The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-08
A HOT GAME
In Which the Luck Was With the
Bangor Boys.

The long looked for game of football
with Bangor came off on Saturday and
resulted in defeat for the Portland boys
to the tune of to 0. 1t was the same old
story and one which by this time Port
land people have come to look upon as
being sure result of the contest between
the two rival teams. The Bangor boys
returned home Saturday night with vic
tory perched upon their banners but the
glory of the game was Portland's. 1t
was the universal opinion of the enthu-
siasts who saw Saturdays game that the
home team played all around the visitors
and as far as good clean football went
showed themselves to be the better team.
The defeat was due to hard luck and
nothing else. The only touchdown that
was scored was made by Hal Hunt by an
So yard run around Portland's left end
and was simply piece of unadulterated
good fortune and wouldn't occur again
once in ten years.
1t was an exciting game to see and
there was NOT dull spot In It, The men
on both teams worked like Trojans for
there was not a bit Of dirty work on
either side and both teams played football
from start to finish.
The prospect of football game at noon
on Saturday seemed to be very poor in
deed. 1t had been raining hard all night
and during the forenoon occasional show
ers occurred, every one Of which added to
the bad condition of the Deering grounds
which would have been in poor enough
shape for football game without the
rain. AS it was the grounds were two
and three inches deep in mud at three
o'clock and even the efforts of Manager
Hannaford and his assistants to better
the condition of the field by using a lib
eral supply of sawdust did not help mat
ters much. Here and there on the grid
iron were pools of water and the westerly
through which it was next to impossible
to walk to say nothing of moving quickly.
But 1t takes more than rain and mud
to discourage football and at the hour
when the game was called the ropes along
the side lines were lined three deep all
around the field by enthusiastic rooters
for the home team. On the hat or in the
button hole Of almost every man was to
be seen a little knot of blue ribbon, the
school colors, while here and there in the
crowd were few Bangor supporters who
proudly displayed the red of the Bangor
High school. Banners were there too
and among them large blue flag with
the letters ''P. Il. s. plainly marked in
white, the gift to the team by the Royal
Arcanum of Portland. On the grand
stand were hundred or moro of the
High school girls, some of whom wore
entire costumes of blue while others con-
tented themselves with knot of blue
ribbon to display their loyalty to the
young giants of the school who were bat
Ting for glory in the mud against the
upholders of the Bangor High school
honor. Very few of the ladies displayed
the colors OF Bangor but there were some
on the stand and their squeals of delight
when Bangor scored on Hunts long run
could be plainly heard above the groans
of dispair and anger from the many
Threats along the side lines. Each one of
these young misses had tiny blue ban.
ner which they kept in motion almost
constantly and even for gloomy and dis
agreeable afternoon the view of the fem
mime part OF the audience on the grand
stand was a very pretty one and seemed to
be altogether out of place beside the field
deep in mud and the dark clouds which
overcast the sky.
The roofing of the Portland supporters
OF the team was not as noticeable on Sat-
urday as 1t has been at other big games
which have been played here This was
due to the fact that at intervals the rain
poured down in sheets and the 'srooters''
on the side lines were obliged to huddIe
together beneath the few umbrellas and
In their endeavors to keep out of the wet
the most OF them forgot to yell. Then
the game was SO exciting at intervals that
the "rooters' could not find time to do
any systematic yelling but simply ex-
pressed their approval or disgust in
shouts or groans. At the beginning of
the contest the megaphones with which
almost every High school boy was armed
were in constant service but towards the
end OF the game the yells died away, the
megaphones were either spoiled by the
rain or thrown away in the excitement
and the roofing was practically at an end.
The field was roped off in splendid
shape and large corps of Portland off,
GERS was on hand to keep the crowd be-
hind the ropes
1t was few minutes of three when Hal
Hunt and the other Bangor players, &C.
companied by their coach, waded out
through the mud and were loudly cheered
by the crowd along the side lines They
appeared to be about the same weight as
the Portland team but worked out their
signals very slowly aud trotted through
the mud In listless sort of way which
showed that their courage was very poor
and their fears for the kresult of the con-
Iest very pronounced. 1t was three O'Clock
before Capt. Anderson came out on to
Ine grldlron for few minutes of practice
peiore ehe game should be called. With