The San Francisco call., 1896-07-06
The PORTLAND ATHLETES.
They Will Meet the Olympic
Boys in This City Next
September.
Tom Sharkey Will Box in the Acme
Club Wednesday Night-Cor.
belts Condition.

Leonard Gill, captain of the Olympic
Club, states that return field day will be
given to tie Multnomah Athletic Club of
Portland, Oregon, in this City in Septem-
ber next, and that the officers of the day
will be selected from clubs outside of the
Olympic.
Gill was very sorry to learn that Kerri-
gan, the wonderful little high jumper of
Portland, was lying dangerously Ill at his
home, but he hopes to hear of the great
athletes quick recovery.
The most disappointed member of the
Olympic team which invaded Portland
was Dave Brown of the Stanford Univer-
sity.
Brown had heard from Walter Scott, one
of the retired long distance runners of the
Olympic Club, that he would need be in
splendid form to defeat Tallant of the
Multnomah Club; but Brown ad an idea
that there was not man on the coast who
could exercise him, and he visited Port
land with firm belief that he would de-
feat Tallant and have yards to spare.
The unexpected happened on this oc-
casion and Brown met his Waterloo. He
still thinks that he can show Tallant a
clean pair of heels from the start to the
finish of a mile race, and according to the
following letter he wrote Captain Gill from
Stanford, he is deeply anxious for return
race:
STANFORD UNIVERSITY, July 3, 1896.
Ny Dear Leonard: Is there any possibility Of
getting a return meet with the Multnomah
team this fall in San Francisco? If so. I wish
you would inform me and / win try to be in
better shape to run "the old man." More speed
is what l need and should do much better il
1 train with this in view. From all can hear
they are rather anxious 10 come and l was
wondering whether you would take any meas
ures to get them. September 10 is late enough.
Sincerely yours, d. E. BROWN.
Brown calls Tallant an old man because
he is married and has a small family to
look after. Tallant is only % years of age
and as can be seen by reference to the
records of past champions, the fastest
times that have ever been made in foot
racing were negotiated by athletes after
they had passed the thirty years limit.
Speaking of the ages of athletes who had
accomplished wond derful performances be-
tween the ages of 30 and 40 years, John
Elliott of the Olympic Club, who is the
standard authority of this coast on gen.
eraI athletics. said yesterday that he had
taken an exception 10 an article which
appeared in a morning paper OF yesterday
written by w. w. Naughton in which it
was stated that an athlete is in his prime
between the fifteenth and twenty-hfth
year of his life.
Elliott says that he cannot rememb Der of
an athlete in any country who accom-
pIished any performance worthy OF note
at the age of Is years, and that the best
performances were those of men between
80 and 35 years of age. Elliott also stated
that a pugilist should be in his prime
when 80 years OF age.
Tom Sharkey is "a years old and Jim
Corbett 80 years. The former has an ex-
cellent opportunity OF cultivating clever
ness, but the latter will never regain lost
vitality, although he can repair to some
extent partly wrecked constitution by
remaining aioof from the "good things"
of life, which to an athlete are ruinous.
A prominent physician and friend of
Corbett's who had a good look at the
champion before he faced Sharkey said
that Jim is unquestionabiy on tle retro
grade-that is, physically speaking-and
under the most careful system OF training
he never will be able to regain his old
form.
Sharkey terminated his engagement in
this City last evening and on Wednesday
evening he will box four rounds with
Danny Needham, his trainer, at the ex-
hibition which will be given in Oakland
on Wednesday evening under the au-
spices of the Acme Athletic Club.
On Friday next Sharkev will start with
a local theatrical troupe through the coun-
try, giving sparring exhibitions. He will
visit Vallejo, Stockton, Sacramento and
may possibly journey as far northward as
Portland, Or. He says that In six months
from now he will be sufficiently clever to
hit Corbett, and that his blows will be
felt.
Some one loosely remarked to Sharkey
last night that Corbett will scheme TO close
Toms peppers, and thus win the game on
blind DEAL
Tom smiled, and answered in his easy
ahd smiling way that it took two men to
play game of that kind, and that while
Corbett was trying to paint Sharkey's eyes
Sharkey might be engaged in knocking
The Hotel Cecil is magnificent addi-
tion 10 the splendors of London. 1t is
said to be larger than any other hotel in
Europe, and to yield in size only to one or
two in the United States. But it is less by
its thousand rooms that the Hotel Cecil
compels admiration than by the splendor
and good taste of its architecture and in
ternal decorations.