Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-07-05
pRlIiRDs.
uub..lna'. NIT pssotsss h Hard
y lind the fveriss.
The Old Association Rooms and the DUO
Bio,,ded Patrons Who f~requsotsd
Them.


Them.
,.ner.bl, looking old gentleman. who's
40, would raugs in the neighDorhooo Q
three score years, sccosted 8 REalsrER ,e
nor,.r Yesterday with the question va!
something was not said about the founding =
Of cit, attractions in Wheeling. Take Dbl
Iards, for instance Although it was one o
~. oldest and most popular games with tns
nations of the Old World. IN oygonc %: CO.,
turies, it has only been introduces .ns
wheeling during the last tWentSn' y'A''
WE FIRST Br,.LIARD Roos 800.
vas opened by DR.. Carr in the fall o. 1907
an The lower floor Of the Mcclure house
occunyins the space now utilized b, aoi
Iineers barber shop and McClusky'. irui,
store. The room was well filled up ana neio
four tables of what wa then conssoefo
first class Workmanship. The most sue
cessful rendezvous for the billiard players
Who rapidly increased in numbers, was
opened shortly after at the old dymn1ai %.
Association rooms, which occaPlco tn
L present SITE OF inc uohS N -
rooms were msgnifcen.ly. appointed, ano
contained elk tables, each OF whicn cos
$500. They were of the then popular SIX
pocket style, which were atterward reduced
70 four, and finally discontinued altogether
in favor OF the pocketless table. Tx ssso'
| citation was q private organization, none but
members or visiting friends from distant
| cities being allowed entree to the rooms
| The membership Of the club was large,
| numbering, in it's palmy days up~aeds OF
seventy members. Those included In the
list represented
r. +. VS.,
| of the then Old Dominion. Such names a.
| the Moores, Hopkins, McLures, Caldweiis'
| Goods, Hubbards, Psxtons, SweeneYs.
| Wheats, Blacks, Delaplains, Quarters and
| Bells were among the number. The rooms
were taken charge of By an eccentric little
| Irishman, Jimmy McNamara, under whose
management they always looked as neat az
a new pin. The old Association Hourished
\ for q dozen years or more till the old mem
hers began to tire of the sport, and gradual
" dropped from the ranks. The new mem
| 6ers were principally young men, who slow
" assumed an upper hand in the govern.
| ment of the organization. In the fall OF
1875, the majority OF the older member
| left the association, which was then reform
| ed by the younger element The room were
| removed from their former stand to o hall
in McLain's block, on Twelfth street. New
| tables were purchased, and for awhile pros.
| perity seemed again to have dawned on the
| Youngsters efforts. This only lasted for .
| short while, and then the retrograding be.
| gan. The refusal of the majority of mem.
bers to pay their dues and the running OF
the tables
BY ECHLEss AMATEURS
| in their endeavors 10 execute fancy shots,
| and obstinate ~refussls to repair the damage
they wrought, caused the rooms to be closed
up in 1877. Not protest
ives heard from any mem.
Der, as both old and young were apparently
surfeited by the diversion. The two in.
stances cited above were the first forerun.
| ners of the numerous elegant billiard par.
lors which, at later periods. have fourished
in this city. That the sport is rapidly dying
| out, can easily be noted, when there are
| only three different establishments of the
| kind in the city, and only one of these
making expenses. Billiards is a game OF
ancient origin, and is thought to haye been
invented by q French artist in 1892. Other
authorities ascribe its origin to the English,
and state that. it was positively known in
that country during the reign Of Queen
Elizabeth, and was not known in France
till q century later, when it was introduced
By LOUIS XIV,
who used it at he recommendation OF his
physicians. Cotton's Complete Gsmester
published in 1914, states that billiards wa
first played in Italy. and then contrsdicts
himself and says that Spain was its birth
place. The average sizes of the tables in
different countries vary; the pocketless Ia
bles, popular in France, are eight feet by
four, those used in the United States ten by
six, and in England the club tables are
massive structures, with q huge bed oil
metal or plate, Of twelve feet long by six
wide. The English game is commonly
played with the pocket tables, and are gov.
erned by q conventional set Of rules. The
American game is played with the pocket
less tables, and with four balls, two white
and two colored, and consists entirely OIL
winning cannons and hazards. The Russian
billiards or carom, is similar to the Ameri-
can game. A German game, called Wurt.
practice, differs from the others in the
arrangement Of the balls, which are placed
in a continuous line across the table. The
Spanish skittle game, and French billiards
or the cannon game, complete the list o.
pa,ionali,ies which indulge in this pastime
and undoubtedly shows the tenacious hold
it has on the civilized nations Of the globe.
The cannon game of the French is rapidly
growing in popularity
IN THE UNITED STATES,
where the maj ority Of the most skillful play
ers are Frenchmen or those OF French ex-
traction. The science Of the game canuo,
be taught verbally, as the mysteries Of the
side stroke, the following ball and spot
stroke ear only be learned BY practice
The instruction and constant coaching Of On
expert will materially aid the tyro in becom
ing q first-clsss player.
Fifteen ball pool. o game growing out o.
billiards enjoys such popularity with the
public that there are few well regulated
billiard psrlors in any city, which fails ID
have one or more pool tables. The game
is played on a email table with six pockets
Fifteen vari-colored balls are arranged in
the form of q diagram. At this collection
the players must in turn shoot, using the
same object ball. AS Q small charge il
generally appended to each cue, the game
sill often include six or eight players, the
one getting the fewest balls paying for the
charges. The balls also have numbers, BY
which the terms Of the game are sometimes
decided. 1t often happens, that those
securing the fewest balls, will BY reason o.
the size Of the numbers on each. make III,