Vanderbilt Cup Races

Mystery Friday Foto #23… Here is my take on the driver photo. I will say it was George H. Robertson, who raced and won the 1908 Vanderbilt cup. He stopped racing because he was injured in practice for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup. In that practice session he allowed a news reporter to ride with him. The panicked reporter clutched at Robertson at exactly the wrong moment. Robertson suffered arm injuries in the resulting accident which meant an end of racing for George.
Later in life George was the publisher of a newspaper called the Roslyn News.

From Mystery Foto #23 Solved: 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Winner George Robertson

Same picture as above, except the Simplex banner isn’t shown and minus Elsie Janis’ autograph (Brooklyn Life, 1906).  And more of the complete story behind the picture session from Automobile Topics, 1906.  Elsie Janis out and about (The Automobile, April, 1906).

From Vanderbilt Cup Race Drivers on the Broadway Stage in 1906

George’s involvement with Roslyn and picture of son Crawford.

From Mystery Foto #23 Solved: 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Winner George Robertson

George Robertson, 1905, 1906 American Elimination Races, 1908 VCR (Winner)
Left racing due to arm injuries incurred during practice for the 1910 VCR.
Son Crawford Robertson lived in Garden City. 
George became publisher in 1929 of several local papers, including the “The Roslyn News”.  He also spearheaded the fundraising campaign in 1930 to clean up Roslyn Park, now named Gerry Park. 
Picture taken mid-late 1940s.

See photos indicating George and family lived at 36 Superior Road in 1930 in Bellerose (Floral Park) and his occupation as newspaper publisher.  In 1940 he is listed as head of sales with a razor manufacturer and Crawford as sales engineer for an air conditioning service.

From Mystery Foto #23 Solved: 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Winner George Robertson

Tough mystery. I’ll keep trying.

From Mystery Foto #23 Solved: 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Winner George Robertson

-Identify the driver and every Vanderbilt Cup Race that he was associated with.

George Robertson drove in the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup American Elimination Race, crashed during practice for the 1906 race, and won the 1908 race.

-What was the reason that he stopped racing?

From VCR.com;
“Robertson’s driving career came to an untimely and abrupt conclusion at the scene of his greatest triumph during practice for the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race. The decision to allow a news reporter to ride with him proved disastrous. When the panicky reporter clutched at Robertson at exactly the wrong moment, his life was changed forever. Arm injuries suffered in the resulting accident meant the end of race driving for George Robertson.”

-In which Nassau County village did the driver’s son live?

His son Crawford lived in Garden City.

-Associate the driver with the Village of Roslyn.

From VCR.com;
“
In the summer of 1929, George H. Robertson, winner of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race, became head of North Hempstead Press and publisher of The Roslyn News, The Nassau County Sun and The Williston Post. While viewing the swamp, he remarked it was “an ideal spot for a public park” and started a fund-raising campaign.
Robertson discovered that former Roslyn resident Alice Hicks had established a trust fund for a memorial center for Henry Bergh, founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.  He convinced the Hicks’ executor that the “memorial centre” be built in Roslyn Park rather than New York City. Robertson also “corralled officials from the Town of North Hempstead and local organizations” to pay for the other elements of the park.”

-What was the likely year when this photo was taken?

Just an educated guess knowing previous images; 1940

From Mystery Foto #23 Solved: 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Winner George Robertson

And the winner . . .

From British Movietone News: The 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Some photos of the race from the Oct. 27, 1936 issue of “Motor”.

From British Movietone News: The 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Art, Motor Age got it all wrong regarding the bonds.

From Helck Family Collection: Long Island Motor Parkway Inc. $1,000 Four Per Cent Gold Bond

Great story Howard. I remember waking up Sam to see that. My wife almost killed me.

I have you beat though. I was at game 6 of the 1986 WS. I still have the ticket! I have to meet Mookie one day and have him sign it. Might be worth something.

I so glad A Rod didn’t buy / partner w someone to buy the Mets. He might be the only thing worse then the Wilpons! Dolan might be worse.
_________________________________________________________

Howard Kroplick

The most amazing Met game ever!

From Off-Topic: Nine Years Ago on June 1: A New York Met Memory

Article describing the $1.7 million bond placement and prominent investors.  Note the change in the route decided upon.  From “Motor Age”, Feb. 11, 1909.

From Helck Family Collection: Long Island Motor Parkway Inc. $1,000 Four Per Cent Gold Bond

Another test on the Motor Parkway was performed by VCR driver Ralph Munford in 1913 to determine speed using photography.  From “Popular Mechanics” of April, 1913.

