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IT CAN’T BE DONE, For the children of Saratoga Independent School IT CAN’T BE DONE, Published by PEACHTREE PUBLISHERS, LTD. 1700 Chattahoochee Avenue Atlanta, Georgia 30318-2112 www.peachtree-online.com ace Text © 2003 by Nancy Butcher porter’s R Illustrations © 2003 by Jen Singh A Re Rld All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or Wo transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any und the other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. ARo Cover design by Loraine M. Joyner Book design by Melanie McMahon Ives and Regina Dalton-Fischel Manufactured in China 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 by Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nancy Butcher, Nancy. It can't be done, Nellie Bly : a reporter's race around the world / written by Nancy Butcher ; illus- Butcher trated by Jen Singh. p. cm. Summary: In 1888, a young, female reporter for New York World newspaper sets out to travel around the world in fewer than eighty days, while a Cosmopolitan magazine reporter tries to beat her to the goal. ISBN 978-1-56145-289-7 / 1-56145-289-0 1. Bly, Nellie, 1864-1922--Journeys--Juvenile literature. 2. Journalists--United States--Biography-- Juvenile literature. [1. Bly, Nellie, 1864-1922. 2. Voyages and travels. 3. Journalism.] I. Singh, Jen L., 1969- ill. II. Title. PN4784.C59B88 2003 2003006306 Brindisi, Italy Hoboken, NJ Amiens, France Port Said, Egypt London, England europe north • London America • Paris & Amiens • • Asia • Brindisi San Francisco Hoboken & New York AtlAntic • San Francisco, CA OceAn Port Said & Suez • Yokohama Africa Bay of Suez • • Canton & Hong Kong PAcific Aden • Panang OceAn Colombo • indiAn • Singapore OceAn South America Aden, Yemen Yokohama, Japan Canton, China Colombo, Sri Lanka Singapore Panang, Malaysia Author’s Note Table of Contents Chapter One: A “Wild and Visionary” Idea.............1 This is a true story about Nellie Bly’s adventures. I am grateful to Brooke Kroeger for her rich and informative book, Nellie Bly: Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist. Another Chapter Two: Aboard the Augusta Victoria ................9 great source is Nellie Bly’s Around the World in 72 Days, which was her own account of her trip. Chapter Three: A Visit with Jules Verne ..................17 My book includes dialogue and thoughts attributed to Nellie Bly and others. Much of this was quoted directly from Chapter Four: A Rival for Nellie Bly........................25 Kroeger’s and Nellie Bly’s books. In a few cases, however, I took the liberty of constructing dialogue or thoughts as accu- Chapter Five: The Nellie Bly Guessing Match..........35 rately as possible from the existing record. I want to thank my wonderful editor, Lisa Banim, for sug- Chapter Six: An Unexpected Delay .........................41 gesting that I write a book about Nellie Bly. And as always, I want to thank my family, Jens and Christopher, for giving me Chapter Seven: Stuck Again.....................................49 the time and support to write. Chapter Eight: Monsoon!........................................55 Chapter Nine: An Unusual Christmas .....................61 Chapter Ten: “For Nellie Bly We’ll Win or Die” ....69 Chapter Eleven: Three Thousand Miles to Go!........75 Chapter Twelve: “The Best Reporter in America”...81 More About the Nellie Bly Story .............................89 CHAPTER ONE A “Wild and Visionary” Idea ack in the year 1888, there were several big news- papers in New York City. One of them was called TheB New York World. A reporter named Nellie Bly worked for The New York World. But she was no ordinary reporter. For one thing, Nellie Bly was young. She was just twenty-four years old. For another thing, she was a woman. In those days, very few women wrote for newspapers. The ones who did usually wrote about “ladylike” subjects such as tea parties and charity balls. Instead, Nellie Bly wrote about the social problems of her time. These social problems had nothing to do with parties and balls. She wrote about factory workers who were treated badly at their jobs. She wrote about poor people who didn’t have heat in their apartment IT CAN’T BE DONE, NELLIE BLY! A “Wild and Visionary” Idea buildings on cold winter days. She wrote about crooked But back then, there were no airplanes. People usu- politicians who took illegal bribes. ally got around by trains, horse-drawn carriages, and If Nellie Bly felt that a story should be told, nothing wagons. Traveling twenty-two thousand miles in eighty kept her from telling