Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-07-17
America and Britain Out
For Athletic Supremacy.
Yankees Now Have Good Lead
Al The Olympic Games.
Take Three Prizes In Discus
Throwing and Two With Weights.

London. July 16-This was Ameri-
cas- day in the Olympic sports at the
Stadium with both big events which
reached the finals, throwing the dis
Gus, free style and putting the shot.
being carried off by Martin ]. Sheri-
dan, of the Irish-American Athletic
Club, and Ralph Rose Of the Olympic
Club, San Francisco, respectively. The
United Kingdom captured the third
final Of the 40O-metres swimming event
in which H. Taylor added to the score
of his country by beating Beaurepaire.
the Australian, and Scheff of Austria.
The final was also reached in the
1000 metres cycle race but this proved
such fiasco through the attempts of
four Of the participants Schilles, of
France, and Jones. Kingsbury md
johnson of England. to force each
other to set the pace that the judges
declared the event off, it not being fin
ished within the time limit
Italy got her first gold medal today
in the team gymnastic competition,
receiving the greatest number of points
against a great array Of competitors.
No official announcement is obtain
able as how the British Olympic AS
ISOLATION is going to~decide the Olym-
pic championship. but the system
adopted by the London sporting papers
in arriving at the respective position
Of the various countries has been gen.
orally accepted. This system awards
one point for each win, ignoring sec
onds and thirds and includes all sports
carried out under the auspices of the
association whether within the Sta
dunn or outside of it. Following this
method of counting points the cOun-
tries would be placed in this order:
United Kingdom 20 United States
g. Sweden 3; Norway and Canada,
France Belgium and Italy one each.
AS the summer section Of the games
will continue until October 10 and will
include yachting, the Olympic regatta
and figure skating. and as there Will
be winter section to include Rugby
and association football, hockey, Ia
cross and boxing it will be the end of
the year before the trophy for the
championship in all sports can be
awarded. If this method of counting
points is followed by the British Olym-
pic Association, England will win the
trophy, for there are few countries
taking part in these sports outside the
Stadium The American athletic team
which is devoting itself to the events
within the stadium however is not ac-
ceptng this Interpretation. James E.
Sullivan, president of the Amateur
Athletic Union and United States
commission to the Olympic games said
to The Associated Press tonight:
1--WE came here, as we went to Paris
and Athens. with a field team and are
making a fight in the field events, car
ing nothing for the other sports. We
asked that the championship trophy be
put mp for the field sports separately
but the request was not acceded to. So
we will simply take the score in the
field events. counting first five points,
second three points and third one
point ana figure out the American
score on this basis"
Under the American system, the
score as it stands tonight is as fol-
lows:
Notwithstanding the hammer. 8;
team race, 3; discus, 8; putting the
shot, 6; 150O-metre race, S; total 81.
United kingdom-Team race 5; put
ting the shot 3; l5O0-metre race 4;
soOo-metre walk s; total 20.
Sweden S. Greece g. Canada /, Aus
tralia ]. Norway /.
Commissioner Sullivan has received
a reply to the letter which he sent TO
Lord Desbrough. chairman of the
council of the British Olympic Assoc
citation protesting against certain OF
the rules governing the contests and
referring to other matters in connec-
ton with the games.
In his reply, Lord Desbrough opens
with an apology to the Americans for
the failure of single American flag
in the decoration of the Stadium on the
opening day, the omission, he says
has since been remedied. He then takes
ND the complaint Of the Americans re-
garding the conduct of the sports. The
question CT the pole vault was referred
to the Amateur Athletic Association
which decided not to allow the Ameri-
cans to dig a hole for the pole but ac-
coded to the request to have pits filled
with sand for landing on.
In regard to the question of heat
drawings Lord Desbrough pointed out
in his letter that the drawings had al
ready been made in the various heats
and count NOT be altered, although tHIs
had not ben asked for. The Athletic
Association. he said, had invited the
American committee to have man In
the arena during the progress of the
events in which America was interest
ed and Mr.. Halpin, the American man.
ager, had been appointed to this post.
After reading Lord Desbrough's letter
Commissioner Sullivan replied that if the
drawings were already made the Ameri-
cans would like to see them before the
dayton which the events were to be con-
tested. a privilege which heretofore had
not been accorded them.
In addition to the discuss throwing, the
weight putting. the 400-metre swim and
the 100O-metre cycle race. number OF
preliminaries in other events were pulled
off today These included the second heat
of the 1Oo-Kilometre cycling: two heats OF
tho 10-mile walk: two heats in the second
round of the 20O-metre breast stroke
swim: the fifth heat of the fancy diving
in which H. c. Grote of the Missouri
Athletic Club got second: and seven heats
of the. 1O0-metre back stroke swimming,
- Of hn