From Kleiner's Korner: Automotive Tests on the Motor Parkway

An article on the parade was published in the Anton Media newspapers.

From Update: Alco Black Beast Highlights from the Nassau County Memorial Day Car Parade, May 25, 2020

Must be a nice ride in the Locomobile.

From The 1908 Locomobile Model E of the Collection on Palmetto in Clearwater, Florida

I was at the game that ended when Jeff Francoeur hit into an unassisted triple play. Unfortunately, by that time, we were in the car on the way home. Oliver Perez didn’t make it out of the first inning (while I was on the Shake Shack line), and Angel Pagan hit two home runs, one inside-the-park and one out.
_____________________________________________________________________

Howard Kroplick

I was at that game too! It was the craziest ending to a Met loss ever!

From Off-Topic: Nine Years Ago on June 1: A New York Met Memory

Thanks, Al. Perhaps not as it’s now, but the white building appeared like there was ‘important business’ happening within. Was surprised to see a past friend & coworker of mine in the 1966 article below.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: South Street On the Motor Parkway Right-Of-Way in East Garden City

Fred Wagner’s home under construction in Smithtown, summer 1912 as seen in The Building Age, September 1912 [photo Courtesy of Cornell University Fine Arts Library].

From The Residence of the Starter of Five Vanderbilt Cup Races -Fred Wagner- Rediscovered in Smithtown

Great articles, Art. They add to the following research excerpted from the National Register Nomination I prepared (Section 8, pp. 17, 25) for Fred Wagner’s home. Fred’s move to the NYC area in 1907 coincided with his officiating at the Vanderbilt Cup Races. His work in advertising and publishing, earned him the money to build his dream home in Smithtown. In 1908, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Wagner and Mr. and Mrs. Russell Field were listed among the New Yorkers attending a dinner given by the city of Bridgeport in honor of the city’s Locomobile Company’s win at the Vanderbilt Cup Race. In 1909, The Wagner-Field Company enjoyed a “high reputation as advertising experts in the motor field” and moved to the new Goodrich Building at 1780 Broadway. Later in 1909, Fred moved on as president of the journal Motor Age, and the Wagner-Field Advertising Agency became the Bromfield-Field Company. In 1910, when Fred first bought land in Smithtown, he was owner and president of the Horseless Age Company, publishers of the weekly Horseless Age, the “First Automobile Journal in the English Language” founded in 1895, reporting his occupation as “book publisher” on the 1910 Census. When he retired in 1911, he sold his shares at a profit, which likely funded his purchase of land and building his home in Smithtown. By 1913, automobile colleagues Pardington and Wagner, who officiated at the Vanderbilt Cup Races, were living in Smithtown a few minutes’ walk west and east of where the Smithtown Bull now stands. Pardington was at ‘Oakwell’ with his wife and two daughters [beside the car driven by A.R., photo Courtesy of Pardington Collection, Richard H. Handley Collection of Long Island Americana, Smithtown Library}; and Wagner was at his ‘Sunnybrook Farm’ with his family [photo, Courtesy of Cornell University Fine Arts Library].

From The Residence of the Starter of Five Vanderbilt Cup Races -Fred Wagner- Rediscovered in Smithtown

Regarding the large white building at the far end of my photo. No Brian, it wasn’t originally a bank building, the one that Al Prete also described as a dark building. It was built and first occupied by the Civil Air Patrol. On January 1, 1975 the County leased that portion of the ROW (I believe it measured 100x100), to that group. The lease ran to December 31, 1999. After they moved out it was occupied by a bank, I think it was Chase, Its been abandoned for quite a while, I think the County still owns the property. When I took the photo I was accompanied by my good friend Dan Di Masi, also a Parkway buff whose moved to Florida a few years ago, At the time we explored the area east of the building and did find a couple of concrete posts. That was more than 20 years ago, they might still be there.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: South Street On the Motor Parkway Right-Of-Way in East Garden City

Great job guys identifying what today is called South St. Previously it called New Street when it was just that, and, even before that, referred to as Commercial Avenue.  We almost didn’t lose that section of the Parkway. 1950 the County proposed to re-open the Parkway from Post Ave westward to north/south Ring Rd. on the west side of Roosevelt Field. It was the announcement of the developing of Roosevelt Field that prompted the County to make this statement. As we know it didn’t happen, did Moses step in (that early ?) and tell the County “whoa, I got plans for that property”, I could not find any evidence to support that speculation. In any event Hempstead town acquired the 100 foot wide ROW,  built what was then called New St., on the most, roughly 60 foot portion, and sold off what was left to developers.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: South Street On the Motor Parkway Right-Of-Way in East Garden City