The Portland daily press., 1898-12-26
FROM ERIN.
Athletes to Test American Skill and
Prowess.

Athletes to Test American Skill and
Pr0wess.
The All Star Team Which VIII Visit
This Country Its Members Arc
Mighty Men ON the Old Sod.
New York, December M.-An athletics
team will be In America next summer
that will make the heretofore inyincible
aggregation of the New York Athletic
Club work hard to retain its laurels.
The best Drawn of Ireland is gathering
for the purpose of making friendly in
vasion Of Yankee land. On this team
will be galaxy of ord-breakers that
may be expected to take the breath from
the American athletic fraternity. 1t is
safe assertion that it will be the strong
est athletic team the world has ever seen.
Already athletic moguls of the Mercy
Foot Club sniff the dangers and are
securing the American continent in
search of new material to face the Irish
boys.
The troupe from the Emerald Isle Will
be purely amateur. Every man on the
team will defray his own expenses. These
famous specimens Of Ireland's manhood
are expected to arrive in New York about
the first of June, and will remain during
the summer and autumn. Probably some
of them will remain here for the rest of
their natural lives. America has always
had an irresistible attraction for Irish
athletes.
The Irish Athletic Association. of
which James j. Erawjley, of the Knioker
booker A. c.. is the guiding spirit. will
look after the comfort OF Erin's sons
when they strike Gotham. A big athletic
tournament will be held in their honor
at Celtic Park, Laurel HILL Long Island.
The geniel Frawley will steer the ingen-
ious visitors clear of the many pitfalls for
the unwary in the metropolis. The tray
elers will, of course, participate In the
American and Canadian championships
and expect to take home plaque covered
vita the gold die medals of the A. A..
u.
|
team will be W. J. Newburn, the won
derful broad jumper. He only took up
this game about eighteen months ago,
yet, today, he holds the worlds record.
He won the title of "phenom' on his
third public appearance, when he cleared
2s feet. He subsequently won the Irish
championship with leap of 28 feet 4
inches and the English championship
with performance of IS feet, inches.
He topped this off by breaking the world q
record last August at the Balls Bridge
sports, held in Dublin. He put the fig
ures at % feet 9 inches.
One month later he electrified the
world with jump of feet "a inches,
and before the amateur authorities had
recovered from their establishment, he
had made jump of feet 8 inches. This
last performances is under investigation
previous to being accepted by the English
authorities. He is credited with the al
most unbelievable performance of feet
II inches in practice. When making his
great leap, Newburn takes a run of
seventy five yards and rises to height of
| fully five feet in the air. He is magnil
Gently proportional athelete, standing
| feet l.s inches in height, and weighing,
in condition, 1S9 pounds. He is twenty
three years of age and student at the
Dublin University.
| D. J. Leahy will uphold the prestige OF
| the Harp in the high jump, and will
also play an excellent second fiddle to
Newburn in the broad event, Like New
| burn he stands head and shoulders above
every other amateur on this planet at this
speciality.
| The shot-putter of the aggregation will
be D. Horgan, who holds the present
record of 4S feet l-2 inch. He has won
the English and Irish championships
five times in succession, and no man at
this end of the cable can compare with
him. Horgan holds worlds record of sc
feet inches for the 28 pound shot, He
can throw the 16-pound hammer abou1
| l45 feet. and has cleared over feet in thu