She led expose one of the greatest charlatans who infiltrated under the guise of a patient in a psychiatric hospital, to see for themselves the validity of this hospital who went terrible rumors, set out to break the record of the hero of Jules Verne's novel "Around the World in 80 Days" ... His nameElizabeth Cochrane her, but her fame brought her nickname - Nellie Bly.
One of the most famous works of Jules Verne is a novel "Around the World in 80 Days."By the way, this novel currently holds the record for the number of adaptations among the creative legacy of the writer.
Verne in his book tells about traveling phlegmatic Englishman Phileas Fogg and his servant Passepartout, a Frenchman around the world taken as a result of a bet.The hero of the novel pobilsya bet that will be able to circumnavigate the globe from west to east in a period not exceeding 80 days, which was at that time the maximum possible speed, taking into account the technical possibilities of transport.
Nowadays record imperturbable Englishman is no surprise.But for the second half of the XIX century, and 80 days it seemed a fantastic period.
However, few people know that during the life of the famous French writer Phileas Fogg record was beaten a man really existed.
happened 17 years after the release of the acclaimed novel by Jules Verne, and personally acquainted with the traveler who risked challenge his hero.Rather, a traveler !!!
So, who won a record Phileas Fogg and how it was.
One day in November 1888 in the New York office of Professor Ernest de Blanc, who took at Atlantic Plaza, 84, entered the girl.According to her, she came out of Albany, read the ads, which promise success Blanc de treatment of chronic ailments without drugs.
- torture me severe headaches, no medicine does not help - she said the professor.- I decided to try your method, but did not understand how, in fact, you are going to treat me?
- You see, - said instructively doctor - not actually fly myself, and natural living electricity, which is generated by my body.This energy comes by itself, I only stand it for my patients, and thus there is a treatment.And quite inexpensive.
- The ad does not say anything about the board.What is a "very cheap"?
- Just something ... $ 50!
- But I - confusedly she murmured, pulling out of her handbag purse - only 17 dollars and 34 cents.
- Well, what you do, young lady!- Sighed the professor fatherly.- Do not be dragged as you back in Albany with nothing.So be it: I expose you to the energy treatment for only $ 15.Get ready for the session: Remove shoes and stockings, and I will go out, so as not to embarrass you, but also give some orders relative to other patients.
With that, he left the office, and when he returned, she was already undressed and without stockings.The professor ordered to stand on a mat in the middle of the room, and when she complied with the request, came close to her, she began to drive head and face with his fingers, closing his eyes and throwing his head back.In those places where the professor touched the girl's body, it quite clearly something pricked and yanked!
- What is my tunic?- I babbled frightened patient.
- This is it is - the electrical energy emitted by my body!- The professor said slowly, eyes closed and continuing manipulation.- Do not be afraid my dear, now ending.At the end of the session thanked the healer and the patient at the end said with a laugh:
- That's because I'm a fool: all the way puzzled as will be explained by the French Professor - I did not know a word in French!Ava turns out, talking in English, just like the Yankees!
This simple compliment produced a strange effect.Healer suddenly spoke, grassiruya "French" and mispronouncing words:
- My Austral has long been there to teach and speak English - he was explaining to the patient closely her to the door to the reception.
If he knew, who came out of his office, it would have thrown everything and sitting on the first train would take away from New York City to go to hell.But, to his dismay, he realized that only the next morning when deployed his favorite newspaper «The World».
professor found that the image of a naive "girl from Albany," he was visited by the mission itself Nellie Bly, "Lady Sensation", the star of the genre of scandalous newspaper report.
Grasp the "chief electrician from Paris' Bly decided by the most impudent of the ads sulivshih cure for all diseases.Before heading on a visit to a miracle healer, reporter made inquiries to find out that in the summer of 1888 in New Orleans, he toured under the name of Professor Albert Le Grisa.But was forced to flee the city when he heard a former business partner, with money which "professor" washed away.Nellie had found the guy, and he said a lot: it turned out, the real name of "electrician" Geyzmor, and he changed the name ten times.Arriving in the United States from the Netherlands for fifteen years before he traded cotton fabrics, ropes, kid gloves, but his business has always ended the same: Geyzmor disappeared with the money partners and principals.
«Professor" several times sat in prisons of different states, and now it is sought, alleging infringement of a whole bunch of articles of the Criminal Code.The report details all the biographies charlatan were adding some flavor to the description of a visit to Miss Nelly "Professor."After this publication, the police aresovala "healer" and made a search in the office.In the room adjacent to the parlor, where Geyzmor led welcome, placed a powerful electric battery - from her under the floor went to the wire mat, which was offered to the patient to stand barefooted.While the client Razuvaev, crook under the pretext of coming out of the office into the next room and included current.Door handle served as a rheostat connected to the battery, turn it blew current through the wires on the mat.Then, touching the body to heal, "Professor" electrical circuit passes through the legs to the body of the client, and that is quite noticeable zapped.
