are going very fast. We saw some Indians on our left standing off the bank. We saw steamers Denver, Colorado. This was standing up against ours. We have stopped 4 times today. Late in the evening we saw a steamer named Mollie. We had to move away from where we were situated on account of the men working firing up the steamer. We had a fine day.

Monday, June 18 — It is a fine morning. We saw 2 steamers named Columbia and Etomonish. We saw steamer Viola Belle. We had a fine day and night.

Tuesday, June 19 — It is a very fine morning. The steamer has stopped 11 times since we started and we landed again.

To be continued...

Book of Account of Voyage and Training and Overland Travels (Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5—Part 6Part 7)

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