Nellie Bly’s Ride, a poem written by Mr. George Hoey for Mr. James S. Burdett, who will recite it in Chickering Hall this evening at J. N. Phipps’s concert.

Up from Park Row one November day, 

Bringing the extras to upper Broadway

The newsboys on their shoulders bore, 

Like heralds in haste, to the people’s door, 

The New York World, telling how and no more.

The Augusta Victoria bore away

On her deck Nellie Bly, cheerful and gay,

For her trip round the world, without stop or stay

And back to New York ‘ere the eightieth day,

And the newsboys “Extra” was heard near and far,

As they dashed cross the street into each horse car;

And louder yet into Westchester rolled

The cry of the newsboy uncontrolled.

And many a World that day was sold

Telling how Nellie Bly sailed down the bay,

And was twenty-five thousand miles away.

And so Nellie Bly to the sea went down

And bade good-bye to the busy town

And soon to the watchers in Highland Light

An ocean greyhound came into sight

And passed them by with eagle’s flight,

As if she knew the precious freight

She had vowed to land not a moment late.

And the anchor was cast into Southampton Bay,

With Nell twenty-two thousand miles away.

Across the channel, then thundering south

On a train like smoke from the cannon’s mouth;

For Nellie resolved from her path to turn

For a moment’s chat with the great Jules Verne;

Then a prayer from the girl, and a prayer from the master,

Asking heaven to spare her any disaster;

Then aboard again, and the iron steed’s snort

Told all Europe the precious load it brought

To Brindisi, where in the ? lay

A steamor, with each iron nerve at full play,

And Nell, nineteen thousand miles away.

Under her flying feet the road

To the East like an Alpine river flowed.

For the Occident slowly faded behind,

And the Orient’s perfume came on the wind;

The steamer was swift - its shaft at each turn

Made the Mediterranean’s blue waters churn - 

PortSaid was passed - then Suez astern.

On, on, swept the traveller down the Red Sea

With Horeb and Sinai in sight on the lea,

Through Babel-el-Mandel to far off Cathay,

And Nell seventeen thousand miles away.

But meanwhile at home, in city and town,

They wait for the World’s that the mail brings down,

And offer a prayer, crying: “God save each ship

Bringing Nellie Bly home on her wonderful trip;”

Then open the paper with trembling and fear

To the picture of Nellie Bly girdling the sphere,

And read the good news, the best of the day,

That Nellie’s arrived, and without a delay,

At Singapore, twelve thousand miles away.

The eyes of the civilized world are on one,

‘Neath the heat of the blazing equator’s sun;

While the fairest of travellers sticks to her course,

Lit by the light of the bright southern cross - 

On, pest the land of pepper and spice,

Land of chutney and curry, and everything nice.

To the flowery land of tea, pigtails and rice;

Hope gladdens Nell’s heart, for this journey is short.

Then Hong Kong is reached before Christmas Day.

With Nell only ten thousand miles away.

Japan is but touched by her footfall so light,

At Fustyama a glace - a wonderful sight - 

Farewell Yokohama, your port is the last

Of foreign ones touched at as Nellie Bly passed;

For the flag of her country now flies from the mast

Of the ship bringing her home our venturesome maid

The whistle has blown, the anchor is weighed;

The land fades away in the gloom of the night;

But soon in the East breaks a welcoming light

And America headlands come into sight;

On, on through the Golden Gate ere break of day

Sails the ship, amid shouting and cheering ?

To “FritCo,” but three thousand short miles away

Then across mighty mountain, across arid plain.

Comes Nellie Bly whirling eastward by train,

And millions of voices sing out, “Home again!”

And America beats every record again,

Then hurrah for the girl who vowed she would do

What Jules Verne did in story - that trip wasn’t true - 

But Nellie’s was real, and in better time too.

And hurrah for the paper whose great enterprise

Caused all the earth’s nations to open their eyes;

On Nellie Bly’s pluck great credit it lays

But pay to The World your wealthiest praise

For a trip round the world inside eighty days.