Tarzan's 1893-1894 U.S. Visit Timeline
(Unauthorized 1872 Tarzan Chronology)
CHAPTER ONE
HISTORICAL BACK DROP
DATE: 1854
EVENT: Eugene S. Shepherd, of Hodag fame, was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
SOURCE: According to public records.
CHAT: Before settling in Rheinlander, he spent much of his childhood in the area around New London, Wisconsin.
DATE: May 16, 1861
EVENT: Herman Webster Mudgett, aka, Dr. Henry Howard was born in Gilmanton, NH.
SOURCE: Based on true life events.
DATE: 1882
EVENT: Eugene S. Shepard first visited the settlement of Rhinelander.
SOURCE: According to records from the Wisconsin Historical Society.
DATE: 1885
EVENT: Eugene S. Shepard, the Hodag creator, moves to Rheinlander, Wisconsin.
SOURCE: According to public records.
DATE: 1886
EVENT: Once he settled Rheinlander, Shepard worked as a surveyor and timber cruiser.(someone who scouts and estimates the value of virgin timber for lumber companies.
SOURCE: According to public records.
CHAT: As a timber cruiser and surveyor, Shepherd spent years in lumber camp buckhouses where he frequently discussed "Hodags" and other "fearsome creaters" with lumberjacks. Shepard reportedly claimed to have hunted these creatures long before the public hoax began.
DATE: August 1886
EVENT: Herman Webster Mudgett, aka, Dr. Henry Howard arrived in Chicago, Illinois.
SOURCE: Based on true life events.
DATE: August 1886
EVENT: Herman Webster Mudgett, aka, Dr. Henry Howard started work at Elizabeth S. Holton's drugstore at the n
orthwest corner of South Wallace Avenue and West 63rd Street in Englewood. He eventually buys the business.
SOURCE: Based on true life events
DATE: around 1892
EVENT: Michigan Military Cadet Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, posed with an unknown woman.
SOURCE: Family photo.
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| 1892 ERB |
Chapter Two
Out Of Africa
DATE: November 4, 1892
EVENT: A full moon and a total lunar eclipse. The ape-man rescues the moon.
SOURCE: "See! Goro is emerging from the belly of Numa," and, sure enough, the moon was gradually emerging from whatever had devoured her, weather it was Uma, the lion, or the shadow of the earth;" ERB-Jungle Tales Of Tarzan.
CHAT: Observers at 10° South latitude in West Portuguese Angola (modern-day Angola, near the Kwanza River region) witnessed a Total Lunar Eclipse.
Because this location is in the Southern Hemisphere and relatively close to the equator, the Moon appeared high in the night sky during the event.
- This specific eclipse was a "shallow" totality, meaning the Moon passed through the northern edge of the Earth's dark umbral shadow rather than through the center.
- At 10^\circ South, the local time was approximately UTC+1.
- The Full Moon rose in the East-Northeast around 5:45 PM.
- Partial Phase Begins: At 3:09 PM UTC (4:09 PM Local), the Moon began entering the Earth's umbra.
However, since the Moon had not yet risen in West Portuguese Angola, the early stages were not visible.
- At 4:22 PM UTC (5:22 PM Local), the Moon became completely submerged in shadow. In West Portuguese Angola, the Moon rose while already in a state of totality.
- At 4:44 PM UTC (5:44 PM Local), the Moon was deepest into the shadow. At 10^\circ South, this occurred just as the Moon was clearing the horizon.
- At 5:06 PM UTC (6:06 PM Local), the first sliver of the "re-emerging" Moon became visible.
- At 6:21 PM UTC (7:21 PM Local), the Moon fully exited the dark umbral shadow, returning to its normal brightness.
For an observer in 1892 West Portuguese Angola, the experience would have been quite striking:
- Residents would have seen a dark, reddish Moon rising shortly after sunset.
- Because the eclipse was already total at moonrise, the Moon would not have been the usual bright white, but rather a dull copper or deep "brick" red.
- At 10^\circ South, the low angle of the Moon during the total phase would have caused it to interact with the thicker atmosphere near the horizon, potentially making the red color even more intense or "muddy."
- Since this was a shallow eclipse (Magnitude 1.09), the northern edge of the Moon (the top part as seen from the Southern Hemisphere) would have appeared much brighter than the southern edge, as it was closer to the edge of the Earth's shadow.
- As the Moon's glare was extinguished by the shadow, the Milky Way and the stars of the constellation Aries (where the Moon was positioned) would have become vividly visible in the dark tropical sky.
Historical Context
- In 1892, West Portuguese Angola was under colonial administration.
- Observations of such events were often recorded by Portuguese naval officers, explorers, or missionaries in the region.
- Scientific interest in that era focused on using the timing of the eclipse to determine precise longitude for mapping the interior of the continent.
Environmental Conditions:
- Observers likely experienced humid conditions with temperatures around 24°C to 28°C (75°F–82°F) in the evening.
- November often brings increased cloud cover.
- While the eclipse was astronomically visible, there was a high probability of intermittent clouds or "low-hanging mist" common in the coastal regions, which could have obscured the Moon as it rose over the horizon.
- There was virtually no light pollution. Beyond the dim glow of oil lamps in the towns of Luanda or Benguela, the sky would have been "true dark," making the reddish hue of the eclipsed Moon stand out dramatically against the stars.
Scientific & Historical Context
- During the late 19th century, Portugal was in the midst of "Scientific Occupation"—an effort to map and solidify control over its African territories through science and infrastructure.
- The Portuguese Navy (Marinha Portuguesa) had been conducting meteorological and astronomical observations in Luanda since 1857.
- Naval officers at the Luanda Meteorological Observatory would have been the most likely individuals to record the timing of the eclipse to calibrate chronometers.
- Expeditions in the early 1890s used lunar eclipses as "celestial clocks." By comparing the local time of the eclipse in the West Portuguese Angolan bush to the predicted time in Lisbon (from the Almanach Nautico), explorers could calculate their longitude to ensure their maps of the interior were accurate.
Cultural Impact
- For the indigenous populations, such as the Kimbundu or Umbundu people, a "Blood Moon" held deep spiritual significance.
- In many Bantu-based cultures of the era, celestial shifts were often interpreted as omens related to the health of the ruler or the coming harvest.
- The sight of the moon "bleeding" (turning red) just as it rose would have been a powerful and potentially unsettling event for those not briefed on astronomical mechanics.
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| Tarzan Rescues The Moon |
Jungle Tales Of Tarzan comes to a close. Tarzan Of The Apes continues..
DATE: mid-afternoon November 5, 1892
EVENT: On the way home Tarzan kills Sabor, the lioness.
Source: "mid-afternoon" ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes. This event occurs the following day after the total lunar eclipse.
 |
| Roy Krinkel |
DATE: November 5, 1892
EVENT: William Cecil Clayton's father is speaking in the House of Lords. SOURCE: "And in London another Lord Greystoke was speaking to his kind in the House of Lords, but none trembled at the sound of his soft voice." ERB- Tarzan Of The Apes.
- We know this is William Cecil's father because of the statement ERB makes when Tarzan rescues William Cecil on the beach. "Clayton's only response was a shrug of the shoulders, but as he left them he picked up the spear which had transfixed Snipes, and thus primitively armed, the son of the then Lord Greystoke strode into the dense jungle." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- Again when Tarzan rescues William Cecil from Sheeta, the leopard, it is stated, "He was no coward; but if ever a man felt the icy fingers of fear upon his heart, William Cecil Clayton, eldest son of Lord Greystoke of England, did that day in the fastness of the African jungle." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
 |
| Joe Jusko |
DATE: afternoon November 5, 1892 thru noon November 6, 1892.
EVENT: After skinning Sabor Tarzan went to sleep and slept until noon the following day.
SOURCE: "What with loss of sleep, arduous exercise, and a full belly, Tarzan of the Apes slept the sun around, awakening about noon the following day. ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: November 6, 1892
EVENT: Tarzan kills Kerchak and becomes King.
SOURCE: The same day Tarzan wakes at noon. ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
 |
| Joe Jusko |
DATE: December 4, 1892 full moon. EVENT: Tarzan made an unrecorded visit to Mbonga's village to watch the natives dance and to steal arrows and supplies.
Source: "During this period Tarzan paid many nocturnal visits to the village, where he often renewed his supply of arrows." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- "Once every moon Tarzan would go swinging rapidly back through the swaying branches to have a day with his books, and to replenish his supply of arrows." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
SOURCE: Full moon date provided by U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department's Phases Of The Moon.
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| Tarzan |
DATE: February 2, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan returns to his cabin and sees a ship in the harbor and white men on the beach.
SOURCE: "Then Tarzan returned, hunting, always hunting to the cabin by the beach." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- These events occur one day before the writing of Jane's letter which is February 3 (?).
 |
| Tarzan Sees 1st Whites |
DATE: the afternoon of February 2, 1893
EVENT: Professor Archimedes Q. Porter and his assistant, Samuel T. Philander are lost.
SOURCE: It is during their lost wonderings that ERB provides two hints that the Porter party is in Western Portuguese Angola.
- "It was by the merest caprice of fortune that they headed toward the west coast of Africa, instead of toward Zanzibar on the opposite side of the dark continent." ERB- Tarzan Of The Apes.
- On the map of Africa, Zanzibar lies opposite the boundary areas of West Portuguese Angola.
