The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-03-19
THE FIELD OF SPORTS.
An Old Time Bowler at the Portland
Athletic Club.


fashioned scientific bowling aroused the
eager interest of those who were lucky
enough to see it. One of the younger
mem bers invited his "old uncle" III 70
bowl with him, more as joke than any
thing else, for he anticipated much
amusement at his I'm lie awkwardsplay,
and his own easy victory; especially as
the latter always liked to win in any
contest and generally managed to do SO
at cribbage.
The uncle, who is a small, why man
nearly sixty years of age, said ne never
was much of bowler, and hadn't haa
a ball in his hand for thirty years, nut
he would go in and try it.
Arrived in the alleys, the nephew De-
gan to show the uncle how to hold ana
roll the ball in the modern way py
putting the thumb and finger in the
holes and swinging the ball near the
floor, straight in line with the middle
pin, and letting it go without any twlst-
ing motion. But the uncle had never
seen a ball with holes in it before, OF
heard of such thing, and was quite
sure he never could let go at all II ne
bowIed in that way. He had taken OH
his coat in very business-like manner
had gazed lovingly down the alley at the
pins, had deftly licked his finger ana
thumb and was fondling one or inc
largest balls in his sinewy hands.
When all was ready he astonlshea MS
nephew into temporary speechlessness'
Inv running down the alley, with the
agility of boy and hurting the great
ball with one hand from the helghb OF
the waist SO that it struck Win a
tremendous thump, all of which is con-
trary to the rules of the club. But the
hall itself was the most astonishing
thing. it swirled along the left edge OF
the alley, threatened to go OIL nue
didn't; then describing a beautIul
curve. it struck the headspin right unaer
the law. SO to speak, and knocked them
all down, but the one in the lett manu-
corner. Then the uncle took smaller
hall. and with a similar rush threw IL
with an overland side motion SO that "
reyolved from right to left. 1t stfuck
near the right side of the alley, described
. long nara bola and found the lower
pin at the end OF 1t.
The nephew demanded explanations.
He had seen big balls curved before, but
very seldom, especially nowadays, Wheh
the use of hold has come in. The uncle
admitted that he used to be one OF tne
crack bowlers of the city thirty years
ago and more, when there were several
alleys where the market building now
Strands. or near there, and when Mr.. 1.
W.Donahue was the crack bowler, ana
used to think he was doing poor WORK
if he didn't make $50. The average
score AFT the club house now is less than
100 The best score is 256, made By Mr..
HIN. Plnkham. The uncle continued
modestly that he always made over 2oo'
that everybody in those days rolled a
curving ball, which is much more
difficult to make big score with than
straight one, because harder to control'
that bowling was a more general custom
then than now, and alleys were as
numerous as billiard halls are now.
he also said that he didn't know OF an
other alley in use in the city, except
those at the club house. He also
mathematical the holes in the balls
more and more vigorously, as the
bowling continued, because they inter
fered seriously with the proper curvlng
of the ball (by making the friction
irregular) and also because he soon
found that his skill of thirty years ago
was now simply spasmodic, and while
occasionally brilliant, was quite as
frequently dismal failure, The ball
would sometimes curve too much and
cross the alley before reaching the pins.
and then it wouldn't curve enough and
would leave the alley Immediately. He
did not beat his nephew because the
latter is a fair bowler, and was not
spasmodic, and was not handicapped by
thirty years lack of practice, but he
made several wonderful curving shots
that seemed to endow the ball with life
and a purpose, and that filed the
nephew with admiration and envy.
Good Luck for Fishermen.
Mr.. Warren Bailey ana oGhefs u
Morrill's Corner, made fishing trip to
Duck Pond last Wednesday, and had un-
usual good luck. Many party has
fished all day at Duck Pond this winter
without even bite, but last Wednesday
a three pound red spot trout, five
pound bass and several dozen of tine
large fresh water smelts rewarded the
fishermen. The smelts were beautiful
fish, most of them being foot long.
This is the second large trout that has
been caught in Duck Pond this winter,
and one was caught there last winter.
That there should be trout at all, when
one considers that the pond is stocked
with bass, shows that contrary to some
statements, the place is peculiarly we'll
adapted for trout, and that if proper
measures were taken, the people of Port
and, as well as every body else in the
state might have good trout lake with
in the limits of days excursion. The
brooks could be protected by law all the
year, as are those that run into Weld
Pond, in Franklin county, and the law