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Real Motor Boat Records Possible at Last to Secure Authentic Standards for America |
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Motor Boats to Race for Records and Cups |
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1906 Hudson River Water Carnival
Motor Boats To Race For Records And Cups
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Nearly fifty motor boats, including practically all of the newest and fastest types, will be seen this week in the racing carnival to be held on the Hudson River under the auspices of the Motor Boat Club of America. The races will begin to-morrow with the reliability contest on a triangular course of 10¼ nautical miles. On Tuesday the long distance race to Poughkeepsie and back will be the feature, and a strong effort will be made to lower the record made two years ago by the XPDNC, when it went over the course at an average of a trifle over 26 statute miles an hour, a record that has never been beaten by a motor boat in this country for a long distance race.
The meet this week will be the first held by the Motor Boat Club, and the finish and start of all the events will be from the club's float at the foot of West 112th Street. The leading trophies will be the same perpetual cups offered last year for the first time by the National Association of Engine and Boat Manufacturers. The International Cup was won by Dixie, which was owned and steered by E. R. Thomas. The Dixie has since been sold to E. J. Schroeder. She was a contestant in the recent Gold Cup challenge races on the St. Lawrence, but was beaten by Jonathan Wainwright's Chip II of the Chippewa Yacht Club, the holder of the cup the previous year. Chip has not been sent down for this week's meet. The National Trophy was won handily by XPDNC, now owned by Jacob Siegel, and the Inter-State Trophy was captured by Durno of Rochester. Nearly twenty boats have been entered for the latter cup, and as many of them are new ones, an exciting contest is looked for.
Richard Croker Jr.'s Calcola, his new Herreshoff boat fitted with a French motor, is one of the latest boats whose performance will be keenly watched. Very fast speed is claimed for this boat, and if XPDNC's record is broken, it is expected that the Croker boat may be the one to establish new figures. Den, owned by J. H. Hoadley, also a Herreshoff hull, is entered in all of the important races, but thus far it has failed to run any great distance. In the mile and kilometer championships, however, it is liable to create new records. Other good boats will be Clarence J. Swain's Sparrow of Philadelphia, Price McKinney's Standard, J. F. Anderson's Irene, a record-breaking possibility; H. R. Sutphen's Elco, H. M. and B. M Baruch's Skedaddle, H. L. Bowden's new Mercedes, and E. R. Hollander's new Fiat.
Two courses have been laid out for the contests, the longer one 10¼ nautical miles, for the high-speed and cruising boats, and the shorter one of 8 1/2 nautical miles, for the smaller craft.
Wednesday has been set apart as ladies' day, and the feature will be the mile and kilometer championships with a flying start. The winner will be the boat making the best average in both events. The National, International and Inter-State Trophies will be raced for on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, starting at 2 o'clock. The carnival will close Saturday evening with an illuminated parade of motor boats and a display of fireworks from the clubhouse quarters.
The Motor Boat Club has secured an order from the Department of Commerce and Labor to have the course kept clear during the running of the races. A revenue cutter will patrol the course. The longer course extends northward to Tubby's Hook, and then follows the west bank of the river to Bull's Head Ferry about opposite Seventieth Street, and then back to the clubhouse at 112th Street.
[Transcribed from the New York Times, Sep. 9, 1906, Sec. II, p. 10. ]
[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page. —LF]
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