New-York tribune., 1909-10-03
KNOCK 1T OFF. PARTNER. -
C'rq Familiar IN Ocean Game Echoes
on Hotel Roof.
..Fcn to them-now knock It off "

-Four to them-now knock it off.
Ocean travellers ar. familiar with this cry. 1t
Is on al day long. with intermissions for
- ais on the decks Of ocean sreYhounds. There
afe various names for it. but deck billiards Is
the NEST Tofu.ar 1t is one OF the best games
ever invented for dispeuns ennu from the lives
Of travellers by sea. But a land amusement
ii has rad no place until some recently returned
tourists called upon the management Of a pop
ular hotel in Philadelphia fer the material for a
game e "Ce-k billiards.
The cinpIoyc who responded to the call that re-
suited in the singular request for deck bill
lard outfit did not know what was meant but
in a n-odern hosiery any novelty that ne guests
really desire can be obtained sooner or later. y
sporting goods house requistioned for the
simple outfit required to play this travellers
game and q course was marked OF on the roof
4 the hotel
The game became poYular at once not only
Eith those who had played II at sea but with
he guests who had never seen it played at all.
lnd now the cues" are in demand all day long,
ma night the game is played by electric light
As it is exceedingly simple to learn, and the
outfit can be made by any one with the least
.andiness with tools there is reason why the
Iedicticn that deck billiards will be a pOpu-
ar fad this winter should not come true.
The length of the course is regulated by the
space available. on board ship the deck does
rot always permit of a long course so space
about thirty feet from end to end is used. At
either end there are chaked squares. each of
which is numbered The cues fcrked sticks
that fit the rounded sides of disks that
smooth enough to slide long way when they
receive an impetus from the cue The trick Is
TO place the cue against the disk (it is not per
missibIe to jerk the disk-it must be pushed)
and slide il down the line until il rests on one
of the numbered squares-the highest number,
OF course, preferred.
On board ship all the greater skill is required
10 Go this because an allowance must be made
for the rolling of the ship. which sometimes
sends a wen calculated shot wide of the mark by
fitting the disk into the scuppers. on the roof
of q hotel, homemade course, il is easier
to acquire skill because the course does not
wabble at the precise moment when it is ex-
pected TO lie stable
It will be foun- at first trial that it is b, 10
means easy to plant the disk the right accN
1t viii be pushed too far and overshoot the
mark, or insufficient motive power will be used
and the disk will stop short of the goal Th.
players, two or more at each end take turns a.
shooting. Partners play al opposing sides of the
course if the first player places his disk on ..
high figure the remark quoted at the head Of
this column viii be heard:
-Four to them-knock it off"
Then the player who follows will try so to
place rs disk that he will not only knock the
first mans disk out of the figure space alto
Bet&"r. bat that in doing so he will insure his
own dish remaining of the figure spaces
1t is this uncertainty in scoring and the possi-
binty O. Wrestling victory from the other players
hands that lend 2est to the game.