Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-23
CONTRACT. FOR BALL PARK
Manager ROsch Of Merchant Browns En-
cages Manawa Park.
STRONG TEAM TO Be PUT IN FIELD
Motor Company to Handle
Increased Tramc-Buys Twelve
Open Cars Of Latest
T. Pattern.

Manager Herman Rosch Of the Merchant
Browns Base Ball club closed a contract
yesterday with the motor company for the
ball park at the lake for this season. The
club will have exclusive use Of the park ex-
cept on Saturday afternoons, when II will
be reserved for the games OF the Omaha
Jobbers' clubs.
The Merchant Browns expect to put a
strong team in the field this season. b.
Henderson will probably captain the team
and be one Of the pitchers. Bert Maxfeld
Is slated for catcher and Elmer Shugart will
be at Arst base. Dave Burchield, Elmer
Butler and Jake Haworth will probably play
inheld, while Burk Mosher, Bert Hamrich
and Fred Carly will be in the outfeld. Be-
sides these the club has a number Of pros
pective good men who will be tried before
the team is definitely picked,
The club expects to open the season about
April 10, but up to June 1, when the Manawa
season will open, Will play out-of-town
dates. This will enable the club to play all
return dates at Lake Manawa.
A meeting OF the club will be held this
afternoon at Manager Rosch's once in the
postofhce building.
improvements for
The motor company is arranging to handle
the increased trafic 1t expects this summer
between Omaha and its resort at Lake
Manawa by increasing its equipment and
enlarging It's capacity at the power house.
Increase in tine number OF trains means a
corresponding increase in power and to meet
this the company has purchase a 500-kilo-
watt Hamilton & Corliss engine and a
500 horse power boiler. which wilfN be in
stalled in the new power house on Avenue
A. Part Of the machinery now in use
there will be transferred 20 the old power
house on First aveAue, as when traffic is
heavy and an extra number of trains are
being run power has to be supplied from
both houses. The new engine and boiler,
the largest ever used in this section Of the
country, are being loaded at Buffalo,
President Wells, during his recent trip
east, purchased twelve new large open cars
of the latest type and they are expected
here within the next week. Work on get
ting the large summer cars in order Is be-
ing pushed at the company's shops and when
the summer trafic reaches its height be-
tween Omaha and Lake Manawa the COM
pany expects to be able to put in service
from thirty to thirty-hve trains.
Extensive improvements are being car
Tied out at the lake and arrangements made
whereby big crowds can be handled without
tne trouble ana annoyance 10 tue patrons
that was experienced last year,
To prevent as far as possible the crowd
ing at the depot passengers will leave the
cars at one place and, on leaving the
grounds. will enter the cans at another
depot,
The management is arranging for a num-
Der Of frst class attractions at the lake
this simmer. The feet Of rowboats is be-
ing added to and two or three new steam
launches will be put in service to handle
the traf1c to and from Manhattan Beach.
The bathing facilities at the Beach are be-
ing increased and before the season opens
a new toboggan slide will be erected. The
grounds on the Manhattan Beach side OF
the lake are undergoing extensive improve
ments also.