Happy July 4th, Americans! As you know, The Autopian is largely an American website, except for our British, Australian, Canadian, and Dutch regular contributors and other freelancers from around the globe, but still, American enough that the site will mostly be on vacation today to celebrate our freedom from those cruel Britons who wanted to put extra “u”s in our words and make our beer all tepid. We showed them!
So, yes, today we’re off, except for Thomas, our Canadian, who will be putting up some stories today as penance for being part of the Commonwealth. Besides, we gave him Canada Day off and he spent that in a hot tub full of maple syrup, I think. So he can help out today.
Even if you’re not American I hope you’ll have a dazzling day regardless, and I think I’ll use this platform to put out the word about a very American thing I’d like to do, and haven’t had much luck making it happen:
I want to see, in person, one of the earliest American automobiles: The Dudgeon Red Devil from 1855.
Richard Dudgeon was an engineer snd inventor, having invented the hydraulic jack (his company is still around!). He lived on Long Island, New York, and while there built his first steam-powered automobile, the Red Devil, around 1855. He’d drive the thing to and from work! But it freaked people out.
His original steam carriage burned in the Crystal Palace Fire of 1858, so he built another one, in 1866. He also realized these early automobiles were not a good business opportunity at the time:
Above I have given a good wood engraving of my last steam carriage, as a number have expressed interest or curiosity in it.
After seventeen years of effort and conviction of its utility, I have learned that it is not fashionable, or that people are not ready for it.
Without any patent about it, it will go all day on any good wagon road, carrying ten people at 14 miles an hour, with 70 pounds of steam, the pump on the fire door open, if desired. One barrel of anthracite coal is required to run at this speed for four hours. It weighs 3,700 pounds with water and fire to run one hour. It will go 20 miles in an hour on a good road. It is perfectly manageable in the most crowded streets.”
That’s a shame, because the man was way, way ahead of his time.
But back to my quest: the 1866 automobile still exists! And it’s not even that far from me, because it’s in the collection of the Smithsonian!
The National Museum of American History has it, and it was on display at some point, but it seems to be in storage now. I’d like to see it, examine it, write about it, take many pictures, maybe do a video about it, but my inquiry to the museum from April of last year has never been responded to.
So I’m putting the call out there today, on America’s birthday: does anyone have any contacts or pull at the Smithsonian? This is very likely the oldest existing American automobile, and I feel like it deserves to be better known! Who can help?
Anyway, thanks in advance, and have a fantastic holiday! Eat a crapton of hot dogs!
You need to go straight to the top and contact Steve Smithsonian himself, not one of his underlings!
Take the rest of the day off, Torch.
Seems like the copy editor did too. Second sentence of P1 kinda long ????
I plan to celebrate America’s freedom from tyranny by going to look at a British car owned by zee Germans. No, really. 2018 Countryman S 🙂
And also pledging to increase my contributions to charity because they’re going to need it sooner than later.
Right on, fellow citizen. That was my New Year’s resolution this past January, for the exact same reason. I started supporting a variety of charities (like Goodwill, the American Cancer Society, Red Cross, etc.) and joined my local Rotary Club.
That’s a great idea. I hope you get access.
Thanks Torch! Appreciate the effort on National Party Day…