Outboard Race

The wind-vane on the Delaware & Hudson Building in Albany, N. Y., is a miniature of Hendrick Hudson's good ship Half-Moon. Early one morning last week this vane stood very still. It was a fine calm morning, but the Hudson River at Albany was not calm. By the pier of the Albany Yacht Club, the river's grey-green surface had been transformed into dirty, bubbly whipped cream. A fleet of 133 little launches, each with an outboard motor attached, was milling about, racing its engines, darting hither and yon like a swarm of noisy water beetles. Finally Commodore William B. Eldridge appeared on the balcony of the Yacht Club building. The boats lined up under the railroad bridge. The Commodore fired a pistol. With a shrill spattering sound the boats streaked down the Hudson. As each passed the balcony its time was marked, because the Hudson is not broad enough for 133 little boats to start at the same time. Having fired his pistol, Commodore Eldridge motored to an airplane, flew to New York, waited for the winner. From Albany to Manhattan the Hudson River measures 132 1/4 mi. Railroad trains cover the distance in three hours. By air it takes 90 min. The winner of last week's outboard motorboat race took 3 hrs. 36 min. 40 sec. When the yellow boat with its Johnson D motor reached 152nd St., Commodore Eldridge fired another pistol and black-mustached Jacob Dunnell of Boston had broken a record for the Albany-New York course. His average speed was 37.4 m. p. h. Honors in last week's race went to the Johnson D motors which won first, second, sixth, seventh and eighth places. Third place went to an Elto E; fourth and fifth to Evinrude C's.