An American Millionaire’s Trip.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 7, 19 January 1905, Page 3

An American Millionaire’s Trip.

Mr Charles J. Glidden, the American millionaire, now engaged in a tour of the world on his motor-cat, arrived at Auckland on Wednesday from Fiji, and will visit the South Island shortly. After “doing” Maoriland,. the venturesome American proceeds to Melbourne, and thence to Sydney. Mr W. E. Fisher the secretary of the Automobile Club of Australia, receives letters by every mail from Mr Glidden showing his progress, and to a representative of the Sydney Daily Telegraph Mr Fisher recently gave some interesting particulars of Mr Glidden’s tour. The “ world-girdling motorist,” as Mr Glidden is termed, has, according to Mr Fisher, already covered over 32,000 miles on his car, which is fitted with D n< p tyres, and he is ac??n'panied throughout the trip by his wife, a mechanic, and two typewriters. Within thirty days of his ar-ivafip Auckland he expects to drive his car into Sydney and be welcomed by the local Automobile Club. Mr Glidden is having some extraordinary experiences during the tour, part of which—from Minneapolis to Vancouver—he accomplished on a railroad track, the wheels being taken off the car, and special wheels to run on the rails being fitted. A railway guard accompanied the car on thia part of the trip, Mr Glidden obtaining permission ' to use the rails, and run his car through as a “ special train.” He was sixty hours on the rails, and during that period averaged thirty miles an hour, the total distance covered being 1803 miles. The grand total of miles covered by him in America was 3536. The other countries driven in up te September 18th and the mileage were as follows:—Austria 627 miles, Bavaria 295, Belgium 160, Bohemia 315, Canada 1251, Denmark 306, England 2639, France 4565, Germany 1546, Holland 435, Ireland 1510, Italy 508, Scotland 200, Spain 30, Sweden 1540, Switzerland 1097, United States 2612, Wales 427.

The countries yet to be visitd by Mr Glidden and his party are :— Algeria, China, Ceylon, East Indies, Egypt, Fiji, Greece, Hawaii, Hungary, India, Japan, Palestine, Portugal, Sicily, Tripoli, and Tunis.

Mr Glidden was the first motorist to cross the Arctic Circle in a motor-car, in Augnst, 1903, and also to drive on railway tracks. Mr Glidden expects to leave Australia by boat from Sydney at the end of March or beginning of April, and from there he goes to Batavia.