The Minneapolis journal., 1906-08-05
SPORT MAD CROWD
TAKES BALL. PARK
Thousands Of Fans Beat
Back Police to See N.
Y. Giants Play.
Clothes Torn Off, Women
Faint in Mad Rush at
Polo Grounds.
New York Herald Special Service.

NEW York Herald special Service. "' ..-sa
EW YORK, Aug. 4.-The biggest
crowd in the history Of New
York baseball filed the
grounds today to see Chicago play the
giants, while 10000 overflow stormed at
the fence, slugging policemen and tick
et-takers and tearing down the main
gates, ..-.s 5-.. ..-.. -,9.-e-... ...s..-. -
There were $4,000 persons inside, SO
many that nothing but two-base' hit
would be allowed. Out in Eighth av-
enue and around on the side thousands
Of sport-mad men fought savagely for.
the chance to pay their money. Fail
way in, and many succeeded before the
police drove them away. Reserves from
six stations were almost powerIess to
handle the mob. ,@s" -s .~.--~.
The crowd seemed utterly. unmanage-
able. The cause for it could not be
guessed by the oldest fans. Somehow
everybody seemed to have come late for
the game, and the turnstiles were not
able to let them thru quickly enough.
The police closed the Eighth avenue
gate in the hope of causing the crowd
to divide and go around to the side en-
trance. .'-'' -.
This enranged the mob. Those in
the front rows of the crowd began to
pound and kick the gates. AS they
yelled for admission the rear ranks
began to close up. Like a herd of cat
tie suddenly rounded up they ymilled
back and forth over Eighth avenue and
dashed along the fence. Every min
| ute more men arrived.
l. Women in the crowd were dragged
along with the men. Their escorts who
tried to protest, were slugged or kicked
out Of the way, and before they could
do anything they were carried off in
the current of the crowd. It was base.
ball lunacy and nothing else, s<z
4 AS soon as. the ugly attitude Of the
fans was shown reserves were called
They were unable to make their way
beyond the fringe Of the crowd. An
extra call was sent out, and soon 100
policemen from half dozen stations
were battling with night-sticks to keep
| the man back. ~
Scores Of women were dragged OUT
fainting by the policemen, bedraggled
with their clothes half torn from them
All the while the policemen were try
ing to get near. the big double gates
Somehow the men seemed to feel that
they must beat the cops in order to see
the game. -, p. r...y ...,.--. .....-
At the gates there were hundred
men backed by the weight Of hundreds
more. Like some overgrown football
team they charged time and again. Al
last the big bolts were torn from theil
sockets and the gates swung inward
with crash. Dozens fell in the mao
rush and that there were no serious in
iuries is regarded almost miraculous.
At $3.50 pm, when the game was t,
have started, the police were powerles
before the crazy throng on the field
and the different attempts to begin tn
/ game were failures. After forty min
} utes of hard labor most Of the GROVE
} was forced back to the ropes and it wa
possible to start. ...- .
, At that time the polo grounds was
} sea of faces. The diamond was
| green spot completely surrounded b,
sweltering beings. Hundreds Of boy
and men like human flies, hung from
the rafters Of the grandstand.