The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-18
IDLE DAY IN The POMaOgMS!
AOUEDUCT AGAIN OUT OF REACH
FOR BETTING Uses.

Jntl the Wfnrers Came In oS Tele-
phohe--some Rooms Post Their Own
Odds. Some Try a Handbook Business.
The local poolrooms were practically
put out of bushes again yesterday as lar
as the Aqueduct races we're concerned.
although they had the news from the West
ern tracks. The poolroom agents at Aoue-
duct, ha wing failed utterly to get any WORD
TO the city on Monday over the telegrap pm
wires in time TO make business worth while.
decided to cease their efforts in this direc-
ton and concluded 70 try the telephones.
They could find less than a dozen WITHIN
a mile from the track gates and more than
half Of these had been leased by afternoon
newspapers, Poolroom agents we're al
lowed to leav We the track just after the first
race, but ae they had great difficulty in
finding telephones they soon gave up in
disgust.
Meanwhile the Jockey Club stewards
we're in conference with Robert Pinkerton
and his assistant, Seymour Butler, trying
to. hit on a plan to let the news out promptly
to the afternoon newspapers without risk OF
its being stolen from the wiSes for the pool
rooms,
That the club has decided not to recede
from it's campaign against the roolrooms
may be accepted az a fact.
The poolrooms are all tied up" said
Seymour Butler. They cannot get the de-
sired information, and that means they
will have to stop doing business on the
Aqueduct races. We have got a good line
on their attempts to send the news from
telephone booths outside OF the track, and
- e A.. x.z -sh1 Aa ia fr,nI RI
do this to-day have failed completely.
II was said yesterday that the poolrooms
would have a number Of telephones located
near the track in a day>or two for their ex-
elusive use, but il they do the Jockey Club
is believed to be ready to make a counter
move.
How long can the poolrooms stand this
game?" asked a man who has been in the
business. Each room is under an expense
of about 500 a day, which includes the sala-
ries Of employees, rent and other items l..
1t will cost another century to get men IN
and out of the track each afternoon, yet
the information obtaine d is not trustworthy
and their can be 10 real business done with
1t. Suppose a room wants to do business
on the first race at Aqueduct. which Is run
at 230 o'clock. II lie impossible to secure
the names of the starters, the Jockeys, the
odds and other details over the telegraph
wires. This information is not made public
before 2 o'clock, 50 that the poolrooms,
! agents must get out Of the track with it and
hurry tn a phone. II takes some time 70
telephone the stuff and by that time there
is A play in the ring at the track which lie
necessary information for the ROOM. The
half hour is quickly consumed and the room
has but a few minutes, If the agents are
spry. in which to take bets. Then the re-
suit does nor reach the room for another
fifteen minutes or 90, while more advanced
information on the second race must be
telephoned. How much business can a
room do under such circumstances? Can il
make any money? 1t does not seem possible,
and il the present arrangement continues
I think you will see near all the rooms go
out of business.
When the racing shifts to one of the other
tracks. notably Gravesend, Sheepshead Bay
and Brighton, the poolrooms may have
ca sier sailing, for the reason that there are
many buildings close to these tracks in
which telephones can be installed. Blu
Aoueduct. Jamaica and Belmont Park are
so far away from residential districts that
the Jockey Club will be able to rule with an
iron hand"
By the time the Aqueduct races were
half over yesterday most OF the extra pool
room EMPLOYEES. who had been hired be-
cause Of the opening Of the local racing sea
son, were on the street or in neighborine
saloons disconsolate. .
All through the afternoon the telegraph
operators waited at their keys for mesa ges
and, with the exception OF two or three
scratches in one race, not a tick came from
Auueduct. As soon as the time came for
the first race at that track IL was seen tina
the Jockey Club had r c%tically won. Not
one word as to the weights, jockeys, prices
scratches or added starters arrived. Some
of the rooms took handbook bets for theil
patrons, the odds to be fixed upon news
paper reports. Other rooms put up theil
own odds. This was not satisfactory. tt
the bettore. They wanted prevailing odds
In some of the places, however, the plar
was followed to nearly the last race an
bets were paid after the poolroom mana ger
had made sure that a certain horse hac
actually won
In most Of the rooms the winner wa.
known from Ave to ten minutes after th'
race. The news came by telephone am
was quickly scattered about to the variou
rooms. That did not attract any bettors
however. and it was not long before th'
keepers of the places told their clients tina
they seemed to be beaten for the day. En-
plovees fled out. but word was passed
around to say that the rooms had been dom:
business and that by to-day some mean
would be devised to have business running
smoothly again.