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E.M. MARTIN : 1911 SENSATIONAL, SIGNIFICANT, ORIGINAL TYPED MANUSCRIPT LOG BOOK DETAILING THE CALIFORNIA CONDUCTOR'S EXCURSION: A SUPERB, UNIQUE PIECE OF AMERICAN RAILROADIANA BY AND FOR ULTIMATE TRAIN TRAVEL ENTHUSIASTS

4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. On offer is a rare and absolutely outstanding train log detailing a nearly 10,000 mile journey around the United States. The log book measures 11 inches by 8 inches and contains 60 typewritten pages. The heavy paper cover has a small tear but otherwise, the journal is in excellent condition. E.M. Martin is the author of the California Conductor's Excursion or A Trip of 9,800 Miles. The journal was written immediately following this 1911 odyssey. In 1911, between May 2nd and June 6th, 110 railroad conductors from California boarded a California Conductors Special and embarked on an epic journey around the United States. The conductors were travelling with their wives, and were members of El Capitan division, No 115, of the Order of Railway Conductors (ORC), a labour union representing train conductors in the United States, their destination was ORC National Convention held in Jacksonville in May 1911. In that month, they would pass through 27 states and 2 foreign countries covering some 9,800 miles. The Special consisted of an Observation Car, a Dining Car, 4 Sleeping Cars and 1 Baggage Car. Altogether, they would travel on tracks owned by 17 different railroad companies. Some of the entries are quite terse: "Los Angeles May 6 Arrived here 7:30 A.M. and made a 25 min stop. Seven of us took an automobile ride through the principal parts of the city." Other entries are much more extensive, such those for New Orleans, Washington D.C. and New York City. "New Orleans May 6 Arrived here 8:30 A.M. ... A crowd of us hired a sightseeing auto and saw the principal points of interest. The longest street (also the principal street) is called Canal St. It is four miles long. The highest part of the city is three feet below the level of the sea. We saw the Post Office building (the cornerstone of which Henry Clay laid), Liberty Monument and the Old St. Louis Hotel. ... Don Pedro, Emperor of Brazil was once its guest. Henry Clay was banqueted here on one occasion at a cost of $20,000. Ex President McKinley was banqueted here on his first visit to New Orleans while Governor or Ohio. ... While the Hotel was used as the State Capital, Gen Phil Sheridan, during the troublesome period of reconstruction, drove out the Legislature in session at the point of the bayonet. ..."; "Washington May 11 ... we had no time to lose as the reception (at the White House) was from five to six... From the reception hall we were ushered out upon the lawn, in single file, in the President's private grounds, where we were presented to the President and Mrs. Taft, who stood upon the lawn waiting to welcome us.... One of the guards served Mrs. Taft and she drank with us. ... After luncheon, the waiters passed cigars to the men ... While being served, the President sat upon a lawn seat talking ..." He describes in detail the rooms they visited in the White House as well as other places of interest in the city. They spent several days in New York City and toured extensively. Martin has a sharp eye for detail as this example illustrates: "... One of the main parlours is trimmed in dark Spanish Oak with tapestry panels. The ceiling is decorated with beautiful paintings. In the Louis XVI Dining Room, the wainscoting and pilasters are of Circassian walnut, enclosing panels of golden silk tapestry..." His descriptions in many cases conjure up images of old sepia-coloured photographs: "El Paso May 4th. Here, in El Paso, we saw for the first time, a street car water wagon. We saw the big smelter and the old adobe houses where the Mexicans lived. Between two and three thousand 'insurrectos' were camped just across the river. The hillsides sand gulches were lined with their camps which were very poor. Red Mexican blankets were seen all over the hillsides. Some of the men were bathing in the river; others were washing their clothes. They all seemed very poorly clad. ...". Thousands of Mexicans flew to El Paso, and the United States, following the Mexican Revolution in 1910, which started with insurrection of several states in northern Mexico. It started the first large wave of Mexican immigration into the United States. "Detroit May 24th. ... Visited Garhartts Glove and Overall Factory. Here we saw them cut fifty-four pair of overalls at one time with an electric cutter. The head cutter gets from $25 to $35 per week. Workers at the machines get $10 a week. They work by the piece. ..." The journey finished back in San Francisco at 7:00 A.M. on June 6th. This is a rare and superb look at life communities all around the United States at one moment in time. Historians and geographers will find in it a goldmine of information and observations. Martin is a very good writer and a keen observer. This Journal can serve as an excellent benchmark for any number of comparisons, whether, historical, geographic (the Salton Sea for example), economic or social. Whether large industrial cities or small communities, across the south or up the Atlantic seaboard, Martin lets his reader have a window seat on this epic journey around America.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Very Good

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