Vanderbilt Cup Races

Thanks Brian,
You just never know who your friends are!

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Chevrolet's Fatal Crash in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I had a feeling that this race led to the end of road racing on Long Island because of deaths and crowds but didn’t get a chance to back to answer. I should have answered it right away. Just thought I would let you know I knew it. Take care all.

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Chevrolet's Fatal Crash in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Howard, why is the Tucker at Ida automotive in Morganville, NJ, and not at your Black Beast garage in Roslyn, NY?, thought it was finish? Will be there to see it WHEREVER?
____________________________________
Howard Kroplick
Mark, Tucker 1044 is in New Jersey for a post-Pebble Beach check-up. It will be back in Roslyn in November.

From Hold the Date- October 27, 2018: Tucker 1044 Open House at Ida Automotive in Marlboro, New Jersey

Excellent coverage with the newspaper archives and maps, Art! And the Bach’s happened to be friends with McCarthy’s

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Chevrolet's Fatal Crash in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

My wife and I were lucky enough to at least see the exhibit during a trip to Western PA from Long Island to go to a wedding.  A great museum, but it was hard to walk away from the Tuckers!

From AACA Museum: Largest Public Gathering of Tucker Automobiles in Decades to Happen on August 26, 2018

How exciting….

From Video: Tuckers at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

This 1910 accident on Old Country Road in Hicksville likely caused the end for street racing on Long Island. Louis Chevrolet driving the 100hp Marquette-Buick managed a forward somersault after hitting a ditch and breaking the steering gear. The racer landed upside down on top of a touring car, pinning mechanician Charles Miller underneath. Miller was killed instantly. Chevrolet was ejected clear and suffered a broken arm. Three women in the touring car escaped injury.

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/from_the_john_roosevelt_family_photo_album_action_in_hicksville_during_the

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Chevrolet's Fatal Crash in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Paul, yes that’s what we’ve done in the past.

From Celebrate the 110th Anniversary of the Long Island Motor Parkway on Sunday, October 7, 2018

Identify the Vanderbilt Cup Race in which this race occurred. 1910

Who was the driver and mechanician for this race car? Louis Chevrolet was the driver and Charles Miller the mechanician.  Miller died in the crash.  Drivng #29, a Marquette- Buick. 

What caused the crash?  I’ve read two causes - a blown tire and a snapped steering mechanism.

What was the significance of this accident?  Races were not permitted after this race in Nassau County due to the people killed and injured.

My own bonus question: where did the accident occur? Based on newspaper articles the accident occurred at Bach’s corner in Hicksville (corner of Duffy Avenue and Old Country Road).  Documentation sent to Howard showing the exact location of the Bach farmhouse. 

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Chevrolet's Fatal Crash in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Was going to avoid this intimidating mystery until I realized the info is “here”. So I “cheated”.
Guess this photo is from the John E Roosevelt Family Photo Album ( Gladys Roosevelt )

*ID VCR in which accident occurred:  10/1/1910 Long Island, NY

*Driver/Mechanician:  Louis Chevrolet/Charles Miller

*Cause of crash:  Louis’s Marquette - Buick #29 became stuck in a rut and the steering mechanism snapped. His auto crashed into a parked touring car, through a fence, and then into a tree in front of a farm house on Old Country Rd., Hicksville. Louis went airborne and wrenched his shoulder. Charles Miller was pinned under their flipped auto, and died.

*Significance of accident:  In addition to this casualty, Harold Stone/Matthew Bacon’s Columbia racer leaped off the Meadowbrook Bridge in East Meadow. Not sure how Mr. Stone made out, but his mechanician Matthew Bacon died. With the deaths, accidents and crowd control issues;road racing on Long Island ceased.

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Chevrolet's Fatal Crash in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

That’s the remains of Louis Chevrolet’s Marquette-Buick during the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race. His mechanician, Charles Miller, was killed in the crash when the racer’s wheel became wedged in a rut on Old Country Road in Hicksville, snapping the steering mechanism and causing Chevrolet to lose control. This fatality and the death of Harold Stone’s mechanician in another crash led to the end of open road racing on Long Island and New York.

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Chevrolet's Fatal Crash in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

if it starts at cunningham park will the original pkwy that ends by winchester blvd in alley pond park be used by the cars or bikes,or motorcycles?

From Celebrate the 110th Anniversary of the Long Island Motor Parkway on Sunday, October 7, 2018

The 1910 race.  Louis Chevrolet driver, Charles Miller mechanic.
A broken steering knuckle caused this car to crash into a parked car on Old Country
Road in Hicksville, killing Miller.  Another death occurred in this race, factors which led to the
end of such races over public roads.

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Chevrolet's Fatal Crash in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I’m not going to cheat on this one and look it up but I do want to comment on the car itself.  Look at the complexity of the parts visible on what is only a small part of the underside and think that the fully-functional automobile was only some TEN years old at that point!  Bertha Benz’s pioneering (if illegal) cross-country trip in Karl’s #3 contraption had only been made on 05 Aug 1888!  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Chevrolet's Fatal Crash in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Nice Tucker presentation

From Video: Tuckers at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

The photo is from Howard’s book ‘VANDERBILT CUP RACES OF LONG ISLAND’, The 1910 race, page 121, Louis Chevrolet’s Marquette-Buick on lap 16 was wrecked near the front porch of a Hicksville home on Old Country Road.

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Chevrolet's Fatal Crash in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I will mention this to my son and perhaps we can fly in to see this event and meet you. Sure would like to see #1044!! Regards,  Jeff Perkins / Lakeland Mn.

From Hold the Date- October 27, 2018: Tucker 1044 Open House at Ida Automotive in Marlboro, New Jersey

Hi Brian, LIMARC will have a ham radio operator at the firehouse before and while the cars arrive.  They will also have a mobile ham station accompanying the “racers”.
I’m also looking to ride with someone from Queens to Ronkonkoma in an antique - let me know if anyone has room for me.  Thanks

From Celebrate the 110th Anniversary of the Long Island Motor Parkway on Sunday, October 7, 2018

Will LIMARC have mobile operations established at Lakeland Fire Dept? I don’t own a Classic Auto nor am a Ham Operator, but would like to be a spectator upon the end of the “race” ( Fire Dept ).

From Celebrate the 110th Anniversary of the Long Island Motor Parkway on Sunday, October 7, 2018

Mystery Foto #39… This crash scene happened at the 1910 Vanderbilt cup race. The driver was Louis Chevrolet and mechanician was Charles Miller aboard this Marquette Buick racer.
The crash was the result of one of the wheels of the car getting wedged in a rut, causing the steering mechanism to snap. The car then slammed into a parked street car, went through a fence and into a tree before landing upside down.
Charles Miller died as a result of his injuries.
Other deaths and injuries in this race put an end to road racing on Long Island.

From Mystery Foto #39 Solved: Louis Chevrolet's Fatal Crash in the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race