- "Instead, with all the assurance that deductive reasoning from a wrong premise induces in one, Mr. Samuel T. Philander grasped Professor Archimedes Q. Porter firmly by the arm and hurried the weakly protesting old gentleman off in the direction of Cape Town, fifteen hundred miles to the south." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- By the direction of Cape Town, fifteen hundred miles to the south." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- By air, the shortest distance between two points, 1500 miles from Cape Town would bring us north to the coastal town of Benguela, which is smack in the middle of the coastline of West Portuguese Angola at about 12 degrees South Latitude. If you think of 1500 miles walking along the beach, then it would have to be measured from or to a point even further south (closer to Cape Town) than Benguela. These events occur one day before the writing of Jane's letter which is February 3 (?).
DATE: just turned night February 2, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan rescues Jane and Esmeralda from Sabor, the lioness.
SOURCE: It is at this point that ERB strongly suggests three times the date. "Little did John Clayton imagine when he fashioned that crude but mighty portal that one day, twenty years later, it would shield a fair American girl, then unborn, from the teeth and talons of a man-eater." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- From this statement, we know the jungle lord is twenty at this occurrence and Jane is less than twenty.
- The following morning when the Porter party bury the bones of John and Alice Clayton the statement is made, "When the grave had been filled with earth the little party turned back to the cabin, and Esmeralda, still weeping copiously for the two she had never heard of before today, and who had been dead twenty years, chanced to glance toward the harbor." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- That night Jane writes a letter to Hazel Strong and the statement is made, "Within the little building a light was burning, for Clayton had found an unopened tin of oil which had stood intact for twenty years, a part of the supplies left with the Clayton's by Black Michael." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- These events occur one day before the writing of Jane's letter which is February 3 (?).
DATE: February 3 (?), 1893
EVENT: Tarzan digs up and reburies Professor Archimedes Q.Porter's treasure and Jane writes Hazel Strong a letter.
SOURCE: Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author's, penned account plainly implies these events occur the day following Jane and Esmeralda's rescue.
- February 3 is the date Jane believes it to be when writing Hazel Strong a letter.
CHAT: It is my belief that the presented date of 1909 is a deliberate attempt by ERB, the author, to modernize the story to protect Lord Greystoke's true identity and sailing date.
DATE: February 4, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan reads Jane's letter.
SOURCE: Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author's penned account implies these events occur the day following Jane's letter writing.
CHAT: Note another hint that Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, provides that John and Alice Clayton are marooned in West Portuguese Angola. In Jane's letter, she writes, "West Coast of Africa, about 10 Degrees South of Latitude. (So Mr. Clayton says.) ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: the morning of February 5, 1893
EVENT: Jane finds her missing letter with Tarzan's note.
SOURCE: "The next morning Jane found her missing letter in the exact spot from which it had d isappeared two nights before." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: the morning of February 6, 1893
EVENT: Captain Dufranne's small French warship spots the Arrow.
SOURCE: On March 6, the day the Frenchmen discovered the Porter Party, "Captain Dufranne, explained that a month before they had sighted the Arrow bearing southwest under considerable canvas, and that when they had signaled her to come about she had but crowded on more sail." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: sunset February 6, 1893
EVENT: The small French steam cruiser freed several shots at the Arrow, but she managed to escape.
SOURCE: "They had kept her hull-up until sunset, firing several shots after her," ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: night of February 6, 1893
EVENT: The Arrow heads out into the Atlantic in the cover of darkness.
SOURCE: "It seems that the pursuit by the cruiser had so terrorized the mutineers that they had continued out across the Atlantic." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: February 7, 1893, thru February 26, 1893
EVENT: The French steamer searches for the Arrow.
SOURCE: "They had then continued to cruise up and down the coast for several weeks, and had about forgotten the incident of the recent chase, when, early one morning a few days before, the lookout had described a vessel laboring in through of a heavy sea and evidently entirely out of control." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: February 14, 1893
EVENT: Discovering the meager supply of water and provisions aboard, the Arrow turned back toward the east.
SOURCE: "they had continued out across the Atlantic for several days after losing her; but on discovering the meager supply of water and provisions aboard, they had turned back toward the east.." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: February 17, 1893
EVENT: The Arrow changed from an easterly course to a northerly course.
SOURCE: "and three days' sailing to the east did not raise land, they bore off to the north, fearing the high north winds that had prevailed had driven them south of the southern extremity of Africa." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: February 19, 1893
EVENT: After two days of northerly travel the Arrow was overtaken by a calm.
SOURCE: "They kept on a north-northeasterly course for two days, when they were overtaken by a calm," ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: February 25, 1893
EVENT: The Arrow floated helplessly for nearly a week.
SOURCE: "they were overtaken by a calm which lasted for nearly a week." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: early morning February 26, 1893
EVENT: The French warship captures the Arrow.
SOURCE: "early one morning a few days before, the lookout described a vessel laboring in the trough of a heavy sea and evidently out of control." ERB- Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: February 26, 1893
EVENT: The Mangani dethrone Terkoz.
SOURCE: "For several days he wandered aimlessly, nursing his spite and looking for some weak thing on which to vent his pent anger. It was in this state of mind that the horrible, man-like beast, swinging from tree to tree, came suddenly upon two women in the jungle." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: Thursday, March 2, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan makes an unrecorded visit to Mbonga's village to watch the natives dance and steal arrows.
SOURCE: ERB does not write about this event, but as I have shown many many times it is Tarzan's habit to go to Mbonga's village on a full moon to watch the natives dance and steal arrows. The full moon date is supplied from the U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department's Phases Of The Moon.
Date: early afternoon March 5, 1893
Event: Terkoz abducts Jane.
Source: "A month passed," ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes. "It was early afternoon," ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: shortly after on the afternoon of March 5, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan kills Terkoz, his foster brother, and rescues Jane.
SOURCE: "Three miles were covered before Tarzan overtook them." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: mid-afternoon March 5, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan takes Jane to the amphitheater where the Dum-Dum is held.
SOURCE: "Though they had come many miles, it was still in the half light which filtered through the maze of encircling foliage." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: sundown March 5, 1893
EVENT: The French warship, with the Arrow in toll, anchored at the beach in front of Tarzan's cabin.
SOURCE: "They had anchored by night so as not to neglect a particle of the shore line, and it had happened that the preceding night had brought them off the very beach where lay the little camp they sought." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: sunrise March 6, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan and Jane eat breakfast.
SOURCE: "And thus the rising sun found them in the morning." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: early morning March 6, 1893
EVENT: The French steamer finds the Porter party.
SOURCE: "Early the following morning the four within the little cabin by the beach were awakened by the booming of a cannon." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: March 6, 1893
EVENT: Captain Dufranne selected twenty men and two officers, Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot and Lieutenant Charpentier, to accompany Professor Archimedes Q. Porter and William Cecil Clayton in their search for Jane.
SOURCE: The same day the Porter party was discovered.
DATE: noon March 6, 1893
EVENT: While leisurely taking Jane back to the cabin the two stop to drink and eat.
SOURCE: "Several times they halted for brief rests, which Tarzan did not need, and at noon they stopped for an hour at a little brook, where they quenched their thirst, and ate." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: noon March 6, 1893
EVENT: The expedition of searching sailors stopped for a rest.
SOURCE: "Noon found them but a few miles inland." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: nearly sunset March 6, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan and Jane arrive at Greystoke's cabin.
SOURCE: "So it was nearly sunset when they came to the clearing, and Tarzan, dropping to the ground beside a great tree, parted the tall jungle grass and pointed out the little cabin to her." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: dusk March 6, 1893
EVENT: While Jane was trying to persuade Tarzan to come and meet her people the sound of many guns could be heard in the far distance and he raced off to investigate.
SOURCE: "Mr. Philander was the first to see her. It was dusk and Mr. Philander was very near sighted." ERB- Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: dusk March 6, 1893
EVENT: The sailors were attacked by Mbonga's warriors and Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot was captured.
SOURCE: "It was these shots that Tarzan and Jane Porter had heard." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: dusk March 6, 1893
EVENT: Mbonga's advance warriors, with Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot, arrive at the village.
SOURCE: "It was now dusk, but the watchers at the gate saw the approaching trio and distinguished one as a prisoner ere they reached the portals." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: last light March 6, 1893
EVENT: Lieutenant Charpentier ordered his ambushed sailors to make camp.
SOURCE: "Night was falling rapidly, and their predicament was rendered doubly worse when they could not even find the elephant trail which they had been following." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: night March 6, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan raced to Mbonga's village and rescued Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot.
SOURCE: "Night had fallen and he traveled high along the upper terrace where the gorgeous tropic moon lighted the dizzy pathway through the greatly undulating branches of the tree tops." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
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| Zedenek Burian |
DATE: dawn March 7, 1893
EVENT: Lieutenant Charpentier and his sailors return to the beach.
SOURCE: "As soon as it was light enough to see their surroundings Lieutenant Charpentier sent men in groups of three in several directions to locate the trail, and in ten minutes it was found and the expedition was hurrying back toward the beach." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: late afternoon March 7, 1893
EVENT: Lieutenant Charpentier and his men reach the beach.
SOURCE: "It was late in the afternoon when the exhausted men reached the clearing by the beach, but for two of them the return brought so great a happiness that all their suffering and heartbreaking grief was forgotten on the instant." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: early morning March 8, 1893
EVENT: Lieutenant Charpentier and crew, with William Cecil Clayton, search for Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot.
