The San Francisco call., 1896-07-04
AMATEUR ATHLETICS.
What Captain Gill Has to Say Con-
cerning the Olympics at Portland.


cerning the OiympIcs at Portland.
Leonard Gill, the captain of the Olym-
pic Club team, which recently returned
from Portland Or, has addressed the fol-
lowing letter to THE CALL, giving a de-
scriptive account OF the races together
with some pertinent statements as to the
treatment his team received from the off,
GERS of the Multnonah Athletic Club.
Gill speaks the truth when he states
that the Olympic Club should give cioper
attention to outdoor athletics and better
encouragement to It's athletes. Some few
years ago the Olympic coIors were always
in the lead at field day meetings. The
Stanford and Berkeley University ath-
letes were then satisfied to play good
second fiddle to the athletes of the famous
Western athletic club. But time has
wrought many changes in the ATHLETIC
way, and now the Olympic Club must be
satisfied TO play third fiddle to Stanford d
and Berkeley.
The question now propounded by the
lovers of athletic sport is when will the
Olympic Club awake from its slumbers
and make itself felt, athletically, among
the great clubs that are springing up.
mushroom-like, all over the land?
Gills' letter:
The trip of the Olympic Club athletes to
Portland, Or, demonstrated one thing, and
that is the Pacific Northwest is further ad-
vanced in outdoor athletics than it has been
given credit for.
The Olympics met the Multnomah athletes
on track and field on Saturday, June 27, in
thirteen events, and were defeated by the
score oil 5V TO Al, five points going to first
and three points to second.
great deal has been said in regard to the
treatment of the olympians, and few words
at the present time published in THE CALLS
sporting department would not be amiss
The grounds OF the Multonamahs are situated
within ten minutes walk from the business
heart OF the city OF Portland, and are some
what larger than the Olympic Club grounds
and are much better situated for athletic
sports than the home grounds. The
track is five and a half laps to the mile
with 100-yard straight-away along the side
The grandstand accommodates about 1900
people. which was filed TO overfiowing on the
date of the Olympic-Multomah games, and it
was the most enthusiastic one the writer ever
saw. The day was everything that could have
peen desired, warm and pleasant, with not
breath oil air stirring. The first event on the
programme was called at promptly 3 p M the
time advertised, and ii found Kerrigan, the
Northwest crackeriack, and Patterson, the
pride OF the Olympic Club, pitted against each
other The jumping place directly in
front of the grandstand, with no fence in be-
tween, which gave the spectators an unob-
structed view of the field sports Owing tn
the importance of the different events but one
was put on at time.
The bar was speedily raised to the 6-foot
lhaAhf WHICH Uotil men cleared without a fault
wonderful jumping When the bar was
placed At o foot inches. Patterson leading off
knocked 1t down with his shoulder the crowd
IN the stand showing its approval of the same
by loud cheering. Kerrigan then tried il, with
the same result. This made houors even
Patterson again led off,with the same result
In justice to Patterson, ii must be said, that
two days before the games he re-injured his
jumping foot, which at this stage of the game
was causing him considerable trouble. Kerrf-
gan walked about fifteen yards from the bar.
ran nimbly at il and cleared it in the most
graceful manner, though he had nothing to
spare.
The audience about this time was very jubi-
liant. as Patterson had but one more trial and
in his last two attempts had not jumped up to
his form.
When the Olympic lad walked back TO make
his final attempt the eat-calls that he was
greeted with must have made the better ele-
ment feel sorry for some of their representa-
tives; but Patterson was more than equal TO
the occasion and with a mighty bound he
cleared the bar at 6 feet inches, thus tying
Kerrigan.
They both failed at six foot three, and Pat
terson, owing TO his ankle getting worse, re-
fused to jump the tie-of with the result that