Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-07

Bowling. which Is about the most pOpu-
| lar indoor winter sport O. this country. is
also one of the oldest games known to the
civilized world. Our ancestors hundreds of
years ago INDUCED In pastime which. ex-
| ceptng a few radical changes during the
i last century or SO. was substantially the
same as the present game of bowling. and
| seems to have been just as popular with
| them.
! Bowling seems to have been originated
| early in the middle ages. It was at that
| time purely an outdoor sport. AS was the
| rule with everything of that period. the
| sport was known by variety of names 1t
was called bowls" French bowls" and
''carrean.' Those three names seem to have
| been the most common At that time the
game was very different from the present
sport, but there was much similarity. The
game was played with teams today.
The balls or bowls. they were then
called. were made of stone, one-half spher-
tcal the other half oval shape. This gave
the ball a curve as it sped down the bowl
/ Ing alley or green. an alley was called
IN that day. The scene of the game was q
plot Of ground called rink or bowling
green, at each end of which placed a
cone, which was the mark for the bowlerS
to roll into. The cones were bowled to
from one end OF the rink. and then from
the other. The object of the game was for
| oHC SiOt " place. Inc Udll nearer the cone
! than its opponents. Thus the side bowling
would try and knock their opponents ball
away from the cone, supplanting their own.
| as In the game of quoits. the nearer the
! cone scoring one point for his team. Skill
was required to bowl SO as to get nearer
the cone without knocking the opponents
ball closer
Later the stone ball was supplanted by
one made of lignum vitae. The latter being
made spherical, the outside of the tree
from which the balls were made being
lighter than the heart. naturally gave the
bowl the desired basis for Some
bowlers loaded one side of the bail with a
heavy metal. so as to obtain the desired
erect for curve.
The cones were finally done away with
and superseded by stone or earthen ball
about three and one-halif inches in diam
eter These new ones were known as
! Jacks" Instead of having stationary
mark at which to bowl. the Jack was
| knocked all over the green. and 1T required
strategy and skill to play a good game.
| The bowling green of that period was one
| or the most cared-for spots about village
| or an estate. A plot of ground level as
| 1t was possible to find was picked out for
| 1t. Draining was the first process in max
ing. This was done in such a manner that
| even the hardest rains could not soak the
| ground and make it muddy. The size of
! the plot was usually about ninety by one
| hundred and fifty feet surrounded by
| ditch or gutter four five inches deep.
| During the reign of Queen Anne and the
| first three Georges a bowling green was
\ as popular and necessary to a gentleman'S
| country seat billiard table Is today.
| AS an after-dinner sport of our British
| and Dutch ancestors, it was very popular.
The game was introduced into America
| early in the eighteenth century. 1t seems
| to have been very popular in New York
| early in the eighteenth century. In 1872
| there was locality in New York at the
| foot Of Broadway called Bowling Green.
| and 1t is still known by that name. From
| the time that the sport was introduced into
| America. 1t has rarely ever died out. al
| though the outdoor game has long since
| given way to the indoor.
! AS an indoor sport the game originated
| from several games. among which were
| eagles. French quiles. skettles loggetts
| and sayles. In the game of eagles and leg
| gets conical shaped pins made of bone
players tried to knock them down by
| throwing clubs at them Knocking the
| pins down by bowling a ball came at
| much later period. The sport stopped
! for a short time by some laws which pro-
| hibited the playing of nine pins and similar
| games. The Objectionable features were
| cut out. and instead of having nine pins
| were set up in a triangular shaped frame.
| The first game known to have been
| played indoors was on a covered alley
! some time in the twelfth century The
| first match game indoors in this country
| was a game played on the Knickerbocker
alleys in New York q January 1. 1910
| Until 1875 there no standard length
| of the alleys the size of the balls and
| pins. Before that time the pins were
| longer and much heavier than those of the
| present day. and it was much easier to
| get the Strike"
| The rules and regulations for the bowl
ing game came into effect in 1875. when a