The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-08-22
CATCHES BALL DROPPED
FROM WASHINGTON SHAFT
Catcher Street Accompanies
Feat in Which All Other AS
pirants Have Failed.

Catcher Charley Street, of the Wash
inston American League team. yester-
day accomplished a feat that will make
him famous for a lifetime, ever if he
should never catch another ball. This
was the catching of a baseball dropped
from the top of the Washington Monu-
ment. as told in yesterdays EVENING
STAR, so simple at first thought, but
III achievement in which some of the
greatest ball players the country has
ever known have failed in the past.
Street attempted the feat on "a wager
of $500. The ball, coming from a point
$50 feet above the ground, was scarcely
visible as it started its descent, and
when it landed in the catcher's mitt
the impact seemed as terrific as a col
lision between two trains. The velocity
was tremendous, the ball shooting
downward at the rate of seventy-eight
feet "A second, and the impact against
the catcher's mitt is estimated at POO
pounds.
: Spcck In the Sky.
The ball Was dropped from Il little
window only five feet below the peak
of the monument. There was no warm
ing of when the FIRST ball or the last
one was h. come hurting down to
Street. The catcher knew that before
him such giants of the diamond as
Buck" Ewing. Paul Hines, Charley
Snyder and Malachi Kittredge had
stood in that same spot long ago and
made gallant hut futile attempts to cap
tura the ~bascballs hat sWished and
sank downward faster than any express
train. weighing as if they had st. Nitus's
darce. now being swept this way by
the wind, in an instant forced in an
other direction. always cratic, always
baf1ing.
Street stood nn tic north side of the
monument. Suddenly Ganley. tho
Washington outGeldcr sang out; Here
she comes" Street Jaw the baIl-t
tiny dot against the sky. The wind
whisked II to one side. Street shifted
his position. 1t took just six n three
quarter seconds for the ball to hit the
earth. thirty feet away. Again caIne q
whistIing. erratio ball II plunged far
from the catcher. Seven other spheres
shot downward. and yet Street might
as well have been a mile away.
Four other balls were sent up. Street
tIltllStH IL alltlAltl si'lt Va ilt Iiiuill-
ment To euchre the wind. Ban mum
Der ten sped far behind him. and the
catcher moved once more until he got
sixty feet from the base of the mon
ment.
Ball No. II came closer to the man
below. and lac had his gage. The
twelfth ball hummed almost into
Streets hands. 1t touched the tips
of his fingers, and from the impact he
knew that il one Of the missiles hit his
head it would be good night for him.
Caught the thirteenth Bail.
Grittin2 his teeth at the thought that
unlucky thirteen was coming his way.
carrying defeat. the plueky catcher
heard Ganlcy sing out again:
You've got it!'
There wis n bang and street quiV-
cred from head 10 foot. as a ship would
culver in a collision. He stood as still
rs Il wooGcn Indian, looking at the little
sphere in his hands. Then he laughed
like a child. only half conscious Of the
that he had done what no other
in the world had ever done before.
His companions clustered about him
and escorted him in triumph to his