Kleiner’s Korner: A Tale of Intrigue Involving The Motor Parkway
Diverting my attention from the world's troubles last week (I highly recommend doing so quite often) I opened a paperback named "The Sea Wolves" and started enjoying a 1915 tale of intrigue, espionage, secret tracking devices and the world's leading detective at the time, Isaac Bell. Bell was the creation of author Clive Cussler who wrote many historical novels and whose many series, including the Isaac Bell detective series, were taken over by Jack Du Prul after Cussler's passing in 2020. "The Sea Wolves", written in 2022 involves German spies and Bell's attempt to divert enemy submarines away from US freighters carrying arms shipments to Britain during America's neutrality.
Five chapters into the book Bell requires the services of a seaplane and who else but Willie K. can provide what he needs. Following Willie's introduction into the story Bell travels Long Island on the Motor Parkway and notes the role of the Parkway and the Vanderbilt Cup Races in opening up the island to others.
I'm just about half way through the book so not sure what other parts of the story might be of interest but will relay them if any. However, in this post I'll provide some interesting background notes I've found on Clive Cussler, Isaac Bell and how they both intertwined with the Vanderbilt family.
Art Kleiner
A Desperate Search For a Seaplane!
Detective Bell needs to find a seaplane to take him to the Centurion, a freighter off of Long Island carrying a shipment of arms to Britain. The ship is also carrying a tracking device that a German spy secretly placed on it that will direct a German submarine to the ship and blow it up.
But how to get to the freighter? Glenn Curtiss is the solution . . . but where is he?
Curtiss is at Eagle's Nest trying to convince Willie K. to invest in his company.
Willie K. makes a surprise appearance!
Willie K. and Bell previously became friends resulting from "a mutual fascination of all things that went fast".
Willie offers Bell the Curtiss seaplane . . .
The Freighter is Found
. . . and finds the Centurion in open water.
Driving on the Motor Parkway
Later in the story Bell needs to travel to eastern Long Island (in a Simplex Model 5) to find a German secret radio transmitter. After paying $1.50 at the Nassau Blvd. tollhouse he enters the Motor Parkway.
Reaching Lake Ronkonkoma
Not much traffic on the parkway which at the time is noted as being 42 miles long. Bell should have taken photographs of each lodge so Cussler could have included them in the book!
The search for the secret German radio transmitters doesn't produce any results on the North Fork so they make their way to the South Fork. Will they find the transmitters there? I'm sure I'll find out when I get to that part of the book!
Obviously traffic on the Motor Parkway differed significantly from when Bell traveled in Manhattan on his way to following up a lead in New Jersey!
German Transmitters on Long Island
In actuality, Germany did have radio transmitters in Sayville, Long Island during the time period leading up to WWl that were eventually taken over by the US Government.
Clive Cussler's 1911 Locomobile & Museum
Clive Cussler had an interest in classic cars and founded the Cussler Museum in Arvada, CO which currently has over 100 cars on exhibit, including this 1911 Locomobile.
Cussler featured a 1905 Locomobile in other books including "The Chase" (2008), "The Wrecker" (2009) and a brief cameo in "The Spy" (2010). In this excerpt from "The Chase" Bell describes the car which he owned as the one in which Joe Tracy came in third in the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race. (allfreenovel.com)
Bell's 1905 Locomobile
Cussler and Commodore Vanderbilt
Cussler was also interested in the search and retreival of shipwrecks and managed the effort to uncover Commodore Conelius Vanderbilt's passenger and cargo ship, the Lexington, silver and all in Long Island Sound.
Isaac Bell and the Vanderbilts
While researching whether there was a real person named Isaac Bell that had any connection to the Vanderbilts I discovered that there was an Isaac Bell in the mid-1800s that was actually a peer of the Vanderbilts. However, this Isaac Bell was not a detective and made his fortune (along with his father's inheritance) in the cotton industry. Bell had a mansion in Newport, RI and often partied with the Vanderbilt crowd.
The Bell mansion in Newport currently being restored. (House Restoration Preservation of Newport, Jan. 26, 2024)
The real Isaac Bell at a Vanderbilt's "fancy-dress" ball!
Another coincidence between the original Bell and the Vanderbilts was Isaac Bell marrying Jeannette Bennett, the sister of Gordon Bennett, Jr.,, sponsor of the Gordon Bennett Auto Races, which predated the Vanderbilt Cup Race.
I'll provide further updates if applicable while reading the rest of "The Sea Wolves" as I find it a fascinating read mixing historical research with what we know about Willie K. and Long Island!
Comments
I lived about 5 miles from Clive’s Museum and became friends with his Manager/Foreman for the Museum.
If you enjoy Clive Cussler books you might want to read The Emperor’s Revenge and The Race.
While not giving away the rest of the story line the secret transmitters were never found, however Bell did discover how the spies sent their secret transmissions to Germany and ultimately the U-Boats.
Here are two more excerpts centering around Willie K. opening up Eagle’s Nest for a military exposition and Bell’s encounter with Willie K’s. cousin, Alfred Vanderbilt on the ill-fated Lusitania.