The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-07-01
RAIN SOAKED FIELDS
Put a Stop to all the Local
Baseball Games on Sat-
urday Afternoon.
CRACK WING SHOTS AT MARION
Sixth Team Contest of the Trap
Shooters League-oricket and
Athletic Notes.

The rain storm which descended upon
this city shortly before five o'clock Sat
urday afternoon, brought d~isappoint-
ment TO the large crowds of baseball en-
thusiasts that gathered at the various
fields to witness the contests OF the ma
tional game scheduled to take place.
Rain is never a more unwelcome visi-
tor than on Saturday afternoons. but IL
was doubly unwelcome on Saturday, as
it arrived just as the contests We're at
the most interesting age. Down in
G~reenville a crowd of nearly one thous-
Ii people had gathered to witness the
strong teams of ST. Peters Sodality Ly-
ccurn and the Puritan A. C. struggle for
supremacy. The grand stand, as the
ricketty structure near home plate is
called, was crowded, the Sodality Ly-
ceum being well represented by a large
delegation of strong lunged rooters. The
game was well under way, the last half
of the third inning being played when
the orninous clouds in the west began to
drift eastward with their load of rain.
Bob" Zeiger, who lays claim TO being
a weather prophet, occupied an exposed
seat on the stand. and predicted that
there would he no rain to interfere with
the game. why that's only a sea fog"
said he. as the clouds began to rise in
the west. Five minutes later the
clouds let down their moist load and
the rain came down in torrents. Bob
was the first one to run for home. He
did not even wait to learn if the down
pour was but mornentary. The specta-
tors on the so-called grand stand con-
graduated themselves upon having Sc
cured seats when the wind suddenly
shifted and drove the rain into the
grand stand drenching them and also the
players who had sought refuge there.
The roof offered but little protection, the
rain finding its way down between the
spaces in the boards. The field was
transformed into a quagmire and it be-
came evident that no further play would
be INDUCED in during the afternoon. 1t
was. perhaps. fortunate for the st.
Peters team that the dowu pour came,
for the score at the end of the third in
ming stood six to one in favor of the
Puritans. Another inning would have
been played by this time had not a dis
pute arisen before the umpire called
play. Captain Ward, who played first
base in the G%reenville game a week
previous, proftting by the experience
there gained, Insisted upon an agreement
that a .ay Sail lost in the bushes, back
of but quite near first base. should count
for bur two bases. This agreement was
made "a the Greenville game, but when
Billy Miller. he Purltan's second base
man. ioss the Saii In the bushes, thereby
winning The game for his team, Captain
Chesterfield 1roneo..y forgot that such
an agreement was n1ada. 5ut after the
game admitted tha. ne had entered into
such an agreement with Captain Peters
It the Greensilies. On Saturday Billy
3tiiller, Who, BY The way, can bat only
"a II frar. aina refused TO enter into
fhe agrsenaut PROPOSED by Ward, say
ms that the game would not go on I'M
/ rule. Rather than disappoint the large
crowd that came up from down town to
E EIsafeT "a to 5ef lave p his ow Ma' way a'i0"'l
The agreemeIt asked for by Ward
should be insisted upon by all visiting
more than once turned defeat into vic
tory. If the bushes. were SO located That
70 lose a ball in them would require a
Rule No. ~ Of the National League
The rule assumes, of course, that the
field is enclosed by a fence, but neverthe-
less it should be adopted on the Puritan
grounds as the right field bushes answer
all the purposes of a fence. The rule in
full is as follows.
"A fair batted, ball that, goes over the
lkC ol0A1 C14llLA LA1C No-A40 " ~
home run, except that it should go over
the fence at a less distance than two
hundred and thirty-five feet from the
hone base, when he shall. be entitled. to
two bases only and a distinctive line
shall be marked on the fence at this
point"
To conform to this rule the Puritans
should erect in the bushes a flag at the
" hundred and thirty-fvs foot line,
gen to play a scheduled game with the
West Bergen team. The players were late
in arriving on the field and the rain
poured down before play was called.
i'Biff'' Petit. the crack left fielder of the
Greenvilles, who is an enthusiastic wheel
man, rode to the grounds and was com
PEELED to pedal home through mud and
rain. When he arrived home he was so
covered with mud that his best friend
The game between the Paciics and
the Century Athletic Club on the for
mer's grounds was also stopped by rain
as was the. contest between the Hobo
George Cricket grounds, Hoboken.
Those who were disappointed by the
rain on Saturday will find consolation in
the announcement that the Greenyilles
day morning on the Ocean avenue
grounds. The close game put up by
these teams on Saturday week is a guar
antee that Thursdays contest will be
Df the gilt edged order. The Greenvilies
hops to. win because their regular pitch
er, Arthur Fixel, who was unable TO
participate in the first game, will be
In the box. Their failure to win the first
game. the Greenvilles wish to nave 1t
Aubrey, who pitched for them, but
through a number of costly errors on the
part Of the fielders and a lucky hit by
one of the opposing batsmen.
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