Motoring Round the World.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7713, 16 January 1905, Page 2

Motoring Round the World.

AN INTERESTING TOUB< Some interesting particulars of the first tour round the world ever undertaken in a motor car were g*therod by an Auckland Herald re/»orte» on- Thursday in the count* of a chat with Mr Chan. J. GlhMen, ot Boston, U.S.A., who nrrivad on the previous day from Fiji. Mr (Jliddeii is accompanied by his wife and Mr Chats. Thomae|. engineer, of London. They commenced their world's tour in 1901, storting from London aiul driving only (luring the (rtiromer months, TTiey have travelled through England, Scotland, Irejland, Wales, most of the countrle* of Europe, and across North Amtrlcu. lUp to date they have driven 20,203 miles iin 20 countries'. and tilj great* ;ost distances being 4585 ingles In 'France, 2630 miles in England, and 2612 miles in the United States, | They were the first to cross the | Arctic Circle in a motor ear after a drive of 1510 miles in Sweden. A REMARKABLE JOURNEV. | The crossing of the American c.mI Uncut from Boston to Vancouver, I which was accomplished in Septdtel'x'r last-, was one of the nunt fnlepcsting incidents of Mr and MruOiidden'S tour, Tho distance from Minneapolis to Vancouver, some 1803. miles, was traversed upon the track* Jot Uie Soo and Canadian PaaiAc railway lines. Kail way wheels were substituted for the usual rubber wheels, tho tAeerltig gear, locked, and the car was driven as .a special train •»- under train orders, 96 of which wero issued.- Tho party were not restricted as to speed, and they found 85 to 40 miles an hour easy. For one mile a maximum speed equal to 60 [miles! an hour won attained). On one stretch near Vancouver 25 miles worn covered in 35 minutes, including six slow-downs. 'Hie only incident ap preaching on accident was am occasion on which the car struck an obstruction loft across the raiia near a highway crossing by tt | startled farmer who, on hearing tin car coming, dropped tt plank which he was holding and ran to hold hla jhorses,, thinking, us he said, that the presence of iho plank on the rails would do no harm. The car, which was going at the rate of 40 mile* an hour, bounded into the air on |Stril«ing the plank; but, fortunately, | c '™ en , °» Ul « rails again with, out sustaining any sorious damage. " Mr Ulidden and party have visited some 6000 cities, towns, and settlements, and although they haw driven such a long distance they have never travelled over the nam* rood twice, except in Fiji, whore a , " ~f 2<K) milos were covered. J l«ey will leave for ltotorua this Wolltaw' "'*? Wi " driv ° tlM ' nco to Mellmffton, by way of Taupo, J.'api« tr - mid Wanganui. They will then cross to the South Island, and tr*vel through Nelson, tho West toast and through the Otlr. nS C ? n^ ri>ur i' H't-nco on it tho Wu!l. Th o B , u(r Mr Oiiddcn states, is tho most sou^ tantnr W ° rld ifl which «• i 00,1 Bl l )resent '*> driven, , , urriV( " K ih w> Jhe will b« . able to claim the honour of having mosT n n Car .^ l both Most and southernmost. portions of the globe in which the modern veti'w ° ,m 1,0 b '' ougi,t into requisU MOTORIC PARTIES.

Mr Midden considers that at no distant time each mall steamer arriving from Sun Francisco to Auetw land should tie bringing at least Oi dozen motoring parties, each with its own car. He states that he has ao complished his long journey without u single serious accident, Ufa rar tires average about 2200 miles. and tlu front tires nlmut 7CMK) miles for u single puncture, awl this, ho points out. is very Natisfactnrv. coosulmng that in the lirst year of the \°" r ht got a puncture for every or .jOo miles. A moderate amount of ordinary luggage is cat* • iid <lll the car, nnd heavier !>««. gage is sont ahead by train or steamer. Th o party are equipped with ruiVber wits nnd blanket* lor. wet tluys, and with the excellent nr. 1 ungcmcnts they, havo made the* have found the Join nej ings throurti the muuy lands visits lU okt enjoy* Ohio and intoroh-tin^. '"-ttving NYh Zealand Mr and Mis (■"■ddeii will go through the Au*tiuliun States, and ' afterwards through India, China, Japan. I>ale»tine, and other Heastern countries, -Noitli and South Africa, and .South' America. This extensive Itinerary, Mr (.lidden culculates, will till in the better part of Uu> summer month* of th« next Iho voui's, l»y tlvo time that his long and interesting tour has beiii brought (o an end ho expoets to have covered fully 40,000 miles in his car.