Vanderbilt Cup Races

Art, Starting with the headline, ....Vanderbilt did not build the bridge, New York City did. plus it was built the other way round, of stone not steel,  If there was a stone bridge there in 1899 somebody else built it….. Parallel the LIRR for more than 50 miles ?  How come nobody told me about the rail line along the Commack Spur ?  ....... The bridge was not acquired in 1937, NYC already owned it…. The Parkway ROW thru Queens was not transferred to the Parks Dept. but acquired directly by Moses as the City Parks Commissioner. (he wasn’t going to let anyone else have a say in the future of Queens section of the Long Island Motor Parkway ROW.).... The Motor Parkway never had a toll lodge at Winchester Blvd. BUT… what the Parkway did have at that location….was a temporary entrance !  When the Parkway was extended west of Rocky Hill Rd. construction was from east to west. This way the Parkway was opened in the sections completed. There were at least 2 temporary entrances for east bound motorists during the construction phase, one at Winchester and the other at Commonwealth. There probably were others. What’s disappointing about this whole scenario, is that the article was copied verbatim by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on Nov. 4th.

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #8 Alley Road Bridge (Winchester Boulevard) in Queens

Can’t believe everything you read, once again, Al.  Care to elaborate in your next comment to set the record straight?

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #8 Alley Road Bridge (Winchester Boulevard) in Queens

Art, there are several errors in the Brooklyn Citizen article dated Oct. 28, 1940.

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #8 Alley Road Bridge (Winchester Boulevard) in Queens

Might it be someone with the initials “HK” driving the Black Beast. Pretty cool pic.

From Mystery Foto #24 Solved: A wonderful painting of Howard Kroplick in the Alco Black Beast by Joe Pep

After reading through the article, they realized this was the 2nd parkway bridge built over Winchester ( the reference to the original stone bridge built in 1889 ) We all know the original bridge wasn’t built in 1889. Feel like the removal of toll house was the bungalow type lodge with living quarters at Rocky Hill Rd. Wonder if it became a residence somewhere nearby?

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #8 Alley Road Bridge (Winchester Boulevard) in Queens

*Race Driver: Howard Kroplick, a gentleman of many interests.

*Race Car: 1909 Alco - 6 “Black Beast”

*Artist: Robert Carter. Howard was delighted to find a painting of he and the black beast while perusing the internet. Robert’s painting was inspired by Howard’s role as Alexander Winton in the History Channel Series- The Men Who Built America. I believe Henry Ford challenged Mr. Winton in a race to see how well his Ford could perform. Robert left Henry in the dust.

From Mystery Foto #24 Solved: A wonderful painting of Howard Kroplick in the Alco Black Beast by Joe Pep

The White racer was the only “steam car”, not the only “non-gasoline car” as stated many times in these pages. The car burned gasoline in its vaporizing burner.

The Stanley factory built two cars intended to compete. Today there at least eleven good and better Stanley Vanderbilt Cup replicas which can be regularly driven. Jay Leno’s was built by Carl Amsley. At http://www.stanleyregister.net/VCR.html one can view a very fine listing.

From Mystery Foto #58 Solved: The White Steamer at Bulls Head Corner in Greenvale in 1905

This last paragraph in this article tends to answer yes.  Taken from the “The Brooklyn Citizen” of Oct. 28, 1940.

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #8 Alley Road Bridge (Winchester Boulevard) in Queens

The Alley Road Bridge (Winchester Blvd.) was demolished as a WPA project in 1940.  Demolition took 2 1/2 months including “grading and beautifying the embankment, removal of the one and half story toll house”.  Was there a toll house there?

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #8 Alley Road Bridge (Winchester Boulevard) in Queens

Pretty sure when my boys were younger, one of their Hot Wheels Tracks was sort of like a Dip of Death design : )  The screenshots below show that this location is still curved and hilly.

From Kleiners Korner: The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race "Dip of Death"

That looks like the famous author and “One-of” automobile collector driving his equally famous ALCO Black Beast racer. Could the artist be Robert Carter?

From Mystery Foto #24 Solved: A wonderful painting of Howard Kroplick in the Alco Black Beast by Joe Pep

Thanks Tim - the cartoon was in the Oct. 6 edition of The NY Evening World so accounts of the accident that day probably were probably not as accurate as they would be today without today’s technology.  Or the paper just wanted to create a bit more sympathy (or readership)! 

Also, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading through Peter’s documents and seeing the material provided to Howard.  I’ve come to appreciate his talent, appreciation and dedication to detail, appreciation for the automotive industry and generally how he was so loved by his admirers.  Quite an individual.  Thanks.

From Kleiners Korner: The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race "Dip of Death"

Great tour of a National Register destination! Consider Vanderbilt’s Spanish Baroque front door ‘in reverse’. Its interior heavy hardware finds a counterpart to rose head nails used as an ‘outside’ show of strength & wealth on 17th century British-American doors, like that reconstructed c. 1908-27 at “Home Sweet Home,” East Hampton. Willy K’s huge front door looks like it came from a European castle and was lightheartedly hung to ‘return’ the sea creatures—‘originally’ carved on its interior—to face the elements and incredible views of Northport Harbor.

From Greg O's Garage: The Vanderbilt Museum and mansion tour

These folks knew how to live ! The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park is equally amazing-they have a 33 Cad V-16 and I think a Locomobile in the Carriage house that is now closed for many years due to low staffing (run by the fed parks dept of course)

From Greg O's Garage: The Vanderbilt Museum and mansion tour

Are we going to have any antique car meets there this year??????

From Greg O's Garage: The Vanderbilt Museum and mansion tour

The final cartoon shows Joe Tracy’s 1906 accident when he struck a 12 year old boy. It was widely reported that the child died, though your Kleiner’s Kolumn post of Dec. 11, 2019 clearly debunks this claim:
https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/kleiners_kolumn_al_poole_documents_from_the_helck_family_collection

From Kleiners Korner: The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race "Dip of Death"

What a wonderful tribute to Howard at the wheel of his Alcohol Black Beast!

From Mystery Foto #24 Solved: A wonderful painting of Howard Kroplick in the Alco Black Beast by Joe Pep

it is Howard Kroplick,
in the tv series the men who built america
alco 8 racer

regards, Mark

From Mystery Foto #24 Solved: A wonderful painting of Howard Kroplick in the Alco Black Beast by Joe Pep

Mystery Foto # 24…The driver is Eddie Rickenbacker in the Maxwell at the 1916 Indy 500, ISN’T IT?????????????????....
OH WAIT, NOOOO! It’s Howard Kroplick in the Alco Black Beast (Bete Noire).
With fingers crossed, I want to say the artist is Jack Juratovic.

From Mystery Foto #24 Solved: A wonderful painting of Howard Kroplick in the Alco Black Beast by Joe Pep

Who is that handsome man at the wheel of the Black Beast? Looks like the keeper of this website! Sorry I don’t know artists, so I don’t know who painted it, but it’s a beautiful painting.

From Mystery Foto #24 Solved: A wonderful painting of Howard Kroplick in the Alco Black Beast by Joe Pep