Jacksonville Men Set Land Speed Record

FASTEST IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!

The New York Times printed this story that most sane individuals would consider total fiction. It is a story that only a dreamer might imagine. Who could ever fathom that a distance of 780 miles could be covered in such a record time?

One observer was overheard stating, “No one may ever live to see the day that this land speed record (from Jacksonville, Florida, to Washington, D.C.) is broken.” Amazing all observers, these daredevils broke the existing record by well over 2 hours.

It was a hot day in August when several men joined together and drove from our city as quickly as humanly possible to New York. Was it a spaceship, a jet, a car or something that only Jules Verne could dream of? In fact, it was none of the above. Their record-breaking speed machine was a steam railroad train, and the year was 1894.

This world record-setting thrill ride might have taken years longer if it had not been for wealthy New York financier Henry B. Plant. When Plant (Plant City, Florida) first visited Jacksonville (1842) fifty-two years earlier, he got lost in Jacksonville’s thick woods and underbrush when he left the safety of a narrow trail; he could have died.

His purpose for traveling to Jacksonville in the first place was to save his wife’s life. She had become seriously ill, and he was told that Southern temperatures might save her from the grim reaper. At that time, Jacksonville had only six homes and one hotel. Plant had been warned not to stay at the hotel under any circumstances. It was dilapidated, and strange things were going on there.

A wealthy landowner just north of the city had heard of his dilemma and telegraphed Plant to invite him to stay at his property. The invitation was quickly accepted. Upon their arrival, Plant was greeted by a group of uniformed black oarsmen paddling a large dugout canoe. The couple anxiously boarded the canoe and rode up the river to the landowner’s home. While extremely palatial, the home appeared insignificant among the miles of his farm land. The couple quickly adapted to the new environment. In less than a month, Plant’s wife had made considerable progress, and he felt she had the strength to travel to St. Augustine.

They loaded up in a carriage and closely followed the landowner and his staff as they wacked and slashed at the underbrush clearing a trail to the then dirt Kings Road (Kings Street). Once Plant and his wife reached the Kings Road, they (along with a female Indian guide escort) rode to St. Augustine thirty miles south.

Once in St. Augustine, they rode up and down narrow streets viewing the ancient city. As nightfall began to approached, they quickly made their way back to Jacksonville. Luckily, the Indian guide was able to find the freshly cut trail head. With insufficient oil lamp lighting, the three inched through the forest and thick underbrush. When they finally resolved that it would be necessary to spend the evening, loud shouting from their host (worried that they were lost in the forest) directed them to their final destination.

Fifty-two years later, Mr. Plant, now one of the nation’s elite, owned one of the largest railroad systems in the nation. It was known by all as The Plant System.

Its latest addition was a large section of track from Jacksonville to Waycross, Georgia. This completed the line from Jacksonville all the way to the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. Mr. Plant wanted to prove to the country that his system was so efficient that a train could travel at lightening fast speeds between these two points.

So, on Sunday, August 26, 1894, at 4:30 p.m., the train known as “Uniform Rank Special of Florida” steamed out onto the tracks. It was given full right of way and a clear track from station to station.

The train was composed of five cars and one steam engine. There were two Pullman sleeper cars, two regular cars and one baggage car. The passengers were members of a secret society known as the Uniformed Rank of the Knights of Pythias.

It took seven complete engine changes in order to maintain the 55 ½ m.p.h. speed necessary to complete the task. Several times, speeds reached nearly 60 to 70 m.p.h. It was at these times the men would scream with excitement. No human had ever traveled at such speeds.

There were six legs to the trip. They were the Florida and Western, the Charleston and Savannah, the Northeastern, the Atlantic Coast Line, the Richmond and the Fredericksburg and Potomac. Monday morning, August 27, at 8:09 a.m., the train finally reached Washington. Its total trip took exactly 15 hours and 49 minutes crushing the former record by 2 hours and 40 minutes. This established new U.S. and World land speed records.

These records may have been broken in a matter of a year or two, but Jacksonville had its moment of glory, and no one can take that away. Bless you Henry B. Plant.

Mr. Plant died five years later on June 23, 1899.

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Joseph Miller is a life-long resident of Jacksonville, Florida, and an active member of the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville. As a historian, he recently completed his first book on the Founder of Rotary, Paul P. Harris, titled “That Paul Harris.”

Joseph can be reached at JaxHistory@gmail.com.