She left for Utica The Syracuse Post reported on November 8, 1894, that Annie left Syracuse the previous day, paced by Ross French of the Centuries Cycling Club. However, the Sunday Journal of Utica reported on November 11 that she arrived in Utica on the tenth, having ridden forty-eight miles that day from DeWitt. De Witt is just a few miles east of Syracuse. The Utica Daily Press also reported that Annie arrived on the tenth from East Syracuse. Perhaps Annie did leave Syracuse on November 7, only to remain a few miles out of town in De Witt until the tenth, or the Post simply got the story wrong.
announced the arrival “A ‘Dead Broke’ Girl,” Utica Sunday Journal, 11 November 1894, 1. Annie had at least one trunk with her belongings that she shipped from point to point.
“a tramp” “Miss Londonderry the Cyclist,” Utica Sunday Tribune, 11 November 1894.
Frank Lenz “Where is Cyclist Lenz?” Utica Sunday Journal, 11 November 1894, 1.
Lenz was already dead David Herlihy, Bicycle: The History (Yale University Press, 2004), 255.
“Everybody ought to be present” “A ‘Dead Broke’ Girl,” Utica Sunday Journal, 11 November 1894, 1.
boarded a train “Paragraphs for the Wheelmen,” Utica Observer, 12 November 1894. Annie’s eastbound trip through New York State was one of the last pieces of the puzzle I put together, making a road trip to upstate New York in December 2004 to do some research. I was quite sure Annie had passed through Schenectady because it was on the New York L.A.W. route and though Annie was headed eastbound in November of 1894, I worked my way westbound simply because driving from Boston, Schenectady was the first place I reached. I spent a full morning at the Schenectady County Public Library going through microfilm, and, in the case of the Schenectady Gazette, a very fragile volume of original newspapers that crumbled when touched. To my disappointment, I found absolutely nothing about Annie in Schenectady. Around midday, I hit the New York State Thruway going west towards Utica and decided to exit the Thruway near Fonda, a town I knew to be on the main cycling route between New York and Chicago. I was playing a hunch. I followed Route 5 West to Palatine Bridge, then crossed the Mohawk River into Canajoharie, also a name I recalled from the L.A.W. “Tour Book.” Canajoharie is a small town on the banks of the Mohawk dominated by a huge Beech-Nut Food plant. At the post office I asked for directions to the public library. At this point, I was primarily in the business of hunting down articles about Annie in the larger city newspapers, but for the fun of it I thought I’d see whether she had managed to find her way into a small town newspaper in Canajoharie, if, indeed, a newspaper was even being published there in 1894. As it turned out, the Canajoharie Public Library had the Canajoharie Courier on microfilm for 1894 tucked away in a gray metal filing cabinet. But the library’s lone microfilm reader was in a state of advanced disrepair. The film had to be advanced by hand, and the illumination left a lot to be desired. I knew Annie was likely in the vicinity of Canajoharie in mid-November, and since the Courier was a weekly, I only had to examine two or three issues. Within a few minutes I found a small article about Annie and immediately understood why I had come up empty in Schenectady. The article reported she had taken the train from Utica to Albany. When I arrived at the Utica Public Library later the same day, I found articles from the Utica newspapers also reporting Annie had left town by train for Albany. By doing my research on her eastbound trip while traveling west myself, I had unwittingly fallen into a research trap Annie had set for me 110 years ago. Had I gone to Utica first, I could have skipped Schenectady, as she had, because I would have known she had taken the train to Albany. But, then again, I would have missed the thrill of bumping into Annie’s ghost in Canajoharie.
Chapter Four: Le Voyage de Miss Londonderry
“Le Voyage de Miss Londonderry”Le Jour (Paris), 4 January 1895.
“a piece of France itself” http://www.greatoceanliners.net/latouraine.html, accessed March 8, 2007.
