The San Francisco call., 1901-11-29


w the two big athletic institutions.
The contest this season was Of
more than ordinary interest owing to the
fact that these teams have not met for
several years.
It is safe to say that no such a game of
football has been seen before on local
gridiron. The Sixteenth and Folsom streets
field looked like a map of the Thousand
Islands. A fair survey would show as
much water as mud. Two minutes after
the whistle announced the opening of the
game, the players were thick with the
mud and their jerseys. jackets and foot
ball pants were heavy with water w hen
ever the two teams came together there
was a splashing and a spluttering and an
oOzing. Ankle deep in the fine soft mire
or up to their knees in the puddles they
played their game to the great dmuse-
ment OF the crowd.
olympics Better Swimmers.
To Percy and Sid Cavill. the swimming
instructors of the Olympic Club. the VIC
tory of the local team is due. The Olym-
pics are better swimmers. They know the
game of water polo, are at home with
wet ball and can go through a scattered
field with a side or overland stroke that
made incompetents of the landsmen from
across the bay. Reliance was marooned.
Whenever the ball f1oated on one of the
many muddy lakes the Olympic retrievers
were sure 10 reach it first. The way those
twenty-five players Topped on the muddy
rUshes and came down pell NELL in a mix
ture Of water, Shiny mud, Squashy clothes
ana soaked bodies, suggested anything
but a fancy dress ball. The people GER
tainly got their moneys worth, although
the football was of poor quality.
On account of the wet weather the
crowd was much diminished in numbers.
The Thanksgiving Day game has become
an institution and there were scattered
through the gr2ndStand the football de-
votee whose attendance at the late No
lNcv- hos -haa
habit. There was little shouting, however,
and no color to relieve the somberness of
the day. The bleachers on the east side
OF the field were bleak and UEtenanted.
Reveled in the Mud.
Almost sharp upon the hour set the Re-
lance kicked off for a fair distance and
the sliding, driving, squirming game of
football began. The ball soon became so
slippery that it was an even chance that
with every pass there would be a tumble.
Big, burly Cadwallader, Plunkett, the
strong man, Cannon, the line bucker, and
Sherman, the fleet footed, stuck in the
. mud and had to be released by Al Lean.
Society Rodolph of the Reliance team
sang pretty maiden" refrains as soon as
the trainer of the Oakland team dredged
his mouth of Xteenth and Folsom streets
mud. Then the ball kept moving slowly
down the field toward the Olympic goal.
PuntS were frequent fumbling became a
habit. The Olympic team gloried in the
oregon weather and put into practice all
their tank tricks. 1t was a case of sea
dog against a land lubber. After ten min
Utes CT slippery foot work, Rithet pInted
long and high to the Reliance fuIIback
ROdolph, who fumbled somewhere on his
own ten-yard line and the ball changed
colors.
olympics Score.
Ten yards to go for touchdown and
the going TO the Olympics' liking-a murk-
ish lake made the few Reliance shiverers
in the stand look darker than the clouds
above. But the Reliance team anchored
and the Olympians stuck in the soft mud.
The ball changed hands and for the time
the game was saved.
A little more rain and a clearer lake
further to the left wrought an undoing to
the OaklanderS. The ball was passed for
man dropped on it back of the line, but
before he could recover and carry it up
field he was run ashore back of the goal
line and the Olympics had scored their
safety the two points which won them
the game.
After that there was little football.
Now and then one side would gain a tenn
pOrary advantage, only to lose it by a
tumble. The heavier Olympics made the
greater distance by plugging away at the
Reliance line. Occasionally little Sher-
man would pick his way out between the
lakes and take long sails down the canals
The second half was a series of line
bucks, off-side plays, kicks and fumbles
A few attempts at place kicks failed
The busiest man on the field was Pro-
fessor Al Lean. who acted as chief mud
scraper. He would uncake the faces of
the men, pull chunks of mud out of their
eyes, scrape their feet and souse them
generally during the intermisstons Hfs
rarlly injured who were knocked out in 2
puddle OF water. Several were saved from
drowning by quick treatment
The field was dirty, but the play was