All these details about yourself Geyzmor read while sitting in the chamber, and gave rise to the sensation Miss Bly once again received congratulations colleagues.
Her career began with a scandal: a native of Pennsylvania wilderness, Cochrane Town Mills read in one of the Pittsburgh newspaper that the woman their development is much lower than men, dashed off an indignant letter to the anonymous editor in chief Mr. Hadden.Rebuke made an impression on the editor, and Hadden through his newspaper suggested that "an unknown gentleman" in the editorial office.As it turned out, "an unknown gentleman" - a Miss Elizabeth Cochrane.Liz has recently left an orphan, and she desperately needed a job.And she has made her - Hadden has decided to take the risk, but taking her demanded that she wrote under a pseudonym that he came up with: in those years was a popular song, "Nellie Bly" and the new employee was asked to sign their materials so.
Dove girl a chance, Hadden has not lost.Outside it can be described in words, "nothing special": a short, thin, with gray eyes sad.But this obscurity allowed her to easily transform.By changing the mask, pretending to be the beggar, the prostitute, the factory worker, Nellie Bly sneaks into the factory shop in a slum in the outskirts of questionable institutions and other hidden from the eyes of the public space, describing his adventures with the heat of the pure soul, denounced the vices.
It lived the spirit of a fighter for justice - colleague called her "a crusader in a skirt."But naive purity combined with penetration desperate adventurer.
Non articles Nellie Bly sold out within a few minutes, and Hadden rubbed his hands, counting the increasing circulation and profits.But provincial Pittsburgh was too small an arena for frequent revelations: Hadden spoke shortly with "serious people" and asked the editor Nelly "to hold the horses."She did not agree and left the office.
tasted first victories, Bly went to conquer New York, writing the owner of the newspaper «The World» Joseph Pulitzer letter asking to hire her.There was no answer.Then it was a huge building with a golden dome, which was placed edition «The World».She was not there any familiar, left there was no polstrochki recommendations it first did not even want to let the doorman.But she was persistent and was able to break into the office Pulitzer.After talking with her, he sensed the "soul mate": the owner of «The World» began his career with the sensationalism and loved punching guys.
He gave Nelly 25 Dolar advance out of his pocket - it was one of the wisest investments made by Joseph Pulitzer in his life.The first real fame was brought to her article on the New York psychiatric hospital on the island of Blackwell.
About this place go bad rumors, and Bly decided to get back in the guise of a woman who lost her sanity after her mother died.She carefully prepared: read several papers on psychiatry, which describes the behavior of the mentally ill, rehearsed before a mirror, is produced "crazy eyes" learned "laugh wildly."Finally, when the image was found, she was dressed in rags, he appeared at the shelter for homeless women.
Her madness seemed to shelter workers so obvious that they sent the reporter at the same institution where she had sought.At the reception, Nelly professional psychiatrists examined: four confidently recognized her crazy, considered one imitator, but the majority opinion prevailed.So she was in the hospital Blekuellskoy.Outside the office, where she was examined by a doctor, she saw the paramedic who portage, clutching the hair, dragged down the hall an old woman.Only this time she is fully aware that he is trapped in.Then she saw many things: the staff drank, orderlies beat patients, and for disobedience threw them in solitary confinement.Medication was not enough, and those that were purchased immediately stolen.The cold and the mud in the wards, the unbearable stench, poor food - it has held in this hell for ten days, and then realized that the risk to remain there forever.She opened that same doctor, Frank Ingram, who suspected it imitator at the reception.He helped her get out of a terrible trap, writing down how to heal.
Caught in the wild, Nellie has written a series of articles about the hospital, calling it a "human rat trap, which is easy to get there, but where it is impossible to get out."In the wake of statements Bly was a criminal case, the court heard the testimony of reporter, and even responsible for the state hospital officials have tried to cover their tracks, and the staff Blekuela strongly denied the facts contained in the publications Bly, the most odious figures yet removed.Completely changed the state of protection of the hospital has been strengthened supervision of NGOs and social welfare societies.But most importantly, improve the status of the patients were released huge amounts of money - as much as three million dollars!Later, the doctor Frank Ingram Bligh offered his hand and heart, and she even said he agreed, but the groom demanded that Nelly left her career as a reporter.She was adamant: the life of a housewife not relish it.Her name has become a symbol of "reportage with pepper", which is famous «The World».
