My Dearest Mother - 1902: Letters from Canada and USA 1902 - Couverture souple

Brewin, Ella

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1976943825 ISBN 13 : 9781976943829

Editeur : Independently published, 2018

Synopsis

This is Ella’s second journey to Canada in 1902. Crossing the Atlantic with her two brothers the ship breaks down twice and a passenger is washed overboard in rough seas. On arriving in Ottawa her brother Frank marries Amea, the daughter of Hon. Andrew George Blair (Canadian Minister of Railroads & Canals). Ella stays with the Blairs and then in July she left Ottawa for a fortnight's trip with Mr. Blair who had to inspect the railways. He took one of his daughters, a gentleman friend, his secretary & Ella. The party travelled in Mr Blair’s private Pullman car, which was one of several extremely luxurious cars made Duke and Duchess of York. Wherever they stopped, the party found carriages or government yachts at their disposal. They saw the famous “Reversible Falls” where the St John river meets the Bay of Fundy. Ella spent a fortnight’s yachting with the German Consul along the east coast & visited the fashionable American watering places, Newport, Barharbour, Narraganset etc. at Marblehead there were 1,030 yachts in the harbour. Having decided to go to Jamaica she unexpectedly receives an invitation from the Blairs to join them on a trip across Canada to the Pacific Coast, down to San Francisco and back via Salt Lake City and Chicago. She jumped at the opportunity! They were a party of eight, including the family Physician, the Secretary, the Chinaman cook “Chung", & the French-Canadian porter. The private car was attached to the end of regular trains, dropping off whenever they chose. On the first day they nearly ran onto a trestle bridge which had just given way owing to a landslide. At Sault St Marie, Mr Clergue, an American Millionaire, showed the party over his great steel works, huge pulp mills, and paper factory. On his yacht, they went through the Canal connecting Lake Superior & Lake Huron and & spoke to a diver through the telephone attached to his helmet. After passing Regina the Capital of the N.W. Territories, it began to be very hot and the line steadily ascended. At Calgary, at dawn, they had the first peep of the Rocky Mountains, with the sun rise shining on their snow-capped peaks. They started to feel the altitude on the way to Banff. They got over 10,000 ft. (3048 metres) and learned how to take things easily but they had the most exciting of all travelling experiences, a ride on the cowcatcher descending 1,140ft in 8 miles. October in Vancouver is the best month, with its brilliant yellow and red tints. The Government “S.S. Quadra” took them to Victoria the capital of B.C. and they had a grand luncheon given in their honour, and afterwards were received by the Governor, followed later by a dinner party at Government House. From Vancouver they headed to Seattle and Portland. Seattle was about the roughest town in the States being the chief port from Alaska. After Portland they arrived at Oakland opposite San Francisco. Here the Doctor administered cocaine to remove cinder specks from Ella’s eyes. They continued through Santa Barbara to Los Angeles but found it all too hot and dusty. They returned to San Francisco and had tour around Chinatown. Ella’s description of the suffocating cellars and tenements is fascinating. The watched a Chinese theatre and visited an opium den. They began the return journey to Salt Lake City. They had great trouble with the high altitude and stopped for a few minutes at Truckee, the worst place in the States, 27 saloons in the one small street. On the next leg of the journey, before reaching Denver, the highest point was 10,418 feet (3175 metres) and they were all breathless with headaches and nosebleeds. In Chicago, they were met by Mr Blair’s brother and his wife who took them to the Lake Forest Golf Club (the Onwentsia). Finally, the party arrives back in Ottawa. Ella departed for Boston on Tuesday, 11th November 1902 where she boarded the SS Admiral Farragut to Jamaica.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Independently published
• Date d'édition: 2018
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1976943825
• ISBN 13: 9781976943829
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 122
• Éditeur: Holme James
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Manufactured by Amazon on behalf of the author; https://www.amazon.fr/hz/contact-us; ; c/o Amazon Media EU S.à.r.l., 38 Avenue John F. Kennedy; Luxembourg; L-1855; Luxembourg