Evening star., 1933-10-01
PRESIDENTS CUP
WON BY REFS BOAT
Ell Lagarto Captures Event
For Second Time in
Three Years.
Continued From First Page.)

king, in a class second only to Gar
Wood.
Refs average. speed for the As miles
of the three heats during the two days
was 53768 miles per hour. He fin
tshed the final heat under wraps" to
save his engine, averaging only 50692
miles per hour. He was content to
ride behind John M. L. Rutherfurd's
Imp through five and half laps, final
ly squirting at the close just enough
to nose out the Port Washington, N. Y,
boat But for this fact he might have
captured first place despite Dodge's pro-
test, since he had beaten Dodge's Del
phine VII in the two previous heats.
Dodge based his protest on a claim
that the timing of the starting gun was
faulty. 1t has been the practice to
fire warning gun minutes before
the start of race, a second warning
gun 1 minute before the start and to
fire the starting gun, accompanied by
the dropping of the white flag, at the
actual start.
Dodge protested that the minute
gun" was fired minutes after the first
warning gun instead of 4 minutes. AL
though he did not have the white flag,
he started on the second gun. Refs and
Rutherford, the only remaining con-
testants in the last heat, waited for the
third gun and started a full minute
after Dodge. Dodge ran seven instead
of six laps to avoid disqualification and
filed formal protest in writing at the
close of the race, after having told
members of the Racing Committee he
would never again enter any of his
fleet of speed boats in future Presi-
dents Cup races. On the basis of seven
laps, he ran poor third. On the
basis Of six laps, which finally was al
lowed by the committees decision on
his protest, he finished ahead of Refs
and Rutherford.
Won Two Firsts.
Refs was awarded the Presidents Cup
on the strength of two first places and
a second place in the three heats, as
against two second places and a first
for Dodge, his nearest competitor.
Dodge took second place in the final
standings, irrespective of whether he
finished the last heat in first or third
place, because of his showing in the
FIRST two heats.
Though six boats started in the first
heat Friday, only three finished the
last heat yesterday Delphine Nv, with
William Horn Of New York at the
wheel, tore off her rudder and stern
when she took bad bounce off wave
In the first heat Her mechanic, Charles
F. Graf1in, was sent to Emergency Hos
pital with a broken shoulder. The
Arctic Tern II, driven by Ernest T.
Chase of Baltimore, damaged her bot
tom in the rough water Friday and
was out of yesterdays two heats.
EthylRuth III went out in the second
heat
Shibe's boat probably would have
been disqualified, even had she finished
hn ty, Frct ,1o1
suit of an exchange of drivers, which,
according to the Race Committee, is
in violation of regulations. Armand
D. Pugh, Ardmore, Pa, who drove the
Ethyl-Ruth in the first heat, gave way
to F. G. Ericsson, New York. one of
Horace Dodge's drivers, in the second
heat.
Accidents Mar Day.
Yesterdays racing program was
marked by four accidents, two of them
spectacular in character All four
drivers escaped without injury. Three
fast outboard boats got out of con-
troll, two of them upsetting and the
third throwing out its driver Edward
SaSnett Of Washington, and then run
ming wild, narrowly escaping serious
collisions with two other boats before
running into shallow water and kick
ing its propeller out of water
In the final race of the day, the Po-
tomac grand free-for- all, the Betty III,
entered by w. M Crook, Bolton Land
Ing, N. Y, began pounding heavily in
the wash OF other starters and, after
threatening to run wild among the field
OF nVe boats, tore out a section of her
bottom planklng and was saved from
sinking by Navy tug, which lifted
her aboard.
Only three boats finished in the free
1or-all, first place going to the Pep III,
entered and driven by John Bramble,
Baltimore, with a speed of 53731 miles
per hour. Walter A. Buskee. Dover,
N. j., was second and F. H. Hahn,
out with motor trouble
First Woman Mechanic.
Mrs. Maude Rutherford, who rode
with her husband in the Imp for two
heats of the Presidents Cup race, as
the only woman mechanic ever entered
in the event, was winner in her own
right in the ladies' grand free for-all.
Driving the Delphine VII. lent to her
by Dodge for the race, she finished the
f1ve-mile course at an average speed of
oi.Ufo miles per nOur. MIS-. Emile
Bailey, Merton, Pa, finished second in
Buskee's boat, and Mrs. Ferdinand Car
ter, Philadelphia. was third. The only
Washington woman entered in this
race, Katherine Orme, finished seventh
in field of eight starters
The regatta closed for all power boat
drivers and officials with the annual
regatta banquet last night in the Ma
tional Press Club, at which trophies
were presented to all winners except
Refs. Refs will receive the big gold
Presidents Cup from President Roose-
welt at a ceremony to be held in the
near future.
Twenty-three cups, score Of cash
prizes and number Of other awards
were presented at the banquet.
Although the power boat events were
concluded yesterday, the regatta pro-
gram will continue today with series
Of canoe anC rowing races beginning