The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-04
A BLIND BALL aFAN'
James Judge Never Saw Ball
Game, Yet He's an En-.
thusiast.
Despite His Infrmity, He Does
Things That Men With
Sight Cant.

He never saw a game of baseball in his
me- But If there is any other fan that
can veil louder than I cam says James
Judge. aged 81, of 2s14 Clinton avenue
III there's anybody that can lose more
pets on the home nine. Just trot EN- out"
The circumstance that Mr.. Judge has
been totally blind for forty years did not
prevent his being more eager than anaof-
nee boy to enjoy the first game of the
season at the Minneapolis grounds last
Friday. 1t did not keep him away from
the game on the following Saturday. It'll
see every game this year." says he. st
seldom allow my business to interfere,
when there's something dom at Nicollet
park or Minnehaha.''
Yet Mr.. Judge has business enough,
business both profitable and important.
he IS a master steam filter, a successful
contractor mechanical inventor of pro-
nounced ability. The Oldest master steam
inter In the state, if not in the country,
he boasts that he has always been mas
ter filter. always a boss" never a jour
neyman nor a helper
70 shun the vain idleness of most peo
pie that can see Mr.. Judge passes leisure
moment in playing the violin and in per-
forming feats of calculation that astonish
mathemat1cians. It's merely for occa-
sional recreation that he attends ball
games, plays cards or goes a-ishing.
These hints at Mr.. Judges mental alert
ness may naturally precede the statement
that he was originally printer. He
acquired Typographical dexterity in upper
Canada, where he was born of Irish par
ents. He went to Burlington, VT, and
was employed in a newspaper office when
the civil war begun. He enlisted in the
Fourteenth United States infantry. While
retreating from the Gainesville battlefield
in August. 1862, he was shot thru the
thigh, taken prisoner and then paroled.
The following year, at the age Of q.
he was employed as a time keeper for
copper mine near Ashland, Wis. A blast
intended to remove some surface rock
had failed to explode. After several days
the young timekeeper volunteered to re-
move the charge. Taking a rod of soft
iron and a bucket of water he alternately
prodded and soaked the powder. But one
movement was too quick He exploded the
blast. II saw a sudden blaze-the last
light that I'll ever see.''
Learning Trade.
He soon recovered from his lesser in
juries. And it was when he was recuper-
ating at a. Milwaukee hospital that he
began to learn trade in which he has
acquired uncommon experiences. On leav-
ing the hospital he was already master
steamfitter. He hired men, opened shop
and was soon accepting profitable con-
| tracts. He installed steam heating plants
in various states, especially in Wisconsin.
Michigan and Illinois,. Since he came to
Minneapolis, five years ago, he has en-
phasized his success.
Not satisfied with using apparatus con-
| trived by men with perfect sight, Mr..
Judge has invented notable improvements
| In steam-heating mechanism. His patent
valve enables one to turn steam on or
off radiator by a single touch of the
finger His single feed" system of steam
heating provides radiators from which no
steam is discharged to fill the room with
dampness and to blacken the walls and
| ceiling. The same radiators can be ad-
justed as easily as any hot water appar-
atus to- give forth 8 varying degrees of
heat. snprtsaSfry zsE.rs q,
And you ought to see Judge figure on
| contract" exclaimed, to-day,ra steam fit
ter that knows him well. Hell ask the
dimensions of the various rooms in an
ordinary house. Then he'll begin think
| ing. Within ten minutes he'll be able
to tell you exactly what he'll charge to
| do the work. Any of the rest of us would
| have to spend an hour with paper and
| pencil to make an estimate like that"
One our Milwaukee steamfitters," ex-
planned Mr.. Judge, introduced me to the
ball players. Then they got to visiting
| my shop. We all made a living with hot
air, I s'pose. Anyhow got acquainted
| there with Bennett, the great Detroit
catcher, and with Ward that used to do
| some magic pitching for the old James
vile Mutuals. This was about 1875 and
IT. No, hadn't ever seen a game of
ball before I lost my eyesight The
game was played a little by boys when 1
was a young fellow, but never paid any
attention to it,
But beginning about twenty eight
years ago caught on to all the fine
points. Soon was buying season tickets
| mn {o{>
great luck, too. Once pulled off seven
| combinations in pool bets for seven con-
secutive days.
II never had so much fun in my life as
when the Detroit and St. Louis mines
used to put UP their hot games in the
/ old National League at Milwaukee. Chi
cago and Detroit, about 1883 and "a.
Listens to the Umpire.
II usually try to get seat in the grand
| stand just about opposite first base and
! three or four rows back. I don't really
care whether the woman before me has a
! big hat, tho I sometimes catch myself
| bowling Down in 'front.' Whoever is with
! me reads over once the batting list on
each side. After that can tell whose turn
at the bat it is without looking at the
J program. And | can generally make out
a foul from a fair ball by the way the ball
sounds against the bat. If I can hear the
umpire call the balls and strikes I can
1 follow the game easy enough. only have
to have somebody tell me the result Of
the runs. But know pretty near what
to expect. When Wilmot hits the leather,
for instance know he's going to drive
it. also know that he won't hit it once
in ten times
In playing eucl1re seven up. sixty-six
or poker. Mr.. Judge distinguishes the
7 cards by means of projections in the card
board With lead pencil he makes
i enough combinations of six points To
i identify any one of the f1fty-two cards.
1 He picked up card ,yesterday-''the five
of diamonds-the pedro" he observed
without hesitation.
i This rosy-cheeked. smiling defer Of fate
finds Waltonian JOY in fishing. Eyes, in
deed" he says. IT can beat a nickel
plated scale weighing what catch. and ]
can tell the different sorts of fish every
time by the way they nibble and pull"
Mr. Judge smokes cigars with great
satisfaction. And he has colored fint
meerschaum. He learned to smoke severa
years after he lost his sight. There is nt
truth Whatever he declared Gin the ole
story that YOU have to see the smoke Of
the blaze to enjoy o. cigar Might as vel
say that nobody cares for a kiss in thu
dark The blind philosopher is mar
| ried.
GERMAN GUESTS COMING
A Distinguished Party OF Gentleman
Farmers VIII Be Enter
talned Here.
Wy, ~, So 49,, r..