From Paris to New York by Land
Public-domain ebook
From Paris to New York by Land
Language: en1,098 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #26007.
About this book
The work is a travelogue that chronicles a daring early‑twentieth‑century attempt to link Paris and New York by overland routes across Europe, Siberia, and Alaska. The author, Harry De Windt, opens with a pragmatic statement of purpose, testing the feasibility of a trans‑continental railway, while noting the press sponsorship that made the expedition possible. He recounts a previous failed 1896 venture that ended on the Siberian side of the Bering Strait, describing the harsh rescue by an American revenue cutter and the subsequent hardships of scurvy, hostile natives, and scarce supplies. The narrative then shifts to the successful 1901 departure from Paris, detailing the logistical obstacles encountered in Moscow, the procurement of weapons, and the tight seasonal window for crossing the Arctic coast. The book’s structure follows the journey through detailed chapters on European and Asian passages, the Alaskan crossing, and concluding appendices with maps and glossaries.
De Windt writes in a richly descriptive, first‑person style typical of Edwardian adventure literature, blending factual reportage with personal reflection and occasional wry commentary on bureaucratic interference. The prose is peppered with contemporary references to railway companies, newspaper sponsors, and the diplomatic protocols of the era, giving the reader a vivid sense of the period’s optimism and imperial ambition. Readers who relish exhaustive accounts of exploration, historical geography, and the gritty realities of polar travel, especially those interested in the interplay of technology, politics, and frontier life, will find this detailed chronicle both informative and evocative.
Who appears in From Paris to New York by Land
- Harry De WindtMiddle‑aged European male, crisp Edwardian suit, waistcoat, pocket watch, short beard, thoughtful expression
The opening · free to read
I would reply that my primary purpose was to ascertain the feasibility of constructing a railway to connect the chief cities of France and America, Paris and New York. The European Press was at the time of our departure largely interested in this question, which fact induced the proprietors of the Daily Express of London, the Journal of Paris, and the New York World to contribute towards the expenses of the expedition. Another reason is one with which I fancy most Englishmen will readily sympathise--viz., the feat had never before been performed, and my first attempt to accomplish it in 1896 (with New York as the starting-point) had failed half way on the Siberian shores of Bering Straits.
The invaluable assistance rendered by the United States Government in the despatch of a revenue cutter to our relief on the Siberian coast is duly acknowledged in another portion of this volume, but I would here express my sincere thanks to the "Compagnie Internationale des Wagonslits" for furnishing the expedition with a free pass from Paris to the city of Irkutsk, in Eastern Siberia. In America the "Southern Pacific" and "Wabash" Lines extended the same courtesies, thus enabling us to travel free of cost across the United States, as guests of two of the most luxurious railways in the world.
45 AVENUE KLEBER, PARIS, October 1903.
The book keeps going
Keep reading, and see it illustrated
Reading is free forever. Sign up and watch scenes appear while you read.
Scenes Storieta drew for other classics.
