1906 Palm Beach Regatta - Mercedes Wins Race For The Dewar Trophy

1906 Palm Beach Regatta
Lake Worth, Palm Beach, Florida, January 30-February 2, 1906

PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb. 2---The contests for the Challenge Cup offered by Sir Thomas Dewar was the feature of the closing day of the motor boat carnival on Lake Worth to-day. The trophy went to H. L. Bowden's flier Mercedes, but the time was a big disappointment. It was expected that the winner of the cup would make a new world's record for power boats of the explosive type, but the mark set by W. Gould Brokaw's Challenger last year stands untouched, 2 minutes and 1 second for the mile stretch. Mercedes did not approach anywhere near it, nor was she expected to as it was conceded if the record were to be broken it must be by E. J. Schroeder's Dixie, built on the same lines as the Challenger and different from her only in that she developed about 180 horse power instead of 160, through the new device fitted on her engines.

The failure of the Dixie to arrive here through the mistake of the express company in carrying her has been a great disappointment. It seems incredible that such a consignment could be mislaid and lost in transit, but that is the only explanation offered by the railroads.

The Dewar Cup race was decided in two heats. Mercedes won both, finishing nearly a minute ahead of her competitors in each instance. In the first heat there were four starters---George Gingras's 23, Lt. H. L. Willoughby's Possum, and H. C. Thompson's Limit. They finished in that order, Mercedes covered the mile in 3 minutes 6 seconds. In the second heat Limit was withdrawn and the other three went over the course with the same result as before, except that Mercedes failed to equal her time, taking 3 minutes 10 2-5 seconds in transit. The race was tame in the extreme, as every one realized the superiority of the Boston racer over the other craft entered and acknowledged that even she had no chance to make a new mark.

A special race was also contested by the three high-speed craft. In the race, George Gingras claimed that his boat had a better chance over a ten-mile stretch than over the shorter distance, and H. L. Bowden consented to try her out against his champion. Certainly 23 did have a better chance, but she was unequal to the task of beating Mercedes, finishing 10.35 miles just 26 seconds behind her rival. H. L. Willoughby's Possum was nearly six minutes behind the 23.

CLASS C--Distance, 10.35 miles
Name and Owner	Time
Shadow, George E. Andrews	1:03:14
Mera, W. F. Huffsteter	1:52:44
Allon, Tyler Morse	Did not finish

ONE-MILE DASH---DEWAR CUP First Heat
Mercedes, H. L. Bowden	3:06:00
"23," George Gingras	3:36 4-5
Limit, H. C. Thompson	4:14 4-5
Possum, H. L. Willoughby	3:55 4-5

Second Heat
Mercedes, H. L. Bowden	3:10 2-5
"23," George Gingras	3:35 4-5
Possum, H. L. Willoughby	4:02 4-5
Limit was withdrawn

CONSOLATION RACE--Distance, 5.175 Miles
Blanche, C. S. Coggin	33:43
Meteor, George DuBray	33:51
Mera, W. F. Huffsteter	37:04

SPECIAL CLASS--Distance, 10.35 Miles
Mercedes, H. L. Bowden	32:18
"23," George Gingras	32:44
Possum, H. L. Willoughby	38:35
Limit and Simplex III did not start

Coo, winner of the fifteen-mile event yester-day, was disqualified because there was only one man in the boat during the race, and the trophy awarded to Allon, which finished second.