Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-30
RULES Of BILLIARDS
ARE BEING CHANGED
Experts Are Making Efforts to Draw
Up Satisfactory
Code

After many years the rules govern
ing billiards are undergoing the most
rigid revision. The most systematic
effort is being made to arrive at stan
dard which will be recognized alike by
all amateurs and professionals, and
thus do away with the many and ire
quent disputes that now arise There
has been no authoritive overhauling OF
the rules since 1879. Great advancement
has been made since that time and the
changes in the style of play nave
caused many of the old rules to be-
come obsolete. Actually the work OF
revision is being accomplished by the
foremost players of this country and
Europe, including alike amateurs and
professionals. In order to accomplish
this monumental task revised copies or
the old rule are being sent to the play
ers and their opinions asked on spec
ific changes or notifications. Practi-
cally the editor-in- n-chief is Albert f.
Troescher.
While only few of the players have
as yet received their copies Of the
rules, Benjamin Garne, a veteran In
billiard affairs, has been at work on
the revision for several weeks. In COM
menting upon the task of preparing
the new rules he says:
"As often happens in such matter
in the course of years, the billiard code
has got itself into bad shape, owing to
yielding to the individual crotchets OF
men who think that they ought to
know everything appertaining to their
calling, because it Is indispensable that
they should know much. Even carom
rules have been interpolated among
those of ball pool without knowing
either that some of the former were
originally framed rather as innova-
tions for a special end than as a
necessity, or that precisely the same
situation cannot be treated in the ordi-
nary way in French caroms, pin-pool
and blue peter
"As these and other games have each
genius of their own, to apply to one
some rule borrowed from another is
apt to create an interference with an
elder rule of unsupported import. So
to cite three-cushion caroms as an ex-
ample the striker when frozen to a
ball. which may be his fault, Is re-
warded by being allowed to spot,
which gives him the surest shot in that
game; and yet the rule is so unclearly
phrased as to be doubtful IL he can
play from free ball or cushions. or
the two, he should be denied the spot
| and allowed the free ball.
"In balk line the favorite with the
amateurs, the freezer is permitted to
cushion and come back first on the ball
to which he was fast, but in playing
away by masseing he can come back
first upon the free ball only. This is
obviously penalizing the one, object ball
in one case and premiumizing it in the
other. In the amateur championship
held at the New York Racquet and
Tennis club in 1889 for the Townsend
cup it was agreed to play away from
frozen balls, and 1t sent runs and aver
ages up at least 80 per cent. Applying
the same rule to professionals 1t would
have sent the figures sky high in the
old days Of straight rail, with its stead
lily progressive movement, involving at
once science. art and habit Straight
rail billiards is great game much
misused and misjudged. All over the
world there have been fewer than a
dozen straight railers of the first, Sec
ond and third class, The game may
be revived, and It is to be hoped that 1t
will be, but II cannot be II options as
10 Dlay are admitted. Rules need to