The Washington critic., 1888-01-21

w Nt'Nli bSob " ktb lnlh llttt anu
turn IL into q sort Of robbers heaven
such as Clifton or Guttenburg, but
this is hardly true. The gentlemen
who compose the board of directors
would hardly consent to such thing
~,
"Have you secured any more men
this week 2' Secretary Burket of the
Nationals was asked this morning.
mo, we have signed no one at all.
There's plenty Of time, you know.
We are not making any special efforts
right now to hunt up men. Still, if q
good man turns up, or Ted Sullivan
runs across one up North, we will take
him in."
"By the way, how does Sullivan
feel after having his Troy club left
out of the Association ?"
"Oh, he does not mind that at all.
Fact of the matter Is, he would prefer
his club to be in the International AS
sociation, where 1t is, along with the
Albanys. Those two clubs were adj
mitted few days ago. think Sulli-
van intends to take the Troys through
the South early in the season, al
though think no positive dates have
been arranged, either for the Troys or
other clubs. Sullivan's plans are not
yet formulated, / think, and we really
do not know what part he will take in
baseball"
President "Nick" Young has been
notified of the following contracts
signed: T. j. Esterbrook and S. II.
Moffett, with indianapolis; James
Mulvery and James Mcclure, with
Philadelphia; w. c. Robinson, with
Minneapolis; George W. Bradley and
Il. J. Bligh, with New Orleans; Il. f..
Springer, with Detroit, and S. w.
Barliley, with Pittsburg.
The growth Of racing in the United
States in recent years has been enor-
nous. In 1877, according to "Kricks 8
Guide" the total number of races
were 907, of which S27 were fiat races,
45 hurdle races, and SO steeplechase
For 1887 the total in the United States
was 3,74l races, of which 1872 were won
by jumpers, viz: 121 steeplechases
and II hurdle races. The total for
1886 was thought to be very high, as,
in fact, it was. There were 3,342 races
run, Of which 3,146 were on the fiat
and 1913 by jumpers-a showing of A
races less for jumpers in 1887, but an
increase Of 403 races in the fiat. That
there was large increase in the latter
is no great surprise. seeing that the
racing was almost continuous from
early January to the last day of De-
cember. While, as compared with the
total races run in 1885, there was an
increase of 973 races in 1887, the totals
being 3,491 as against 2,760. Naturally
the large increase in the number of
races run also involves an enormous
increase in the amount of money
raced for. Few, however, will, for a
moment, realize the difference as be-
tween the figures in 1877 and 1887. In
1877 the total value of all races, in
cluding stakes, matches, added money
to stakes, purses and the excess over
selling prices in selling races, in fact
every dollar that could legitimately
be construed as won, amounted to
$44l 1852, including some $4,000 in
plate. The amounts of money in
1887, given by clubs and associations
in purses and added money to the
stakes alone, make total OF
81 1884, 1850, sum that does not in
clude plate, or any object of value
not money, nor one dollar in the
shape of money raced for, such as
stakes, entrance money for purses, oil
money in matches, all of. which
would have swelled the amount tc
considerably more than 100000.
~.
Says base ball writer on the ten,
dency Of the large cities to capture the
best clubs "The fact of the matter
is that only Boston, New York, Brook
lyn, Philadelphia and Chicago are
available base ball towns of the first
class. Then come, in second
bunch, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, and
Baltimore. Where are the rest
Nowhere, when it comes to $50, ,OOC
teams, with increased general ex'
penses and q guarantee system
which is certainly the system of the
future. Washington, Cleveland, De
troit, indianapolis, st. Louis and
Louisville are not able to go the pace
and will not be-"
.X,
Ifgeneral interest in cross-country
tramping is excited by the recent feat
of Frank Howard in walking from
Baltimore to this city in hours and
20 minutes, then it will prove not tc
have been "a very foolish under
taking" as some claim. Howard's
time was remarkably fast, and those
who accompanied the walkers say
there is no doubt as to the correctness
of the record. John Mackey, a pro
fessional walker, and champion oi
Maryland, claims to have walked
twenty-five miles in four hours and
thirty minutes, and fifty miles il
eight hours and twenty minutes. The
best record of heel-and-toe walking in
America is, for q mile, seven minutes
and IA few seconds, though Perkins
the English walker, has covered q
mile in something less than seven
minutes. MaCkey's best record for a
mile walk is seven minutes and forty
five seconds. On the go-as-you-please
style, which the Latrobe-Howard
match was, Charlie Rowell made q rec.
ord of l40 miles in twenty-four hours.
Under the heel-and-toe rules Mackey
made 113 miles in twenty-three hours
and forty minutes. Charles Hartman
made 1l5 miles in twenty-four hours.
The best road-walking among pro-
fessionals is about five miles per houl
on fair roads. Mackey says that il
the time made by Howard is correct
he is the champion road-walker of the
world, and that so certain is he that
the feat was not or could not be per,
formed in the time named that he
will wager it cannot be repeated. He
says Charlie Rowell could not walk oi