1910 Harmsworth Trophy
Motor Boats For International Race
Final arrangements for to-day’s motor boat race for the Harmsworth Trophy off Larchmont, were made yesterday afternoon on board the steam yacht Vergena, when the International Committee, composed of Capt. J.E. Pearce, representing the donor of the trophy, and the Motor Yacht Club of Great Britain; Mackay Edgar, representing the British Motor Boat Club; and H.R. Sutphen, acting for the Motor Boat Club of America, the present holder of the trophy.
The original plans for the race will be carried out, with the exception that the two English representatives suggested that the start should be by a gun instead if a blast by a whistle, and that a postponement, if any, should be for one hour instead of for fifteen minutes. Both of these suggestions were accepted by the American representative.
The race will be started at 2:30 o’clock this afternoon, off the breakwater in Larchmont Harbor. The course is nearly triangular and is ten nautical miles long. The boats will run a total distance of thirty nautical miles, or about thirty-five statute miles.
The English will be represented by only two boats, the Zogorella and the Pioneer; as the Maple Leaf III was damaged in a practice spin last Wednesday, and it is impossible to repair her in time to race.
America will have F.K. Burnham’s Dixie II, Restless and possibly a third boat, which will be selected this morning. If a third boat is selected it will probably be Nameless, owned by Mellville and Heckscher.
After the meeting Commodore Mellville served a luncheon on board the Vergena, those present being, Capt. J.E. Pearce, H.R. Sutphen, F.M. Morley, F.R.S. Birchan, F.K. Burnham, Mr. Schaeffer, Mackay Edgar, N.W. Robbins, and Chairman C.P. Tower of the Regatta Committee.
The revenue cutters Mohawk and Manhattan have been assigned to patrol the course and keep off all boats not contesting. The steamer Matteawan has been chartered by the Motor Boat Club of America, and will leave the Battery at 10:30 o’clock this morning with members of the club anf their friends.
Of the English racers Zigorella is the smallest being only 25 feet long. She is owned by Daniel Hanbury, and is of the hydroplane type. She was designed by Sir John Thorneycroft and was constructed at the yards of the Hamble River Engineering Company. Her engines were built at the Thorneycroft shops from joint designs of Mr. Birchan, who will be her helmsman and Sir John Thorneycroft. She is of rather heavy construction for a racing boat, but her designer did not want to risk the chance of shipping a light boat to this country. The Zigorella appears like an ordinary roomy family launch above water, but her shape under water makes her have great speed in spite of her weight. The underbody is quite sharp forward, but aft she is perfectly flat, and by a system of reverse curves in her lines she rises to the top of the water by the same manner as a boat of the ordinary hydroplane style. She is equipped with a single screw, turned by an 8-cylinder, 400- horsepower engine.
The Duke of Westminster’s hydroplane, Pioneer, was designed by Fauber and built by the Saunders Company of Cowes, England. She is 39 feet 11 ½ inched over all and 7 feet beam and has a 400-horsepower Wolselley engine that turns a single screw. The engine has twelve cylinders 7 ¼ by 7 ½. Her helmsman will be N.W. Robins and the engine will be looked after by Messrs. Stapleton and Hiskins.
The unfortunate accident to Maple Leaf III that put her out of the running was a great disappointment to Mr. Edgar, her owner, as he expected great things out of his boat. She is 39 feet 11 ½ inches long and about 7 feet beam, and is equipped with a 12-cylinder, V-type Orleans engine of 400 horsepower. Her hull was designed and built by the Orleans Motor Company.
The only old boat of the American team is Dixie II, which was built in 1908. She is a winner of 100 races, and has never been beaten but once, and that was at Monaco by a fifty-foot boat. Dixie is at least 39 feet 11 inches over all and 6 feet beam. She was built by Lawley of South Boston from designs by Clinton Crane. She is fitted with a 250-horsepower Crane & Whitman engine driving a single screw.
Nameless was built this year by the Aitken-Wheeler Company of Halesite L.I., from the company’s designs and is 39 feet 6 inches long. Her engines are four 8-cylinder V-type, developing about 140 horse power apiece. She is driven by quadruple screws.
The Restless was also designed and built by the Aitken-Wheeler Company, and is, in fact, a duplicate of Nameless, except that she has only twin screws and consequently only two eight-cylinder engines.
Excerpts [Transcribed from the New York Times, Aug. 20, 1910, p. 9.]
(Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page —LF)
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