Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-06-11
NATIONAL GAME.
OAYIuaS WEEKLY CHAT ABOUT TIE BALL
- PLAYERS.
Money Lost By Two Magnat@-Dabbling in Base
Ball Said to Be Partly Responsible For the
Failures Of Erastus Wiman and John B. Prince.
Nearly 100000 People Out Memorial Day.
Special Correspondent. or IA. R.ostr.

Special Correspondence or hs hso"t@.
NEW YORK, June 9.-Has anybody
lately made the remark that baseball
is dead or dying? Probably not, be-
cause it is painful aud Improbable to
| kick against the pricks. Any linger-
| Ing doubt that may have existed OF the
Immortality OF the national game was
destroyed by the demonstrations OF
Memorial day. One hundred thousand
| people-lacking less than 800 wit
messed the games In the six National
| league cities on that day. This beats
the record since baseball has been
played.
The fioodtide of this mighty attend
ance was in New York, where %, ia
spectators were inside the Polo grounds
to see the afternoon game between the
New Yorks and the C~incinnatis. No
such crowd ever before attended a ball
game. In 1888 a crowd estimated at
! %, 900 entered by the gates and broke
| through the fences at the OLD POLO
grounds near Central park on Memorial
day afternoon to see the Detrolts ana
Giants play. But wen with the thou
sands who got in without paying on
that occasion the total number fell be-
low the enormous throng that paid ad-
mission this year to the New York
Cincinnati game. The number given
| in this instance Is the official count
not an estimate.
All further fear for the life and DOM
nance Of the national game may be dis
| missed. 1t once more asserts itself IS
the sport most beloved by American
people. +,
The attendance at the National
! League games on Memorial day was
| proportionately duplicated in the East
| ern and New England Leagues. Down
South, in California and among the
various State and Interstate Associa-
tions the same good reports are heard.
| Then, too, the college games this year
are enthusiastically received. From
5000 to 5000 spectators have greeted
the teams every time the Harvards,
Yales or Princetons have come together
this year.
The first triple play Of the season OF
1898 went on record at PittsburR during
the recent visit to that city OF MIR. Won
der Ahe's Brown Stockings. 1t occurred
in the fourth inning, when Brodie and
PETIT started off with hits and Pitcher
B~reitensteln waited for four balls
and filed the bases. The Pittsburgs
then made their triple play and retired
the st. Louis team without a u by a
neat piece OF strategy previously ar
rangsd. Griffin, the fuurth st. Louis
batter, popped up a fly Just inside the
diamond, and Catcher Mack gave the
signal notifying the Pittsburg players
that the time had come to
take advantage OF their pre-ar-
ranged trick. Pretending to let the ball
drop for a "force," he at the last mo-
ment put his hands under it near the
ground. Brodie, full Of the belief that
Mack was playing for a force out,
started up the line, and Third Baseman
LYONS followed him. Mack threw to
Lyons, who, being right on Brodie's
heels. touched the latter and then
threw to Shugart at short, who was
near enough 30 the "rattled" Peitz to
touch him, Thus Brodie, Peitz and
Griffin were all retired on the play, for
under the present rules a fly ball to the
infields when a man is on first base need
not be held by the fielder to put the
batsman out, but II it touch his hands
the umpire must declare it a fly catch.
Mack was careful TO let the ball touch
his hands before 1t reched the ground
and thus turned what he first gave the
impression was to be q force" into a
fly catch.
Two wealthy men recently met with
financial reverses. Both men have fig
ured c~onspicuously as base ball mag
mates. One is Erastus Wiman, OF New
York, and the other is Charles E.
Prince, OF Boston.
Mr.. Wiman took up base ball In 1886
under rather peculiar circumstances.
He was at that time largely interested
in Staten Island real estate and in the
ferry company and rapid transit ar
rangements on the island. Being a man
of wonderful inventive faculties and ex-
ecutive ability, he set about devising
schemes that would attract New York
people to Staten Island. About this
time the Metropolitan Exhibition COM
pany of New York ownee two baseball
teams, representing two rival associa-
tions or leagues, and they at the same
time had but one ground upon which to
play. In this dilemma they offered to
sell the team and franchise OF the Met
fopolitans, the representative OF the
American association. Wilman thought
he saw an opportunity to attract the
masses to Staten Island, and he bought
the Metropolitsas for about S35, 600.
Then be fitted up magnificent grounds
at the expense of nearly $50, 900 at ST.
George, facing New York bay.
The Metropolitans played at ST..
| George for two seasons, but their earn
ings did not pay their running expenses,
nor did they draw to their new home
the many thousands of visitors upon
which Mr.. Winman calculated. 1t is
believed that this baseball experiment
cost its originator nearly $780, 900 In
cash, and probably helped to throw him
into his present financial troubles.
Mr.. Prince is the leader Of a select
few OF hackers who were chaser by the
brotherhood Of players In the winter Of
1889 to furnish money to establish their
club in Boston. The gentleman was
honestly led to believe that, to use
| Colonel Sellers expression, there were
millions in it," only TO find after one
years experience that there were many
thousands Of dollars in the scheme-on
the wrong side OF the ledger. He drew
out of the game entirely, with q heavy
loss, and ais reverses in that expert
ment no doubt led up to his recent f.
nancial embarrassment.
OF all the capitalists who were In
duced TO put their money behind the
Players when the latter revolted against
the National League, one those in New
York and George Wagner, Of Philadel-