SOURCE: "The next morning Clayton left early with the relief expedition in search of Lieutenant D'Arnot." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: shortly after noon March 8, 1893
EVENT: The sailors reached the sight of the previous skirmish.
SOURCE: "They reached the sight of the skirmish of the previous expedition shortly after noon, for they were now traveling a known trail and no time was lost in exploring." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: two o'clock p.m. March 8, 1893
EVENT: The sailors reach Mbonga's village.
SOURCE: "It was but two o'clock when the head of the column halted upon the edge of the clearing." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: two-thirty p.m. March 8, 1893
EVENT: The French sailors attack Mbonga's village.
SOURCE: "For half an hour the men with Lieutenant Charpentier crouched in the dense foliage of the jungle, waiting for the signal." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: night March 8, 1893
EVENT: The French sailors camp in Mbonga's captured village.
SOURCE: "At length all hope left them, and they prepared to camp for the night within the village." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: morning March 9, 1893
EVENT: The victorious French attackers set out upon the return march.
SOURCE: "The next morning they set out upon the return march." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: quite late March 9, 1983
EVENT: The French sailors reach the cabin.
SOURCE: "It was quite late when they reached the cabin by the beach." ERB- Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: March 9, 1893
EVENT: Jane persuades Captain Dufranne to wait for a full week for Tarzan and Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot.
SOURCE: Although Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, describes the returning French as arriving "quite late" we know it was not yet dark. When Jane convinced Captain Dufranne to wait for one more week it is stated,
- "They had been walking from the beach toward the cabin as they talked, and now they joined a little group sitting on camp stools in the shade of a tree beside the cabin." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- During that conversation, Jane says, "He left me at the edge of the jungle two days ago.." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- "When the expedition returned, following their fruitless endeavor to succor D'Arnot, Captain Dufranne was anxious to steam away as quickly as possible, and all save Jane had acquired." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- "And so it was arranged that on the next day Lieutenant Charpentier was to take a detail of ten men, and one of the mutineers of the Arrow as a guide, and unearth the treasure; and that the cruiser would remain for a full week in the little harbor." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: morning March 10, 1893
EVENT: Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot awakens for the first time.
SOURCE: Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, does not provide this date directly, but it can be deducted by the amount of time that is covered from Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot’s capture on March 6, and the Arrow's sailing date on March 17, which is a total of twelve days. These daily events are clearly provided by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author.
- When Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot regains consciousness until he and Tarzan return to the cabin to discover the Arrow gone is a passage of eight days, which is again plainly outlined by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author. Thus we can conclude that Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot lay unconscious for four days.
DATE: March 10, 1893
EVENT: William Cecil Clayton and the French sailors attempt to dig up Professor Archimedes Q. Porter's buried treasure.
SOURCE: "And so it was arranged that on the next day Lieutenant Charpentier was to take a detail of ten men, and one of the mutineers of the Arrow as a guide, and unearth the treasure." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: toward noon March 10, 1893
EVENT: The French sailors return without the treasure.
SOURCE: "Professor Porter, did not accompany the treasure-seekers on the following day, but when he saw them returning empty-handed toward noon, he hastened forward to meet them - his usual preoccupied indifference entirely vanished, and in its place a nervous and excited manner." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: afternoon March 10, 1893
EVENT: Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot wakes for the second time.
SOURCE: "At length he fell into a quiet slumber, nor did he awake again until afternoon." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: March 11, 1893
EVENT: Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot developed a fever.
SOURCE: "The second day a fever had come and D'Arnot thought that it meant infection and he knew he would die." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: night of March 11, 1893
EVENT: Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot lost consciousness.
SOURCE: "That night he lost consciousness." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: March 13, 1893
EVENT: For three days Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot remains in delirium.
SOURCE: "For three days he was in delirium, and Tarzan sat beside him and bathed his head and hands and washed his wounds." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: March 14, 1893
EVENT: Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot's fever broke.
SOURCE: "On the fourth day the fever broke as suddenly as it had come, but it left D'Arnot a shadow of his former self, and very weak." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: March 16, 1893
EVENT: Captain Dufranne announced the Arrow would sail early the following day.
SOURCE: "Six days later Captain Dufranne announced that they would sail early on the morrow." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: March 16, 1893
EVENT: Lieutenant Paul d'Arnot began to walk with Tarzan's aid, and teach him French.
SOURCE: "Two days after, D'Arnot was tottering about the amphitheater. Tarzan's strong arm about him to keep him from falling." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: early March 17, 1893
EVENT: The Arrow sets sail with the French warship.
SOURCE: "Six days later Captain Dufranne announced that they would sail early on the morrow." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
The Arrow
DATE: March 17, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan began speaking little sentences in French.
SOURCE: "He was a most eager student, and in two more days had mastered so much French that he could speak little sentences such as; "That is a tree," "this is grass," "I am hungry," and the like, but D'Arnot found that it was difficult to teach him the French construction upon a foundation of English." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: March 17, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot set out for the cabin.
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot set out for the cabin.
SOURCE: "On the third day after the fever broke Tarzan wrote a message asking D'Arnot if he felt strong enough to be carried back to the cabin." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: mid-afternoon March 17, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan and Lieutenant D'Arnot arrive at the cabin to discover everyone is gone.
EVENT: Tarzan and Lieutenant D'Arnot arrive at the cabin to discover everyone is gone.
SOURCE: "Mid-afternoon brought them to the clearing, and as Tarzan dropped to earth from the branches of the last tree his heart leaped and bounded against his ribs in anticipation of seeing Jane so soon again." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: dusk March 17, 1893
EVENT: Lieutenant Paul D'Arnot accidentally shoots Tarzan.
EVENT: Lieutenant Paul D'Arnot accidentally shoots Tarzan.
SOURCE: "Dusk was falling, and the interior of the cabin was very dark, but the man could see the latch moving from its place." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
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| Joe Kubert |
DATE: March 24, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot spend a week at the cabin.
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot spend a week at the cabin.
SOURCE: "For a week they did little but rest, D'Arnot coaching Tarzan in French." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: March 25, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan and Lieutenant Paul D'Arnot leave the cabin in search of whites.
EVENT: Tarzan and Lieutenant Paul D'Arnot leave the cabin in search of whites.
SOURCE: "So on the following day they started north along the shore." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: April 8, 1893
DATE: July 17, 1893
EVENT: D'Arnot and Tarzan sail for Lyons, France.
Lyon, France
DATE: July 17, 1893
EVENT: William Clayton and Mr. Philander go to Wisconsin.
EVENT: Tarzan tells D'Arnot about finding and moving the Porter treasure chest, and about his father's diary.
SOURCE: "Go back?" exclaimed D'Arnot. "But my dear fellow, we have been three weeks upon the march." ERB- Tarzan Of The Apes. It is also important to note the age of the diary itself. "Then he proceeded to read the diary that had been written over twenty years before." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
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| Harold Foster |
DATE: April 15, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot walk the coastline in search of whites. Eventually, they happened upon a French mission.
SOURCE: "For a month they traveled north," ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes. "A week later the two men came suddenly upon a clearing in the forest." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
Zdenek Burian
DATE: April 22, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot spend a week resting at the mission.
SOURCE: "For a week they remained there," ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot spend a week resting at the mission.
SOURCE: "For a week they remained there," ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
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| 1893 Central African Republic |
DATE: MAY 4, 1893
EVENT: Panic of 1893
SOURCE: The collapse of the National Cordage Company in New York City, It was part of the then largest economic crisis to hit America that triggered a depression that lasted until 1897. Loans were cancelled across the country 600 banks failed, 15,000 companies collapsed and unemployment soared to 25%.
DATE: May 22, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot reach a small river town.
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot spend a month at the river town waiting for funds.
DATE: morning June 23, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot rent a boat and return for the Porter treasure.
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot reach a small river town.
SOURCE: "Another month brought them to a little group of buildings at the mouth of a wide river," ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes. "Gradually he became accustomed to the strange noises and the odd ways of civilization so that none might know that two short months before, this handsome Frenchman in immaculate white ducks, who laughed and chatted with the gayest of them, had been swinging naked through primeval forests to pounce upon some unwary victim, which, raw was to fill his savage belly." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
 |
| Matadi, Congo River |
DATE: June 22, 1893
SOURCE: "He had also cabled his bankers for funds, and the enforced wait of a month, under which both chafed, was due to their inability to charter a vessel for the return to Tarzan's jungle after the treasure." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
Matadi, Congo River
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot rent a boat and return for the Porter treasure.
SOURCE: "Shortly after the episode of the lion hunt, D'Arnot succeeded in chartering an ancient tub for the coastwise trip to Tarzan's land-locked harbor." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: morning June 24, 1893
EVENT: The rented tub dropped anchor at the cabin's harbor.
EVENT: The rented tub dropped anchor at the cabin's harbor.
SOURCE: "The trip to the beach was uneventful, and the morning after they dropped anchor before the cabin," ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: late in the evening of June 25, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan returns with the treasure.
EVENT: Tarzan returns with the treasure.
SOURCE: "Late the next day he returned, bearing the great chest upon his shoulder." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes..
DATE: sunrise June 26, 1893
EVENT: The rented tub returns to the river town.
EVENT: The rented tub returns to the river town.
