Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-30
New Rules Required to Prevent
Eouling in Amateur Pedes-
trian Contests,
THE OPINION OF W. B. CURTIS.
Jimmy Carroll Talks About His Coming
Battle With Billy Myer and
the LatterS Chances.
STAGG AND HIS YALE ENGAGEMENT.
Turf Prize That Will Be Worth About s1Oo, 900
General Sporting News of the Day.
rsrEcrAL rELEGRAMs To THE DISPATCH.


NEW YORK, Nov. 29.-The attributed
death of young Max Clark, the New Jersey
Athletic Clubs sprinter, to injuries received
in fall at the summer games of the Pastime
Athletic Club on June 6. has drawn atten-
ton to the frequent fouling inseparable
from small tracks. The winter athletic sea-
son is nov on. and the cinder and CLAW tracks
will he exchanged for the board flooring of the
armories These armorv tracks range from
~ 10 16 laps to the mile, and when dozen
or more eager runners come tearing around
the unguarded, slippery turns, all bunched.
IL is seldom that z general foulinC is averted
and one or more of the sprinters escapes a
dangerous fall. At the joint games of the
American Athletic Club and the Seventy
first Regiment at the Rtter's armory, in the
spring of 1890, 16 fouls were claimed, and
double that number of runners had been
sent crashing TO the floor. A general row
arose through these fouls. and it wound up
in free fight
Outside Of Young Clark's case nothing
more serious has ever been reported than
srrained ankles. confused knees and elbows.
or q spiking. But DIR. Nernooy, the phvsi-
clan who attended the unfortunate Clark, is
uf the opinion that the knee of anv runner
striking fallen man in the abdomen would
he apt to produce serious, if not fatal, in
jury. Clark death was due to perforation
Of the intestines
Difficult to Get a Remedy.
II would be difficult to hit upon anv
remedy which would put an effectuaI check
to the evil Of fouling. While great MANY
Of the fouls are accidents. the great speed
around q sharp turn causing runner to lose
control of himself there are many athletes
whose reckless daring through rucls and
around turns makes the percentage of acci-
dents higher than it should he Clark him.
self was one of the class who took great
chances in getting through and around their
fields regardless of everything but that OF
working to the front. One of the most
prominent runners of the New Jersey Ath-
letic Club has for years made il a practice
TO reach out his arms going around a turn
and simply sweep the other contestants from
lis path. He has been disqualified MANY
times for this fragrant and dangerous foul
ing, but repeats it at the very next games.
There are others as reckless, and it seems as
if some penalty should be embodied in the /
athletic rules which would put a stop to |
intentional fouling.
William p. Curtis, when seen YESTERDAY. |
said: 81 do not know Of anv way to stop |
the fouling except a prohibition against |
games on these small tracks, and that could |
not very well be made. Lessening the num- |
her of men in heat might do some good, |
hTt clubs and regiments make a specially |
ing enormous entry lists for the |
.ose of attracting patronage. and, incl |
rntaliy getting the large entrance fees |
~ hon vo-y on franl- which sc
about wide enough for four abreast some
thing is bound to smash. | would suggest |
that in these armorv games the events be /
made limited handicaps. This would in
sure a reasonable entry list and there
would not be four times too many runners
Tor heat
What Mr.. Curtis Thinks.
Mr.. Curtis did not think law could be
framed to penalize athletes who make a
practice of reckless running and fouling, at
least, not TO De enforced satisfactorily. He
thought clubs should reject the entries of
runners that are known to indulge in the
reprehensible practice. Mr.. Curtis added
hat some allowance should be made for
the excitement of the athletes in a sprint,
when everybody is endeavoring to get to
the front at orce.
Secretary sullivan was very decided on |
The question of furnishing athletes guilty of
deliberately fouiing. SCI would suspend
them for six months for the first offense,
and year thereafter One thing notice,
and that is, that the average referee is not
harsh enough with these athletes who foul
Unless the athlete fouled makes a protest.
the referee does nothing in the matter, al
though it may have been a fragrant offense
Let tie referee diSquaify every athlete
who fouls, whether 4 protest is made or not
This would soon teach the contestants to
he more careful Too many men are started
ia these arTnory and small track affairs, and
the clubs and officials are as much to blame