it. She didn’t mind risking her days sounded impossible to most people. safety or even her life to research and write that story. By 1888, no real person had come close to matching Of course, not everyone was happy with Nellie Bly. Phileas Fogg’s pretend record in Around The World in “A woman shouldn’t be writing about such things!” Eighty Days. That gave Nellie Bly her “wild and vision- some said. ary” idea. “She should be stopped!” said others. She studied dozens of ship routes and schedules. She But Nellie Bly was unstoppable. She was fearless and considered the new railroad that stretched all the way stubborn. If someone told her, “It can’t be done, Nellie across North America, from California to New Jersey. Bly,” she went right ahead and did it anyway. She decided that Phileas Fogg’s record could be One day, Nellie Bly came up with a story idea that beaten. And that she was just the person to do it! went beyond anything she had ever written. Even she Nellie Bly talked to the editors in charge of The described it as “too wild and visionary.” World. She asked them if they would let her go on this Fifteen years earlier, a French science fiction writer dangerous and difficult journey. She said that she could named Jules Verne had published a novel called Around write articles about it along the way and send them The World in Eighty Days. In it, an adventurous man back to The World to be published. She told them that named Phileas Fogg travels around the world in eighty readers were sure to be interested in her journey. And days. she reminded them that more readers would mean Today, with super-fast airplanes like the Concorde more newspaper sales for The World. jet, a person can get from New York City to Paris, As it turned out, the editors of The World had already France in just a few hours. So the idea of going all the discussed the idea of sending a real person to try to way around the world in eighty days may seem like no beat Phileas Fogg’s record. But they wanted to send a big deal. male reporter, not a female one. They insisted that a 2 3 IT CAN’T BE DONE, NELLIE BLY! A “Wild and Visionary” Idea woman could not travel alone without a man to protect her. A woman would also require too many suitcases for all her clothes. This was sure to slow her down. “No one but a man can do this,” one of the editors Most people would probably panic if they had only said. three days to get ready for a trip around the world. So “Very well,” Nellie Bly replied in a huffy voice. She much packing to do! So many details to arrange! told them to go ahead and send a male reporter on the But Nellie Bly did what she always did. She went into trip. “I’ll start the same day for some other newspaper action. and beat him,” she said. On Tuesday morning at ten o’clock sharp, she went The editors didn’t want her to do that. They dis- to see a dressmaker named William Ghormley. She cussed and debated the matter. After a while, they ordered one traveling gown that she could wear for promised Nellie Bly that if they ever decided to send most of the trip. She told Mr. Ghormley that she need- someone around the world, they would send her. ed it in twelve hours. Time passed. Nellie Bly worked on other assign- By Wednesday morning, the gown was done. The ments. But the idea of the trip never left her thoughts. cloth was woven in a blue plaid pattern. It was made of A year later, on November 11, 1889, the editors final- a strong kind of fabric called broadcloth. ly decided to send a reporter around the world. They Another dressmaker, Florence Wheelwright, made kept their promise to Nellie Bly. They told her that she Nellie Bly a lighter gown that would be better for warm could be that reporter, if she still wanted to do it. weather. She, too, finished the gown in a day. She said yes. At The World, Nellie Bly’s co-workers were busy There was one catch. Could she leave by November helping her get ready for the trip. She didn’t have a 14? passport, and she needed one to travel to other coun- Nellie Bly said yes again. tries. So the newspaper sent someone to Washington, Now all she had to do was get ready for an almost D.C., to get her a temporary passport. James G. Blaine, three-month-long trip in just three days! the Secretary of State who worked under President 4 5 IT CAN’T BE DONE, NELLIE BLY! A “Wild and Visionary” Idea Harrison, made up a passport for Nellie Bly overnight. with open arms. And if she did need protection, she fig- Normally, she would have had to wait weeks, maybe ured she would take of herself somehow.

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