Motoring Round the World.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12583, 21 January 1905, Page 1 (Supplement)

Motoring Round the World.

AN INTERESTING TOUR, Some interesting particulars of the first: tour round the world ever undertaken in. a, motor car weie gathered by ail 'Auckhfhd "Herald" reporter in the course of. a chat with Mr Chas. J. Glidden, of Boston, U.S.A., who arrived on the 11th from Fiji-. Mr Glidden is accompanied by his wife, and Mr Charles; Thomas, engineer,; of London. They commenced their world's tour in 1901, starting from London iand driving only through the summer months. They have travelled through England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, : mcst -of jthe countries of Europe, and iacross North , America. Up to date they have driven 20,293 miles in 20 countries, and_ the greatest distances being' 4565 miles in France, 2639 miles in England,, and 2612 miles in the United States. They were the first to cross the : Arjctic Circle in a- motor ; car after a drive of 1640 miles in Sweden. ; The crossing of the American continent from Boston to Vancouver, which was!accomplished in September ; last, was-one of the most interesting incidents of Mr and Mrs: Glidden's tour. The distance from Minneapolis to Vancouver, some 1803 miles, was traversed upon the tracks.of the Soo and Canadian Pacific railway lines. Railway wheels were substituted for the usual rubber whee?s, the steering gear locked, and the car was driven »as a special tTaii) under train orders, 96 of which were issued. The party was not restricted as to speed, and they found 35 to 40 miles an hour easy. For one mile a maximum speed equal, to 60 miles an houl- was attained. , On ono stretch near Vancouver. 25 .miles ..were covered in 35 minutes, including .six slowdowns. The only incident approaching an accident was an occasion on which the car struck an obstruction left across the rails near a highway -crossing by a startled fanner who, on hearing the car comingi dropped a plank which he was holding and ran to hold his horses, thinking, as he said, tibat the presence of the plank on the rails would d'o i?o harm. The car, which was going at the rate of 40 an hour, bounded into the air on striking the plank, but, fortunately, came down \on the rails again without sustaining any serious darriage. ' , In all Mr Glidden and party have visited some 60C0 cities, towns, and settlements, and although they have driven such a long distance they have never travelled over the same road twice, except in Fill where a total of 200 miles were covered. They go to Botorua, thence to Wellington, by way of Taupo, Napier, and Wanganui. They will then cross to the South Island, and travel through Marlborough, Nelson, the West Coast, and through the Otira Gorge to Canterbury, thence on to. Dunedin and the Bluff. The Bluff, Mr Glidden states is the most southerly point in the world in which a motor car car at present be driven. When he arrive; there he will be able A claim the honour of having driven his car -at both th( northernmost and southernmost portions o the globe in which the" modern yehicl< can be brought into requisition. Mr Glidden considers that at no distani time each mail steamer arriving from San Francisco to Auckland should be bringinj at least a dozen motoring parties, each witl its own car. He states that he has ac complished his long journey without a sin gle serious accident. His rear tyres aver age sibout 2200 miles,, and the front tye about 7000 miles for a single puncture, an< this, he points out, is very satisfactory considering that in the first year of th tour he got a puncture for every 400 o 500 miles. A moderate amount of ordinar luggage is carried on the car, and lieavie baggage is sent ahead by train or steamer The party are equipped with rubber suit and blankets for wet days, and with th excellent arrangements they have made the; have found the journeyings through th many lands visited most enjoyable and it teresting. ' „. __ After leaving New Zealand Mr ana Mi Glidden will go through the Australia

' States, and ■ afterwards through India," ;■ China, Japan, Palestine,: and other Eastern ! countriesf North and South Africa; and, f South- America. The extensive itinerary, t'Mr Glidden calculates; 'will fill in the bet- ' ter part of the summer months of the next five years, and by the time that his'long and interesting tour has been brought to an end he expects to have covered 40,000 miles" in his car. -. •