1908 Harmsworth Trophy
Huntington Bay, New York, July 27-28, 1908
Waiting For Motorboats
It was a sorry lot of motorboat enthusiasts who left Huntington harbor late yesterday afternoon. All day long they had been waiting, in addition to several parties on visiting yachts that put into the harbor, hoping to see some of the much- heralded fast American boats race over the thirty-mile course in the trials to complete America's team of three defending boats for the international cup. But, as the situation was tersely summed up as the weary yachtsmen wended their way homeward, there was "nothing doing." Two trial races were to have been held. Elco-Craig, one of the new boats which had been promised for the races in the morning, failed to appear, and later in the day it was learned that she was disabled and still anchored at Bayonne.
Autowin II, the supposedly fast Boston boat, was in the harbor, but her clutch was out of gear, and the new yachtsmen who had glasses had the satisfaction of seeing the boat being towed around the harbor by an old oyster boat. Den and Gray were the only real motorboats that seemed to be alive, but, owing to their admittedly inferior speed as defenders against Wolseley-Siddeley, the committee was anxious to see what Autowin II and Elco-Craig might do. Hence, late in the afternoon, the decision was announced that another effort will be made to run off the trial races to-morrow.
(Transcribed from the New York Times, July 29, 1908, p. 8)
[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page. —LF]
Hydroplane
History Home Page
This
page was last revised Thursday, April 01, 2010
.
Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. Email us at wildturnip@gmail.com
© Leslie Field, 2001
