The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-14
HANDBALL GROWS IN POPULARITY.
Irish Game Has Many Ardent DevO-
tees in ST. Louis GymnRsiums.

Handball. the national game of Ireland,
is taking great hold on st. Louis ath-
letes. There Is a tournament in progress
at Muegge's gymnasium. Grand and Hick-
ory street. in which a team captained by
the. veteran athlete. John c. Meyers. is
leading.
Messrs. Drake and Stecker are the other
members of the team. which is three-man
affair, though handball teams usually are
end of the really beautiful gymnasium, .he
court is too wide for two men aside.
II, 1t is really two courts without dividing lin,
Though not a regulation court, a capital
game can be secured on it.
Professor Muegge does not allow the use
OF the regulation handball. which is a
miniature baseball. but there is a rubber
article sold, which is heavy and small and
which makes Il fair substitute for the hard
hanGball and does not hurt the hand of the
green player nearly as much. Al. that most
St. Louis players prefer ball like the
mushy old tennis ball. with which only
imitation handball can be played.
There ara. some corking good players of
the soft-ball, slapping sort at Muegge's.
Messrs Holthaus Mccarthy and Drake
play good games. John Z. Meyers Is rated
The veteran Teuton must have made huge
strides in the Irish game Two years ago
he could not properly push handbali OIL
STOOL much less play the game.
Mr.. Meyers is nothing. If not perseyering
He takes great deal OF personal pride IN
his work and everiastingGE naaes 70 There
are men. however. in St Louis. who say
that they will tie one hand behind them
and play Meyers for anything ne Ieeis IKE
playing for and play here this afternoon
too. ,
There are also some good handball play
ers of the slap variety m as the is crse
with the big tennis ball on the tWo-py-IouI
court. and handles himself Ike man VINO
would be a star on regulation court adier
stroke, two whopping hands, speed. size
and is in every way built for the business
He is the best "scurry hanapaia pthhser , IL.
thing on a regulation court II there were
such a thing:
George d. schaefer plays 5000 S,. game ,I as
nasium. where the court is by affair
Lindell Gordon is fast and certain. ]. H.
McTague, the restaurate IT. also plays a
decent game. Mr. Hickman of the freight
department of the Missouri Pacific is n
with really nvsh eayer than r
Maffitt but a pull in age OF about thirty
years gives Mr. Maffitt the best of it. Jim
Haggarty, the old runner, plays stin
There is no side walls at the B. NJ. G.
and the side lines, which suppiah1 walls IN
an open court are not respected, Inc game ne
handball by men accustomed TO play &C,
cording to the rules. There are no respected
boundaries to the court and contestants ,ii can
bucking wall first.
AT Muegge's the court has its bounds.
There are side walls TO the big court and a
wall on one side and a line on the other on
the small court. 1t has no back wall 1t Is
u shade low for perfect play. but an excel
lent game can be played on II. Inc moor
is perfect. hardwood, kept well waxed ana
scrupulously clean. Professor MuegSe EVIL
IDENTIFY believes that cleanliness Is next TO
goodness. His place is a perfect delight, II
shines so.
The old Pastime court in the Louisiana
building on Vandeyenter avenue Is the best
court in st. Louis. 1t has side and back
walls and skylight and is regulation
court. There is another regulation court at
Eleventh and Branch streets, BUT II IS
frame affair lower in roof and shorter than
the Pastime court. 1t is pretty well diiapi-
dated low.
There is some talk of putting courts. in the
New Missouri Gymnasium. ACCORDING 10
report, they will be mere 'up-against-tne-
wall'' courts. not regulation ones; reguia-
ton court should have skyl1ght all its
length, be IS feet high, "a wide and from 50
to 100 feet long and have side and back
wall, with a gallery in thesiatter Tor spec
tators.
The game is taking such hold that no
gymnasium is complete without 1t. By
cutting through a fioor the. Missouri a. c.
could easily make regulation court. which
would be much apprecia. ID by players. 1t
could be handled like billiard tab at SO
much an hour. This is recommended to the
consideration OF that good sportsman.
George ID. Barnett, who Is the architect Of
the MISSOURI 4. c.