Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-09

NUMBER 10 limited to twenty-five and all
applicants are acted upon by a member
ship committee, the personnel of which is
unknown save to the president of the club,
The membership list is now full and it
contains names OF men who are all devoted
to the game. This is one Of the prominent
qualifications for membership. The club
want men who are in 1t for the sport
and the game, who will push it every
minute and who will play regularly and
strenuously.
Men OF, athletic tendencies developed by
their lives at college, some of them now
leading sedentary business lives, others
fitting around the social flame, still more
who do both. all welcome the game Of
squash as a c~ure-all. There the musty
Iassitude of stuffy o%fices, the scented
languor Of luxurious parlors, are alike
shaken of with the garb that attends
either, and, attired in light gymnasium
attire, these young fellows forget every
thing for the time being except the flying.
whirling, twisting ball that they must fol-
low with their eyes and meet with their
raoquets.
N. p. Dodge, jr., is president of the club.
Ezra Willard is secretary and G. H. Brown
Is treasurer. These three, with G. T..
Kountze and j. L. Brown, comprise the
board of directors. The other members
are; L. L. Kountze. Samuel Burns, jr., H.
X. Brown. s. s.. Caldwell, @. H. Brown,
Alfred Willard. Frank Haskell. Clarke Pow
ell, Conrad H.. Young, Joe Barker, George
Palmer. e. NJ. Morsman, jr., II. w. Yates,
jr, ], w. Battin, Henry T. Clarke, jr..
Fred Rustin. Harry Lyman, j. It. Stewart
and Fred Wearne.
Two tournaments have already been held
by the club, and competition is of the keen
est. Yesterday the third tournament began.
Entries closed on Friday, and drawings
were held not only for the regular tourna-
ment, but for a consolation event as well.
The preliminary rounds will be played oi
SO that the semi-fnals Of both the regular
and the consolation tournaments can be
played the same night. side by side, on the
two courts. Then the finals OF both can
also be played of simultaneously.
This arrangement is for the benefit OF the
spectators, of whom there are not a few,
Since their masculine admirers rave gone
In for vigorous athletics Of the squash
variety. the young society women have en-
tered into the spirit of the thing with equal
zest, and between them the rivalry In sup
port Of their favorites for first honors is
as keen as that between the contestants
themselves.
To accommodate these onlookers a grand
stand has been built in the hall. 1t Is
high above the courts at the rear end. COM
handing e thorough view of both. The two
courts are side by side, and built exactly
parallel. with only a dividing partition for
a play wall between. Another improve
ment that has been put in since the club
started out Is a back wall extending along
the rear Of both courts, and seven feet
high. This doubles the fascination and
intricacy Of the game, as the ball can new
be- played on either side or the front on
rear. Locker rooms and baths complete the
equipment.
The game itself is now so modified as "a
be almost the same as racquets, played SO
much in the east. The only real differ
ence is that the balls are hard and smaller
for racquets. while tennis balls are used
in squash, and in racquets a smaller rae
quet than the tennis utensil Is used. This
similarity gives men who have played rae.
quets a great start at the game OF squash
Those members who played hat game al
school are mostly expert stars OF the
Omaha club, and tennis players also catch
on very rapidly. Others, too, who have
never played either game. but who are
naturally athletic and agile, have become
good squash players. The best men In the
club at present are Luther Kountze, Diel
Stewart, Frank Haskell. N. p. Dodge, jr
and Samuel Burns. ir.