Mystery Foto #48 Solved: D.F. Maltby Automobile Garage in Jericho After the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
The final Mystery Foto of 2013 was a previously unpublished image and a bit of a challenge.
Mystery Foto questions:
-Where was the photo taken?
Jericho Turnpike in the hamlet of Jericho
-What was the date of the photo?
October 24, 1908- the date of the Vanderbilt Cup Race.
-What and who is the crowd staring at?
Driver George Robertson and mechanician Glenn Ethridge in the #16 Locomobile, the first American car to win a Vanderbilt Cup Race.
-Identify the building in the background
D.F. Maltby Automobile Garage. The garage was the Locomobile headquarters for the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race.
-Bonus: What was the earliest time of the day that this photo was taken? Why?
In my opinion, the photo was taken after the #16 Locomobile finished the race at 10:45 AM. Jericho was at least 15 minutes away from the grandstand in Hempstead Plains. So, the earliest time is around 11:00 AM. Another possibility is the photo was taken before the 1908 race. However, since the race began before dawn, the lighting would be much darker and the crowd more sparse.
Congrats to Ariejan Bos who correctly solved the mystery except the location for the garage. Kudos to Greg O. Tom Montalbano, Mitch Kaften and Art Kleiner for solving parts of the Mystery Foto.
Happy 2014!
Howard Kroplick
As noted by Ariejan Bos, the car in middle of the photo is a Locomobile with a manufacturer's license plate (C202M).
A close-up of George Robertson and Glenn Ethridge in the #16 Locomobile.
Another view of the crowd scene. The Locomobile with license plate C202M is the second car on the right.
D. F. Maltby advertised in the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race program guide promoting his garages in Westbury and Jericho.
Two views of #16 Locomobile in front of its headquarters prior to the race.
The D.F. Maltby Automobile Garage was located directed on the 1908 course on Jericho Turnpike in the hamlet of Jericho.
The #16 Locomobile driving past its headquarters during the race.
The Locomobile winning the race as the clock on the officials' stand struck 10:45 AM.
The location of the garage as seen in this 1950 aerial. Note Jericho Turnpike can been extended eliminating the two "Old Jericho Turnpike" curves seen in the 1908 course.
The garage would now be considered to be on the northwest corner of Route 106, Oyster Bay Road.
The First Jericho Fire Department (Photos courtesy of Jericho Public Library)
In 1931 several concerned Jericho citizens decided to organize a volunteer fire department. in 1933, they purchased the D.F. Maltby Automobile Garage which was then owned by Frank Curth.
The garage, blacksmith shop and upstairs barbershop were transformed into Jericho's first fire department.
The first Jericho fire truck converted from a 1910 Crane Simplex open touring car donated by Mrs. Middleton S. Burrill.
Jericho's Volunteer Fire Department in 1939.
As seen in 1950, the Jericho Fire Department was located just north of the Jericho Hotel.
The Jericho Fire Department in 1954. The sign on the right reads: "All Points East".
A parade in front of the fire department in the 1950s. The building, the Jericho Hotel and many historic Jericho buildings were demolished in 1960 to build a cloverleaf at the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Routes 106 and 107. The hamlet of Jericho was destroyed in the name of progress.
Comments
-Where was the photo taken?
Jericho, Jericho Turnpike
-What was the date of the photo?
October 24, 1908
-What and who is the crowd staring at?
George Robertson and the #16 Locomobile
-Identify the building in the background
Locomobile team headquarters located in D.F. Maltby’s Automobile Garage
-Bonus: What was the earliest time of the day that this photo was taken? Why?
Sunrise preparation for the race, about 6:30-7am
Howard:
Wasn’t DF Maltby’s in Jericho?
We see the Locomobile headquarters during the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup race. The location of the temporary HQ was Maltby’s garage, located along Jericho Turnpike near the turn at Westbury. The Locomobile on the photo has an official Locomobile manufacturer plate (C202M). The doors of the Maltby’s garage are wide open, the people are standing on the side, the crowd is staring towards the right (also the driver of the second car, of which we only see the steering wheel), two women are smiling towards the camera, so it could very well be that the winning Locomobile was just approaching to be stalled in Maltby’s showroom. In that case the date must be October 24, some time after the end of the race. Robertson’s Locomobile started as no.16 at around 6.45 and finished 4 hrs and 48.2 secs later at around 10.45. The race was called at 10.55 and presumably it will have taken some time before the winning car returned to its stables, located at about 5 to 10 miles from the start/finish. Therefore I expect the moment of the photograph to be noon at its earliest, but probably somewhat later.
DF Maltby owned a garage in Mineola, Glen Cove, and Westbury. That’s about all I can tell with a little research.
Not much confidence in most of my answers, hopefully 2014 will bode better for my research. Happy New Year to all.
-Where was the photo taken? Jericho
-What was the date of the photo? Oct. 24, 1908
-What and who is the crowd staring at? Staring at the Stanley Steamer owned by members of the William Cullen Bryant family.
-Identify the building in the background. Powell’s Jericho Hotel
-Bonus: What was the earliest time of the day that this photo was taken? Why? Early morning - start of race
Enjoyed all the photo’s, happy new year to all !