SOURCE: "and at sunrise the little vessel worked through the harbor's mouth and took up her northward journey." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
Matadi, Congo River
DATE: June 26, 1893, thru July 17, 1893
EVENT: D'Arnot and Tarzan remain in the river town.
EVENT: D'Arnot and Tarzan remain in the river town.
SOURCE: "Three weeks later Tarzan and D'Arnot were passengers on board a French steamer bound for Lyons." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
Matadi, Congo River
EVENT: D'Arnot and Tarzan sail for Lyons, France.
SOURCE: "Three weeks later Tarzan and D'Arnot were passengers on board a French steamer bound for Lyons, France." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- In 1893, the voyage from Loangona to France was around 25 to 35 days depending on weather, port stops, or unexpected delays.
EVENT: William Clayton and Mr. Philander go to Wisconsin.
SOURCE: When Jane arrives in Northern Wisconsin it is stated, "The farmhouse, which stood on a little elevation some hundred yards from the tenant house, had undergone a complete transformation during the three weeks that Clayton and Mr. Philander had been there." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
 |
| Jane's Refurbished Farm |
Chapter Three
Tarzan's First Visit To France
DATE: July 23, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot arrive in Lyons, France.
SOURCE: in 1893, the average to France would typically take 25 to 35 days, depending on the number of costal stops for rubber and ivory.
Lyons, France
DATE: July 23, 1893, thru July 27, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot spend a few days in Lyons.
EVENT: Tarzan and D'Arnot spend a few days in Lyons.
SOURCE: "and after a few days in that city D'Arnot took Tarzan to Paris." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
EVENT: D'Arnot and Tarzan in Paris.
SOURCE: ERB says, "One of the first things D'Arnot accomplished after their arrival was to arrange to visit a high official of the police department." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes. At that meeting, D'Arnot states, "I had hoped to know at once. Monsieur Tarzan sails for America tomorrow." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes. Note that no mention of time is given between the fingerprinting appointment being made and the actual fingerprinting taking place. We do know it was not immediate because of statements made in The Return Of Tarzan.
In chapter one ERB writes, "They reminded Tarzan of melodramatic villains he had seen at the theaters in Paris." ERB-The Return Of Tarzan. In chapter three ERB states, "Tarzan spent the two following weeks renewing his former brief acquaintance with Paris." ERB-The Return Of Tarzan.
From this information, it is quite clear Tarzan spent at least a little time in Paris. We know for a fact that the jungle lord at least had enough time for more than one theater visit and had some time to go out on the town sightseeing. My personal research indicates the Paris visit to last shortly over a week.
We also know that D'Arnot and Tarzan had the Porter treasure appraised. "The treasure was most carefully appraised by experts, but lest there should be any question in your mind, D'Arnot himself bought it and is holding it for you, should you prefer the treasure to the credit." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
1893 Eiffel Tower
DATE: August 4, 1893, Friday
EVENT: Robert Canler speaks to Professor Porter about marrying Jane.
SOURCE: "There is young Clayton you know," suggested Canler. "He has been hanging around for months." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes. Jane at this time also made a statement that helps establish a time perspective. "I want you to be sure papa, to indicate all that you can do without until fall." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes. In North America fall is between September 23 through December 22, Therefore, we know this conversation must occur before or after those dates.
DATE: August 5, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan was fingerprinted.
SOURCE: "One of the first things which D'Arnot accomplished after their arrival was to arrange to visit a high official of the police department." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes. "You forget that for twenty years the dead body of the child who made these fingerprints lay in the cabin of his father, and that all my life I have seen it laying there," said Tarzan bitterly. ERB-Tarzan Of the Apes.
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| Harold Foster |
DATE: August 6, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan leaves France for America.
SOURCE: "I had hoped to know at once," said D'Arnot. "Monsieur Tarzan sails for America tomorrow," ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
CHAT: In 1893, the duration of an ocean voyage from France, typically departing from Le Havre, to New York City depended on the type of vessel.
- By this time, the "Golden Age of the Liner" was in full swing, and steam was rapidly replacing sail for passenger travel. For a premier passenger steamship, the journey took approximately 7 to 9 days.
- The French Line’s flagship at the time, the SS La Touraine, was one of the fastest on the route. It typically made the crossing in about 7 days and 14 hours.
- A standard mail or passenger steamer would more likely take 8 to 10 days.
- While most passenger ships had moved to steam by 1893, some cargo and lower-cost immigrant travel still occurred via sailing vessels. That method of transportation could take as long as 25 to 40 days.
- Sailing times were entirely dependent on wind and weather. A westbound trip, against the prevailing winds, was much slower than an eastbound one.
- July was considered "high season" for transatlantic travel due to calmer summer seas, though the North Atlantic could still produce fog and storms.
What kind of Vessel did the jungle lord choose?
- The jungle man actually made no choices for he had no travel experience. Paul d'Arnot took care of all the planning and funding.
- Paul d’Arnot was very wealthy. D’Arnot told his jungle friend he had more money than one man could spend. In gratitude to the ape-man, who had no financial means of support, for saving his life he was willing to finance his every need. You can tell by the way Tarzan was financed in France that Paul d'Arnot was not holding back on spending. Tarzan was getting the royal treatment. That being said, Tarzan was getting the premium passage.
Tarzan most likely traveled on the express liner, La Touraine.
- The steamer left Le Havre, France and reached New York City in ~7.5 days. Almost all major French transatlantic traffic went through Le Havre.
1893 Paris
DATE: August 7, 1893
EVENT: The Porter party go by train to northern Wisconsin.
EVENT: The Porter party go by train to northern Wisconsin.
SOURCE: "She is planning on our going up there the first of the week." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: August 14, 1893
EVENT: Robert Canler arrives in Wisconsin.
EVENT: Robert Canler arrives in Wisconsin.
SOURCE: "a week later, Robert Canler drew up before the farmhouse in his purring six-cylinder." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes. It is important to note that the first car with a six-cylinder, according to the History Of Cars, was a Napier. They were produced in London and Boston from 1906 through 1909. Therefore, in an 1872 chronology the modern car, as described by Burroughs, could not exist. It is very possible, however, that Canler could have driven a car. In this early time, steam and electric cars were the norm, but a gas-powered car was produced by the Daimler Motor Company which was founded in Steinway Avenue, Long Island, N.Y. in 1891.
DATE: August 14, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan arrives in New York City and is processed at Ellis Island.
SOURCE: Speculation based on historical records. Ships typically arrived at the French Line (CGT) Pier in Manhattan or anchored near Ellis Island (which had opened only a year earlier, in 1892) for immigrant processing.
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| Robert Canler Arrives In Rhinelander |
DATE: August 15, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan arrives in Baltimore, Maryland.
EVENT: Tarzan arrives in Baltimore, Maryland.
SOURCE: Both Phil Farmer and Alan Hanson's research show this sea voyage takes approximately seven days in 1909. Since my chronology shows this travel occurring sixteen years earlier, I have added an extra day to Phil and Alan's date to cover any extra length of time due to technological advances. Once there Tarzan looked up the Porter home where he received divesting news. The Porter's had recently moved to Wisconsin and Canler had followed to marry Jane. "But in Baltimore - Oh, how I have searched for you - they told me you would possibly be married by now. That a man named Canler had come up here to wed you." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: August 21, 1893
EVENT: Jane agrees to marry Robert Canler.
EVENT: Jane agrees to marry Robert Canler.
SOURCE: "A week passed; a tense, uneventful, but uncomfortable week for all the inmates of the little Wisconsin farmhouse." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: early morning August 22, 1893
EVENT: Robert Canler goes to town to bring back the license and a minister.
SOURCE: "Early the next morning Canler set out for town." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
EVENT: Robert Canler goes to town to bring back the license and a minister.
SOURCE: "Early the next morning Canler set out for town." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
DATE: about noon August 22, 1893
EVENT: Jane goes for a walk and gets trapped by a forest fire.
SOURCE: "About noon Jane started off for a walk." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
EVENT: Jane goes for a walk and gets trapped by a forest fire.
SOURCE: "About noon Jane started off for a walk." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
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| Zdenek Burien |
DATE: just after noon August 22, 1893
EVENT: Minutes later Monsieur Jean C. Tarzan, as he is now known, arrives at the Porter's Rhinelander, Wisconsin farmhouse in a large black French automobile.
SOURCE: "Suddenly, out of the northeast, a great black car came careening down the road." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- While riding to the train station with Tarzan and Mr. Philander says, "and now you are driving me along a Wisconsin road in a French automobile." ERB- Tarzan Of The Apes.
- ERB does not provide the brand of Tarzan's auto. In 1893 it was most probably a Panhard or a Peugeot.
CHAT: Although both gas-powered cars fit an 1872 chronology description there is a tie breaker. The Peugeot adopted a lion as its simple. Tarzan most probably drove an 1893 Peugeot Type 3 (there is more than one model available).
- Where did the jungle lord get this modern and expensive machine? He has recently left the African jungle and has not yet developed a source of income. No matter how this question is answered it will be mere speculation because ERB never provided the answer. The most likely answer is the extremely rich Paul d’Arnot.
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| 1893 Peugeot 3CV |
DATE: evening August 22, 1893
EVENT: The Porter party is at the train station on the way back to Baltimore. Tarzan receives the telegram proving that he is Lord Greystoke.
