Notes From Up and Down the Coast (Pt.2) [1909]

Short Items of Interest Sent in by Special Correspondence

OREGON
Portland

Gus Flemming, chairman of the regatta committee of the Willamette Club, has started building a 32-foot speed boat, the model of which is the same as the Nymph, designed by Otto W Ranft.

Allen Birdick of Silver Heels fame, but now owner of Spangles, has returned to Corvallis to attend school. It is already rumored that Allen will build a still faster boat this winter.

James B Welch has purchased a new 20-horsepower 2-cylinder Emerson engine from the Rober Machinery Company of this city.

The Curtis Boat Building Company have modeled a 31-foot racer every part of which has been standardized, which makes it possible for them to turn out these models in a very short time. With a 20-horsepower Emerson engine they expect to be able to guarantee a speed of 20 miles an hour.

Joe Mathiot launched his new boat Kitty II on August the eighth and made a trip to the duck lakes next day.

The next racing events of the Willamette Motor Boat Club will be held on New Year’s Day, in the morning.

Portland boasts of being one of the few cities on the coast that can hold race meets in the middle of winter.

A meeting of the Willamette Motor Boat Club was held at Rainier, Ore., Oct. 16^th, preceded by well-attended races in the afternoon. Two races took place. The Alta, Billiken, Augusta and Berly competed in the first race. The race was won by Billiken first and Augusta second. The second race was run by the Pacer and Happy Heine. This race was disqualified. The Happy Heine, which is owned by Captain Milton Smith, of Rainier, and which took a silver cup on Labor Day, was manned by the little Wilbur Smith, aged 10.

Around the State

Church Brothers of Coos River are having a new speed boat built at the Columbia Boat and Engineering Works. It will be 32 feet long with 4½-foot beam and will be equipped with 17-horsepower engines. She will be modeled after A H Powers’ General II.

CALIFORNIA
Sacramento

Sacramento is soon to have an addition to its fleet of speed boats. The latest acquisition is being built by S Pankost. It will be called the P.N.B. Mr. Pankost expects it to make twenty-six miles an hour. The engine will be a high power Pierce, Nye & Budd. The hull will be made largely of aluminum. The boat will be very light and fully equipped will weigh only 550 pounds. Clarence Reynolds, a well-known boat builder, is working upon it. It will be a contender for the state championship.

Members of the Sacramento Boat Club are rejoicing at the victory on San Francisco bay in October. In the speed boat contest, which was the feature race of the day, the Fighting Bob II, owned by E Forrest Mitchell and Bernard Klune of Sacramento, who also own the Palachan, funished second. The Fighting Bob II showed the greatest speed of any of the boats entered in the race, but two break downs cost her the race. The Konocti won by six seconds with the Azores, owned by Dr. Silva of the Washington Boat Club, third.

(Transcribed from Pacific Motor Boat, November, 1909, pp. 28-35.)

{This is the first notice of the Pierce, Budd racing engine. This engine became the prime power plant for the famous 151 racing class of the 1920’s. – GWC}

[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page --LF]

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