The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-13
OLD TIME BASEBALL.
Early Days of the National
Game on Puget Sound.
sEATTLE's FIRST CLUB IN 1875.
How It Won From the Newcastle Team,
Of Which Lieutenant Nick Hanna
Was . Member.

Baseball in the '9Os bears in many re-
spects but little resemblance to the game
of quarter of a century ago. Now there
is not a hamlet throughout the length and
breadth of the Union that does not boast
of ball team. but at the close of the war
the sport was just beginning to become
popular. Then there was no professional
ism, no high salaried stars, no reserve
rules and no advance money. There was
nothing but underhand, straight arm
pitching. The outtielders and intielders
never thought of wearing glove and even
the catcher came up behind the bat with
bare hands and face and front unpro-
tected.
Baseball reached the North Pacific coast
in '67, taking the place of townball, which
had been the most popular outdoor sport
up to that time. When it did come the
game sprang at once into healthy life
Clubs were organized in all the principal
towns of Oregon. and fierce rivalry
existed between them. Among the play
ers were not few well-known and promi-
nent citizens of today. Portland was rep
resented by the Pioneers, of which the
father of Tom and "Jiggs" Parrot was
member. Il. G. Crawford, of this city,
played with the Capitals, of Salem, and
Captain George A. Pease, the steamboat
man, known along the North Pacific coast,
with the Clackamas team of Oregon City.
1t was several years later that baseball
invaded Puget sound. In the 70's
Samuel l.. Crawford moved from Oregon
to Olympia. He came naturally by love
of the sport, being a son of Crawford, of
the Capitals. and a nephew of Pease, of the
Clackamas. He was one of the organizers
Of the Washington nine of Olympia, which
numbered among its members l.. A. Treen,
the Front street merchant, and his son
Frank.
In the fall of Centennial year-sixteen
seasons ago-Seattle's first ball team, the
old Axis, was organized. In that year
Sam Crawford came to Seattle and. like
many another baseball enthusiast in max
ing a change of base, brought his ball and
bat with him from Olympia. One evening
after supper he took his ball out on old
Occidental square, which covered large
space of ground, part of which is now oc-
cupied by the west end of the Occidental
block, and began to throw it up into the
air and catch it as it fell. His movements
soon attracted the attention of another
young fellow across the square, who sig
nailed for the ball and the two began to
throw it back and forth. Gradually others
drifted into the play until quite number
were engaged in passing the ball, and
the work of several of them showed
that Seattle could boast Of some baseball
talent. A challenge had been published
few days before in the lntelligencer from a
club at Newcastle to any nine that could
no onffay, fopofhar in Seattle ond offar ho
practice on the square that evening it was
decided to organize club and accept the
challenge. A canvass of the available
playing material showed that there was
enough to form team, and fortunately
among it were two men, Chase and Will
son, who afterwards acquired considerable
several years with clubs in the East, and
were excellent players. So the team that
was afterward named the Axis was formed
with Newcastle.
On the day of the match the Newcastles,
who had played together for couple of
years, came down to wipe up the earth
with the Seattle novices. They were big.
brawny fellows, who toughened their
muscles by digging out black diamonds
WITH the PICK. Inelr appearance WOuiu
have created quite a sensation on the
ball field in these days. They were clad
in rough working clothes, unshaven, with
the coal dust still in the hair. To give
freer use to their neither limbs their socks
were pulled up over the ends of their
trousers and tied there with cords. They
wore heavy, hob-nailed shoes that would
have made things decidedly unpleasant
for basemen if the whirlwind sliding of
today had then been in vogue. In one of
their number there would be not little
difficulty in recognizing Nick Hanna, the
spruce lieutenant of the Seattle police
force of today, but he was among them.
The Seattle teams uniform consisted of
"biled" shirts and full-length black pants.
The game was played at the University
grounds, which were not then covered
with buildings as they are now. 1t proved
veritable surprise party before it had
progressed very far, and the boastful New
castles were the astonished ones. At the
end of the sixth inning they had not seen
second base while the despised Axis had
piled up thirty-five runs. The visitors
knew when they had enough and refused
to play any longer. From the day of their
first overwhelming victory the Axis be-
gan to gather laurels and soon became
famous all over the Sound. They played
against clubs at Port Gamble, Olympia