SOURCE: "That evening in the little waiting room at the station Tarzan caught Jane alone for a moment." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- "She, too, was happy, for was she not returning to her beloved Maryland?" ERB-The Return Of Tarzan.
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| Monsieur Tarzan & Jane Porter |
DATE: evening August 22, 1893
DATE: August 22, 1893
DATE: the evening of August 22, 1893.
EVENT: The Porter party is at the train station on the way back to Baltimore. Tarzan receives the telegram proving that he is Lord Greystoke.
SOURCE: "That evening in the little waiting room at the station Tarzan caught Jane alone for a moment." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- "She, too was happy, for was she not returning to her beloved Maryland?" ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.
- Most casual readers don't pick up on it, but The Return Of Tarzan starts chronology-wise on the same day as Tarzan Of The Apes ends..
EVENT: Porter party in a railway station in northern Wisconsin on the way home to Maryland. Tarzan decides to drive his car to New York. William Cecil Clayton finds Tarzan's dropped cablegram.
SOURCE: Clayton asks Jane where Tarzan is. She replied, "at the last minute he determined to drive his machine back to New York. He is anxious to see more of America than is possible from a car window. He is returning to France, you know." ERB-The Return Of Tarzan.
- Any description after Tarzan leaves Wisconsin in his car is untold. Instead of leaving a one-year and nine-day time blackout, however, let's have some fun by reconstructing a timeline of what could have happened.
| Prentice Depot, Wi. |
- Most readers think The Return Of Tarzan begins with the jungle lord leaving New York and sailing for France. I showed above that was not the case. What we do learn about the ape-man's ocean voyage to France is that the jungle lord is age twenty-two when he meets Countess Oga de Coude.
- The very earliest Tarzan could have turned twenty-two and met Countess Oga de Coude was September 1, 1894, his twenty-second birthday. I used this very earliest meeting date to allow time for Jack Clayton to be born under normal conditions. So, the question is... If Tarzan was in Wisconsin on August 22, 1893, and he didn't set sail from New York for France until September 1, 1894, at age twenty-two, what did Tarzan do in America for one year and nine days? Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author of the Tarzan series, never tells us. Not even a clue. Therefore, anything concluded about this time gap would be an unofficial guess. One thing we know for sure, thanks to Jane Porter, is that Tarzan is planning to drive his car back to New York.
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| Monsieur Tarzan Leaves Rhinelander |
EVENT: Common logic would dictate that Tarzan would have remained in town for the night since it was already evening.
SOURCE: The jungle lord would have rented a room for the night and made arrangements for a bath and supper. He would have turned in early, resting for the auto adventure ahead.
- Poor lighting and bad roads mean no driving autos at night.
- Wild fires raged out of control around Rhinelander.
- The jungle lord would most probably have rented a room at a hostel for the night and made arrangements for a bath then supper.
- Satisfying his love for reading Tarzan would purchase a newspaper and turn in early, resting for tomorrow's auto adventure.
- While eating with others at the hostel Monsieur Tarzan heard other guests talk about the lumberjack tales describing a horrifying beast that lived in the Rhinelander forest.
- Monsieur Jean C. Tarzan was awakened by a mysterious noise and he went to investigate the Hodag, which turns out to be a fire-stray lumbermill oxen.
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| Shlesisingerville, Wi |
DATE: morning of August 23, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan left Rheinlander on his way to New York.
SOURCE: Logic dictates Tarzan did not begin driving until the sun was up and the dew had lifted.
- That wasn't hard because there was an extreme drought in Wisconsin in August 1893.
- Tarzan would have breakfast before heading out and gather travel info from fellow travelers.
- He would fuel his car and restock his traveling supplies.
- The day's drive would be hot, extremely dusty, and hazy.
- Given the slow speed and road quality, Tarzan might only make it 40–50 miles. His first stop would likely be Merrill, WI.
- While the Peugeot Type 3 was in production in 1893, there were only about 64 Peugeots in the entire world, and almost all were in France. Because of the Chicago World's Fair their were early prototypes on display.
- An 1893 Peugeot Type 3 would have a top speed of roughly 12–15 mph.
- There were no gas stations. He would have to buy "ligroin" or benzine from local apothecaries or hardware stores along the way, likely in small glass bottles.
- The roads were mostly deep sand, mud, or gravel.
- The "Good Roads Movement" was just starting; outside of Wausau and Chicago, he’d be driving on rutted wagon tracks.
- He would stop for the night at a preplanned convenient hostel before dusk.
CHAT: Since Tarzan and Robert Canler were driving in Wisconsin in August before the very famous historical Springfield, Massachusetts drive their cars could not have been American made.
DATE: evening August 23, 1893
EVENT: First nightly stop is Merrill, Wisconsin.
SOURCE: Based own 1893 northern Wisconsin driving time.
- Merrill is approximately 27 miles south of Rhinelander.
- Accounting for frequent stops to clear debris, navigate mud, or allow horses to pass, a 27-mile trek would take roughly 4 to 6 hours of active driving depending on the machine.
Finding food and gas.
- Finding food for himself was much easier than finding the special fuel for his car.
- Since he was traveling between logging hubs, he would have relied on lumber camp kitchens or local inns (boarding houses) in towns like Tomahawk or Merrill.
Merrill Newspaper Headlines
In any of the newspapers sold locally in Merrill, Wisconsin the jungle lord would have learned that the entire United States was in a state of high anxiety.
- The dominant news story of the day was about the United States being in the deepest economic depression it had ever seen to that point.
- Local papers were filled with reports of bank runs and businesses shuttering.
- In Wisconsin, the lumber industry (the lifeblood of Rhinelander) was feeling the squeeze as demand for timber plummeted.
The second biggest national story of the day was focused on President Grover Cleveland’s special session of Congress.
- He was fighting to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, believing it was the cause of the financial ruin.
- This was a heated topic in hardware stores where Tarzan would have been buying his traveling needs.
The third largest national news story of the day was about the Chicago World's Fair.
- Despite the depression, the World’s Columbian Exposition was the talk of the Midwest.
- Anyone Tarzan met on the road south would likely have been discussing the "White City" in Chicago.
- The world’s first Ferris Wheel had opened just two months prior and was the marvel of the age.
- Locals were amazed at seeing Tarzan’s big black 1893 French gas powered Peugeot Type 3 horseless carriage. People in Merrill would have only read about the most modern autos in the Chicago World’s Fair's news reports.
- To see one on a dirt road in Oneida County would have been seen as a miracle or a nuisance.
The biggest local Wisconsin News story of the day was about the Smallpox Scare.
- In Milwaukee (further south on his route), an outbreak of smallpox was causing a panic.
- By late August, the city was beginning to implement controversial quarantines that would eventually lead to the "Smallpox Riots" the following year.
In state politics Wisconsin was buzzing about the recent Senatorial Convention held in Rhinelander on August 12.
- The Republican candidate for State Senator had just been chosen there, making the town a temporary political hub.
- In August every Wisconsin newspaper carried articles about local fire watches. throughout August.
Merrill, Wisconsin, was a bustling lumber town with several competing newspapers. If Tarzan had stopped to pick up a paper he would have had three main choices:
The Lincoln County Advocate
- This was the town's most established English-language paper at the time.
- Right around the time Tarzan was passing through, the paper was undergoing a rebranding. Its name was officially changed from the Lincoln County Advocate to simply the Merrill Advocate.
- It was the "paper of record" for the area, focusing heavily on local logging news, social calls, and Republican politics.
The Northern Wisconsin News
- Also known during this period as the Northern Wisconsin News and Merrill Weekly Times.
- This was a weekly paper that had recently gone through several mergers. It was the primary rival to the Advocate and would have likely carried more of the sensational national news regarding the Panic of 1893 and the Chicago World’s Fair.
- Because of the heavy German immigrant population in Northern Wisconsin, Merrill also had a thriving German-language newspaper.
CHAT: Only thoughts here. Is it possible Jane’s mother (and family) was a German immigrant?
While visiting Merrill the passerby found it was a thriving center for the lumber industry.
- The traveler would have encountered a city defined by its lumber barons and a rapidly growing downtown.
- Based on historical records from that year, here are the people and places he likely would have encountered:
Where Tarzan Would Have Stayed
- Since Tarzan was driving a brand new gas powered French vehicle, Peugeot Type 3, implied that he had deep pockets. Now civilized, Monsieur Jean C. Tarzan would most probably rent from one of the more established lodging houses or hotels near the center of town.
The Hotel Lincoln:
- Though the grander versions of Merrill’s hotels came later, there were several boarding houses catering to travelers and businessmen near the Wisconsin River.
Boarding Houses:
- Many travelers in 1893 stayed at private residences that offered rooms and hot meals, as the city was still transitioning from a rough-and-tumble logging camp to a formal city.
Prominent Figures He Might Have Met
Mayor Charles H. Badeau:
- He was the sitting mayor in 1893. A businessman himself, he likely would have been intrigued by a visitor arriving in a "horseless carriage."
- Lumber Barons like H.W. Wright and A.H. Stange were the industrial giants of the city. Their sawmills were the reason Merrill existed, and they lived in large, newly built mansions (some of which still stand on East Main and West Main Streets).
Postmaster C.N. Johnson:
- The post office was located at 906 E. Main Street in 1893. As a hub of information, the postmaster would have been one of the first to hear about a stranger driving south from Rhinelander.
