, 1870-12-04

'ul feat, certainly, and exceedingly di6:uit to
accomplish, as any player who attempts it
will find. f'oo1, the Pleasantsst and uoat 30
ria1 Of I'll games on ihe billiard table. y play
balls, each p(,yer using : special color, and
playing independently Of The other. Win
ming bsz,rds, =. in pyramids, nloae count,
ircm ihe owner Of tho ball which
he. pockets; t9e pe1eon P9ckis;tssar y i;ss = t al4o
ing three At the commencement Of ths game.
and losing all chance Of the pool, made up Of
contributions from all the players, when he
IoEea every Life. A "star," or additional life,
ia allowed to the unlucky man who fret loses
tho original three, on payment Of tne sane @
shculd Le third Of the sum deposited IN the
pool; thus, = three-shilling pool with shilling
lives iB very common, but Of cousre tho gkne
Is played for far higher stake.. We have
heard of SONG ente1prising. australians who.
y IL p s ~ ass sf roai xaoat
Apool--that Ia 10 cay, continuous winning hAz-
arls. with \ Ernal1 stake for pocketinE abau-isa
very goodgsmo for aparty Of friends in = acoun-
tv house. So also Ia 81 shell out, 10 which /
number Of people play ut pyramids, using |
Tile sano bali alternately. znd receiving :
snaall stake from ali the other players when |
ever ball IL pocketod. 1t 10 popular game
in s1nal! public rooms In London The French |
gamccons. lists entirely Of fcannonB, andis played |
upon tatieH without pockets, with very much
cues. Some foreigners acquire m.tvellous
proficiency in it. Mt. Charles Darger, the
French champion, il wonderful player, pos
seAoing, perhaps, more power OF cue than auy
man living, For the Russian game, C.rliue,
tue German, and other varieties. We must re-
fer ehe reader TO any Of the nann.ts on tho
Old billiard tablea were male OF v1Tions
Ehlpcs some being oval aud others square.
When Evelyn visited the Portuguese AmbassA-
dor In 1919, he saw what he calls i new sort OF
billiards, NTH more hazzrls than tho game
snd pins, and be tells Us that tho ball was
struck with "tho stnau end Of tho billiard
etick, which Is shod with brass or silrar." This
"b:l,ia,a stick woull probably bo the cue,
which was in use on the continent fer aon1e
time before it was known bore; players in thus
bslls, "a chsllren co TO this day when playing
bay.tclle- Cnes were at first cut in various
| ways, sou1e otIiVpely End ottets atraight, and
! the fo1mEr, for come reason or other, WAS
called sJeHery." The lesther-tiqped cue
which wa use now did not come into
| until 1907 The bo-t cues aye made Of we'll
| seasoned ash or boxwool, and the weight OF
tho butt aud breadth Of The tip may be left to
the taste and fancy Of the pliysr- It Ia said
that good cuo should be OF such length az
just to staud upright under the chin OF the per-
son using it; 1t any rate. clre should be taken
that 1t il not too short, as in such y case it
| cranps the player. The balls are Of ivory,
| aud tLa regulation diameter is a little over
! two inches; but they vary very much Care
| is taken by tho best nlakefa tlAt they should
no: only be OF tho eamo size, hut OF the
sanc density and specific gravity, or they will
Lot 1un true. An author called Reuben Roy.
who wrote slittls work called - The Seience OF
DiIliatdn-" gives good METHOD for finding ont
whether ball is pslfec.. ua says: III 4
euAptclca ball bc marked with spot on any
rarl Of lts circumference, and DO carefully
placed ON the surface Of vase OF cloar water.
with the mark exactly uppeEmost, it will de
scend through tho lesser ucueitY Of tha water
in exactly the zane positioll-that ID. with the
mark eti1l uppcsmost-" This il q good ttst,
hut re2aes to be carefully @ S, applied aaa = .he I!
