Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-06-09

no means. Here are the facts. In
~ In the winter months of 1894,
while the newspapers were filled
with boxing, basketball, polo and other
indoor sports, while league diamonds
were covered with ice and snow, and
the stars were alternating or limbering
up in snug gymnasiums with medicine
ball and punching bag, in preparation
for their spring trip South, most people
would have been greatly surprised to
learn that a thousand leagues north
west of New York, at little island 500
miles inside the Arctic Circle, a base
ball league was flourishing, and six or
seven clubs were playing nine-inning
games on ice seven feet thick over four
tually the case.
On Sept. 81, 1898, steam whaling
fleet consisting of II ships, each carry
ing between 40 and so men, or almost
700 in all, was frozen in for the win
ter at Herschel island in the Arctic
ocean, not far from the mouth of the
Mackenzie river. The vessels were own
ed by two San Francisco concerns, the
Pacific Steam Whaling Co. and Roth 4
Blum Co.; and by two New Bedford
firms, William Lewis & Co. and J. r.
Wing. Among them were the "Horatio,"
the John and Winthrop" the "Kar-
LUX" the "Jeannette" and the Gram
pus."
From Nov. % to Jan. IL was unbrok-
en- night, whiled away by the custom
airy Arctic diversions. But when the low
sun began to peep above the southern
horizon, the minds of the imprisoned
men turned to outdoor sports, and
naturally to the one great game with
which almost all were faniliar-base-
ball.
They had played it a little in the fall
after the ships were frozen in. Now
with the returning sun they began
again with fresh Zest BY the first of
March with 10-hour day before them
the sport was in full blast
On the white frozen surface of the
ocean stretching north to the horizon,
ball field was laid out, with bases
made of canvas bags filled with saw
dust, home plate, pitchers box, foul
flags, and all the accessories of the
game. Another field was laid out on the
island The snow was hard and dry,
and smooth as a floor.
several teams were formed among
the officers and crews of the different
ships. There were the Invincibles, the
Hoodlums, the Fat Mems Club, the
Roaring Gimlets and a number of 9TH
ers. The captains had a nine of their
own. And now the game was on in
good earnest. The crack of the bat. the
decisions Of the umpire, the exhortions
of the coaches from the side-lines, and
the roofing of the crowd seemed as
natural as in New York or Philadel-
phia, instead of at 20 degrees north
latitude.
Seven hundred men always furnished
good material for an audience, which
often contained five ladies', wives IF
the captains. Esquimaux encamped in
the vicinity of the ships swelled the
crowd, and later on took part in some
OF the scrub games. the women, as we'll
as the men, joining in.
The players were clothed in deerskin
and sealskfn, which was warm and
light. They had deerskin mittens and
boots, and could run, catch and throw
as well as players in a more temperate
climate. The only man seriously both
cred was the pitcher. whose fingers
were of course hampeTed by his nit
tens and who had to depend mostly on
a straight ball. One man wore gloves
under the deerskin, and used to take