The San Francisco call., 1896-04-07
D|SGUSTED WITH YALE,
Berkeley Athletes Puzzled Over
a Letter Received From
Captain Sheldon.
Manager Friend Says They Are Afraid
to Meet the Ca1ifornians-Another
School Election.


School Election.
BERKELEY, CAL, April 6.-Captain
Merwin and Manager Friend of the East
ern track athletic team received a letter
from Captain Sheldon of the Yale athletic
team to-day, over the contents Of which
they are much puzzled.
The letter is in response to one from
Manager Friend in which be proposed
terms for "a triple contest between Yale.
Princeton and the California tenn. They
cannot tell from the Yale communication,
they say, whether Yale declines to meet
the Californiaps from indifference, because
they cannot with propriety arrange a
meet, or whether they will not do so from
fear that they wilt be beaten. In
speaking of the matter to-day Cap
tain Merwin said: II am very much
surprised and diseusted at the way Yale
has acted. They gave us 10 understand.in
a recent telegram that they would be will
ing to meet us in the triple games, and we
were counting on having contest with
them. We telegraphed them some time
ago asking if they were willing to enter
the triple meet or contest against us
singly, to which they responded that they
could not arrange to do so at such short
notice. In reply to the same telegram
sent to Princeton the reply came that they
were willing to have meet in which Cali
fornia, Yale and their own college were
represented, if it was possible to arrange
such contest.
Following is the letter which puzzles the
Berkeley athletes:
NEW HAVEN, March %, 1896
L. r. Mer,cin, Captain Track Team, University
of CdlV0rnid-DEAR SIR: Your letter OF March
19 received. l teegraphed you yesterday that
q triangular meet between the University OF
California, Princeton and Yale would be i'm
possible. All the arrangements for dual games
between Princeton and Yale have been COM
rleted and it does not seem wise to change the
meet to a triangular contest. Should you see
fit to come east of Chicago we might arrange a
set of games with you. We should hardly like
to limit the number of competitors to less than
| three in each event (possib1y two) as we wish
| as many of our men to have the practice as is
possible. In regard to the financial outlook 1
New York to New Haven for games, as am
afraid the contest would not attract much
of a crowd here in New Haven,
be held, if held at % all. New Haven is poor
city for athletic games, especially track ath-
letics. hardly understand Princeton's action
in regard to your coming in as third party to
our games, as l thought it was decided that we
should have dual games. l think you must
have misconstrued my first telegram as your
letter shows. Hoping that the matter is all
straight now, remain, yours very sincerely,
LEWIS P. SHELDON,
Captain Yale Athletic Team,
212 Durfee Hall.
Now, Princeton was willing" said Cap
tain Merwin, "that we should come into
the game and make the dual meet between
their team and Yale triple one. Prince
ton had no objections whatsoever to allow
ing us to enter men at this meet, and they
had just as much to say about the matter
as Yale. 1t appears. to us very much as
though Yale was trying to crawl out. and
do it as gracefully as possible. Another
point in the letter is that should dual
| meet between our men and Yale be ar
| ranged they would consent to no terms
but those which included three or perhaps
two men in each event. They give as
their reason that they wish to give
them practice. They know full we'll
that we cannot take even two men ior
each event across the continent because of
the enormous expense, and to say that
they will wish tc give their men practice
is all nonsense. A contest such as it would
be is no place for practicing. Then again,
to say that it would probably not pay us
to go down to New Haven from New York
to meet them on account of the lack of
interest in track athletics there is simply
ridiculous. The whole letter appears to
me as nothing more than big excuse to
| avoid meeting US in a fair and square con-
| test. l understand that their team is not
as good this year as last, ana perhaps they
have good reasons for not wanting to con-
| test with our men,"
Manager Friend is of the same opinion
as Captain Merwin with regard to the
position Yale has taken, and with relation
to the letter said this afternoon: 81 think
it is nothing more or less than clear case
| of saueaP' on their part.
The prospects of sending another team
across the continent again this summer
| has reawakened the athletic interest again
at the university, SO that now there are
more men in training on the track and
| field than ever before in the history of the
| institution.
more can be seen practlcing the different
events. Toward evening veritable crowd
OF them take possession of the training
grounds. The great ma jority OF them are
new men, some of whom have hopes of
making the team. Others, who have no
prospect of getting place OF the team,
are training for future possible trips, and
| to encourage those who will be selected to
represent the university i'll the East.
The central point of interest now among
| all the athletes at Berkeley besides the
Eastern scheme is the championship field
day which will be held at Central Park on
May 2, the proceeds of which are to be
turned over to the team which will cross
the continent. In this meet all the ath-
letic clubs OF the State will be represented.
| Manager Friend states that the dates
made with the colleges in the extreme
East are as follows: Harvard, May 3D.;
Mott Haven games. May 80; Pennsyl-
yania. soon after Mott-Haven, aud the
Western intercollegiate at Chicago on
June 6.
! New Social Club.
| BERKELEY, CAL, April 6.-The mem
bers of the Columbia Fire Company have
organized themselves into a club, to be
known as the Columbia Social Club. The
action was taken in anticipation of an un-
| favorable report of the committee of the
Town Trustees, which is investigating the