Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-06-05
FAILED TO GET TO MACON
TIE HOME CLUB SHUT OUT BY
THE CHANGE OF GAUGE.

Umpire Burns Makes an Extraordinary
Decision and One that VIII not Hold
Macon Claims . Forfeited Game
What the Home Management Says
About the Clubs Affairs.
The change OF gauge on the Macon
branch of the Georgia railroad prevented
the Savannah club from reaching Macon
yesterday in time to play the Macon team.
The management of the telegrapbic re-
ports of games at the Fords' Opera House
bulletined the announcement that the Sa-
yannah club having failed 10 show up,
the umpire gave the game to Macon. Ar
rangements were made with the Memphis
management, and the mphls-Atlanta
game was reported. There was good
deal of Indignation over the loss of the
Macon game. 5l
A Macon special to the NEWS partially
explains the matter. The MacOns, il says,
had genuine surprise in store for Man
aver Morton and the savannah club on
their arrival there. The club having been
delayed, was obliged to lay over in Au-
gusta Friday night owing TO the change
of gauge on the Macon branch OF the
Georgia railroad on Thursday, and
on their nOn-arrival at the hour
set tor the game Umpire Burns, at the in
stance OF Secretary Brown, OF the Ma
cons, gave the game to Macon-9 to ..
How, under the rule, Macon expects to
count the game they or no one else can
tell. The officials Of the Georgia railroad
did all IN their power to place the Savan-
mans there in time for the game, over their
own or other routes. AS none of the roads
have resumed their regular schedules
since the change of gauge, it was impos-
sibe to do so. Umpire Burns decision,
1t Is stated, Will not hold good, and the
game will be played later in the season.
The American Association rules, under
which the Southern League is playing,
say that a forfeited game shall be declared
by the umpire if the niue or club fail to
appear upon the field, or being upon the
field, fail to begin the game within five
minutes after the umpire has called
''play' at the hour appointed for the be.
ginning OF the game, unless such delay in
arriving or in commencing the game be
unavoidable. In this case the delay was
unavoidable, the cause being wholly be-
yond the control of the club.
The club will be home next week and
will entertain the MacOns here on June
8, 10, IL and II. The CLUBS trip has not
been profitable one In a pecuniary sense.
The weather has interfered with num-
Der of games and the expense has been
considerably greater than was expected.
The management Is not very enthusiastic
about the clubs financial affairs. The
treasurer of the Savannah Base Ball As
ISOLATION said yesterday In reply to an
inquiry as to its financial condition.
That's a leading question, but Pm
rather glad you have asked it, because 1t
gives us an opportunity of presenting our
views squarely before the public. You
will remember that early in the season,
before the league games began, we con-
cluded that in order to maintain our club
it would be absolutely necessary to
charge an admission fee OF 80 cents. Pop
ular opinion, however, was against such
as some thOught-an excessive" fee, and
in Difference to the general sentiment
we made the price 25c. This simply meant
a gradual absorption OF our capital.
Twelve men have thus far sustained the
entire expense of supporting the club.
Not one OF these gentlemen has any more
benefit Of the game than any other lover
OF the sport, yet the community expects
them to continue putting up the where
withal to run the club.
"You may say that if the community
wants base ball it will have to come TO
our assistance in pecuniary way. We
cannot continue to furnish at 25c. what
costs us SOC. We don't propose to raise
our admission fee. We will let that stand
at 25c. since we have started that waV,
but we have determined upon
new departure. We have
issued $50 season tickets which
will be sold at $40 for the balance of the
season-torty games. Now, there ought
to be 100 gentlemen in Savannah who
would rather pay fifty cents per game
than to see the club dlsband. If not, why
let us stop right now and surrender our
league franchise, which means no more
base ball for Savannah.
considerable gratuItOus adyica has
been given us how to strengthen our
nine. or what use is a physicians pre-
scription to a patient who has not the
money to pay for having it compounded {?
Probably the invalid would invoke the
aid OF his friends, and that'siust what we
are doing. The season tickets are ready
now and we hope to see some substantial
result from their sale. They can be had
! from any OF the stockholders or from the