Finding "Fuel" and Supplies
Since there were no gas stations yet, the jungle lord would have headed to the commercial district on East Main Street.
- He would have looked for a hardware dealer to purchase traveling needs and special fuel.
- If the Peugeot Type 3’s suspension or wheels were damaged by the rutted roads, he would have gone to a local blacksmith to have parts forged or repaired.
- Since formal highways didn't exist, he would have followed what were essentially improved logging trails that paralleled the river and the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railroad, which had reached Rhinelander just a decade prior.
Merrill to Wausau.
If Tarzan continued his journey from Merrill toward Wausau, he would have likely followed these historical corridors:
The River Road (The Great Pinery Heritage Waterway):
In 1893, the primary "road" south was the path used by timber cruisers and supply wagons.
- This route largely mirrors today’s Highway 107 and County Road K. It offered the most level terrain, though it was prone to washouts.
The "Pinery" Trail:
He would have passed through the heart of the "Pinery," a vast stretch of white pine forest. This area was so dense that even in daylight, the canopy often made the trail feel like twilight.
- Approaching Wausau Tarzan would have entered from the north along what is today's 3rd Street.
- He would have seen the massive Wausau Dam and the sawmills that defined the city's skyline.
- While the ape-man was roughing it in his Peugeot Type 3 dodging mud holes, stumps, and huge rocks he was impressed by the "North Woods" passenger trains.
- By 1893, a traveler could make the trip from Rhinelander to Wausau in just over an hour by rail—a huge difference to Tarzan’s two-day bone-shaking expedition.
Landmarks Tarzan could have seen.
Grandmother Falls:
A treacherous stretch of the river between Tomahawk and Merrill where he likely would have stopped to watch "river pigs" (log drivers) managing a log jam.
Council Grounds:
Just north of Merrill, was a traditional gathering place for the Ojibwe and Potawatomi, which by 1893 was becoming a popular spot for local carriage excursions.
- If Tarzan intended to reach the World’s Columbian Exposition in becoming a popular spot for local carriage excursions.
- If Tarzan intended to reach the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, he still had over 250 miles of dust, and mud ahead of him.
DATE: morning of August 24, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan began his morning drive on another warm and humid day.
SOURCE: Based on historical trends, Tarzan likely faced temperatures in the 70s or low 80s Fahrenheit.
- Morning fog off the Wisconsin River was common, which would eventually give way to a bright, dusty day.
SOURCE: According to public records.
DATE: morning of August 24, 1893
EVENT: Before leaving Merrill, Tarzan had breakfast and talked to fellow travelers about that day's travel. He also restocked travel needs.
- Tarzan would most probably start from the Center Avenue Historic District, where the town’s wealthiest residents and grandest homes (like the John Woodlock house, built pre-1893) were located.
- The route south toward Wausau consisted of sand, gravel, and packed clay. In dry weather, the wheels of a car would kick up immense clouds of dust. If it had rained recently, the Peugeot Type 3 would likely have bogged down in deep, wagon-rutted mud. Signage was almost non-existent; he would have followed the river and the stagecoach trails.
- Likely stops for a meal between Merrill and Wausau would have been small wayside inns or stagecoach stops.
- He might have grabbed a "lumberjack-style" hearty meal—heavy on salt pork, potatoes, and bread—at a boarding house catering to the river drivers.
- Given the slow pace of a 1893 vehicle (averaging roughly 5–10 mph on poor roads), and the need for frequent maintenance, a journey from Merrill would likely end its first leg in Wausau, WI.
- Wausau (approx. 16–20 miles south).
- He would have stayed in the Andrew Warren Historic District or at a prominent hotel near the courthouse.
- Wausau was a major hub for the "lumber barons," providing the necessary amenities for a traveler with an expensive, experimental vehicle.
DATE: August 24, 1893
EVENT: The New York City Hurricane struck the Northeast just days before the Sea Island Hurricane hit South Carolina.
SOURCE: True life event.
DATE: August 25, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan drives from Wausau to Stevens Point.
- A 1893 Peugeot Type 3 would have a top speed of roughly 12–15 mph.
- There were no gas stations. He would have to buy "ligroin" or :::::%%%
- The roads were mostly deep sand, mud, or gravel.
- Given the slow speed and road quality, Tarzan might only make it 40–50 miles. His third nightly stop out of Rheinlander would likely be Stevens Point, WI.
SOURCE: Speculation based on historical facts.
DATE: Friday, August 25, 1893
EVENT: Worlds Fair News. This day was specifically designated as "Colored American Day" (also known as "Negro Day") at the World's Fair.
- Frederick Douglass gave a famous, defiant speech at the Haitian Pavilion, and Ida B. Wells circulated pamphlets protesting the exclusion of African Americans from the fair's exhibits.
- The country was in the middle of a massive economic depression.
- He would see many "tramps" (unemployed workers) walking the same roads he was driving.
SOURCE: Based on historical fact.
DATE: August 25, 1893
EVENT: The New York Times dedicated its entire front page to the destruction in New York and New Jersey, while the Sea Island storm was still hundreds of miles out at sea.
SOURCE: Historical fact.
DATE: Friday, August 25, 1893
EVENT: The first reports about the approaching Charleston, SC hurricane appeared in regional newspapers like the Charleston News and Courier.
SOURCE: These initial stories noted that the U.S. Weather Bureau had hoisted "cautionary signals" (storm warnings) after a tropical storm was sighted roughly 500 miles southeast of Florida.
- Tarzan would likely pull into a livery stable in Stevens Point, dusty and exhausted.
- He would have to explain to a skeptical blacksmith what his "horseless carriage" was, pay a premium for cleaning fluid (gasoline) at a pharmacy, and sleep in a local hotel like the Jacobs House while the townspeople gathered to marvel at the strange machine.
DATE: morning of August 26, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan left Stevens Point on the way to Oshkosh.
SOURCE: Speculation.
- Stevens Point to Chicago is roughly 240 miles.
- Given an average speed of 9 mph and accounting for 10 hours of driving, Tarzan would cover about 90 miles per day.
- Tarzan’s fourth nightly stop would most likely be Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
- Oshkosh was roughly 70 miles away and was an established hub along the railroad and water routes of the time.
- Roads were extremely poor.
- Most were dirt tracks intended for horse-drawn wagons.
- In the August drought, they would be thick with choking dust.
- There were no highway signs.
- Drivers relied on local landmarks or following the telegraph lines along the Wisconsin Central Railroad tracks.
- In 1893, a car was a "horseless carriage" and a massive spectacle. Tarzan would likely be stopped by curious locals or face horses spooked by the engine noise.
DATE: Saturday, August 26, 1893
EVENT: Newspaper coverage increased as the Great Sea Island Hurricane moved closer.
SOURCE: The News and Courier published an accurate forecast predicting northeasterly winds increasing to gales and a hurricane center moving north toward the coast.
Local Oshkosh News
Central Railroad was struggling financially (it had been leased to the Northern Pacific but was facing bankruptcy issues).
- A string of fatal train collisions began across the U.S.
DATE: morning of August 27, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan leaves Oshkosh for West Bend.
SOURCE: A journey from Oshkosh to Chicago is roughly 160 miles.
- If Tarzan left Oshkosh early on the morning of August 27, 1893, his most logical fifth nightly stop would be West Bend.
- He would likely follow the old military roads or early stagecoach routes that eventually became Highway 41 or 45.
Local News
- While Tarzan was chugging south, the nation was gripped by two major stories:
DATE: Friday night, August 27, 1893
EVENT: The Great Sea Island Hurricane struck land in Georgia and South Carolina.
SOURCE: Historical fact.
DATE: morning of August 28, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan leaves West Bend for Milwaukee.
SOURCE: West Bend is approximately 120 miles north of Chicago.
- At the time, the Peugeot Type 3 had a top speed of only 11–12 mph (18–20 km/h), and on the unpaved, rutted wagon roads of the 19th-century Midwest, his average speed would likely drop to 8–9 mph.
- Given the sunrise/sunset times in August, he could realistically cover about 50–60 miles in a grueling day of driving.
Where would his nightly stop be?
After leaving West Bend in the morning, his most logical sixth nightly stop would be Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- Approximately 35–40 miles from West Bend.
- At 8 mph, this would take about 5 hours of active driving, not accounting for the inevitable breakdowns or stops to clear the path.
Where would he stay?
In 1893, Milwaukee saw the grand opening of a "modern marvel" that Tarzan would likely choose: The Pfister Hotel.
- Opened on May 1, 1893 (just months before his trip), it was one of the first all-electric hotels in the world.
- It was known as the "Grand Hotel of the West" and would have been the premier luxury destination for someone wealthy enough to own a French import vehicle.
Where would he get gas?
He would have to visit a chemist (apothecary) or a general store.
- In 1893, gasoline (often called "benzine" or "naphtha") was sold in small quantities as a cleaning solvent or for use in lamps.
- Tarzan would have to buy several small cans of fuel from a local merchant in Milwaukee to top off his tank for the next leg of the trip.
What newspaper would he have read?
If he asked for the "Daily News," he would have likely been handed the Chicago Daily News, which was widely circulated and available in Milwaukee by train.
- However, while in Wisconsin, he might also have read: The Milwaukee Sentinel: The leading local paper at the time.
