Jack Wright and his Prairie Engine; or, Among the Bushmen of Australia.
New York: Frank Tousey, 1902. A color image of a fantastical American armored machine with a pointed metal cow-catcher type ram, men shooting guns and flying flag "Tempest" on the cover. The plot involves an Australian named Oliver Rockwell, who seeks Jack's help (with his Prairie Engine) in locating a hidden aboriginal settlement with a temple carved of gold and a diamond weighing 10 lbs lodged in it. The map shown to Jack had "the travel line from Melbourne up through Wimmera District to Bullarook Desert". (This is an improbable track of course, but it sounds good.) Oliver Rockwell dies early on by self-poisoning, when it is revealed that he is a lieutenant of Captain Moonlight's bushrangers. Early science fiction by Luis Senarens. A single issue from Pluck and Luck Complete Stories of Adventure, No. 226, October 1, 1902, no. 226. 8 x 11" magazine, 31 pp, ads (3). Fragile, edges chipped & separated, paper browned & brittle, cover edges backed by brown papered tape. Scarce.
1902 edition Libraries Australia ID 25102519 with one copy at the SL of South Australia;
1918 edition, Libraries Australia ID 24345583, one copy at the NLA; Muir 6040. Scarce. Item #13590
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