Wrecking Car Company No. 1, Sacramento, Log Book, 10/15/1876 to 05/24/1895

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Summary

Title:
Wrecking Car Company No. 1, Sacramento, Log Book
Dates:
10/15/1876 to 05/24/1895
Creators:
Douglas, Phil, fl. 1880
Abstract:
This log book is an overview of the “wrecking” calls that Douglas and his crew answered. Whenever a railway car would topple off the track or otherwise have an accident, the wrecking car would arrive to remove debris, right the car, or make repairs. Some details are included regarding cargo that was left in freight trains, casualties (and in some cases, corpses), and probable cause of wrecks. Occasionally Douglas would include information about the crew’s leisure time (see entry #181) or a particularly intensive job, such as when the crew responded to the explosion of the steamer “Julia” at a south Vallejo wharf (entry #209). Page 89 lists the past and present members of the wrecking crew.
Containers:
Box: B001620
Folder: C058481
Extent:
3.0 folders Folder 1: typewritten log, 176 pages. Folder 2: reproduction of log. Folder 3: reproduction of log.
Language:
Preferred citation:

Wrecking Car Company No. 1, Sacramento, Log Book. The Society of California Pioneers.

Background

Scope and content:

This log book is an overview of the “wrecking” calls that Douglas and his crew answered. Whenever a railway car would topple off the track or otherwise have an accident, the wrecking car would arrive to remove debris, right the car, or make repairs. Some details are included regarding cargo that was left in freight trains, casualties (and in some cases, corpses), and probable cause of wrecks. Occasionally Douglas would include information about the crew’s leisure time (see entry #181) or a particularly intensive job, such as when the crew responded to the explosion of the steamer “Julia” at a south Vallejo wharf (entry #209). Page 89 lists the past and present members of the wrecking crew.

Container List: Folder 1: typewritten log, 176 pages 10/15/1876-05/24/1895. Folder 2: reproduction of log (#1). Folder 3: reproduction of log (#2).

Biographical / historical:

Phil Douglas was the Master Car Repairman for Wrecking Car Company No. 1 out of Sacramento from at least 1876 to 1895. No other biographical details are known.

Acquisition information:
Donor and date of acquisition unknown.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Carolee Gilligan Wheler
Date Prepared:
08/14/2003
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2014-04-24T14:08-0700

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection open for research.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions on access.

Preferred citation:

Wrecking Car Company No. 1, Sacramento, Log Book. The Society of California Pioneers.

Location of this collection:
300 Fourth Street
San Francisco, CA 94107, US
Contact:
(415) 957-1849 ext. 160
mmdevine@californiapioneers.org
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