My Life in Many States and in Foreign Lands

Description

G.F.Train, reprint of autobiography of street railway pioneer, originally published in 1902; over 350pp, softback

Diary of selected events & topics described in this very exciting and readable life story:
1833 Orphaned – parents & 3 sisters died of yellow fever
1833-52 From farm-worker, grocer-boy, shipping clerk & manager, to partner in Train & Co; devises building of greatest ships to date & organised clipper service to California
1853-55 To Australia in gold-fever days; accused of piracy of $2,000,000 in gold. Offered presidency of Australian republic. Ballarat riot.
1855-56 China. Typhoon, pirates and slave-trade. Eating rats and ginger. Meets Li Hung Chang, the mandarin summoned by the emperor to save the country from the terrible Tai-ping rebellion.
1856 India, Egypt, Holy Land and Crimea.
1857-58 Building Atlantic and Great Western Railway – 400 miles. Travels to Russia to see Grand Duke Constantine, brother of the Czar.
1858-62 Building street railways in England – Birkenhead, London (arrested for manslaughter), Potteries & Darlington (also Geneva and Copenhagen).
1862 Buys London Morning Chronicle and Spectator for French Emperor. Blockade running and events of American Civil War.
1862-70 Financing and building the Union Pacific Railway; development of Far West; arranges building of 120 room Cozzens hotel in Omaha in 60 days.
1870 Organises the Ligue du Midi of the Red Republic in Marseilles; attacked by soldiers and almost shot; imprisoned, poisoned and then deported by Gambetta. Travels round world in 80 days (Jules Verne bases his book on this voyage, writing “fiction of my fact”.)
1871-72 Makes independent race for Presidency of USA against Grant and Greeby.
1872-73 Arrested for quoting the Bible; imprisoned for 15th time “without a crime”.
1890 Travels round world in 67 days (13 hours, 2 minutes and 55 seconds).
1892 Third trip round world in 60 days.
1904 Dies in reduced circumstances, having enjoyed a vast fortune, including 5000 lots in Omaha worth $30,000,000.