- The Daily Columbian: This was the official newspaper of the World's Columbian Exposition (The Chicago World's Fair), which was at its absolute peak in August 1893.
- Since he was heading to Chicago, he would likely be reading the latest news about the fair's attractions, such as the newly opened Ferris Wheel.
DATE: Saturday, August 28, 1893
EVENT: The hurricane continued to pound Savannah, Georgia, on Sunday night.
SOURCE: Historical fact.
- Because the hurricane destroyed telegraph lines (the line from Beaufort to Charleston went dead at 5:00 PM on Sunday).
- There was a "news blackout" for nearly 48 hours.
DATE: August 29, 1893
EVENT: After leaving Milwaukee he would likely sleep in Kenosha, WI or Waukegan, IL.
SOURCE: Speculation.
CHAT: He would have chosen Kenosha to escape the large crowds headed to the Chicago World's Fair.
DATE: morning of August 30, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan left Kenosha.
SOURCE: The distance between Kenosha and Chicago is roughly 25 miles.
- The 1893 Peugeot Type 3 was powered by a 2-hp Daimler V-twin engine.
- Its top speed was approximately 11 mph (18 km/h), but on unpaved, hilly, or muddy terrain, your average speed would likely drop to 5–7 mph.
- Factoring in the primitive road conditions and the need to navigate around livestock and horse teams, the drive would likely take 3 to 4 hours, assuming no mechanical breakdowns or punctures.
- Gasoline (then often called "benzine" or "naphtha") was not sold at stations. You would have had to purchase it in bulk from a local chemist or hardware store before leaving Kenosha.
- Because of the Fair, almost every spare room from Waukegan to Chicago was occupied.
- If you continued slightly south into the more established city of Chicago, you might have sought out the Congress Plaza Hotel or the Auditorium Building, both of which were premier locations for wealthy visitors to the Exposition.
- The summer of 1893 was a surreal time in the Chicago area due to the Fair:
- At night, you might have seen a strange glow on the southern horizon. The Fair was the first large-scale demonstration of AC electricity; the "White City" was ablaze with thousands of lightbulbs, a sight that would have looked supernatural to someone used to gaslight.
- If you looked toward Jackson Park, you would see the world’s first Ferris Wheel standing 264 feet tall—a massive, rotating steel structure that was the engineering marvel of the year.
- History now remembers this period for the activities of H.H. Holmes, who operated his infamous "Murder Castle" hotel in Englewood during the Fair.
- While the public was unaware of his crimes at the time, the city was filled with stories of "missing tourists" who had come to see the Exposition and never returned home.
The Drive
- The drive in the Peugeot Type 3 would have been dusty and hot, rather than muddy.
The Weather
- Weather records indicate that the Chicago region was in the midst of a significant dry spell during the 1893 World's Fair. Between July 4 and early October of that year, the area received very little rainfall.
- You would likely encounter clear, sunny skies with temperatures in the 70s or low 80s Fahrenheit.
- Because of the drought, the "Sheridan Road" (which was then a series of disjointed local paths) would be extremely dusty. In an open-air vehicle like the Peugeot Type 3, you and your passengers would be covered in a fine layer of gray grit by the time you reached Chicago.
- The dust kicked up by horse-drawn wagons and your own wooden-spoked wheels would be your primary navigational hazard.
A massive economic depression was hitting the U.S. hard.
As you drove, you would likely see "tramps" or displaced workers walking the rail lines near the lakefront, heading toward Chicago in hopes of finding work at the Fair.
World’s Fair Balloon Sighting:
It was common that summer to see captive hydrogen balloons or early dirigibles testing in the distance near Chicago.
- To a local farmer in 1893, seeing both your "horseless carriage" and a giant balloon in the sky on the same day would have felt like living in a science fiction novel.
Area News
If you were picking up a newspaper the headlines would have been dominated by the spectacular success of the Fair—but the "police blotter" sections told a darker story.
- Newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Inter Ocean were indeed reporting on missing persons, though not yet in a way that suggested a single predator.
- Dozens of people—mostly young women arriving alone to find work—were reported missing that summer. At the time, the police and the press often dismissed these as "runaways" or people who had simply decided to start new lives in the big city.
- H.H. Holmes (Herman Mudgett) was actively operating his "World's Fair Hotel" (the Murder Castle) in the Englewood neighborhood.
- While his crimes wouldn't be fully uncovered until 1894, the "missing persons" list at the time was growing. Families back home in places like Kenosha or Milwaukee were already writing frantic letters to the Chicago police about daughters who hadn't written home in weeks.
- Beyond the legendary serial killer, the area was experiencing a spike in specific types of crime:
- The fair grounds and the trains leading to them were infested with world-class pickpockets and "con men."
- "Confidence men" would often target people in unusual vehicles (like your Peugeot) because it signaled significant wealth.
- Because of the severe economic depression, the "railway tramps" were numerous.
- Large groups of unemployed men were camping in "shantytowns" along the North Shore.
- As a lone driver in a slow-moving, open-top car, you would likely be a target for "highwaymen" or beggars, especially as you passed through the more desolate stretches between Kenosha and Waukegan.
- Just months prior, the brutal murder of 7-year-old Emma Werner by a Fair worker had shocked the city, putting parents on high alert throughout the summer.
Chapter Four
Chicago Worlds Fair
DATE: evening of August 30, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan arrives in Chicago.
SOURCE: Speculation based on personal research.
DATE: August 30, 1893
EVENT: Detailed news reports of the hurricane damage and the massive loss of life began to appear as survivors finally reached the mainland to tell their stories.
- When the telegraph lines finally came back online after the storm, the focus of the press shifted from the immediate shock of the disaster to a desperate cry for help.
- The coverage of relief efforts was largely defined by a lack of government support, leaving the American Red Cross and its president, Clara Barton, to step in for what became their first major hurricane relief operation.
SOURCE: Based on historical fact.
DATE: morning of August 31, 1893
EVENT: Tarzan takes care of immediate business.
- Tarzan has an early breakfast and reads the daily news.
- Tarzan wires Paul d’Arnot.
- Tarzan located a local battery shop to replace his car battery.
SOURCE: Speculation based on logic.
DATE: August 31, 1893
EVENT: Detailed newspaper reports about the Charleston hurricane began to appear.
- Savannah Press (Late August): Reported that "Savannah is demolished" and described the coastal structures with "roofs of tin peeled off like paper strips."
- The News and Courier (Charleston, Aug 31): Published some of the first grim assessments, noting that the "death roll on the sea islands seems to be growing appallingly" and that 7,000 people were "entirely destitute of provisions."
- The New York Times & Northern Papers: Because local infrastructure was shattered, much of the advocacy for relief was published in Northern newspapers throughout September and October 1893.
- Barton used these outlets to appeal for cash, clothing, and seeds.
SOURCE: Based on historical fact.
DATE: September 1, 1893
EVENT: In Chicago repairs and services were done to the ape-man's car. Tarzan meets Ed Burroughs for the first time.
SOURCE: Speculation on my part.
CHAT: Can you imagine the challenge when there were no such things as auto shops?
- Perhaps a battery was needed. The jungle lord made his way to the American Battery Company on South Clinton Street. The company serviced the electric cars at the Exhibition.
- While there, M. Jean C. Tarzan, age 21, through chance, met the owner's teenage son, Ed Burroughs, age 18, future author of the Tarzan series and more.
 |
| American Battery Company |
DATE: September 16, 1893
EVENT: M. Jean C. Tarzan and the teen, Ed Burroughs, met a second time at the World's Columbian Exhibition grounds.
SOURCE: Young Ed, and sometimes his brother, drove one of the nine-seater electric cars around the fairgrounds advertising their father's batteries. M. Jean C, Tarzan, and Ed could have very well had an adventure together on and around September 16, 1893. This is the date on Ed's World's Columbian Exposition ticket shown in Irwin Porge's Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Man Who Created Tarzan on page 77 in the soft edition. That adventure was Ed driving M. Jean C. Tarzan around the fairgrounds for a day, or more, on the trial of a serial killer, Herman Mudgett, aka, Dr. Henry H. Holmes who murdered in Chicago during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
 |
| 1890 Morrison Sturgis Electric |
DATE: October 10, 1893
EVENT: The first number plates appear in Paris, France.
SOURCE: Based on true life events.
DATE: October 30, 1893
DATE: January 4, 1894
DATE: January 8, 1894
DATE: January 27, 1894
DATE: February 12, 1894
DATE: May 21, 1894
DATE: July 22, 1894
EVENT: The first number plates appear in Paris, France.
SOURCE: Based on true life events.
First Auto Tags Appear In France
EVENT: The 1893 World's Fair, also known as, the World's Columbian Exposition comes to a close.
SOURCE: Based on true life events.
1893 World's Columbian Exposition
EVENT: France ratifies the Duple Alliance with Russia. This new state alliance opened up the door for Russians Nicklos Rokoff and Alex Paulvitich to enter France from New York City.
SOURCE: Based on true life events.CHAT: Nickolas Rokoff was the brother of Countess Olga de Coude. She, in turn, was married to Count Raoul de Coude twenty years her senior, who was a higher-up in the French Defense Ministry.
1894 Duple Alliance
DATE: January 8, 1894
EVENT: Columbus World's Fair in Chicago was destroyed by fire. Tarzan's exact involvement in this incident is unclear in this writing. Most likely something linked to stalking the serial killer, Herman Mudgett, also known as Dr. Henry H. Holmes.
