1904 APBA Gold Cup [second running] - Auto Boats Race Against Heavy Sea

1904 APBA Gold Cup [second running]
North River, New York City, NY, September 22-24, 1904

Auto Boats Race Against Heavy Sea
Vingt-et-Un Alone Proves Fast in Rough Water
Mercedes VI Towed Home
Only Five Competitors in Challenge Cup Contest Finish Second Race
On the Hudson—Several Minor Accidents

W. K. Vanderbilt Jr.'s auto boat Mercedes VI, which won the first race on the Hudson River for the gold Challenge Cup offered by the American Power Boat Association, failed to finish the contest yesterday and had to be towed back to the Columbia Yacht Club, at the foot of West Eighty-sixth Street. The boat shipped suck quantities of water on the homeward trip that it was impossible for her to keep her motors going. Robert Jacob, the designer of the boat, steered and Mr. Vanderbilt was sailing his seventy-footer Virginia in the race at Glen Cove.

The second race was finished under much severer conditions than characterized the first event. A strong southeast wind was blowing, and all the reports that came back from the competitors were that the sea was very heavy above Yonkers. This occasioned, with one exception, slower time, and only five of the eight boats that started finished.

The Vingt-et-Un II was the only boat to come out of the contest with exceptional honors. The wind and the waves seemed to have no effect upon her, and driven by C. M. Hamilton, who has proved himself a master hand throughout the season in getting all the speed possible out of the boat, she completed the full 32-knot course in 1 hour 27 minutes and 3 seconds, showing the admirable time of 22.006 knots per hour, or 25.36 statute miles. This was practically the same as her record on the preceding day, for the committee after figuring late at night, as a result of the stakeboat anchoring below the proper mark for the turn on the first day, was obliged to modify the times somewhat for the initial event, and this reduced the surprising record of 27 statute miles credited to the Vingt-et-Un to about 25 miles. Her performance yesterday was an infinitely better test of the boat's ability to maintain good speed in rough weather. She won handily, although the last boat to start. With the 7 points she won on the preceding day, and the 8 she earned in her victory yesterday, the Vingt-et-Un now leads for the Challenge Cup with a total of 15 points

The Vingt-et-un and the Vanderbilt boat rounded the turn just below the Piermont dock almost together. The Mercedes VI started over ten minutes ahead of the Vingt-et-Un, for she lost ten minutes of her actual handicap allowance by arriving late. Just before the stakeboat was reached the Vingt-et-Un passed the Vanderbilt boat, rounding 35 seconds ahead. Before reaching Yonkers the Mercedes was so full of water that Mr. Jacob had to stop and bail out. A launch finally took him in tow, and it was nearly 7 o'clock before the boat arrived at Eighty-sixth Street.

The Flip, a Hartford boat owned by C. D. Holmes, made a splendid showing, finishing second, and although requiring over two hours and fifteen minutes to complete the journey, her time was but a few minutes slower than on the preceding day, and she must therefore rank as a very seaworthy auto boat.

The Speedway, although the last of the five boats to cross the line, is a close second on points to the Vingt-et-Un, having now a total of 12, while H. L. Bowden's Mercedes U.S.A., and the Flip have 11 each. The points won yesterday were: Vingt-et-Un, 8, Flip, 7, Marcerine, 6, Mercedes U.S.A., 5, and Speedway, 4. The summary:

Boat	Owner	Start	Finish	Elapsed Time
Vingt-et-Un II	W. S, Kilmer	2:54:00	4:21:03	1:27:03
Flip	C. D. Holmes	2:32:00	4:47:59	2:15:59
Marcerine II	T. W. Allison	2:07:22	4:59:20	2:51:58
Mercedes U.S.A.	H. L. Bowden	2:44:12	4:59:29	2:15:17
Speedway	C. L. Seabury	2:44:57	5:14:38	2:29:41
Mercedes VI	W. K. Vanderbilt Jr	2:33:05	Did not finish
Shooting Star	H. A. Lozier	2:32:48	Did not finish
Macaroni	C. H. Tangeman	2:37:22	Did not finish

Total number of points for two days' races
Vingt-et-Un II	15
Speedway	12
Mercedes U.S.A.	11
Flip	11
Mercedes VI	10
Macaroni	9
Marcerine II	8
Shooting Star	5
Josephine	3
Challenger	0

The third and final race will be held this afternoon over the same thirty-two-knot course.