Evening star., 1932-09-05
DON SIXTH VICTIM
OF CLASSICS J|NX
American IdIes Through De.
Gliding HarmsWorth Heat.
Will Seek Record.
BY DAVID J. WILKIE,
Associated Press STAFF Writer

ASSOCtdteu freSS SIAN writer.
T TARMSWORTH COURSE, DE-
II TROIT, Mich, September
i i 5.-The jinx rode again
with Kaye Don's Miss Eng
land III today and eliminated him
from the second and final heat
OF the Harmsworth Trophy race
after thrilling start against Gar
Wood, trophy defender.
Developing mechanical difficulties al
most as he crossed the starting line a
little less than a second ahead of
Woods Miss America x, Don made an
heroic effort to keep his craft In the
race. Steadily losing power, however.
ne came to complete stop about a
mile from the end Of the second 7-mile
lap OF the course.
Wood, meanwhile, loafed around the
course, averaging only 69.034 statute
miles an hour to win the heat and re-
tam the noted British international
trophy for at least another year.
CONTRASTING with the trouble he
" had in the first heat Saturday, Don
was unable to finish today's heat.
with his mechanic, Dick Garner, he
tried vainly to get his craft going again
to give the 100000 or more spectators
the thrill they sought by getting out
70 the Lake st. Clair course long before
daylight.
Their efforts were futile, however,
and he finally accepted q tow back to
his boatwell. He made no immediate
announcement of the trouble that had
deprived him of at least chance for
the trophy. Members of the Regatta
Committee who went out to his stalled
Miss England III came back to report
only that motor trouble" had de-
veloped
After seeing his Miss England put
into her boatwell. Don went to his
apartment, where he said his starboard
engine quit soon after the two boats
flashed over the starting line.
AT length the second motor stopped
also and Don and his mechanic, after
trying unsuccessfully to get under way
again, accepted tow.
Mo one in the Don party was pre-
Y pared to say what the nature of
the engine trouble was. Some time
may be necessary in determining the
difficulty, they said.
Il want to congratulate Mr.. Wood
heartily on his victory" the British
challenger said.
Miss England's time for the single
lap 1t completed was 8:0526, which, re-
duced to statute miles, was at q speed
OF only 59.798 miles an hour.
Woods greatest speed today was In
the initial 7-mile lap of the IS nautical
mile course. He covered it in 6:ll.45,
speed OF 1920 statute miles an hour.
After that he reduced his speed sharp
ly, cutting 1t down in the succeeding
laps to 72.347, SO 389, 64.536 and 62.907
statute miles an hour.
A T no time did he display the more
"A than 120-miles-an-hour gait with
which his America x has been un-
Wood expressed his regrets that III luck
had followed Don.
I'VE got away to beautiful start"
he said, ''and had Don been able to
keep going I am sure we would have
had splendid race and shown some
real speed"
He intimated he would soon try for
new one-mile world record with his
Miss America x The record now is
held by Don, who drove his Miss Eng
land III at a speed Of 1881 miles an
hour.
1t was Woods seventh Harmsworth
race. In all but the first of these in
1920, mishap of some sort has over
taken the foreign challenge. There have
been hulls pounded to pieces, fuel lines
broken, capsizings and boats catching
fire.
I Asst YEAR, Don's first attempt, the
IL British speed king defeated Wood
in the first heat and established
new average speed for the Harmsworth
race of 89.913 miles an hour
In the second heat, however, he fol-
lowed Wood across the starting line far
ahead of the gun and both were auto
matically disqualified. A mile farther
on his Miss England II foundered. The
race was declared mo contest"
Today's race lasted 35 minutes. Ex-
cept for the beautiful start that saw the
worlds two speediest hydroplanes roar
across the line less than a second apart,
it carried virtually no thrills for the
multitudeS who packed the shore line
and the other thousands who found
vantage points on ferries, freighters.
cruisers and scores of other craft on
the off-shore side of the course.
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