She regaled everyone she met “Transatlantic Travelers,” New York Tribune, 24 November 1894. Mr. Palmer was a partner of Marshall Field’s and was largely responsible for the development of Chicago’s State Street, including the famous Palmer House Hotel. Mrs. Palmer, the former Bertha Honoré, sometimes called “the Queen of Chicago high society,” was a patron of the arts and had been president of the Board of Lady Managers of the World Columbian Exposition, the world’s fair that had graced Chicago the year before.
her ivory and gold Sterling Annie’s journey was reported in the French cycling press at least as early as November 1894. In one report, her white Sterling “with threads of gold” was described as “a veritable work of art.” (“Miss Annie Londonderry,” Les Journal de Vélocipédistes, November 1894.)
“earned 150 Francs” “Around the World on a Bicycle,” New York Sunday World, 20 October 1895, 29.
arrived at Le Havre Except for a short time during the Civil War, passports were not required of U.S. citizens traveling abroad before World War I. It appears from indeces maintained by the National Archives that Annie did not apply for a passport.
listed among the ship’s arrivals “Passengers on La Touraine,” Journal de Havre, 2–3 December 1894, 3
impounded her bicycle “Le Tour du Monde d’une Américaine Sans Argent,” Le Figaro (Paris), 7 December 1894.
“in a predicament” “Around the World on a Bicycle,” New York Sunday World, 20 October 1895, 29. According to her granddaughter, Mary Levy Goldiner, Annie did not speak French. Several French newspapers also noted that she did not speak French. See, e.g., “Le Tour du Monde à Bicyclette,” Journal de Valence, 7–8 January 1895, p. 2.
“printed a large placard” “Around the World on a Bicycle,” New York Sunday World, 20 October 1895, p. 29.
The Paris where Annie arrived Annie’s arrival in Paris was noted in the New York Times though it wasn’t until December 23 that the Times reported: “Miss Londonderry, the round-the-world wheelwoman…has reached Paris.” Cycling Life reported Annie’s arrival in Paris on 3 January 1895, almost a full month after her arrival there.
“In a short time” “All Paris A-Wheel,” Arsène Alexandre, Scribner’s Magazine, August 1895, 195.
in rode Annie French roads were generally far better for cycling in the 1890s than American roads. In 1891, there were 328,000 miles of paved roads in France. By 1904, only 154,000 miles of American roads were paved. Of course, a paved road is not always ideal for cycling. For example, cobblestone roads would make for a very uncomfortable ride, far worse than an unpaved road of hard packed dirt. Nevertheless, French roads generally were superior for cycling.
“is now in Paris” “Miss Londonderry,” Boston Daily Globe, 5 January 1895, 4 (quoting the European edition of the New York Herald).
“muscles and nerve” “24,000 Kilomètres avec un Soul,” Unidentified newspaper clipping in Goldiner Scrapbook.
“is not of their race” “Causerie,” Le Progrès Illustre (Lyon), 13 January 1895.
“her boyish charms” “Chronique Lyonnaise,” La Revue Vélocipédique, 14 January 1895, 33.
“Mannish” “Le Tour du Monde d’une Américaine Sans Argent,” Le Figaro, 7 December 1894.
“a young boy” “Le Tour du Monde en Bicyclette,” Le Jour (Paris), 14 December 1894, p. 1. One cycling journal said nearly the same thing: “Miss Londonderry could easily be taken for, at first sight, a young man rather than a young woman…” (“Le Tour du Monde a Bicylette,” La Revue Vélocipédique, 4 January 1895, 8.)
“a Herculian build” “Vélocipédie,” Le Nouvelliste (Melun), 3 January 1895, 3.
any interest in romance “Causerie,” Le Progrès Illustre (Lyon), 13 January 1895.
