Vanderbilt Cup Races

October 15, 1958, Southern State Parkway, Lindenhurst/North Babylon
Insufficient fuel after being in a holding pattern.  The official Air Force investigation resulted with the pilot, 29 year old First Lt. Gary Moulson being blamed. 
Harold J. Schneider of West Islip was driving on the parkway and was killed when the plan crashed.  Damages of $55,000 were awarded to his wife and $7,500 to his daughter.  Three Air Force personnel two other female motorists were injured. 
The plane was an Air Force cargo plane - a Fairchild C-123B-6-FA Provider.
Guessing the car was a Rambler or a Nash.

From Mystery Friday Foto #49 Solved:The 1958 Airplane/Three Car Crash on the Southern State Parkway

  Yes, very well done. your little bits of history about anything that there to be had that people never even knew about.

From Video of the Week: The Vanderbilt Museum presents Moments in History: The Alva, A Ship for Seven Seas

That’s a 1953 Pontiac and a Fairchild C-123B-6-FA Provider after an encounter on the Southern State Parkway near Zahn’s Airport in North Amityville on October 15, 1958. The plane was heading for Mitchel Field from Georgia, ran out of fuel, and was trying for an emergency landing at Zahn’s but didn’t make that either. The plane hit two other vehicles also. One motorist, Harold J. Schneider, was the only fatality but three USAF men on the plane and two other civilians were injured.

From Mystery Friday Foto #49 Solved:The 1958 Airplane/Three Car Crash on the Southern State Parkway

The date was October 15th 1958.  A Fairchild C-123B-6FA Provider plane had left Dobbins air force base from Georgia and was set to land at Mitchel field.  It attempted an emergency landing at Zahn’s airport in north amityville but it came down on the southern state parkway in north babylon after it ran out of fuel.  It skidded several hundred feet and even slid through an underpass.  The aircraft had a 119 ft wingspan and passed through a 50 ft wide underpass, shearing off both outer wings, the port engine and vertical fin.  It collided with 3 cars, killing one driver and injured six others.  The car looks like it was a 1953-55 Pontiac Chieftain.

From Mystery Friday Foto #49 Solved:The 1958 Airplane/Three Car Crash on the Southern State Parkway

The idea for strip malls before strip malls were a thing.  Interesting.  A little too far ahead of it’s time though.  Also, as originally designed I don’t think the motor parkway was set up for this.  The right of way may not have been wide enough.  In 1935 this may have been one idea to try to save the motor parkway from insolvency and irrelevance.  3 years later the parkway would close.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Velocci Papers Part 1 - The Motor Parkway "National Advertising Mart"

Killian did a very nice job putting the film together!

From Video of the Week: The Vanderbilt Museum presents Moments in History: The Alva, A Ship for Seven Seas

Your Baker tribute conquering the Port Jeff hill climb!

From Update: Mystery Friday Foto #48 Solved: The 1901 Riker Torpedo setting the one-mile land speed record for electrics in Coney Island

A great exchange, I learned a lot, as usual I got my spelling wrong . In 1904 another electric racer , The Baker Torpedo Kid went about 58 mph at Ormond Beach, the same year Wille K. went over 90mph

From Update: Mystery Friday Foto #48 Solved: The 1901 Riker Torpedo setting the one-mile land speed record for electrics in Coney Island

I wonder if my father, who spent part of his life in Syracuse and was an aeronautical engineer, knew them.

Thanks for the story!

From Update-Cradle of Aviation Archives: The 1948 purchase of Aircooled Motors, Inc by Tucker Corporation from Republic Aviation

This one was easy to find. Oct. 15, 1958, in Babylon. The plane was a C123 military transport. It ran out of fuel trying to land at Zahn’s Airport, and crashed on the Southern State Parkway, hitting three cars before stopping in flames. One man died of head injuries, and five people suffered minor injuries. The car is a ‘53 or ‘54 Pontiac.

From Mystery Friday Foto #49 Solved:The 1958 Airplane/Three Car Crash on the Southern State Parkway

I have W. G. Brokaw’s two silver trophies from those races.  I also have his gold plated cigarette case with cabochon sapphire adornment.

My step father Michel Manesco always called him “Uncle Billie’.  Not sure why as I am not sure the relationship.

From Was the "Man in the Leopard Coat" the Inspiration for Jay Gatsby?

