Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-10-29
~ Carl CROW.

NJ NFAAhA NV
SHANGHAI. Oct. 2s.-rho first base
ball league ever organized In China has
Just concluded It's first pennant race.
Excitement IN this city has been at fever
heat for a month over tho battle. Even
tho British. Germans. French, Japanese
Portuguese and Chinese were displaying
keen interest In the race before II ended,
and. Of course, the American colony OF
about 5000 talked and thought nothing
else.
Rase han had boon rather sporadic In
these parts until the league was organ
ised. Il was only four-elub affair, but
people IN the United states, and espc-
claliy In the big league cities, can have
no idea OF the wild excitement bunch
OF rahid American base ball fans, STUCK
off 1000 miles away from big league
can get up over a little league Of their
own.
This league was organized In the mid
die OF the summer by william Il Merit
man, MANAGER OF the American Trading
company; Thomas r. Willard, editor Of
the China Prees. the new American
chineee daily newspaper which Is being
published here. and c, w. Wolsiffer OF
the h-American Tobacco company.
OF four teams entered two we're chosen
from among resident OF shanghai, most
by Standard OIL and British-Amerlcan
Tobacco men. and two from the Ameri-
can navy. chosen from the crew OF the
gunboat Helena. which was stationed
here all summer.
The beautiful grounds OF the shanghai
-. -. ...I ~
bat. ~ae recreation ground 10 one Of
the most remarkabis In the world. 10
the tourists Il offers = succession OF SUR
prlscs In the first place, Il contains
one OF the most BEAUTIFUL race courses
In the world. turf track of one and
one-quarter miles. with training track
inside OF q and beautiful and costly
ara ndsiands and club buildings. In the
oenterfleld OF the track are three cricket
grounds with grandstandsi q polo field
where exciting games are played every
saturday during the season. a base ball
held and a score OF tennis courts.
ON Saturday all business stops az
O'Clock and the whole foreign community
repairs to she recreation field TO enjoy
tho various sports. Chinese coolies keel
| the grounds In shape. These coolies, by
the way. arc very good athletes and arr
specially proficient at tennis.
But 90 get hack TO the base ball league
/ The shanghai and Navy base ball team'
have been rivals for several years, hu
only occasionally set together for games
when Il was proposed that league b
formed there was doubt OF les being pos
sibie, but the whole community seiSe'
upon the idea with the result that a meet
ing was called. aud inside OF a week tn
whole matter had been arranged, team
selected and schedule announced. II wa
decided that the best OF Shanghai's bal
players should be divided into two team
o. about equal strength and that tn
players on the Helena should be appor
toned IN a similar way.
on the Helena the teams were divide
on the basis OF above and below decks
ono team being called the Engineers an
tho other the swans. The rivalry betweei
these two teams even before the frs
gamo was SO Intense that by tho time IN
schedule brought them against eao
other over 5000 had been bet on the ON
game The Engineers won e.
one OF the Shanghai teams. called an
Red. Sox, and the two Navy teams alter
mated IN the lead. all three being clos
toGether ali the time. Finally the Re
sox pulled ahead but next day the -Er
gineers won both games OF doubs
header and tied them.
The playof was The most exciting gam
u the whole league racs. The Engineer