Vanderbilt Cup Races

Arthur - Great rare details about your family on the parkway, and the police security details thereafter! Your information about the historic parkway is always appreciated.

It appears a single digit on the officer’s badge sitting on the bike. I can’t make out the number in the photo, could it be number 1, Zinzi’s badge? Would love to hear your comments.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Arthur-
The woman in the photo is Pernelle McCamish, wife of Otto McCamish. Her grandson, Bill Cruikshank sent the photo of his grandmother with your grandfather Tom Zinzi, to me from his family collection.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Im not sure of when the police force was dismantled but the officers started rotating shifts as guard duty and security at Eagles Nest around the clock after the Lindburg kidnapping and winters were spent in Florida at Fischers island. I came across letters my grandfather sent my grandmother while he was away. One year the whole family went and my mother and sister went to school in Miami compliments of Mr. Vanderbilt ( he didn’t want my grandfather to miss his family ). Nice boss
Also the photo above of the man and woman is not of my grandparents

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

I agree with Al the woody is a 1936 Ford. Because I have a 5 window coupe

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

In 1924 Tommy the cop was earning about $7.70 per hour today, and about $10.50 per hour in 1928. I believe he was allowed to live in the lodge rent-free with maintenance required including snow removal. With only two days off a month he seldom had any free time

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Greg O.    Yes,  Revenues had seriously declined by 1932. In 1929, the Parkway’s best year, revenues totaled some $290,000. In 1932 income had dropped more than 2/3 rds. to $90,000.  No, the Nassau Count Police did not patrol the Parkway at any time, but they were called when there were serious accidents, robberies, disturbances, etc. If there were fatalities, the Parkway was mandated to notify the Nassau County Police who would then take charge of the situation.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Al,
I guess we can assume the July 1933 wreck involving the police car was a Nassau County police vehicle if the Motor Parkway force was dismantled by that time.
Was the reason for dissolving the Parkway police force due to the declining revenue for the Parkway and, seemingly unlikely, but did the Nassau County force patrol the parkway at any time after 1932?

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Brian,  By 1928 Zinze was earning $190 per month.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Howard
Thanks for the memories
Although the accident was a tragedy, it is always great to see old photos of my grandfather (Tom Zinzi) at work.
Thanks again
Arthur Mauriello
P.S. Came across the deed signed by Vanderbilt for the Massapequa toll lodge

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Say Thomas Zinze worked 28 or 29 days per month ( with 2 or 3 days off per month ). 140 divided by 28 = 5. So $5 per 10 hr workday. Close to 100 yrs ago, but seems like he should’ve been paid better.

Remember reading somewhere on the site about Eric Ericson’s brother being on horseback with a shotgun keeping things in order on the parkway, must be Arvie.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

The woody is a ‘36 Ford, distinguished by its grille and horn grilles.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Greg,... Chapter 2. In 1926 a L.R. Dugan came on board as the third officer, he didn’t last long, gone by 1927 and was replace by L.E. Smith in 1928. In 1929 W. Bush and E. Gronroos came on board, by this time the Parkway was opened to Nassau Blvd. At this point the Parkway Police Force consisted of 5 officers, 4 motorcycles and a Ford automobile police car. At the time the Parkway police force was larger than some Nassau County Village police departments. By 1932 it appears it was completely shut down.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Wanted to share a watercolor painting I did recently. This art is based on a 95 year old B & W photo my father working on a Model T Ford. And yes I know the old story about Model Ts being available only in black but that is only half true. Early Model Ts were available in various color but not in black. Then in their midlife they were sold only in black because the paint dried faster (maybe true). In the later years of the “T” once again they were available in colors.

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

Greg, Parkway Police Force….. On July 29,1924 Vanderbilt wrote the Parkway’s General Manager, A.J. Kienzle, instructing him to establish a Parkway Police Force ASAP. On Aug. 24, 1924 Thomas Zinze became the Parkway’s first Motorcycle officer. His work schedule was seven days a week with one day off every other week. ( He could not take off on weekends and holidays.) His hours were from 10 AM to 8 PM and was paid $140 per month. A short time later, Arvie Ericson, brother of the Ronkonkoma Lodgekeeper, became the second motorcycle cop on the Parkway.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

The ‘S’ turn about 1 mile east of the Brentwood entrance at Wheeler May have played a role in the Wells wreck.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Petting Parties is a completely new phrase to me….

From Kleiner's Korner: Petting Parties on the Motor Parkway

Vic- Yes, you’re absolutely correct. I hadn’t spotted that, thanks.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Oh so interesting and tragic….

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

The first unidentified wreck (McCamish coll.)  is another view of the July 6, 1931 wreck seen at top, Cadillac and Ofc. Zinze.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

“New York Times” article of May 30, 1924 describing Well’s 1924 attempt at Indy, which failed.  Interesting side note of the offer of parts made by fellow driver Early Dempsey who also could not race. 

And Wells’ not so stellar racing career as reported by racingreference.com.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500