The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-07-10
The up River City Should Have Had
the Meet by All Means Ahead
Of Peoria on the iii
nois
KEEP ON MISSISSIPPI
.eoria Was "Well" Represented by
one Boat at the Burlington
Regatta this
Week.

The little city Of Fort Madison is
all riled up over the fact that she
failed to land the third annual meet Of
the Mississippi Valley Power Boat
Association in 1910. Every one Of the
citizens, whether they have an inter-
est In power boating or not, are all
hot around the collar and have taken
it upon themselves to investigate the
method of balloting by Burlington
representatives at the annual meeting
of the NJ v. p. B. A. on Wednesday
morning.
In a lengthy and we'll written article
! last evening, Ernest Corsepius, the
we'll known Fort Madison motor boat
man and owner of the famous Minnie
! g III, denounces the base methods
used by Burlington to defeat Madison
| for the meeting in 1910, and In speak
| ing generally for the citizens OF keo-
| kuks neighbor, berates, through the
press, the under handed way Of hand
ing the next meeting of the launch
men to Peoria, when never struggle
was made by the Illinois city, to land
! the meeting.
Corsepius is right in his denuncia-
ton OF the Burlington way OF hand
ing over the regatta to Peoria HIS
article which appeared in last even
ing,s Fort Madison papers, should be
read by every fair minded motor boat
] man.
IN the first place, Peoria is not on
the Mississippi river. 1t is not cen
trally located and would mean long
cruises for the motor boat men who
! will attend the regatta to be held at
that city next year.
Then again, Peoria is one Of the
| later cities to join the M. V. 2. 3. a.
I and Fort Madison is one OF the char
| ter members of this larger associa-
tion and is more deserving Of having
the meeting held at that place next
{ year.
True, Fort Madison disappointed the
/; crowds at Burlington because Cor
sepius failed to appear with his Min
ME c III and the Mascot of Corsepius
I and the speed boat Eleanor and the
cabin cruiser, Tobey, failed to put in
] an appearance but good excuse can
be given for the non-appearance OF
all four Of these boats.
1 Fort Madison has always taken an
interest In power boating and has
1 been one Of the leading clubs OF the
] M. v. p. B. A. in advancing the sport
| which is becoming larger each year.
4 Some fast racing boats are to be
mt In the water at Fort Madison IN
4. short time and what Peoria racing
boats are there that will compare in
the smallest way whatever, with Cor
sepius' two boats, the Minnie G and
the fast little 26 mile Mascot?
Fort Madison should have gotten
the regatta next year for no other rea-
son than if for its location which is
central, even more so than Burlington.
Fort Madison has almost as many
places for accommodation of the ho-
tel guests who would come with re
gatta, if held at that city. The crowds
could be amply cared for at Fort Mad
ison and perhaps better so than at
/ Peoria.
Then there is another and one Of the
greatest of possibilities, that the Sc
mile, thirty-two lock Hennepin canal
might sustain another break like il
did just before the regatta this year
at Burlington, which hindered towns
on the Illinois river from attending
the regatta. Peoria was not repre-
scented but by one boat at the Burling
ton affair, and there are three motol
boat clubs at Peoria, with a member
ship that runs up into the hundreds