Nellie boards the Augusta Victoria, a steamer of the Hamburg America Line, and began her journey with the goal of finishing in 75 days

It Happened on
November 14, 1889

Inspired by Jules Verne, pioneer American woman journalist Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) begins an attempt to beat travel around the world in less than 80 days (Bly finishes the journey in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes). On November 20, 1889, The Grand Rapids Press detailed the journey as such. Note that it mentions the race between Nellie and Miss Elizabeth Bisland, a contributor to The Cosmopolitan magazine, who was dispatched by the publisher John Brisben Walker.

WOMAN AGAINST WOMAN

“NELLIE BLY” AND MISS BISLAND GO RACING ROUND THE WORLD.

The First Named (She Is Really Miss Corcoran) Goes for The New York World, and the Latter for The Cosmopolitan Magazine—Glory and $1,000 Up.
Now we’re off.

Eastward goes the steamer Augusta Victoria bearing Nellie Bly, of The New York World newspaper, and westward goes the Chicago limited bearing Miss Bisland, of The Cosmopolitan magazine, in a race around the world.

“Around the world in seventy-five days!” says the enterprising manager of The New York World. “It can be done and Nellie Bly shall do it.”
Nellie Bly had four days in which to prepare. She orders a traveling dress, an ulster, a waterproof, a double peak cap. In a gripsack she takes two suits of underclothing. This substantially is her luggage.

“How quick can a woman go around the world?” asks Mr. Walker, proprietor of The Cosmopolitan magazine, sharply, as he steps into his office the morning after hearing of Nellie Bly’s projected trip.

He was informed that Nellie Bly’s time would be seventy-five days, unusual delays counted out.
“I believe it can be beaten,” exclaims the proprietor. “Send for Miss Bisland.”

Miss Elizabeth Bisland, a contributor to The Cosmopolitan magazine, is summoned in hot haste. When she arrives she is informed why she is wanted.
Only a brief trip around the world.

“How long will she require for preparation?”

“Thirty minutes.”

She is ready within her proposed time, but has considerably more. She is to go in the opposite direction from Nellie Bly and can’t get off till 6 o’clock in the evening.

Now, here is a sensation and no mistake. Away with all fictions of walking races, running races, bicycle races, horse races, between women or even men. Here is a race around the globe between two young women who make no pretense to athletics, but who have been blessed with indomitable pluck and high intellectual endowments. They start on the 14th of November, and are expected back in New York on or about the 27th of January.

Here is Miss Bly’s programme:

Nov. 14. Leave New York by Augusta Victoria, 0:30 a.m.
Nov. 21. Due Southampton. London, by rail, in three hours.

“NELLIE BLY’S” ROUTE.

Nov. 22. Leave Victoria station, London, 8 p.m., on India mail.
Nov. 23. Calais, Paris and Turin.
Nov. 24. Brindisi at 10:14 p.m.
Nov. 25. Leave Brindisi, steamship Cathay, 2 a.m.
Nov. 27. Ismailia.
Dec. 3. Aden.
Dec. 10. Colombo (Ceylon).
Dec. 16. Penang.
Dec. 18. Singapore.
Dec. 25. Hong Kong.
Dec. 28. Leave Hong Kong for Yokohama, Japan.
Jan. 7. Leave Yokohama, via Pacific Mail steamship.
Jan. 22. Due San Francisco.
Jan. 27. Due New York.
Nov. 14 to Jan. 27—seventy-five days.

Miss Bisland will make the same trip, going in the opposite direction. She will sail from San Francisco on Nov. 21 on the Oceanica, the same vessel that Nellie Bly expects to take on her return, reaching Yokohama, Japan, on Dec. 11. The manager of The Cosmopolitan has cabled for a government boat for her use from Yokohama to Hong Kong. This is a slight departure from Miss Bly’s programme, who starts with the intention of traveling all the way by regular conveyances.

But now that another has started to race her, before the journeys of these two lively young women are ended, it would not be surprising if the two enterprising managers were chartering trains and steamships right and left. Neither would care to be beaten, and both have plenty of means. The World is a great newspaper, and it is intended to make The Cosmopolitan a great magazine. Look out then for one of the biggest sensational advertising enterprises on record.

Miss Bly is 30 years old and Miss Bisland 22. Miss Bly lives with her mother, to whom she is devotedly attached. Her real name is Corcoran. Miss Bisland is a French creole from New Orleans. Miss Bly had a better opportunity for preparation, and is well provided with chronometers and all kinds of incidentals to so long a journey.

The route to be traversed covers about 80,000 miles. To make the trip within seventy-five days will require a daily accomplishment of 400 miles. It is intended that Miss Bly shall make frequent contributions to The New York World along the route. She will have plenty of time aboard steamers and trains to get up her letters, and while hurrying between stations will be able to drop them in lamp post letter boxes. If she doesn’t find these convenient receptacles in Yokohama or Singapore, it will simply indicate how far behind the people in these places are in postal facilities, and make Mr. Wanamaker feel happy.

Miss Bisland will not have the advantage of getting her communications published on arrival. Magazines are made up far ahead of their date of issue; but doubtless a future number of The Cosmopolitan will contain a carefully prepared and handsomely illustrated account of her journey.
“God speed!” cries every one to the two brave girls who, having chosen a career which for many years was occupied almost exclusively by men, are hurrying alone through foreign lands, with a view to a success which will rival that of many men of journalistic fame.

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