Around the World in a Loco-Mobile

About a decade ago I heard a presentation at the Benjamin Temple House in Ewing about a journey around the world. That was my first introduction to the Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society located at the Benjamin Temple House on Federal City Road.

Rebecca Urban, the granddaughter of Harold Brooks, the man who kept Harriett White Fisher and her entourage safe as they travelled from Ewing to Europe to India to Japan to San Francisco and back to Ewing told the impressive tale using digitized photos he took, and a digitized, edited recording of him in 1956 (at age 68) telling a family member about the extraordinary journey that took place over 13 months from 1909-1910. Harold used to give talks with his glass slides.

This month, Rebecca repeated her talk in front of 100 people at the 1867 Sanctuary in Ewing (formerly Ewing Presbyterian Church). The extra space allowed room for spreading out early 20th century treasures, helping to bring the story the life.

The presentation started with an introduction by a man named Frank who has been researching Harriet White Fisher's life over the past 40 years. He is determined to finally publish his findings. Trouble is, every time he thinks is is just about finished, he finds out something new about her -- new letters or diaries or new facts come to life.

Harriet White was a self-promoter. She was related to Nathan Fisher, a Revolutionary War hero. She married Clark Fisher, also a distant cousin to Nathan. Even more extraordinary is that Frank is also related to Nathan making them all cousins to each other.

Harriet told perhaps some tall tales about her life that have since become part of her legend. Frank is sifting fact from fiction. She was born around 1861, and married Clark in the late 1890s. By 1899 Clark is too ill to run his anvil factory, so she runs it in order to keep the business afloat. Imagine ... a woman running such a masculine business! She bluffed her way through everything, learning how to do every job in the factory and eventually winning over the men.

In 1902 they were injured in a train wreck. It was thought she would never walk again. She moved into a suite at the Waldorf Astoria and relearned how to walk. On December 31, 1903, Clark died. She returned to the anvil factory where she worked until her death in 1939. The business grew under her watch.

She kept reinventing herself, hating the gender norms of the the era. She became a leading industrialist in her time. While she praised women who stayed home, she never had children and was not about to sit at home. 

According to Frank, no one has written a biography about her.

In 1908 three teams of men raced around the world. Not one of them did all of the driving. One group took nine years to finish. Harold Brooks was the first private citizen to drive around the world at a time when there were not always roads. He kept the car working, and shipped fuel and oil ahead to each destination since there were not always places to acquire such items along the route.

Harriet and Harold met in 1907 when he fixed her motorboat in Italy. She convinced him to leave his job with a large raise and become her mechanical engineer.

Harold, aged 22-23, was the driver, hunter, mechanic and photographer. He took
about 300 pictures. Also on the trip were the butler/cook Albert Batcheler (34) and Maria Boggia (28), the maid/caretaker. After the trip, Albert and Maria married and lived with Harriet at Bella Vista for the rest of their lives. They were accompanied by Honk-Honk, a Boston Bull Terrier. 

The trip took place in a 1908 Type A Loco-Mobile touring car. It did not have electric lights, or a self-starter. It was a right-hand drive. It was modified to have two 40 gallon gas tanks and an extra large oil reserve allowing it to travel about 400 miles. They had to carry everything they needed -- from sleeping bags to a repair kit and extra clothes. Albert was an expert packer. Boxes were always sent ahead so they would be in place when they arrived.

Once in Paris they purchased camping equipment, which came in handy. They received permission to camp in Place Vendome so they could check it out.

The talk was peppered with such details as when they left through the gates of Paris their gas levels were measured since there was a tax if the levels were higher when they returned to Paris. 

Audiences in the early 20th century must have eaten up the pictures from such far flung places. They went to a car show, and one first prize for best decorated. They participated in a race where the passenger had to carry a full glass of water during the drive -- the one with the most water in it at the end won (Harriet won). They attended a airplane meet in Italy. In 1909. The Wright Brothers' first public flight was only a year earlier.

From Genoa they shipped the car to India. Honk Honk was sent ahead to Japan. The group stopped in Cairo to see the pyramids. His pictures look like postcards in their perfection.

They moved on to Bombay, India. There were no hotels outside the big cities, so they stayed in Dak bungalos. They crossed the river in Thana. In Poona they had to pay to use the road. They met the maharaja, who they met later on in Japan.

Harold (or was it Harriet) mailed the first aerial postcard in the world from Allahad, India. This predated the US program by six months. Just another first in their list of accomplishments.

In the Bengal Jungle locals gathered around them, even though no one spoke the others' language. Everyone was curious about each other.

In Calcutta no one couple believe they drove through India, even though water, because no one had done it before.

The car was then crated and shipped to Japan. The humans took a different boat.

In Kobe, Japan they stayed at the Mikado Hotel, where they met up with the maharajah. The two groups caravanned for a while until the Maharajah grew tired of the slow pace. Fortunately they were still together when Harriet's car landed in a ditch.

After Japan, the car was shipped to San Francisco. Harriet and her group stopped off in Honolulu along the way.

Before I heard the talk, I would have thought the hard part was behind them. I would have been wrong. There were very few paved roads between California and New York, and many stretches of prairie. Also, very little food, hotels, or even gas stations. They graveled through prairies and slept in tents. They followed the Union Pacific Railroad tracks as much as possible.

In Sandusky, OH they received a speeding ticket for going over the allowed EIGHT miles per hour. In every other city they were treated with respect. Here they insisted they stay overnight for a trial, and pay a fine of $13.50.

Afterwards Rebecca answered questions.

Harold changed about 2-3 pig skin tires a day.

Harold took care of most of the repairs, but there were a couple of times he needed someone else for a larger repair.

After the trip, the company took the car back and used it as advertising. They gave her a new Loco-Mobile. The company stayed in business until about 1930.

Harold used a Kodak a3 Flex camera -- open it up, handheld, with a tiny view finder. Lantern slides were made afterwards from the film.

Harriet bought new clothes along the route because she didn't want to be seen wearing the same outfit. Maria shipped her hats and clothes back to Ewing.

They also acquired a monkey in India named Bilikins. 

Harriet often had stomach issues, so they would stop and rest along the way.

Not very long ago a German man (Frank L. Jung) bought a 1916 Loco-mobile to try to recreate part of her route starting at Lake Como.