PROGRESS OF SPEED

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 16, 19 July 1932, Page 8

PROGRESS OF SPEED

Kayo Don's latest speed record substantially raises the figures for fast speed on .water. i

Ea.rly last year Kay© Don, piloting the previous speed boat, Miss England 11., reached 107 miles an lour in a trial at Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland, 'At •that time the world speed record was 98.7 miles ah hour, made by the late Sir Henry Segravo in the same vessel on Lako Windermere at tho time of his "tragic death; when, fouling an obstruction, the boat sank under him. Before' Sir Henry Segrave Gar Wood,' the American,' had held' tho drecord with a ferpeed of 96.41 miles an hour.

This 107 miles an hour was not offi. cial,-of course, but when the boat was taken to Buenos Aires for the official '.attempt on the record she'eclipsed the lough Nea'gh performance, 'Before Don's official attempt was "made, 'his] rival,' Gar -Wood, had raised the record1 for two-way speed to 100.6 miles an hour, but" Miss England 11. beat this.' At Buenos Aires, on 2nd April of last year, tho' British-built speed boat hoist-' ed the speed mark to. 103.49 miles an hour. The following month Gar Wood1 made' «m effort 'to "regain speed supre-' inacy for tho United States, but he just failed." -He camo within .4" mile per hour of equalling *£aye Don's ligurea, ■ - .v Last year Miss England' 11. teat her own record in 'an unofficial run on Lake Garda. Tho j>peed attained was almost a mile and a half more than.that established at Buenos. Aires and. the fastest run was 110 miles an hour.

'At the- end of last year a new boat ■was built for Kayo Don. -3Tour months was set as the-time'for building the new craft, and two Rolls Eoyco engines, similar* to those used in the winning Schneider' Cup seaplane were ijo ba installed.. Thcso .develop 5000----jhorso ppwor, 1200-horse power more than those,fitted in ,Miss England 11. "While this.new boat war under construction Gar Wood tried' twico more. The first time' he claimed to have set 'an average mark of lli.oß miles an but wh^n, the racing committee of the . Yachtsmen's Association of America came'to' examine the claim they .withheld ;the grant of a. record and later announced that Gar' Wood had failed. The racing committee calculated Gar "Wood's speed, to have ,been 96.2 nautical miles an hour, and though this was faster T than Kayo Don's effort, the record could -not bo granted to Oar Wood. International rules require that tho old. record must bo exceeded by at least half a nautical milo an hour. This Gar Wood had failed' to d 6: -'He succeeded in a new attempt, in, which lie claimed ■ a two/way avorago of 111.712 miles an hour, though he did not receive the United States record because the run had not been sanctioned by the United States Power Boat Association. .

Kaye Don's now boat; Miss England 111., was completed, to schedule anfi taken to Lake Garda, Italy, where in an unofficial test she exceeded a speed of 112.5 miles an-hour without driving full out. ' • '