1904 APBA Gold Cup [second running]
North River, New York City, NY, September 22-24, 1904
Boat Burns In Race
C. H. Tangeman's auto boat, the Macaroni, was totally destroyed by fire while she was racing for the upper mark in the last of three days' races on the Hudson River yesterday. William Wallace, an expert automobile driver, who was steering the boat, and Louis Stuempfer, the machinist in charge of the machine, had a narrow escape from death.
With scarcely any warning the boat, which was plunging along in the rough water, suddenly burst into flames from the breaking of a pipe, it is said, which supplied the gasolene. She was then in the middle of the river, at a point nearly opposite Dobb's Ferry. Wallace and Stuempfer tried to beat out the flames, but they were quickly driven to the bow and stern, where they dropped overboard and hung on to the burning hull. They were rescued in a few minutes by a boat's crew from a steam yacht that was passing. The Macaroni was abandoned to her fate. Those who watched her expected to see her blow up, but she burned to the water's edge and sank, they said.
The Macaroni was the sixth boat to start in the race. H. L. Bowden, who was steering his boat, the Mercedes U.S.A., said upon his return to the Columbia Yacht Club house that his boat had passed the Macaroni some distance when he happened to look back and saw the boat all ablaze. He immediately turned back, and, circling around the burning boat, saw the men hanging on. While on his way to rescue them, the yacht's crew got them away in safety. Wallace and Stuempfer landed at Dobb's Ferry and took a train for their homes.
The Macaroni was designed by Starling Burgess, of Boston. She was 40.30 horsepower, 31 feet 11 inches waterline, and had a rating of 68.10. She finished second in the first day's race.
(Transcribed from the New York Daily Tribune, September 25, 1904, p. 1)
[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page —LF]
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