3 New Jersey Races [1933]
South Jersey Holds Fine Races
Three big days; three big trophies; three big winners. Thus ended South Jersey's 1933 season, with Saturday, Sunday and Monday, September 2-3-4 seeing the outboards and speedboats in action first at Stone Harbor, N. J., then the outboards alone at Clementon, N. J., and then all join hands in the grand finale at Ocean City, N. J., on Labor Day.
The Stone Harbor Gold Cup, premier prize of the first day, went to Guy Philip Ellsworth, of Big Moose, N. Y., 21-year-old student at Bucknell University, then holder of the Sir Thomas Lipton trophy, who just recently returned from his European trip.
The Eldred-Gibbs point trophy, season point prize at Clementon Lake, was the big stake in the Sunday regatta. It was won by Tommy Tyson, 17, of Philadelphia, son of J. S. Y. Tyson, handicapping official of the National Racing Commission.
The Interstate Trophy, offered by the National Association of Boat and Engine Manufacturers, as emblematic of the national championship in the 125 cubic inch hydroplane class, was the outstanding goal of Monday's meet, and it went to S. Mortimer Auerbach, of Chicago and New York, owner of Emancipator II.
'The regattas came on successive days, and more than suitably filled the gap left by the cancellation of the Margate-Longport Regatta, for several years scheduled as the pre-Labor Day feature.
In many ways the Stone Harbor regatta surpassed anything ever put on at Margate, while the big turn-out at Clementon was a surprise even to the officials.
But speaking of officials, a word is coming to them. First they were baked, roasted, and fried by a glowing hot sun the like of which it is hard to imagine outside the fire-box of a boiler. That was at Stone Harbor. Came Sunday, with the weatherman seeing that the officials needed cooling off, ordered showers. But Monday, the officials started at 1 o'clock with a brilliant sun. In half an hour it turned into a downpour of rain of quite some proportions. So it continued all the afternoon, only drying up with the final race. More drooping white trousers, and yachting togs were seen in one place than ever before, as the officials bravely continued to run races as per schedule. Bosses of many a nearby cleaning and dyeing establishment, just beridden with strikes, smiled the smile of satisfaction as they saw officials, spectators and contestants stick it out. The officials were particularly well placed, on the top porch of the Ocean City club-house, where the wind swept the rain in sheets. The timers found water-proof watches quite an essential part of race equipment.
To come back to Ellsworth, and his quest of the Stone Harbor Gold Cup for his collection, we find that lad averaging 46.26 m.p.h. in his Blue Devil IV, for the 5-mile amateur free-for-all, to beat out the American Power Boat Association scoring leader, Lou Carlisle, of East Islip, L. I., in a close race. Earlier in the day they had each taken a race, Carlisle winning Class D, and Ellsworth Class F.
Tommy Tyson also figured at Stone Harbor, taking Class A in his Half Pint, then coming back and taking the first handicap race in that section. He sported a new motor, replacing the old one which was battered up beyond repair in that hectic Class A start at Red Bank.
Other Stone Harbor winners were Walter A Buskee's Bus-Skee of Dover, N. J., in the inboard free-for-all unlimited; Bill Hempstead's Joe Anne, of Longport, in the 420 cubic inch stock runabouts; Mrs. Florence Burnham's Chotsie V, of Wilmington, in the 201 cubic inch boats; and Vice TOtiiinodore William J. McCahan's new Flora III, in the 1010 cubic inch class.
At Clementon the winning of the races did not hold half the thrills for young Tommy Tyson, as did the presentation of the Eldred-Gibbs trophy to him by Miss Eleanor Rogers, of Haddon Heights, N. J., aged 17, who had shortly before been crowned Miss South Jersey.
But Tyson competed in every class and did all sorts of unexpected things with his new motor, to tally 2000 or more points in the final day's racing of the Clementon season, to win the trophy. Tyson had 4717 points to 4387 for C. Mulford Scull, of Ventnor, who had been leading all season for the prize.
Scull won in Class A, with Tyson taking second in the final. In Class C, Scull upset, and Tyson, finishing third, made a big gain in points. In Class F, Scull stayed out of the final heat, and Tommy gained enough more points to take the trophy. Don Flowers, of Oyster Bay. won the Class F final heat, but was out of the money on points, first money in both Class C and Class F going to Harper Chance, of Port Norris, N. J. First money was $35 in each class, not a bad day's work for Harper.
Came Monday with its full afternoon of rain. A protecting awning over the officials proved valueless, as the scoring sheets were in puddles, yet spectators stuck around by the thousand. At the height of the storm, it was estimated that 5000 or more were watching the races.
Emancipator II won all three of the 10 mile heats for the National championship. In the first heat she was clocked at 14:44; then 14:38; and in the final 14:34, a speed of 41.19 m.p.h. Her 55 h.p. Gray ran beautifully, handled by Eugene Apel of Ventnor, son of the veteran Adolph Apel, Ventnor boat-builder, who designed and built the craft. The owner, Mr. Auerbach, watched the race from the yacht club, as he was nursing a broken arm.
By the race, Emancipator II dethroned Flying Eagle, owned and raced by Edison Hedges, of Atlantic City. Flying Eagle won the title in 1932 at the Margate-Longport regatta. She also held the Eastern championship for the class, which she won in July at Havre de Grace. She also made several world's records in trials there.
Flying Eagle was a close second in each heat, followed by Joe Don, owned by Joseph E. Monigle, of Wilmington; and Chotsie IV, owned and driven by Dr. Cecil H. Bagley, of Baltimore.
All winners received South Jersey championships in the outboard and stock runabout classes. Close races were staged.
(Reprinted from [?], October 1933)
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