Pioneer Journeys

Robert Louis Jefferson, an American naturalised in England, was first known as a cyclist. A little later he undertook adventurous bicycle journeys through Europe to Constantinople, to Moscow, through Siberia and to Khiva. More details can be found on our bicycle pages. In 1907 he repeated his trip to Turkey with a ROVER 8 hp - therefore we mention him here. In the following years he undertook further journeys with the Rover 8 hp. Unfortunately there are only few records about this.

Two articles, one from an Australian newspaper, the other from a South African website, shed light on his life and work. We reproduce them here.

A WORLD'S WHEELMAN - MR. R. L. JEFFERSON, F.R.G.S., DEATH IN MELBOURNE

Shortly before midnight on Monday night the death occurred at Menzies' Hotel of Mr. Robert L. Jefferson, F.R.G.S., travelling representative of the Wolseley Motor Company, at the age of 46 years. Mr. Jefferson had lately arrived from England on a tour of the world in the interests of his firm. About a week ago he became very ill, and death was due to hemorrhage of the lungs. The deceased gentleman had a strenuous and varied career, first as a cyclist and then as a motorist. He was a leading racing cyclist from 1886 to 1892. In 1894 he undertook to ride an ordinary push cycle, the land portion of the journey, from London to Constantinople. He took the first bicycle into Constantinople, where it created such a sensation that the late Sultan, Abdul Hamid, prohibited his subjects from riding such machines, on the ground that they were immoral and dangerous. In the following year, 1895, Mr. Jefferson attempted to set up the longest distance cycle record in the world. In the previous year a famous French rider, named Charles Terront, had created a record by riding from St. Petersburg to Paris, a distance of 2,000 miles, in 21 days. This Mr. Jefferson decided to lower. He set himself the task of riding from London to Moscow and back, a distance of 5,000 miles, within 50 days. He passed through Holland, Germany, and Poland, across Russia to the old capital, and returned to London 49 days 8 minutes after his departure.

While he was in Russia some friends suggested that he should ride across Siberia, and accordingly next year, 1896, he commenced a bicycle ride which had not been accomplished before, and has never been attempted since. His intention was to ride from London to Irkutsk, the capital of East Siberia, a total distance of 10,000 miles. In this journey he had to pass over the dreaded Russian steppes, or deserts. One steppe which Mr. Jefferson crossed was 1,200 miles wide. It contained no towns or villages, and the only guide was the telegraph lines. He had to carry enough food and water to last him for periods of several days. The ride was successfully completed. Mr Jefferson, in the ensuing year, 1897, penetrated Northern Mongolia in search of gold. He crossed the Sayan range of mountains, and pushed his way into country which no white man had previously entered. For this achievement he was elected a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In 1898 Mr. Jefferson decided to emulate the feat of Colonel Fred. Burnaby, who made the famous ride to Khiva in 1873. Mr. Jefferson's object was to perform on a bicycle what Colonel Burnaby did on horseback. The result was that he again rode across the whole of the Russian steppes to Turgai, in Turkestan. He then crossed the desert of Kizil Kum, and eventually entered Khiva, where he was received by the Khan.

That practically ended Mr Jefferson's cycling career. He then took up motoring, and his first drive of any importance was made in 1905, when he repeated his previous exploit of riding from London to Constantinople (Note: in ROVER 8hp). He followed the same route, and just as he brought the first bicycle to Constantinople, he introduced the first motor-car to the Turkish capital. At first the Sultan refused to allow him to enter the city, as motor cars were prohibited in Turkey. As a result of the efforts of the late Sir Nicholas O'Connor, who was then British Ambassador in Turkey, an Imperial trade was issued, giving Mr. Jefferson permission to drive on Turkish soil. Two years later he made a complete reverse of the Grand Trunk road of India, from Peshawur to Calcutta. After driving through all parts of India, he went through Burmah, the Straits Settlements, Java, Siam, and Ceylon. From Ceylon he went to South Africa; and as no motorist had driven from Durban to Johannesburg, over the Drakensberg Mountains, he determined to undertake the trip. This was considered an almost impossible feat, but Mr. Jefferson succeeded in his drive. He next set to work to lower the motor record between Johannesburg and Cape Town, which then stood at 11½ days for the distance of 1,500 miles. He beat the record by two days. In 1909 Mr. Jefferson toured Canada and the United States, from Montreal to the Pacific Coast, and at the end of 1911 he made his first visit to Australasia. After a tour of New Zealand, lasting three months, he crossed to Sydney, and arrived in Melbourne in January, 1912. After touring the Commonwealth, he visited New Zealand and South America, and returned to England for a few months' rest at the beginning of this year. Afterwards he set out on another world's tour, but this was brought to a sudden termination on Monday night.

Source: The Argus, Melbourne, Wednesday September 2nd, 1914

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ROBERT L. JEFFERSON

The first drive that could qualify as overlanding in Africa was undertaken by a Briton called Robert L. Jefferson. Hard on the heels of the first horseless carriage, he set out in 1907 in nothing more sophisticated than a single-cylinder “dog-cart” Rover. The sort of Veteran you see struggling to get up Crawley Hill on the London to Brighton every November. Tall wheels, an 8 hp-engine the size of a lawn-mower and with so little space that the tools were in a small box under the floorboards.... the Rover was an unlikely vehicle to conquer Africa.

Jefferson was no hair-brained eccentric. He theorised that rather than burden a heavy car which then needs heavy axles, heavy wheels, and heavy chassis, he bucked all the conventional wisdom with a “travelling light is best” mentality. He wanted a car that he could push, alone, or, maybe just a few locals could help pull him through difficult terrain. Small engines need less petrol to carry.

In the early part of 1907 – the same year as Prince Borghese and his four rivals set out on the Peking to Paris – Jefferson and South African motoring pioneer Frank Connock drove the Rover from Durban to Cape Town, via Johannesburg. It cannot be claimed as the first crossing of the African continent, but the journey took 16 days and, at that time no other motorist had achieved such a long drive.

Jefferson had already proved his theory of travelling as light as possible by becoming the first ever driver to drive across Europe – again in his 8-hp single-cylinder Rover... Several drivers had tried it, but had been defeated by the goat-tracks in the mountains of Romania and Bulgaria. But in 1905, carrying only spare tyres and minimal luggage, he set out from The Autocar magazine’s office in Coventry, managed to get through the Balkans, and so became the first driver to reach Constantinople (Istanbul). He returned home to be hailed a hero.

Source: Africa's Motoring Pioneers and Record Breakers
http://www.africarecordrun.com/history.html