The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-07-27
Base Ball Long Ago.

The Rockland Courier Gazette reprinted
from The Journal of July 18th, the ac
count of the game of Oct 3, 1867, and
added the following:
The above clipping was shown to Henry
NJ. Wise, who was one of the player S
named, and he Immediately lapsed into a
reminiscent vein that was at once inter
eSting and amusing Remember the
game. Why of course he remembered it,
| and he rem embers another tie game which
| Rockland played with Belfast when the
| score was 40 to 40. This contest took
place in the big field where now stand the
residences of c. H. Berry. George l..
Knight. and W. H. Glover. Mr.. Wise, who
had been playing short stop, consented to
swap places with G. w. S. Cobb, and went
into the field. A high fly was knocked
! which looked to Mr.. Wise as though it
was going over Simonton's house. He
ran for it at full speed and when he saw
the ball descending threw both hands
wildly in the air without the slightest
idea that he would ever make the catch.
| The ball struck first in his left hand and
the Rockland Gazette in its next issue
told in italics the story Cf Wise's marve
lous one hand running catch. In the
same game Mr.. Cobb knocked a tremen-
! dously long fly
! SO far as Mr.. Wise knows every mem
| Der of the old Lime Rocks is living
Soule, who caught, was big, stout man
with a luxuriant growth of beard and re-
| ioiced in the nickname of whiskers. He
was a member Of the firm of Whitney Il
Soule, at one time in business here.
Manson, who played right field, is our
| old frianA Sandy ~ bo WI hoe trrinbt
and he is just as fond of game of ball
to- day as he ever was. c. W. S. Cobb,
who played center field, is now in the lime
and cement business in St. Louis Her
bert Havener, who played first base, is
builder and contractor out in Greedy,
| Colorado. John D. May, the left fielder,
is one Of Rockland' S best known business
men. E. A. Knowlton, the cabinet maker,
| played third base and also pitched Mr..
| Wise does not know the WhereabOut of
| either Colby or Bartlett.
The playing of the Lime Rocks is re-
membered by many of The Courier Ga
zatte readers and this bit of retrospect
will awaken many pleasant memories, and
recall incidents that had been forgotten
| in the lapse of over 80 years. Some day
| it is our purpose to tell more about the
| Old Lime Rocks.
| Waldo B. Washburn of Belfast, who
figured in the 50 to 50 game, described in
our Saturday issue, was an interested
witness of Saturdays game and incident
ally talked over old times with his many
Rockland friends. Quite number of the
| Belfast eXcurSionistS were old timers on
the diamond, end, like everybody who
has ever played ball, they have never lost
| their love for the great national game.
| [Rockland Courier Gazette.
| Catchers and Easements mits, masks,
pads, and other modern acces series were
unknown in the early days of base ball,
as were also the intricacies of the modern
score. The "tally" was often kept by
cutting notches on the two sides of stick,
one side being devoted to each club. The
balls then used were "lively" balls,
much more elastic than those now in use,
consequently they could be knocked
| farther, and would rebound higher when
| they struck the ground. The bats were
| slightly longer and not so large, and some
were sawn lengthwise in the handle to
give them spring. The games were often
played on field on Cedar street where
the houses of Mrs. j. H. Emery and John
| II. Poor now stand. The striker stood
where Mrs. Emery's barn now stands,
and often knocked ball over the house
of Aaron Howard, now owned by R. F.
Dunton, Esq. or, if the direction were a
little more to the west and the ball struck
in the street, it would roll or bound to the
present location of Elm street.