The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-05
ANNUAL REGATTA
At SAINT PAUL
tI
Ninth Yearly Meeting Of Mississippi
Valley Power Boat Association
to be Big
Affair.
MANY BOATS ENTERED
Races VIII be Fast and Holly Con-
tested, 40 Some Of the country's
Best Boats Are to Com
pete for Prizes.

The greatest championship motor
boat race in the country this year Is
to be staged at st. Paul July 4, and
I 6, and according to word received to-
day by local motor boat owners, the
greatest field of racing boats ever
seen in the west will be at the start
ing line.
The event is the ninth annual re-
gatta of the Mississippi Valley Power
Boat association, the largest boating
organization in the country, and the
races will be the chief event of a
whole week of water carnival to be
put on by the St. Paul association of
commerce.
The race meet opens Tuesday, July
4, with the second heats Wednesday,
and the deciding races on Thursday.
On Friday and Saturday the city of
ST. Paul will stage water carnival
on par with the famous winter car
nival which attracted thousands of
people to that city last winter.
The race committee of the Missis-
sippi Valley association is now work
ing on the program for the big event.
1t will include such boats as Miss De-
| troit, which last year won the gold
challenge cup, and attained speed
of over fifty-four miles an hour. This
boat will have as rival, Miss Mime
apolis, financed and raced by the Min
neapolis Athletic club. Miss Mime
apolis is to be an exact duplicate Of
Miss Detroit, and is being built b.
the same designer and builder, Chris
C. Smith of Algonac, Michigan, Gre
ator of the famous family Of Reli
ances, which for five years have held
all worlds, records. 1t Is also prob
IL xI4< o,t 80 will no
represented in the big free-for-all. with
duplicate of Miss Minneapolis,
tt us making a three cornered race
for blood between the three cities.
The Mississippi valley races for the
past eight years have been the great
est aquatic event staged in the coun-
try The association was organized
at Muscatine in 1908 and regattas
have been staged since at Muscatine,
Burlington. Peoria, Dubuque, Daven-
port, Keokuk and Hannibal. st. Paul,
however, is the largest city which has
yet put on the races and this years
regatta is therefore expected to
eclipse all former records in every
way
The purses total over $4,000 cash.
The first prize in the free-for-all is
100000, and silver loving cup
worth 100000 and known as the
Webb cup is offered in the Webb
trophy championship event, which is
a strictly amateur race.
The chief prizes at the Hannibal re-
gatta last year were won by Buffalo
Enquirer, owned by VIM. J. (Fingy)
Corners of Buffalo, N. ]. This boat
was Smith craft, practically of the
same design as the Detroit, ST. Paul,
Dol Do1i
In order to hold the Webb cup an
other year, Buffalo Enquirer is re-
uuired to come to st. Paul and defend
her title.
Many of the cities in the Missis-
sippi valley will contribute racing
boats to the smaller classes. While
they are not capable of such terrific
speed, these classes often furnish as
much excitement as the championship
events.
The st. Paul races viii be staged
on the Mississippi river, ever a two
and one-half mile course between the
two bridges. The big grand stand will
be erected on the city side of the
river, although provision Will be made
for entertaining the visitors and auto,
mobile owners on Harriet Island,
opposite.
ST. Paul has provided S20,000.00 as
an entertainment fund for the regatta
and some of the features besides the
races, for the entertainment of visi-
tors will be an uproarious carnival
night, Venetian night and boat
parade, swimming. canoe and novelty
races, high diving, flying boat trips.
aquaplane riding by some CT the city's
prettiest swimmers and it is likely
a u
be put on for one of two evenings
during the week. A big social session
and dancing party at the ST. Paul
auditorium is also being talked of and
may be made an entertainment fea-
f,1r