The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-20
ATHLETES TO Be HOUSED
MINNESOTA BOAT CLUB SCHEME
WILL SUCCEED
BY Next Saturday Night All of the
Money Required to LiQuidate the
indebtedness of the Club VIII
HIVE Been Raised-Club House
VIII BE Erected on Raspberry Is
land and Fully Equipped.

The efforts being made to raise the
debt of the Minnesota Boat club and
to place the organization on finan-
cial basis such as will enable the men,
berS to complete the formation of
general athletic association are meet
ing with gratifying success, as has al
ready been told in The G / o be.
There is no doubt whatever that the
plans suggested at the last meeting
of the club will be carried QUIT in ev-
cry detail. and that before next au-
tumn a magnificent club house will
stand on the site of the present home
of the Minnesota Boat club on RaSp-
berry island.
The very liberal offer made by Pres
ldent Charles w. Gordon, of the club,
10 raise the balance Of the indebted
ness of $4,000, if forty members of the
club would each guarantee the pay
ment of $35, had the desired effect, ana
last night the last of the forty names
had been secured.
BY next Saturday President Gordon
will have secured pledges for the bal
Rnce and on the Monday following a
meeting Of the boat club win heSheld,
temporary officers elected. and. the
work of organizing the -athletie$asso-
citation pushed as rapidly as possible.
There is an active membership>tn the
boat club at the present time of about
forty New members to the number
of 200 or more will be secured, and
the aid given to the club in this man
ner and what money will be raised in
addition to that required to free the
club from debt will be used in the
construction of the club house on the
island.
The idea Of those who have the work
most at heart is to interest the best
men of the city in the venture. They
- Fo1r fD,~ iOon hos q hn1
for such an organization was to be
found in st. Paul and all that was
lacking was some one to start the
movement. Because Of the financial
embarrassment of the boat club it was
not thought advisable that it should
undertake the work, but when the plan
was suggested that the debt should
be wiped out to enable the work to
proceed every one to took hold in earn
est.
The club house to be erected will
probably be a frame structure with a
stone foundation. 1t will be a club
house, in every sense of the word. IN
addition to the equipment for athletic
purposes there will be a billiard ROOM
a bowling alley, card rooms, etc.
On the grounds, tennis courts will
be arranged, and in the winter 1t Is
not unlikely that a hockey club will
be formed and a rink kept clean on
the river for the purposes of the game.
An effort will be made to interest the
members of the club in snow-shoeing,
and weekly runs, while the snow is on
the ground, are more than a possibil-
fly.
There has been appointed by the
Curling Club of st. Paul a committee,
which will confer with the new Or
ganiZatiOn as soon as it is formed in
an effort to arrange for the consoli-
dation Of the curling club and the ath-
letic association. The present quarters
of the curling club are in the imme-
diate neighborhOod of Raspberry ISL
and. and both organizations would be
benefited by the consolidation.
Football and base ball will not be
overlooked, and a nine and an eleven
will be prepared at all times to de-
fend the Minnesota Athletic and Row
ing assOciation-or whatever it may
be named-on both the diamond and
the gTidiron.
No definite plans have, Of course,
been prepared, but these are the sug-
gestions made to a G lob e reporter
by a prominent member of the boat
club yesterday.
There is no reason" said he, "why
such an organization could not soon
become as widely known as any Of the
Eastern athletic associations. We have
the athletes, and all we need is an
opportunity to develop them. The new
association will provide that oppor-
tunity."