The sun., 1908-02-16
BILLIARDS AND ACOUSTICS
SOUND FACTOR ~ THE PLAYING
or THE GAME.

pheric Conditions Other Ideas OF HlS.
Acoustics make q deal Of differences In
expert billiard playing. in the opinion Of
Edward Mclaughlin. himself an expert
and the best known billiard referee in the
country. Mclaughlin has been refereeing
important matches for twenty years or
more and has made a study OF the con-
ditions which have prevailed.
The matter Of acoustics Ia one that has
received little or no att ention in the arrange
ment Of most Of the public hallsI don't
mean the regular Tooms-that IL, acoustics
a. applied 20 their effect on billiards" he
said; -and I presume that most people
who play billiards mover have given il a
thought Yet il is a subject that ought TO
be considered carefully. for there would
be better billiard playing il the rooms we're
arranged with careful regard to sound.
where does sound come in in a billiard
match7 III tell YOU. The sound made
by the contact Of billiard balls is music
when the sound is what IL should he, when
the proper atmospheric and architectural
conditions have the desired eject on the
sensitive ivory balls Would q music room
be built Without regard for these conditionsp
II would not. and there is just as much
reason Why a billiard room should moi.
IF billiard balls have tinpsnny sound
or sound like cobblestonee when they roll
and meet, something in the conditions ~
the hall 10 having q bad eject on thsr.
And the sound Of the balls has it's effect on
the PLAYER as well az showing that the balls
are ailinR. So the player rIfeTs as 10 his
game. With the more delicate calculation
OF the expert the more he will be affected
by tools which are not perfect. but under
similar circumstances any player would
he affected. though he might not he a.
quick to discover the reason az the trained
expert. The primary cais~ Of the con-
dition Of tho balls and consequently Of the
poor playing Of the expert is tn be found
in the conditions Of the hall itself. but the
sound Of the balls also. II II isn't the clear
and musical note il should be. will he q
second reason.
There may be those who think this 10
a far fetched theory, but il liant in the
least. When the sound is right the play
will be twice as good. ] have an ear for
music myself, and know can play twice
as we'll when the sound Of the balls is pleas
ing and natural. The other sort Of sound
has a disduieting effect on the expert play
ers nerves and stroke. He may not be
aware Of il, but it does. Why, players like
Sutton, Morningstar, Schaefer, Slosson and
others OF high class are Just as keen 20 de-
tect the effect Of the slightest flaw in con-
ditions when they are performing as Pade-
rewski 10 in his line. though being Of differ
ent temperaments they are affected diff
ferently.
There are ways by which sound can bs
absorbed and distributed in a room with
marked advantage. Cloths hung here and
there. lattice work and other artificial de-
vices will make q big Improvement II the
owner OF the room will study the matter
and experiment. When the sound indicates
that the balls are heavy and lumpy it ia well \
20 look for the cause. The Liederkranz in
this city Ia a good illustration Of the effect
acoustics. That IL a musical organization
and the acoustics there for billiards are per-
feet. Look at the amount Of excellent play
that has been done there.
when the balls sound badly it may mean
they are being affected by draught OF back
pressure Of air. or again they may cause
the player TO imagine there is . draught
when there is none. The fault may lie with
tho arrangement Of the building. being one
OF acoustics entirely. As a rule the more
spectators there are in a hall the better tho
play the reason for which is not altogethr
due to the inspiration Of large gathering.
Tn more the hall fills up the better the
quality Of the sound Of the balls. The balls
are less likely TO sound right IN an empty
hail. especially a barnlke hall. Yet this
does not mean that the hall should DO stufy
and the air vitiated.
When Hoppe made his record run Of 3O7
in Orchestra Hall in Chicago the atmos-
phere was clear and perfectly adapted to
good billiards. There was a good vontila-
ting arrangement and previous TO the game
the place had been ventilated, but without
exposing It to the chance OF being cold or
insuffioiently heated when the time came
for the game. l should say that Madison
Square Garden Concert Hall in New York,
Orchestra Hall in Chicago and Horticultural
Hall in Philadelphia are the three best
suited to championship billiard contests.
Il have never seen billiard room in
private residence that was properly equipped
with regard to sound. Architects appar-
ently haven't studied the subject. have
heard men in their homes say they couldn't
play as well a. they could in some OF the
big Broadway rooms. and the reason is their
private rooms are not az we'll adapted 20
playing. remember many years ago when
VignauK was over here practising. He COM
planned that he couldn't play at all. He
moved 10 another room, but with identically
the same tools, table. balls and cus-and
world"
"To change the subject, what style Of
kauC uo you HHQ n4Iueet 10 TeIeTecE
Mclaughlin was asked.
The 1872 game was the reply. There
ls finer work in 1872, more close playing
than in any other game, and you have to
watch closer.
The billiard referee has to know where
to stand; that Is another point in the busi-
ness. As for myself. | take my stand where
! can best see the work, but with regard
70 the spectators, and II can so manage
u do not shift until the player shifts. I
know what the player is planning to do a.
well a. what he 10 doing at that immediate
moment, and take my stand accordingly.
! like to carry the player along, as II were,
by the way ] do my calling. The tones
OF the voice have their effect. was ref
ereeing an amateur game once when the
player turned to me and requested me not
to call so loud That was nonsense Loud
and clear calling with some life In IL heirs
aplayer more than low, droning mouotonoUS
calling Of the count.
the referee should know Just how far
TO let the spectators go with their applause.
Every player naturally likes applause
and TO have his work appreciated. but he
ant ~ L. L. A..