The Florida star. (Titusville, Fla.) 1880-1917, 1908-09-04
STREETS GREAT FEAT
Diamond Star Held on to Ball
Dropped $50 Feet.
WON ON THIRTEENTH TRIAL.


Many Experts VainIy Attempted.
Sphere. Dropped From Top Of Wash
IRstea Monument, Was Five and
Three quartsr Seconds Falling.
From a little window only a few
feet below the top Of the Washington
monument ut the national capital
there dropped the other day a baseball
such as In used by the big leagues. II
curved, twisted, squirmed and then
with thud and an impact that nearly
Knocked the daring recipient down
landed In the padded hand Of Charlie
Street, an American league catcher.
When that Insignificant looking
sphere had landed a feat long consld-
cred impossible had been accomplish
cd, and Street was heralded as the
hrst man who had ever caught a ball
thrown from such a height-550 feet
The impact against the pitchers mitt
A estimated ut 200 pounds. The We
locity In the last second was ire
mendous.
Street used the ordinary catcher's
glove
The stirring scene was witnessed by
only a few men, who had been invited
10 the test. There was Street himself.
standing sixty feet away from the
base Of the monument. Around him
clustered Preston Gibson, newspaper
proprietor and ciubman; Ganley, left
fielder Of the Washlngtons, and Nc
Bride, shortstop.
Far above this little group. in the
tiny window that looked like a dot on
the monument, stood another man
He had ten baseballs with him. he
constructed Of two little planks a sort
Of runway, down which he was to roll
the spheres
There was no warning Of when the
first ball or the last one was to come
hurting down to Street. He didn't
have the advantage Of the usual sig
mails from the pitcher. All he could do
was to stand there, eyes like Sits,
hands held out, head up, waiting
He knew that before him such
giants Of the diamond as Buck Ew-
ing, Paul Hines, Charley Snyder and
Malachi Kittredge had stood In that
same spot long ago and made gallant
but futile attempts to capture the base
balls that swished and sank down
ward faster than any express train,
wiggllng as II they had St Vitus'
dance, now being swept this way by
the wind. In an instant forced in an
other direction. always cratic. al
ways baf1ing.
Street stood on the north side OF the
monument. Suddenly Ganley sang out
Here she comesr' Street saw the
ball-a tiny dot against the sky. The
wind whisked 1t to one side. Street
shifted his position. 1t took just FIVE
and three-Quarter seconds for the ball
to hit the earth, thirty feet from him.
Again came a whlstling. erratic ball
1t plunged far from the catcher. Sew
en- other spheres shot downward. and
yet Street might as well have been n
mile away.
Ball No. IL came closer to the man
below, and he had his gauge. 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 1t would be good night for
him.
, Gritting his teeth at the thought that
unlucky thirteen was coming his way.
carrying defeat, the plucky catcher
heard Ganley sing out again:
You've got IT,
There was a bang" and Street
Quiverad from head TO foot. 0s ship
would CULVER IN a collision. He stood
as still as wooden Indian. looking
at the little sphere In his hands. Then
he laughed like a child. only half con
scious OF the fact that he had done
what no man in the world ever had
done before.
Street described his experience as
follows:
The approach OF the ball appeared
TO be In wavy lines. and that motion
was made more realistic by the prevail
ing winds. couldn't gauge the line O.
digit. and that is a condition OF the
first importance in stopping a ball. i
was an unusually windy day.
when l touched the twelfth ball
knew that would succeed. My nerve
came back. and when the thirteenth
ball arrived closed in on II and held
II fairly and squarely.
II can't say very much more abou
II. only that the force was more ter
rible than that Of any ball l eve
, caught In my life. either batted o.
thrown. guess the speed was man!
times greater than that Of a ball hurl
ed at me by Pitcher Johnson"
Training Bank Employees TO Shoot.