Pulitzer began to invest in Bly, both branded goods.From the pages of «The World», it was stated that Miss Bly beat the record Phileas Fogg - hero of Jules Verne's science fiction novel, traveled around the world in 80 days.The race was given in 9 hours 30 minutes 14 November 1889, when the steamer "Augusta Victoria" came out of New York Harbor.The British Southampton due to unfavorable weather steamer arrived late, and the fast train, which Bligh had planned to sit down, left without her.But she was lucky, with the same steamer arrived from America a lot of mail, and to carry it to London naznachiliekstrenny train, with whom she brought quickly to the capital of the kingdom.From there, reached the coast of the English Channel, the ferry crossed to France.From pre-designed route, she made only one deviation: drove in Amiens, to meet his idol, Jules Verne.
He arrived at the station to express his admiration for her and wish success.Then Nellie rushed on: Calais, Paris, Turin, Brindisi port - where she sailed to Port Said.Next waypoint was Aden, Colombo, where she had to wait for 5 days on a ship to Singapore.From there she went to Hong Kong, where he again had 5 days of waiting for a flight to Japan.From Yokohama aboard the steamer "Oceania" Bly went to the Pacific Ocean on Jan. 7, 1890, and the 21st arrived in San Francisco after spending so outside the United States and 68 days of breaking the 21,000 miles (33,600 km).
From luggage when it was only a bag with the necessary little things, two Blankets and a checkbook, "Bank of England", which checks are accepted for payment in any part of the world.She was not even a plug-in card - not to mess around with excess baggage, Bligh was traveling light.Along the way, she made three marriage proposals wealthy companions, admiring her courage and determination, but Nelly was no time, she wanted to break the record.Besides, she always kept in mind that it could be the machinations of those who are interested in disrupting the undertaking of her newspaper.It has been awarded a major bet on the success of Nelly, and against the bookmakers taking bets on horse races.
addition, proznav about traveling, several publications have equipped their own expedition around the world.So the young men could be agents of competitors trying to "remove it from a distance."She successfully returned to the United States, passing a lot of countries, not owning any language other than English.Difficulties began in his native country, from San Francisco does not have any direct rail link to the East Coast.She had to get on the Southern Pacific Railroad 381 mile trip to California, where the train tracks converge, and there do change to the Atlantic-Pacific train line.Bligh then moved through the Atchison-Topeka-Santafe, reaching the south of Colorado.This detour was necessary because the direct route to the East was blocked by snowdrifts.
Nellie Bly swept across the country.Railway authorities, seeing the possibility of self-promotion, it gave the train the "green light" - on the route speed never dropped below 50 miles per hour, and once they flew 250 miles in 250 minutes!
The reporter was most of the way on the train, urging drivers, assistants and stokers, and those fascinated by the courage and perseverance Nelly, listen to it with reverence and understanding the importance of their role in setting the record, forget about precautions.In the mountains of New Mexico January 22, 1890 the train, which was traveling the famous traveler, has a top speed of over 50 miles per hour, close to the bridge over mountain river.None of the train crew did not know that on the bridge, work is underway on the replacement of rails, new rails were laid, but not fixed, they are just lying on the sleepers.
Workers seeing rushing full steam train began to shout and wave their arms, warning of the danger, but it was too late.The composition of the bullet swept through loose rails, and that speed helped him slip a deadly plot.
about what risks they are exposed, Nelly, railwaymen and passengers found out a few days later, having read in the newspapers.The last stage of the journey on the territory of the United States Nellie Bly traveled by rail in 4 days, 6 hours and 49 minutes.
heroines, arriving in New York for the Pennsylvania Railroad station, a crowd of 7,000 people led by officials, and representatives of three Pulitzer athletic clubs all who followed the race clock.These judges have recorded record: Nellie Bly, after spending 72 days on the road 6:00 10 minutes 11 seconds and returned to New York, going around the globe.It clarifies the meticulous observers of the drive went 58 days, and the rest of the "ate" the expectation of steamers and other delays.
whole affair has cost «The World» eight thousand dollars, five of which were fee Miss Bligh.But this investment has paid off many times for the Pulitzer.His «The World», published reports on the progress of the race, broke every conceivable record runs.During the race Bligh has sold 23 million. 648 thousand. 325 copies of the newspaper published 126 thousand. 121 ad.Creates something unprecedented - a newspaper published in day of arrival Bligh in New York, reprinted the next day an additional circulation of 280 thousand. 340 copies, and that yesterday's newspaper sold out as soon as newsboy ran with her on the street, but it was worth 5 centsinstead of the usual two.
