The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-29

1t was a hard game to lose.
Four times Portland's polo team tied
the score with Lewiston after the hottest
kind of playing There was not dull
minute in the contest. 1t was COM
menced in furious fashion and this gait
was held to tho end. The result was IN
doubt until the very last second of play,
and with Lewiston one point to the good,
the Portland men strained every muscle
to win without SUCCESS. At times it
seemed as if the local team might again
tie the score. but the magnificent goal
tending of White and the firm defensive
work of Furnish and Fitzgerald were too
strong to be overcome, and when the gong
sounded for the end Of the last period
Lewiston had won the game by ono goal.
The attendance last night was very
large, thereIbeing fully 1900 people present,
and every seat in the house was occupied
The crowd came anticipating an exciting
game and they were not much disap-
pointed. Such heart disease contest has
not been seen in this city for many
moons. 1t was chuck full of ginger,
with plenty Of brilliant plays and agoniz-
ing seconds suspense which serve to
keep the tremendous enthusiasm up to
the highest pitch until the very end.
To be sure the advertised and expected
scrap between Furbush and Whipple did
not occur. When these two men came
together they were as gentle as lambs
Furbush was apparently as timid as q
kitten and seemed to fight shy of Port.
lands big man, but when little Curtis
or Lincoln piled in on top of him there
was fun and plenty of it. Neither of these
two players seemed to be at all afraid of
blocking off Lewiston's big half back
and both of them spoiled more than one
pretty play which the Lewiston bully
was endeavoring to make. But even if
Whipple and Furbush were playfully
kittenish their example was not followed
by the other Lewiston men. With Thorn
it was slash, bang, crash, all the time.
The Lewiston men followed the ball
every second it was in play and they gave
John Allen in Portland's goal many I'M
easy moments, with plenty Of opportuni-
ties for him to exhibit his wonderful
talent at stopping the hard drives for the
cage.
When the dainty and syIph-like form
of Mr.. Furbush of Lewiston was seen
upon the floor last night. the big crowd
at once began TIC show is appreci alton
of him by kissing loudly. Mr.. Furbush's
response to this generous welcome was
very graceful and becoming With the
coyness of a school girl the Lewiston
Apollo waited kiss stewards the gal
leries and made up face. This infiamed
the anger of the gods on the benches as
oil poured on fire increases tn flames,
and from that time until the beginning
Of the game, Mr.. Furbush received more
than his share of attention
Portland went into the1 game with a
determination and vim. which for a
time swept all before them. white in
Lswiston's goal, was put upon his mettle
at once and had an opportunity of stop
ping many hard drives for his cage before
the contenst was q minute old. The ex-
element grew and grew until the yells
of the crowd were absolutely deafening.
When Curtis or Lincoln bore down
upon Furbush and interfered with any
of his clever attempts to. steal goal on
long shot, the yells were redoubled
and the enthusiasm reached such aspitch
that it fairly took the players themselves
off their feet. Faster and faster grew the
play To watch tho whirling players
on the floor, the flying ball now at this
end of the hall and then at the other.
the desperate drives at the cages and the
exciting mix-ups about the cages, proved
to be about as much as any one man
could follow and appreciate. 1t was
polo Of the singing, hair-raising kind,
and the players, driven on by the whirl.
wind of applause, dashed frantically about
until they seemed almost wild with ex.
citement themselves.
Butawhen Curtis finally Gagged the bal
for Portland's first goal ON a clever carom
shot from Turnbull's stick, such a shout
of applause, such an outburst of yells,
cheers, cries and exultant shouts was
never before heard in the City building.
A little while later while the smashing,
dashing play still continued, Tarrant
got chance on an awkward pass from
Curtis, directly in front Of Portland {
goal, to cage the ball for the visitors.
| The little coterie of Lewiston hackers
who Ewere present then had chance to
make themselves heard, and the score
was a tie. Once more Portland got the
lead by drive of Whipple on handsome
pass from Lincoln only to have the score
| tied q second time by Lewiston by q
lucky stroke from Iarrent. A few min.
utes more OF suspense and the ball was
lowering around Lewiston's cage. White
knocked it out of harms way, as hs
| thought, into corner. 1t reboundeG
| to Curtis, who passed it to Whipple, and
Portland had the lead again. Their
Tarrant did some juggling and just be
fore the gong sounded for the end Of the
first period the score was again tie.
| Then came the second period which
was even more exciting than the first