Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-07-09
SPEED BOAT BURNS IN
YACHT RACE HELD HERE
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boat, followed by q flame. bolh
men had donned life preserved vests
prior to the start of thu race, as had
the other entrants, and, these assist
ed in keeping the two sten a1oat al
ter they had gone oven the sides oil
the. boat into the water fully dress
ed.
Men Are Sayed
The Proal houseboat4yacht which
had come to the races from Red
Bank with the two Proal speed
boats, the Black Bird and the Grow
was cruising about and quickly
turned her nose towards the meH
in the water. Boats put out from
the Eagle As and from shore, some
carrying fire extinguishers, but II
fire had gained such Roadway thal
nothing could be done to save II
boat; which was said to have cost
$1,000. Yesterdays race was re-
ported to have been the first try
out of the Black Bird which was
completed at the Proal boat WORKS
in Red Bank Saturday.
The flames, after raging for ten
or fifteen minutes, finally ate a mole
in the side Of the boat and the in
rushing water caused the boat &c
partly sink, the flames being eX-
tinguished. After rescuing the two
members of the speed-boats ere"
the Proal yacht cruised over to the
wrecked Black Bird and made a line
fast so that it could be towed into
shore. The speed boat was SAID to
have been a total loss.
The two members of the crew had
been rescued before the other tive
speed-boats in the race had come
in from the outer buoys and Simon
sens Black Arrow finished first. The
Jersey Flyer finished second.
Owing to the mishap to the Black
Bird the race was protested and no
winner was determined although the
Black Arrow and Jersey Flyer fin
ished in the order named.
The fire on board the Black Bro
started when one of the four car
buretors on the Liberty engine
flooded and the gasoline, flowing in
the bilge, was ignited by a spark
from the exhaust. Captain Proa
had the presence of mind to shut
off the engine before he jumped
overheard, otherwise the flaming
boat would have continued wildly
on its journey. The boat was haul-
ed into the Staten Island shore by
a. crew from the Eagle boat under
the direction of Peter Coogan, ST..
after a line had been made fast
following partial sinking near the
course. buoy.
Yesterdays occurrence was the
second mishap Captain Proal has
with his speed-boats in this vicinity
In a race last year at keyport one
of his racers went aground and ne
thrown from the boat to the
beach.
The two-day regatta, conducted
under the auspices of the Rarltan
Yacht Racing Association, opened
Saturday afternoon with a yacht
and cutter race, the latter be-
tween crews of the Eagle boat. This
marked the first of a series of re-
which will be held during the
at the various clubs belong
ing to the association. Boats from
Railway, Sewaren, Red Bank, Key
port, Princess Bay and the Raritan
Yacht Club were entered in the
races. Vice Commodore Nelson
Macan, Of the Raritan Yacht Club
and William Vincent, chairman OF
the regatta committee, were in
charge of the races and ably assist
ed by a corps of assistants who act
ed as judges, timers n starters
The local yacht club auxiliary fur
nished refreshments on both Gays
and a dance was held Saturday night
at which the prizes for Saturdays
race were awarded.
The handicap sailboat race Sat
urday afternoon was won handily by
the Tempest, owned and sailed by
the Housman brothers, of Railway.
This cat-rigged boat has earned a
name for itself by it's speed in races
FOR several years and h light
lust suited 1t. Nelson Ma
cans Indian, of the Raritan Club
took second and the Dart, owned by
William II. Freelander, or h Ben
sonhurst Yacht Club, came in third
The cutter race between -four
crews of the Third Battalion, Naval
for the Raritan Yacht CLUBS
cutter rowing trophy, was won py
the Perth Amboy first DIVISION poa'
crew. The members of ! crew
led to victory by Peter Coogan, DR.
were giving individual prizes OF row.
Jerseys in addition to the hrst
trophy. The Keyport crew
iook second, the Perth Amboy sec
ond crew was third and the Ne"
Brunswick crew fourth.
Another cutter rowing race was
staged yesterday afternoon, 1t belns
a crew Of officers OF the
boat, another of the enlisted
of the same boat, the
bird of Yacht Club members and
he fourth of local fellows calling
themselves the Bayard's Beach crew
The enlisted men won, the Bayerds
crew was second and the oificers
we're third. Several of the Bayard
broke their blades during
The race. There was a protest that
the photographers boat had been
Pouled by one of the cutters but this
disagreement was settled.
Motion pictures yer taken of the
races and scenes along the water
by a moving picture camera
and photographers for two sailing
and motor boat publications and a
Newark newspaper.
The cabin cruiser handicap race
was won by the Viking, owned by
e. V. Eskesen, of The Rarltan Club.
The Lotto, owned by Howat, also of
the Raritan, came in second and the
Rascal, owned by cakes, of Sewaren
was third.
In the semi-cruiser type race the
owned by Gage, of Railway
won first place and the Skid, owned