Boston to Claremont in just 7 hours by steam car

By Mary Carter
Eagle Times Correspondent
CLAREMONT, NH — The Oct. 23, 1897 National Eagle noted an intriguing Claremont first.

“Claremont had a mild sensation last week, when the first horseless carriage came to town.”

This dazzling “Motorette” was owned and driven by George Upham. Upham was accompanied by its manufacturer, George Eli Whitney.

Upham, born in 1855, was a member of Claremont’s famous Upham family. His grandfather and namesake was the Honorable George Baxter Upham, and his father James was a founder of the Sullivan Machinery Company. A lawyer and civic leader, George was also called “The Father of the Boston Subway System.”

George Eli Whitney, born in 1862, was a marine engineer in a family of similarly talented men. His grandfather’s brother invented the cotton gin, and his uncle Amos founded Pratt and Whitney.

In 1896, Whitney built a steam carriage that he sold to a NY jeweler named Gibson for the equivalent of $88k today. Gibson disassembled the car and proceeded to patent the parts as his own. Whitney sued and won, although Whitney’s wife was lost to Gibson’s lawyer.

Whitney went on to improve his design, partnering 60/40 with George Upham to sell Whitney Motor Wagons. They applied for 300 patents, which Upham would oversee. In October of 1897, their horseless carriage went for a test run with Upham’s hometown as its destination.

It was reported that the two left Boston early on a Friday morning and arrived, after “journeying leisurely,” in Claremont seven hours later. Their expense for “motive power” was 70 cents.

The vehicle, which was powered by steam and gasoline, was noted as being 800 pounds. “Of a graceful shape,” it had pneumatic tires with power supplied to the rear axle by chains and sprockets. The front wheels were responsible for steering.

The trip was said to be a mission to determine how well the vehicle operated on country roads. Upham and Whitney announced that similar vehicles were going into production the next year, with a price tag of $1,500. The folks of Claremont were seeing the premiere model. Some even took it for a test drive.

The general consensus was that the vehicle was “great” with its cost being the only drawback. It was reported that Mr. Huntley, who owned the livery stables in town, joked that he would order 20 of the “motor wagons” come spring.

“The appearance of a wagon racing along the country roads without any means of propulsion is a novelty in these parts, causing a universal suspension of business when ‘the thing’ went by,” the Eagle reported. The vehicle achieved a speed of 30 mph between North Charlestown and Charlestown.

Whitney and Upham’s vehicle design would be commandeered and altered by the Boston based Stanley Brothers, resulting in yet another lawsuit. Whitney would eventually sell his interests to the Locomobile Company and move on to other ventures. He died in 1963 in his 102nd year.

An 1896 Whitney Two-Cylinder Steam Runabout, which sold at a 2003 Bonham’s Auction for over $50,000.