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What happened to the motorcar of the Copper Queen? (Upd.Various Misses...)

Steven Spicer writes: "I wonder wether I may ask readers of your excellent site for their help in trying to track down any surviving cars made by my great grandfather. His name was Enoch John West and he started building cars in Coventry, England under the name of 'The Progress Cycle co' in 1900. There are three known Progress cars surviving, two voiturettes which I am privileged to own and one Quadricycle which I believe is in South America. In 1903 Progress went bankrupt and he started building cars under the name of West and West-Aster from 1904 until about 1910. From 1910 he built cycle cars under the names of 'The Pilot Light Car' and 'Ranger'. When war broke out in 1914 his company didn't win a war contract and he spent the rest of his days as manager of the 'White and Poppe' engine works in Coventry. As far as I know there are none of his later cars that survived but you never know what may be lying, unidentified in the back of someone's garage. The attached photo was taken for the 1907 West-Aster catalogue and is captioned "The Copper Queen of the USA who has loaned this 20/22hp model for her visit to London, October 1906".

Editor: Georgano states that some 150 vis-à-vis were made and 350-450 of the front-engined cars. Surely there must be more Progress, West and West-Aster cars around? And now that we're asking, we wonder but could not find the real name of the Copper Queen?

Martin Shelley reports: Phyllis Turberville-Smith used West cars as instruction vehicles, which may have had the first ever example of dual control clutch and brake. (click for period brochure)

Today on PostWarClassic: Tattoo shoot: the editors lucky day.

Comments

#7 2012-03-21 14:02

As a side note. If this picture of the copper queen is, indeed, in Londo. Then St Dunstans is a college in Catford, SE london, which is still there today. http://www.stdunstans.org.uk/

#6 2012-03-02 11:18

The lady is Mrs Athol Reader. A type writer girl in New York, born in Alabama. A facinating woman! She met her husband in London, moved back to USA.

#5 2012-03-02 10:41

I had the good fortune years ago to find a nice little booklet offering driving instruction to ladies, which was produced by a formidable pioneer motorist, Phyllis Turberville-Smith. She used West cars as instruction vehicles, which may have had the first ever example of dual control clutch and brake. I will email copies of the pamphlet and the illustration of Miss Turberville-Smith in her West car.

Martin Shelley

#4 2012-03-02 07:20

The Copper Queen is a famous mine here in Arizona that lead to the formation of Bisbee, AZ. Very strong and working at the time of the car. Perhaps it also would lead to other mining claims and fortunes in the American West? I thought at first Molly Brown but I think she was linked to gold and the Titanic.

#3 2012-03-02 04:18

The Copper Queen was a very large mining company in Arizona. By 1906, its principal shareholder was a Canadian, James Douglas, who used his very large fortune for philanthropic ends, principally Queen's University, Ontario. My guess is that The Copper Queen is Mrs Douglas.

#2 2012-03-02 02:33

My somewhat educated guess is that the "Copper Queen" in the photo is Anna Eugenia la Chapelle, second of wife of Senator William Andrews Clark, one of the "Copper Kings" of Butte, Montana. The Clark family story is pretty incredible and worth a read (though too in-depth to expound on here). I'm not certain on this, but it seems very likely.

#1 2012-03-02 01:24

This may very well be Ferminia Sarras, known in the day as the Nevada Copper Queen.

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