“an orphan” “Le Tour du Monde en Bicyclette,” Le Jour (Paris), 14 December 1894, p. 1.
a law student “Le Tour du Monde en Bicyclette,” Le Jour (Paris), 14 December 1894, p. 1.
a doctorate of law “Le Tour du Monde d’une Américaine Sans Argent,” Le Figaro (Paris), 7 December 1894.
a medica
l student “Les Aventures de Miss Londonderry,” Le Petit Marsaillais, 16 January 1895, 2.
a businesswoman “Le Tour du Monde d’une Américaine Sans Argent,” Le Figaro (Paris), 7 December 1894.
an accountant “Le Tour du Monde d’une Américaine Sans Argent,” Le Figaro (Paris), 7 December 1894.
a reporter “Le Tour du Monde d’une Américaine Sans Argent,” Le Figaro (Paris), 7 December 1894.
a wealthy heiress Les Aventures de Miss Londonderry,” Le Petit Marsaillais, 16 January 1895, 2.
the founder of a newspaper “Le Tour du Monde d’une Américaine Sans Argent,” Le Figaro (Paris), 7 December 1894.
the cousin of a United States congressman These claims were reported by a French journalist who provided the story to Le Progrés de Saigon, 14 February 1895.
“truly a miracle”Le Petit Marseillais, a Marseilles newspaper, reported that Annie “wounded her attacker with two revolver shots” and that the man was arrested and sent to prison for two years. (“Les Aventures de Miss Londonderry,” 16 January 1895, 2.)
“quite the rage” “Around the World on a Bicycle,” New York Sunday World, 20 October 1895, 29. See also, “The New Woman on a Tour,” San Francisco Examiner, 24 March 1895, 8 (“I became the advertising rage in Paris, and was well paid for the work I did.”)
a five day indoor bicycle race Item, Echo de Paris, 8 December 1894.
The race was cancelled “Poor Miss Londonderry!” New York Herald (Paris Edition), 9 December 1894, 3.
“Not one in a hundred” “Around the World on a Bicycle,” New York Sunday World, 20 October 1895, 29.
“keep that flag” “Around the World on a Bicycle,” New York Sunday World, 20 October 1895, 29.
Annie left Paris Item, Le Petit Parisien, 29 December 1894.
“Please show her the way” “Les Aventures de Miss Londonderry,” Le Petit Marsaillais, 16 January 1895, 2.
“half-frozen riders” “Miss Londonderry,” La Bicylette, 4 January 1895, 4156.
local cyclists from Melun “Vélocipédie,” Le Nouvelliste (Melun), 3 January 1895, 3.
“known under the pseudonym” Item, L’Abeille de Fontainebleau, 4 January 1895, 1.
“By the bye” “A Lady Cyclist,” The Egyptian Gazette, 26 January 1895.
“spattered with mud” “Voyage à Travers le Monde en Bicyclette,” La Parole de Nemours, 5 January 1895, 1.
“in a very good state” “Sur la Route de Chine,” Le Vélo (Paris), 3 January 1895.
a box of chocolates “Sur la Route de Chine,” Le Vélo (Paris), 4 January 1895.
“a hospitable family” “Le Tour du Monde á Bicylette,” Le Cosnois (Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire), 5 January 1895, 2.
Velocipedic Union of France Throughout her trip through France Annie’s travel was facilitated by the U.V.F. and its members.
“the deplorable state of the routes” “Sur la Route de Chine,” Le Vélo (Paris), 4 January 1895. None of the eight newspapers publishing in Nevers, one of the major towns before Lyon, mentions Annie’s presence there, and Lyon Vélo, a cycling periodical, reported, with some sarcasm, that she arrived by train. (“[The train] goes faster and fatigues less,” said Lyon Vélo.) Why the Lyon dailies didn’t mention that Annie had arrived by train is not known; she may well have tried to elide that fact by slipping into town late.
