Vanderbilt Cup Races

The twin bridge is the Roosevelt Field Meadowbrook bridges i believe.

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

Paul B:
Dear Howard,
I can’t remember how I got on your list some years ago but in these corona days your newsletters are a nice antidote to the news.

I’m just sorry I don’t live near all your historical venues although half of my family is from NYC so I’m familiar.

I grew up in Indianapolis in the 50’s and 60’s when the 500 was at its Zenith and we followed it like a May religion.

In recent years I’ve written a couple of short plays about Amelia Earhart and Harriet Quimby, and as you know, doing research one thing leads to another. Earhart was the grand Marshall of the 500 one year and that led me to the 500 archives and a meeting with Donald Davidson.  And of course that leads to following Eddie Rickenbacher back to racing on Long Island.

Quimby was an intrepid woman who wrote for Leslie’s Illustrated. She wrote about things she did that were completely off the books for women in 1910. Like riding full speed in a racing car on Long Island. Hats off to the racing car driver she wrote. Some of the bravest men!
https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/harriet_quimbys_exciting_ride_in_a_racing_motor-car-_october_4_1906

Be well these days and keep writing.

From Flying Boat/Seaplane of the Week: Sikorsky S-42B Pan American Clipper III (NC-16736)

Automobile reminds me of a 1909-1910 emf and a Mitchell.

From Update: From the Thayer Family Album: Four Photos of the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

From Mark Thomas

Howard

This could be Francis Kendall Thayer from Sands Point who was a Lawyer as the time and lived in Sands Point. 

Francis Kendall Thayer
Birth 4 Dec 1875
Brooklyn, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York, USA
Death 10 Aug 1954 (aged 78)
Sands Point, Nassau County, New York, USA
Burial Westbury Friends Cemetery
Westbury, Nassau County, New York,
Parents: George Alexander and Jane (Jones) Thayer. Husband of Caroline (Mott) Thayer. Married: November 23, 1898 in Port Washington, Nassau County, New York.
Occupation: Lawyer

Regards, Mark Thomas,,  Stay healthy

From Update: From the Thayer Family Album: Four Photos of the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Thank you, Howard for this insightful look at ‘1937.’ Note, in the Short S23 Video at 5:52 for Cambria’s Test Flight, the Cambria’s Captain speaks toward a microphone that has a handkerchief wrapped around it. There was a squall when the crew flew out to Shannon, so this handkerchief wrapper may have been intended to limit the sound of wind gusts. However, there was also a 1936-1937 outbreak of an influenza epidemic and this may have been an intentional effort to keep the pilot and crew healthy and limit ‘bounce-back’ to and from the microphone, which could act as a vector. Like a cell phone or land line phone ‘speaker area’, a microphone could convey viruses, cold, flu or in today’s world, COVID-19. There is a message in this video to be observed by all news reporters, radio and TV studios and anyone using a cell phone, Skype headset or microphone at home or in a nursing home – it’s a vector – treat it with care. Clean it according to the manufacturer’s instructions or limit use. Be Well.

From Flying Boat/Seaplane of the Week: Sikorsky S-42B Pan American Clipper III (NC-16736)

Wow!! Really incredible to read all about this.

From Flying Boat/Seaplane of the Week: Sikorsky S-42B Pan American Clipper III (NC-16736)

The car in the picture just when the lodge had closed is a 1936 or 1937, but can’t tell the make.

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

Great than and now pictures, well matched locations! You don’t have to be a tree expert either, nice to see.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: The Lakeville Road Entrance to the Great Neck Lodge in 1914

The answer would lie in the location of the “Erie Aggre Meter Plant.” Was this the original name of the concrete plant in Melville?

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

Thank you, Otto!

*Where was Otto capturing this bridge work?:  He was on the north side of the LIMP, facing south east in East Garden City.

*ID bridges:  Bridge under construction is for the Meadowbrook Polo Club, existing bridge is the Roosevelt Field Hwy Type.

*Year:  I’ll say he captured this no later than 1930.

*Reason for this bridge:  Meadowbrook Club purchased property just north of the LIMP and carved out another polo field in the late 1920’s. The bridge created a connection with their polo fields south of Stewart Ave.

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

Need to reach Elise Grace Holloway. Want to discuss East 85th street. Third floor.

From From the Grace Holloway Family Album: Photos of the Old Westbury Home Built by Driver Foxhall Keene

Roosevelt Field bridge.  The only spot I know with two bridges next to each other.  And only a few hundred yards from where our photographer lived.

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

Not crazy! Same tree!

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: The Lakeville Road Entrance to the Great Neck Lodge in 1914

The twin bridges! This is the most amazing shot I’ve seen yet of the two bridges. Thank you all for making this possible

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

An amazing historical Motor Parkway photo never seen before! Otto McCamish was in the right place at the right time here. Thank you Mr. Cruickshank for sharing this gem to everyone.

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

This is a test PDF upload in the comments:

From Eddie Rickenbacker and the Vanderbilt Cup Races

At first, I thought that a “hot air attachment” was an accessory that could be added to a car to heat up the passenger compartment (early cars did not have hot-water heaters). I think John has the right answer. Here is more detail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carburetor_heat

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

Cool cars

From Update: From the Thayer Family Album: Four Photos of the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Michael Cain, Regarding snow removal on the Parkway. Early on the Parkway had it’s own maintenance and repair crew that did light snow removal. For heavier accumulations outside contractors were hired. In the mid-1930’s they were laid off and thereafter any necessary Parkway related maintenance and repairs was done by the male toll collectors on an as needed basis for which they were compensated .The snow removal photo with Otto McCamish is such an example. There was one major exception though. In late January 1936 there was a heavy snowfall in the area and Vanderbilt had Kienzle close down the entire Parkway until the end of February. I’m sure it was financial decision.

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

A lot of cars with carburetors and even fuel injection routed hot air from the exhaust to warm the carb or incoming air

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