whom sou have full confidence Tables were
at first made OF wood, and our slate tables
. | only canic into fashion about 10 yeArs ago
Fiilis1d. .tstles arc also lnads cf Iron. but the
slae-bed lie the beat. The cushions were Al
frs. 9aas Of 's istt,s strapped and han ham
fse,usea 81 inidi.| ~ 1ubbor, and W aro
! therefore, much faster, although somo oil
: players. We believe. still hold that the lls
cushions wele preferable, and that tho bail
, ratoundcd from them at t1uer angle. Tt,
I
in an equal Temperature, requiring the appli
! | cation Of beat sometines in cold or dhmi
4 | weather. Indeed, good hlliaFd~tsblo 1e
Z quises aa much looking aftsr "a a bahy
i Eyerr billiard pliyer in these days is fsnI,is
i viii. tho ride-strokc-that is to say, th
striking of the bali upon one side or other Q
d its ceuirc, 10 "a to give it biAs, and make
4 come back from the cushion At an angle dit
4 fertEt from that it would hava taken had
q BEEN struck in the centre. Tho maxim to b
/ f..,- III 1-1n s.. x1,%tf H.,
a anglo Of reflection ss equal TO Tug angle
ircideEco and the object OF :" side il to 41te
!, lila surte according 10 tho hiss given to th
! b1ll. SIDE eau DO communicated, as it wert
Y or PIT. on ono bal! by another; though ii is
) popular eHoE to dcny the bat 1hs con
n playe.i npen has touctel another GaI1 or Il
D. cnsi,ioa. Side rut tirec:ly upon Lall by tt
! cue will take effect without f:s touching sith
.s cusLiou or hall In its FroGrcss and ball c,
4 bo 1utGe TO dcscriEo o semicl1cle on table,
20 1onra an. object pl.csa apon II, /. sna ssa
~ ride pitt upon the ball perpondicu!atlr, |
j, stead of horizontally, and will make 4 ball n
out On tho table aud come back, the axis
rotation heirg revczro3 b. low stroke and
certain backward jerk Of the cue, moro ca
: to explaiu TIact:cal,y than theoretically, Il
~ side ttroks IL ssil to have been discovered
: billiard proprietor in bath some yea1s AG
IN but other people have laid claim to this CD
a. ous way Of using tho eue, ws:':a cartain
Q! wrought complete modification III the Mct
n ~ DDS Of playing modern hlllisrls.
- ii is great pity that so good game,
BIZ 1uiring tothbva,n.w work aud manual de1tatil
s!,onld have Incurred much odlum on Acoou
Of the nu,nbsr OF li4reputAhle characters a
;. "Iegs" who frequent pnhllc rooms. Notorio
II, cases OF sllsrping have coma within the kno7
re eces Of all men who have played billiards p
.e, mifcuouslv, and glazing Instance Of what
ltr lee" will do occurred in biltiasd-room
st thc North Of England some time ago. 4 cAs
Cd visitor 10 the room was plasing game at ~
Ire r,ils viii, ol.n Of tho haGi!tes and .te OIL
fritnl aGaintt ttc stranger rcxE heavily.
Camc was close one, and went on witt! u
=: Ing success until there rcmsiced ono bsl
Ei- hole, 10 finish, end to trcils the ga1
nd In ono corner OF the room Was
ELL open lArator5, with soar-d.saes and other
res purtcuauccs- The stranger had the balls
be Tor him in = position which g1vc cert
the l1.zartl; but, before making it. lse put il
zen his cue for moment, and turaod his h
stty ppon the t.ble 10 light fresh cigar. His
lne | popeut rubbed 4 finger ou tha soap,
.dit passed il oycr the end Of his cue. Tho atl
osi- rer came back to the table and resumed
70 cue, and. without the preeaution Of chall
hat it, attempted to make the ~trokc, when
tnls cue slipped, and he missed tho hall altoge
tds, greatly to the s1tisfaction Of the fascals
IN tinr around, who never ra!d d word in exp
me, nt:on. The moral OF such q petty piec
ably suipdI:ag il: Don't play in public rooms
the strangers. bat contine youreeW to your
of nr nisv with YOUR friends