Two Thousand Miles on an Automobile: Being a Desultory Narrative of a Trip Through New England, New York, Canada, and the West, By "Chauffeur"

In Short

Arthur Jerome Eddy’s Two Thousand Miles on an Automobile is a lively, early twentieth-century travel memoir detailing a long-distance road trip through the Northeastern United States and into Canada. Driving an temperamental gasoline machine alongside an eccentric companion, Eddy chronicles the triumphs and exasperations of pioneering motor travel. Part mechanical survival guide, part social commentary, the narrative captures a nation on the cusp of the automotive era. It has endured as a historical artifact that records the raw, unvarnished realities of early touring—from horse-frightening encounters and muddy detours to philosophical musings on American life.

The Story

The narrative begins as an unstudied, mid-summer decision: on a hot afternoon, the author sends a telegram to a companion referred to as the Professor, inviting him on an unplanned motor trip from the Midwest toward Buffalo. Setting out with no desire to set speed records, the pair embark on a journey driven purely by the promise of pleasure and exploration. Almost immediately, the realities of early twentieth-century motoring set in. Traveling over roads like the treacherous, rutted stone of Perry’s Pike, they encounter deep sand, loose livestock, and frightened horses, requiring careful maneuvering and periodic stern calls of "Whoa!" from the driver to calm skittish teams.

As they push east into New York, mechanical trouble becomes a recurring motif. At Batavia, an overly eager local mechanic attempts to assist by shortening a new chain, causing the vehicle to drag heavily on steep inclines. Yet the trip remains rich in historical and cultural diversions. Passing through Batavia and Canandaigua, Eddy pauses the motoring account to delve into local history, reflecting on the mysterious 1826 disappearance of William Morgan and the anti-Masonic fervor it sparked.

The journey continues through picturesque towns like Geneva, where the travelers enjoy quiet Sundays, observe defunct hotel roof gardens, and watch the sun set over serene lakes. Farther east, the trip moves into Shaker territory around Mount Lebanon, prompting long reflections on celibacy, socialistic communities, and the fate of American utopian movements. Legal troubles also interrupt the drive; in one town, local residents and a magistrate drag Eddy into a basement court room over speed and public nuisance claims, fining him five dollars despite conflicting evidence.

Moving through Massachusetts, the pair pass through Boston, Lexington, and Concord. Eddy muses on American literature, visiting historic battlegrounds and quoting at length from historical letters about Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry Thoreau. The tour continues south toward Rhode Island and Connecticut, plagued by leaking, poorly repaired tires that force long delays in Providence while waiting for replacement parts from New York.

Interspersed with the physical road trip are wide-ranging essays on contemporary politics, including a lengthy critique of anarchism following the assassination of President McKinley. Turning back westward from the East Coast, the travelers navigate severe mud, towpaths, and flooded meadows around Utica and Clinton, straining the vehicle's engine and chain to its limits. The adventure concludes as they complete their circuit through Canada and head home, with Eddy offering a humorous, philosophical postscript comparing the trials of the modern chauffeur to those of an eighteenth-century Puritan minister struggling with a runaway horse and buggy.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Prompted by an idle summer suggestion, the narrator invites the Professor on an unscheduled motor trip toward Buffalo. They set off without fixed timelines, immediately encountering rough roads, loose livestock, and the delicate art of navigating past frightened horses.

Struggles through New York Pushed by continuous mechanical issues, the travelers stop in Batavia, where an eager local mechanic mistakenly shortens their new chain. Eddy takes time to recount the historical tale of William Morgan's 1826 anti-Masonic scandal before proceeding to a peaceful Sunday rest in Geneva.

Reflections on community and law Passing the Shaker settlement at Mount Lebanon, Eddy reflects on the decline of celibate communities and utopian experiments. Shortly after, the trip hits a legal speed bump when a local court subjects the driver to a petty trial and a five-dollar fine for supposedly alarming the townspeople.

Literary stops in Massachusetts Reaching Boston, Lexington, and Concord, the narrative pauses at historic sites and battlegrounds. Eddy meditates on national literature, quoting historical accounts of Hawthorne and Thoreau before suffering major tire failures that stall the car in Providence.

The muddy return home Facing torrential road conditions near Utica, the car struggles through clay ditches, towpaths, and submerged cross-roads. After thorough repairs, the travelers complete their loop back through Canada, closing with humorous reflections on the eternal tribulations of human travel.

The People

• The Chauffeur (Arthur Jerome Eddy): The author and driver, who seeks the freedom and unpredictable charm of early road travel. He views the gasoline automobile as a headstrong entity with its own unpredictable will, and he approaches road hazards, bad mechanics, and legal fines with dry humor and philosophical patience.
• The Professor: The Chauffeur’s academic companion, who joins the trip equipped with theoretical knowledge of kinematics, dynamics, and statics despite knowing nothing about practical machinery. Though his attempts to operate the hand crank leave him exhausted and silent, his intellectual musings on Olympus, Cupid, and classical philosophy provide constant entertainment.
• The Country Mechanics: A recurring caste of enthusiastic local repairmen along the route. Though well-intentioned, their misguided efforts—such as cutting links out of new chains—frequently leave the automobile in worse condition than they found it.
• The Small-Town Officials and Citizens: Figures like "Straw Hat," "Sandy Beard," and the local magistrate, who view the noise and speed of the incoming automobile with suspicion, eagerly enforcing town ordinances to collect small fines from passing motorists.

In Its Own Voice

"Any woman can drive an electric automobile, any man can drive a steam, but neither man nor woman can drive a gasoline; it follows its own odorous will, and goes or goes not as it feels disposed."

Eddy summarizes the volatile nature of early internal-combustion vehicles in his opening observations on the unpredictable machine.

"'Cupid will never use the automobile, the little god is too conservative; fancy the dainty sprite with oil-can and waste instead of bow and arrow.'"

The Professor offers a whimsical critique of modern technology during a roadside stop, imagining classical figures struggling with grease and overalls.

"The man who one moment says his machine is a paragon of perfection, sits down the next and writes the factory a letter which would be debarred the mails if left unsealed."

Eddy exposes the universal secrecy and denial shared among early car owners regarding their vehicles' constant breakdowns.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores the friction between a rapidly industrializing society and the older, slower rhythms of rural America. Eddy uses the open road to examine how new technology disrupts existing social structures—frightening horses, agitating local authorities, and forcing communities to rethink public spaces. Beyond the mechanics of driving, the narrative serves as an inquiry into American identity, landscape, and history. Through long detours into the fate of utopian sects, regional historical events, and the development of a distinctly national literature, Eddy argues that the true value of travel lies in unscripted human encounters and reflective observation rather than reaching a destination with efficiency.

Why Read It Today

Two Thousand Miles on an Automobile offers a vivid, highly atmospheric window into the dawn of modern transit. Readers interested in early twentieth-century social history, travel literature, or the history of technology will appreciate Eddy's keen observational eye and sharp wit. The book feels remarkably alive because it treats the automobile not as a polished luxury, but as an unruly, experimental beast navigating a nation unprepared for its arrival.

The reading experience is conversational, discursive, and varied. Eddy writes with clear, direct prose, though modern readers should expect frequent digressions where the narrative halts entirely to explore local history, political theory, or literary criticism. The text also reflects period attitudes of the early 1900s, including dialect representations of hotel workers and contemporary political views on anarchism and communal living.

Ultimately, the book succeeds because of its absolute honesty about the absurdities of the road. Eddy’s quiet humor regarding breakdowns, local bureaucracy, and the absurd pride of early car owners remains surprisingly relatable to anyone who has ever embarked on a long, unpredictable road trip.