“She had just enough time” “Miss Annie Londonderry,” Salut Public (Lyon), 5 January 1895, 2.
three Lyon wheelmen “Sur la Route de Chine,” Le Vélo (Paris), 8 January 1895, 1.
well below freezing “Miss Londonderry,” Lyon Vélo, 12 January 1895, 2. One presumes the temperature was given in Celsius. Five below zero would be twenty-three degrees Fahrenheit.
on to Vienne “Sur la Route de Chine,” Le Vélo (Paris), 8 January 1895, 1.
arrived in Valence “Sur la Route de Chine,” Le Vélo (Paris), 8 January 1895, 1.
“her valiant enthusiasm” “Le Tour du Monde à Bicylette,” Journal de Valence, 7–8 January 1895, 2.
“Her endurance is remarkable” “Le Tour du Monde à Bicyclette: Miss Londonderry à Valence,” Journal de Valence, 9 January 1895, 2.
the Achilles tendon “Sur la Route de Chine,” Le Vélo (Paris), 8 January 1895, 1.
“It is a man’s bicycle” “Miss Londonderry,” Journal de Valence, 10 January 1895, 2.
“Pray do wait” Handwritten note on the back of a business card from l’Hôtel de la Tête d’Or in Goldiner Scrapbook.
“likes French men” “Le Tour du Monde à Bicyclette: Miss Londonderry à Valence,” Journal de Valence, 9 January 1895, 2.
on the morning of January 10 “Miss Londonderry,” Lyon Vélo, 12 January 1895, 2; “Sport Vélocipédique: Miss Londonderry,” Messager de Valence, 9 January 1895, 2; “De Valence a Orange avec Miss Londonderry,” Messager de Valence, 12 January 1895, 3.
“To explain to you “De Valence a Orange avec Miss Londonderry,” Messager de Valence, 12 January 1895, 3. Twenty kilometers an hour would have been an excellent pace even for a rider without an injury.
the Cercle Musicale Item, New York Clipper, 2 February 1895, 771.
“will pass through Avignon” Item, Mistral (Avignon), 9 January 1895, 3.
“redoubling their zeal” “Sport Vélocipédique,” La Semaine Mondaine, 9 January 1895, 1.
“Hip! Hip!” “Voyage Autour du Monde,” L’Echo de Jour, 13 January 1895, 2.
“stocked with drinks” “Sport Vélocipédique,” Le Semaine Mondaine, 16 January 1895, 2.
reached Salon de Provence “Une Bicycliste Qui Fait le Tour du Monde,” Le Petit Marsaillais, undated newspaper clipping in Goldiner Scrapbook.
“One night I had an encounter” “Around the World on a Bicycle,” New York Sunday World, 20 October 1895, 29.
“the elite of the French nation” Unidentified Marseilles newspaper clipping in Goldiner Scrapbook.
“When she left for Marseilles” “Les Adventures de Miss Londonderry,” Le Petit Marsaillais, 16 January 1895, 2.
“nothing stops me” “Miss Londonderry, Distributrice de Prospectus,” Le Petit Provençal, undated newspaper clipping in Goldiner Scrapbook.
visitation hours Item, Le Petit Provençal, 19 January 1895, p. 2.
“a huge swarm of ants” “Le Départ de Miss Londonderry,” Le Petit Provençal, 21 January 1895, 2.
Chapter Five: A Girl Globe-Trotter
“A Girl Globe Trotter”Washington Post, 14 April 1895.
a trip made miserable “A Tramp to Strauss,” El Paso Daily Herald, 26 June 1895, 1.
In India “Miss Londonderry,” El Paso Daily Herald, 27 June 1895.
the company of German royalty “Around the World on a Bicycle,” New York Sunday World, 20 October 1895, 29.
Nearly killed “Miss Londonderry,” El Paso Daily Herald, 27 June 1895.
She rode overland “She Rides a Wheel,” San Francisco Chronicle, 24 March 1895, 20.
to keep from being molested “Won a $10,000 Purse,” New York Recorder, 29 September 1895.
Caught up in the Sino-Japanese War “Around the World on a Bicycle,” New York Sunday World, 20 October 1895, 29.
