1907 Pittsburgh Regatta

Pittsburgh Launch Club

PITTSBURGH, PA.--The first motorboat regatta ever seen at Pittsburgh was held by the Pittsburgh Launch Club on August 3, and was a great success. The boats were divided into six classes and raced over a course of three miles on the Ohio River.

The first race for boats 22 feet long and under, with engines not exceeding 5½ hp., distance three miles, was won by the Ku Chu, owned and driven by Sipe Bros., in 27 minutes. Gus Probst's Silbon was second, W. G. Fullman's Visitor third and R. T. Sharp's Nora fourth.

The Helen, owned by J. P. Heard and W. A. Tomlinson, captured the second race for boats of any length, having engines between 5½ and 11 hp. The Katy Did, owned by F. A. Probst, beat the Mildred, owned by W. F. Bulgey, by a half length for second place. The time was 18 minutes.

The third event brought out the speediest racing of the day. It was a distance of 15 miles, open to all. The Ireland, owned by C. W. and L. N. Ireland; the Lily and Rose, owned by William Graff; the Sprinter, R. C. Price's crack racer, and the Water Witch, owned by M. T. Epling, were the starters. The Sprinter took the lead in the first mile and was never overtaken, finishing nearly half a mile ahead of the Water Witch, the only other entry to finish. Time, 59 minutes.

In the fourth event of six miles for boats from 22 to 30 feet long and with engines from 11 to 20 hp., the Trantor and the Hornet, owned by Joseph Horn & Co., were the only entrants. The Hornet took the lead from the start and finished 200 yards ahead of the Trantor. The time was 28 minutes.

The Libby, owned by M. T. Epling, and Roy E. Eckert's Gondolier, were pitted against each other in the six-mile race for motor yawls as the last event. The boats ran pretty even in the first lap, but the Libby gradually pulled away, winning by nearly one-fourth of a mile.

(Transcribed from The Motor Boat, Aug. 25, 1907, p. 29. )

[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page. — LF]