Frank Reade, Jr.'s Electric Buckboard; or, Thrilling Adventures in North Australia

Museum Catalog Entry *Frank Reade, Jr.'s Electric Buckboard; or, Thrilling Adventures in North Australia* This weekly adventure magazine (No. 42, August 14, 1903) features the opening chapter of a serialized story by "No Name." The narrative follows Frank Reade, Jr., a celebrated American inventor from Readestown, aboard the steamship *Raven* en route to North Australia (Arnhem Land) to explore reports of rich gold deposits. Reade travels with three companions: Barney O'Shea (Irish), Stanley Martin (American), and Pomp (described as a negro servant). The story details Reade's latest invention—the Electric Buckboard, a steel-bodied vehicle powered by electric engines with three passenger compartments, broad rubber-tired wheels, a bullet-proof canopy, an electric dynamite gun mounted in the forward section, and cooking facilities. The magazine includes advertisements for instructional booklets covering mesmerism, palmistry, hypnotism, fortune-telling, athletic training, magic tricks, and mechanical crafts.