Just wanted make sure Ariejan Bos was noted for his information . He’s a legend with research.

From Update: Mystery Friday Foto #48 Solved: The 1901 Riker Torpedo setting the one-mile land speed record for electrics in Coney Island

Thank you Ariegan Bos for clarifying this amazing event during early motor history

From Update: Mystery Friday Foto #48 Solved: The 1901 Riker Torpedo setting the one-mile land speed record for electrics in Coney Island

Great post here Brian. I somehow never connected Al Riker to the early races here on Long Island, even though I’ve seen these photos before. Great work on your part!

From Update: Mystery Friday Foto #48 Solved: The 1901 Riker Torpedo setting the one-mile land speed record for electrics in Coney Island

Howard,

Those blueprints of Camp Mills are priceless!  Which one of them shows the roadways in the area?

As you will recall from my post in 2018, we came to the general consensus that the ‘Mystery Road’ that ran from Clinton Street eastward through the Camp and later Mitchel Filed (dead-ending at East Road) was most likely New York Avenue (seen in this post from 12/21/18):

https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/in_search_of_the_mystery_camp_mills_new_york_road

But as Frank pointed out, there remained a gap in the roadway east of where the Hospital building was constructed and where the Quadrangle would be created.  It would seem unlikely these were once two discreet roads - they simply line up too perfectly.

My final analysis at the time was the only solution would be to go out there with a handheld GPS unit and capture the coordinates of the various streets in East Garden City west of Clinton Street, and the existing roadways through Mitchel Field.

Guess what?  When I last visited the area this past July, I did just that, painstakingly noting the coordinates of all major intersections on the Base.

I have not had time yet to do a detailed analysis of which roadways from Camp Mills lined up with those on Mitchel Field.  But a cursory view certainly indicates numerous instances of extant residential roads in East Garden City (all of which are named after trees for some reason) with roads on the Base still in use today (though in some cases, buildings now stand on the property once occupied by roadways in the 1927 - 1932 pre-reconfiguration of the Base). 

When I have some free time, I will attempt to do an A/B comparison of the roads originating in East Garden City which extended eastward past Clinton Street onto Camp Mills with those thoroughfares on Mitchel itself.  Something tells me, there’s gonna be a whole lot of nearly identical coordinates!

More details to come in 2023!

From Greg O's Garage: Newly Discovered 1919 Blueprints of Camp Mills in Garden City

Much history here that I never knew. Amazing accomplishment with the early-electric automobile in 1901. I see the twin-motors mounted on the rear axle. I wonder if they were powered by Nickel-cadmium batteries. Electric seems the direction today to power automobiles with advanced Lithium-ion batteries.

From Update: Mystery Friday Foto #48 Solved: The 1901 Riker Torpedo setting the one-mile land speed record for electrics in Coney Island

Had a notion this is Al Riker operating one of his Electric Cars. That might be the Locomobile Factory in the background. There’s a blog here on the website about Al Riker winning a 50 mile race here on Long Island. He was only that entered the race with an electric car. Realize I’m not trying to solve this mystery foto, just leaving some screenshots below.

From Update: Mystery Friday Foto #48 Solved: The 1901 Riker Torpedo setting the one-mile land speed record for electrics in Coney Island

Howard, The bare-bones vehicle is the Riker’s Torpedo Racer. The photo was taken during the race held on Nov. 16, 1901 at Coney Island. It was the only electric vehicle entered. The driver was Andrew Riker, to save weight the “machancian” didn’t have a seat, he sat on the frame work of the vehicle. Riker came in third, setting the official speed record for electric vehicles covering the one mile course in 63 seconds. The racer still exists today, it is at the Henry Ford Museum. Connection with the Vanderbilt Cup Races ?  The were both held on Long Island ????

From Update: Mystery Friday Foto #48 Solved: The 1901 Riker Torpedo setting the one-mile land speed record for electrics in Coney Island

More accurately it was the Sheep Pens Rd. bridge. Note that it wasn’t paved. It was used primarily to get sheep (and some cattle) to the grazing areas of the Plains and to the pens which were located in the vicinity of Merrick Ave. and Old Country Rd.  A small portion of the road still exists. now known as Westbury Rd. with the eastern terminus at Oak St. and the westerly end in Hempstead Village.

From Kleiner's Korner: The 1st Automobile on the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

Thank you so much for sharing Really valuable information and your experien

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