She endured freezing nights “Around the World on a Bicycle,” New York Sunday World, 20 October 1895, 29.
she logged thousands of miles There was, and is, no governing body to establish guidelines for what constitutes a crossing of the continent by bicycle, or, indeed, a circuit of the earth. No rider of the time literally rode across every inch of the country, or pedaled a continuous circuit. Bicycles sometimes had to be hauled over rough terrain, walked along impassable roads, or carried as the rider waded through water.
After leaving Marseilles “A Lady Cyclist,” Egyptian Gazette, 26 January 1895. Nearly two months later, on March 22, The Referee, a cycling magazine, would report, “Miss Londonderry, who was last heard from at Alexandria, Egypt, succeeded in raising 1,100 francs ($220) in Marseilles before she embarked for Japan, by selling photographs and souvenirs.”
&n
bsp; “A great deal of amazement” “An Unusual Scene in the Fort,” Ceylon Examiner, 7 February 1895, p. 3.
Annie found time “The New Woman in Singapore,” Singapore Free Press, 14 February 1895.
“writes a book” Annie never did write a book.
“Astonishment, curiosity, and amusement” “The New Woman in Singapore,” Singapore Free Press, 14 February 1895.
“the lady cyclist who might have been seen” “The New Woman in Singapore,” Singapore Free Press, 14 February 1895.
the Sydney sailed to Saigon “Une Célébrité va Encore Nous Arriver, Aprés-Demain par le Sydney: C’est Miss Londonderry,” Progrés de Saigon, 14 February 1895.
sent a telegraph message “Une Célébrité va Encore Nous Arriver, Aprés-Demain par le Sydney: C’est Miss Londonderry,” Progrés de Saigon, 14 February 1895. In a related article on the same date titled “With Miss Londonderry,” the writer makes a strange statement about Annie’s arrival by steamer: “If Miss Londonderry did not come by bicycle, it is because the Hebrews perspired so much crossing the tropical regions that they [the regions] were transformed into a sea of salt water.” Did the writer know Annie was Jewish? Was this an anti-Semitic remark? It’s difficult to tell.
On the pedestal The poem and the sketch are in the Goldiner Scrapbook.
at the theater the night before Item, Le Courrier de Saigon, 18 February 1895.
“The Cyclewoman, Miss Londonderry” “Critique Théâtrale,” Le Courrier de Saigon, 18 February 1895.
“All who had the good fortune” “Miss Londonderry,” Le Courrier de Saigon, 20 February 1895, 1.
“is hardly a success” Item, Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph, 14 January 1895.
Another sour noteCycling Life’s editorial stance was decidedly chauvinistic in any event. For example, it had this to say on September 6, 1894, about the first women’s bicycle race held in the United States, at Louisville: “As a drawing card there is no doubt but that the woman’s race was a howling success. As an artistic or sporting event, it was a dismal failure. People went to see it for the same reason that they go to see living pictures, or risqué burlesques at variety theaters. Anticipated Frenchiness roused the curiosity of the rabble…We are famed the world over for the refinement, the gentleness, the beauty, the womanliness of our woman. When they engage in sports that are designed and intended for strong, athletic men, they lose their lovable qualities. It is not a pretty or an inspiring sight to see a crowd of women togged out in picturesque costumes, rushing madly over dusty roads, with eyes sunken, cheeks flushed, hair loose, and lips and tongues dry and parched. Let our wives, our sisters and sweethearts ride their wheels for the pleasure in them, but leave racing for husbands, brothers and beaux. With the advent of the women’s race will begin the decline of the bicycle as an exercise and pastime for women. Let us have no more of it.” Is it any wonder the audacious Annie, who in addition to racing around the world by bicycle was doing so on a men’s bicycle, often in a men’s riding suit covered with money-making advertisements, would fall into disfavor with the editors of Cycling Life?
Around the World on Two Wheels Page 26