1908 APBA Gold Cup
Dixie II
Captures Gold Challenge CupALEXANDRIA BAY, N.Y., Aug. 22--The Dixie II of New York, representing the Thousand Islands Yacht Club, winner of the Gold Challenge motorboat races at Chippewa bay Thursday and Friday, again crossed the line a winner this afternoon after the start had been delayed two hours by a heavy sea.
The Dixie crossed the thirty-mile course in 1 hour and 25 seconds, the Chip III coming in 23 seconds later.
The feature of the race occurred at the very start. When but 300 feet on its way, crowded between two others, the engines of the famous Dixie, tearing on to secure a lead, gave a gasp and stopped. A cry of horror went up from hundreds with whom the New York craft was a favorite. Far in front the Chip III was plowing along through a sea of rough water seemingly to victory. For two minutes the Dixie lay quiet, then with a roar she sprang again into life and started full speed after her rival. At the turn the Dixie II had forged into a comfortable lead, and the fears of all were lessened. Throughout the rest of the race the boat behaved magnificently. her three days' winning netted a total of 24 points to the Chip III's 21, and the cup race goes to the Thousand Islands Yacht Club.
The series of three races just finished in Alexandria Bay for the gold challenge cup of the American Power Boat Association may safely be termed the most remarkable and successful events in power boat contests ever held in this country, if not abroad. Dixie II's fast time in all the events is no less notable than the exceptional closeness of the contests. Dixie II won the first race from Chip III, the Chippewa bay defending boat, by 19 seconds, the second race by 6 seconds, and the third race yesterday by 23 seconds. The first and third events were run in a very choppy sea, demonstrating conclusively the seaworthiness of the British International cup winner and her reliable construction, both in regard to hull and engines.
Dixie II may now be termed without question the champion motorboat of the year, for in the recent International cup contest at Huntington she defeated the crack English craft, Wolseley-Siddeley, which had been sent over in every expectation of taking the trophy back to England. Dixie II's time for the first race, each event being thirty nautical miles, was 1:01:37; for the second, the only one with smooth water, 0:58:13, and for the final race, 1:00:25, a total of 3 hours and 15 minutes for the ninety miles. This is close to an average of two minutes per nautical mile, or at the rate of 31.5 statute miles an hour. In her speed trials over the New York Yacht Club's measured nautical mile in Hempstead harbor the day after winning the International cup, Dixie II averaged thirty-five statute miles an hour, and the fact that she has been able to sustain this high speed in three events aggregating ninety miles speaks volumes for the abilities of the boat. Chip III did not fall short of the remarkable performance of the winner, as she took only forty-eight seconds more for the ninety miles, averaging but a shade under 31½ miles an hour. These races have demonstrated more than anything else before in this country the success that has been reached by home builders of high-speed water craft.
(Transcribed from the New York Times, Aug. 23, 1908, Sect. IV p. 2.)
[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page —LF]
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