SOURCE: Based on true life events. |
| Fire Destroys Columbus World's Fair |
EVENT: Tarzan attends the first college basketball game. The University of Chicago beat the Chicago YMCA 19-11. Most likely Tarzan's presence had to do with stalking serial killer, Herman Mudgett also known as Dr. Henry H. Holmes.
SOURCE: Based on true life events.
First College Basketball Game
DATE: February 12, 1894
EVENT: Tarzan read in the news shortly after the event, about Anarchist Emile Henry tossing a bomb into Paris Café Terminus.
SOURCE: Anarchist Emile Henry tossed a bomb into Paris Café Terminus on February 12, 1894, killing one and wounding twenty.
Paris Café Terminus
DATE: May 21, 1894
EVENT: Tarzan read in the news shortly after this event, about the execution by guillotine of twenty-two-year-old French Anarchist Emile Henry.
SOURCE: Twenty-two-year-old French Anarchist Emile Henry was executed by guillotine for bombing Paris Cafe Terminus on May 21, 1894.
Emile Henry Execution
DATE: July 22, 1894
EVENT: Tarzan read in the news near this date, about the world's first motoring competition from Paris to Rouen in France.
SOURCE: The Parisian magazine, Le Petit Journal organized what is considered the world's first motoring competition. The race was held on July 22, 1894, and from Paris to Rouen, France.
 |
| 1894 Le Petit Journal |
DATE: middle September through April 30, 1894
EVENT: Tarzan stalks a serial killer, Herman Mudgett, aka Dr, Henry H, Holmes who was a murderer in Chicago during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
SOURCE: Based on true-life police reports.
 |
| Dr. Henry H. Homes |
DATE:: May 1, 1893, thru October 30, 1893
EVENT: Herman Mudgett, also known as Dr. Henry H Homes, a serial killer, lured victims, including a number of fairgoers to a three-story building, later dubbed as the "Murder Castle", where they were tortured, mutilated, and killed
Source: Based on true-life police reports. America's first serial killer H. H. Holmes heinous crimes weren't discovered until after the fair ended on October 30, 1894. Law enforcement believed that H. H. Holmes was responsible for dozens of deaths in Chicago, and may have killed as many as two hundred people around the nation.
 |
| 1893 Murder Castle |
DATE: Monday, April 30, 1894
EVENT: After his visit to the World's Columbian Exposition, the jungle lord left Chicago and made his way to Toledo, on to Cleveland. From there most likely to Pittsburg, then Harrisburg, then Newark, then New York.
SOURCE: Remember, outside the towns and cities paved roads were rare. Early motorists had to face dust and sand in the summer, floods, and axle-deep mud in the winter. There were very few mileposts or signposts, and no filling stations. Logic dictates that the visiting ape-man would have stuck to the main avenues.
1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition
DATE: Thursday, June 21, 1894
EVENT: Tarzan arrived in New York City on the day Lizzy Halliday was convicted of murdering Margret and Sarah Jane McQuillan.
SOURCE: Based on true-life police reports. Lizzy Halliday became the first woman ever to be sentenced to death by electrocution, via New York State's new electric chair.
 |
| Lizzy Halliday |
DATE: June 22, 1894
EVENT: July 4th celebration in New York City.
SOURCE: Based on a real-life event.
EVENT: Tarzan read in the news near this date, about the execution of Sante Geronimo Caserio, for the assassination of French President Marice Francois Sadi.
EVENT: Upon arriving in New York City Tarzan would have taken in the sights.
SOURCE: One of those sights would have been the newly constructed Brooklyn Bridge that opened in 1883. People from all over came to see it. The Brooklyn Bridge towers were stupendous. Naturally, the ape-man must have had some kind of adventure on it before leaving New York. From New York, chapter one of The Return Of Tarzan begins three days out into the sea and the jungle lord is now twenty-two and going by the name M. Jean C. Tarzan.
 |
| Brooklyn Bridge |
DATE: June 24, 1894
EVENT: Tarzan read in the news shortly after this event, about the assassination of French President, Marie Francois Sadi Carnot.
SOURCE: President of France, Marie Francois Sadi Carnot, is assassinated on June 24, 1894.
 |
| Marie Francois Sadi Carnot |
DATE: July 4, 1894
SOURCE: Based on a real-life event.
 |
| 1894 NYC July 4th |
DATE: August 15, 1894
SOURCE: Sante Geronimo Caserio is executed on August 15, 1894, for the assassination of French President Maric Francois Sadi.
| Sante Geronimo Caserio |
DATE: September 1, 1894
EVENT: Tarzan sailed from New York City.
EVENT: Tarzan sailed from New York City.
SOURCE: The exact date that Tarzan sailed from New York to France is untold by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, so therefore it will never be known. Although we will never know the exact sailing date a sound logical figuring date can be deduced. We have already concluded in earlier writings that Tarzan was born on September 1, 1872. Therefore, if the ape-man meets Countess Olga de Coude at age twenty-two the meeting had to occur after September 1, 1894.
- One must keep in mind that the events of The Return Of Tarzan occur over a span of one year. In The Return Of Tarzan's end, the jungle lord is still twenty-two when he marries Jane. To have enough time for all the events in The Return Of Tarzan to occur, plus the birth of Jack Clayton, (Korak) offstage, the ape-man would have to leave New York City as soon as possible after his twenty-second birthday.
- The ape-man is twenty years old when Tarzan Of The Apes comes to a close.
 |
| J. Allen St. John |
DATE: September 21, 1894
EVENT: Tarzan read in the news, near this date, about brothers Charles and Frank Duryea driving the first gasoline-powered motorcar in America, on public roads in Springfield, Massachusetts.
SOURCE: On September 21, 1894, Charles and Frank Duryea drove the first gasoline-powered motorcar in America on public roads in Springfield, Massachusetts.
 |
| 1894 Paris-Rouen Race |
EVENT: Captain Alfred Dreyfus was arrested and accused of espionage in France.
SOURCE: Based on true life events.
CHAT: Any connection to the secret papers Tarzan seized in Algiers from Captain Gernois?
Captain Alfred Dreyfus
DATE: November 17, 1894
EVENT: Herman Mudgett, aka, H. H. Holmes, married his fourth wife Georgiana Yoke.
SOURCE: Based on true life events.
DATE: November 17, 1894
EVENT: America's first serial killer Herman Mudgett, also known as H. H. Holmes, was apprehended in Boston, Massachusetts.
SOURCE: Herman Mudgett, aka, Dr. H.H. Holmes, was arrested on November 17, 1894, in Boston, Massachusetts. Law enforcement believed that H. H. Holmes was responsible for dozens of deaths.
 |
| The Evening Star |
DATE: September 1, 1894
EVENT: Tarzan sailed from New York City.
SOURCE: The exact date that Tarzan sailed from New York to France is untold by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, so therefore it will never be known. Although we will never know the exact sailing date a sound logical figuring date can be deduced.
- In this chronology it is concluded that Tarzan was born on September 1, 1872. Therefore, if the ape-man meets Countess Olga de Coude at age twenty-two the meeting had to occur on, or, after September 1, 1894.
- One must keep in mind that the events of The Return Of Tarzan occur over a span of one year.
- In The Return Of Tarzan's end, the jungle lord is still twenty-two when he marries Jane.
- To have enough time for all of these events in The Return Of Tarzan to occur the ape-man would have to leave New York City as soon as possible after his twenty-second birthday.
CHAT: I revealed in TARZINE #62 that Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, had a habitual knack for inserting true life dates, names, and events into his fictional stories. Keeping in that spirit, and following his habit, I have also tried to follow that lead. For a working date, I have deduced Tarzan would have sailed from New York City on September 1, 1894, which is the ape-mans and Edgar Rice Burroughs's birthday.
- Theoretically speaking, Tarzan, now twenty-two, met the Countess de Coude on September 4, 1894. Although this working date may not be the exact date it does agree with Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author's, descriptions and it provides us with a figuring point.
DATE: May 7, 1895
EVENT: Tarzan read in the news near this date about Herman Webster Mudgett, AKA / Dr. Henry Howard being hanged in Mayamensing Prison in Philadelphia, Pa.
SOURCE: Based on true life events.
DATE: late 1910 or early 1911
EVENT: When John Carter's great-nephew relayed Greystoke's story to Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, in 1910 or 1911 the Chicago native knew the adventure was based on the truth. Therefore, he had no problem with altering the dates to protect the Greystoke's true identity.
SOURCE: Ed had met M. Jean C. Tarzan himself. To protect the Greystoke family's true identity Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, and John Carter's great-nephew decided to move the dates forward sixteen years in their The All-Story publication of Tarzan Of The Apes which was published in October 1912.
Clinton Pletee
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Michael Moody is a lifelong fan and collector of Edger Rice Burroughs. Over the past forty-five years, Moody has contributed over two hundred articles to various ERB-related fanzines. He also manages an unauthorized Tarzan blog titled Greystoke Chronologist: James Michael Moody. There, the researcher chronologies the Tarzan books starting in May 1872 (known as the pushback theory) instead of the more accepted date, May 1888.
James Michael Moody also authorizes the action-packed Sci-Fi fantasy adventure Unium series. Pioneers On Unium, published December 31, 2019, Exiled On Unium, published August 25, 2022, and, Swordsman On Unium published on July 15, 2024.
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