Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-07
Steamer r. E. Lee Holds Place
Despite Speedboat Record

Should race by speedboat to lower
the record of the old Mississippi River
monarch, the Robert E. Lee. be put in
the same class with a motor cycles
challenge to race horse? Some ad-
mirers of the side-wheeler take that
from New Orleans to st. Louis has been
lowered by the Bogie. owned by DR..
Louis Leroy and Capt. Harvey Brown,
after standing nearly so years. The
1,25o-mile course has been covered in
81 hours and 30 minutes, clipping
hours from the old mark.
There must have been some quiet
chuckling in that snug harbor to which
the spirits of all good ships CO." says
the Seattle Daily Times. when the
news that speedboat had set a new
record for the New Orleans-St. Louis
run trickled through by celestial wire
less" Referring to the handsome sight
that was presented by those famous
old craft. the Times recalls the Lees
racing triumph with the statement
that folks would talk about 1t for
weeks. and the ladies and gentlemen OF
quality would come to ride on her and
GFG1yWACIC Vic I4NcIUISl WOO1o CUSGE
her as she went by" That paper con-
cludes: Perhaps Cap'n John Cannon
and Cap'n Thomas feathers. smoking
their pipes abaft the Texas, heard the
news. and If SO they were entitled to
a couple of spectral ho-ho's. Romance
runs a hard race with gasoline, but In
the main it holds its honors. And we
suspect the Robert E. Lee will be IA
miliar to boatmen along the big river
long after the speedboat that beat her
time is forgotten"
clares the Memphis Commercial Appeal
1.-The breaking of q Mississippi River
record made so years ago cannot be
hailed as any glorious mechanical VIC
tory. Nor will the time consumed be
written down as a marvel of speed In
a day when speedboats can negotiate
so miles or more an hour. But what
will be written indelibly in the history
the traditions of the romantic stream
Is the story of the courage, the vitality
the hardwood and the virile determi-
nation of the two men who overcame
many obstacles and dangers In estab-
fishing complete mastery over treach-
erous and powerful stream. The In
trepid sportsmen have added to the
romance of glamourous stream, even
II they have contributed no marvel OF
SWtftness in a day OF amazing speed
Difficulties were overcome and the
nerve and endurance of the three men
In the boat proved beyond question, ~
according to the Pittsburgh Post-Ga-
zette. while the small motor boats
will remain pleasure craft and the large
packets continue to carry the freight
the exploit, of the Bogie does prove that
the power boat is adapted to long dis"
fonan YiuoVs HrOrLr ond Lead others
to resort to the rivers for recreation
The Rockford Star remarks: mo rec
ord but that made by the Lee has been
immune to breakage during the last
decade, when nearly every mark has
been taken out for an airing and neatly
trimmed. We can't help signing a
little that perhaps the last old record
has been shattered. While the mark
Of the Robert E. Lee stood, there was
one last bulwark against all this fever
ish cord-breaking-now that has been
swept away"
"Old river pilots will agree" main
tains the Kansas City Journal-Post
that it was no easy thing to clip three
hours off the old record. But the new
mark will not stand long unbeaten
This Is the day Of speed on the land
through the air, in the water. With
the continued improvement of the big
rivers, the growing commercial water
traf1c and the development Of the
country adjacent to our water courses
faster boats will be the order, and each
year may be expected to mark Q new
river record" The Davenport Demo
crat, however, 1auding the chief figures
in "the historic race Of the Robert e
Lee and the Natchez, started June 80
1870" concludes, 1.-THE shades Of the
steamboat men Of that early day may
feel proud that it took nearly so years
for man to produce boat that could
cut bare three hours from the mark y
Maybe the Arkansas Belle, the Sill
yer Cloud, the VIII S. Hays, the New
Mary Houston, the Granite State. the