New-York tribune., 1911-01-19
CLUB ENJOYS BIRTHDAY
Crescent A. C.. Members Turn
Out Three Hundred Strong.
REPORT SHOWS PROSPERITY
membership Falls Off, but Sub
stantial Profit Is Loudly
Cheered.

members and guests Of the Crescent Ath-
Ietlc Club made merry at the twentyhfth
anniversary dinner. held In TIE town house
corner OF Clinton and Pierrepont streets
broohIyh' last night About three hundred
covers were laid in the gymnasium, which
was attractively decorated with vari-coored
flags.
The speakers of the evening included
Walter Camp, the clubs first president and
yale S athletic mentor; Martin w. .Littleton,
william II. Ford. the man who founded
the club: Alexander NJ. White and DR..
Nehemiah Boynton. Others present in
cluded Judge Norman Dixie, Judge Fred
er!ck Crane, Judge wilkins and Maurice
L. Ely, an oldtime Yale athlete. II. II.
ilackett and f. b. Alexander, the national
doubles champons in lawn tennis. also
were on hand.
n pleasing feature was the classifying OF
the various tables. There was one for
hockey bowling, lawn tennis. lacrosse,
baseball fencing, trap shooting, rowing,
rifle shooting and glee club.
The committee in charge consisted Of c.
J. McDermott, president Of the club; NJ. j.
Lamarche. a. r. Fish, B. A. Kelley, c. II.
Martin, w. II. Ford, c. O. Coon, H. Is.
Vanderveer J. F. Carlisle, j. II. Hallock,
D. b. Dearborn, tr., J. w. Walker and G'
L. Hyatt
President McDermott made the opening
address, in which he referred 10 the pros
porous career Of the organization, called
attention to the way 1t had weathered Sc
we're storms. only to come out proudly tri-
umphant an example OF what may be
achieved by men who play hard. but who
always play fair. He ended by remarklng
that he never knew a fair athlete who was
not a fair man. The president then intro
duced Mr.. Ford, a former chief executive,
Familiarity known as NO. l.
In the opinion of Mr.. Ford, the Crescent
Athletic Club was unlike many other SINH
lar institutions that had had their ups and
downs. with us It has been all up; no.
down." he said.
The speaker went on to SHOW now IL was
merely a chance remark or his that was
responsible for the formation OF the ciuo'
He said to a friend one day while dlscuSS
ing football that it was fine game anu
that IL would be a good plan to get up
team and play it. The plan was put INTO
object. and in q short while the team was
organized, and. having plenty OF nerve one
NJ the first things it did was to 80 10
New Haven and play Yale. Some one theh
wanted 10 know the score, whereupoh MI
Ford admitted that ii was A 10 IN raVoF
90 yoro but he added, I'VE almost made
touchdown"
With the aid Of stereoptican views MI
Ford took the members back TO the incep-
tion. and then. step by step, showed now
tba club had advanced from It's MODEST
quarters I'm the Lamarche residence, IN
,SSs IN No. lG6 Montague street the foi-
Io,irq year. TO more pretentious quarters
at No IL Pierpont street in lS9o' 10 ti'o
handsome clubhouse at NO. % OHi'o..
street in 1898. and lastly, in 1906 to their
present palatial abode.
The members gathered about the les'Ne
hoard took much pride in the hhailclai
statement Of the club. Issued III oOoN'1'
eorm by President Charles j. McDerliiot'
II showed that the club made proht OF
S,o ooo after paying off $4,000 in mortgages
and making other heavy disbursements
over $4,000 worth Of bonds were sold
d,r,np the year. due largely to the ehorts /
OF the president
rio total Indebtedness Of the club was
.,.o,yr to be $624,200, which includes the |
IL Considering that the city house
alone cost about that amount ana that tIle
pov Ridge property is assessed at prac-
,icallv $500. 600, the financial strength ol
,,a cIuh is unquestioned. Depreciation 10
,,,r,it,re I'm the city house was placed at
$4,000.
Attention was called TO the fact that the
membership fell off in 1910, just as 1t has
g., about all clubs throughout the country |
1ourine the year 100 members were elected, |
o4a we're lost by resignation and As by |
dootb or expulsion. There are at present |
o. annI,cants awaiting election, but the
class and the army anu
navy department show between tHeili
gains OF only five az against loss OF Io0
i'm the resident section After fiowihg tAat
the same condition has prevailed IN every /
large club I'm the country. president McLer-
mott urged general hustling on the part OF
tho rnanlbers 10 get the roster up 10 the |
limit. including the IS vacancies Tor lie
membership. without making any appre- |
ciahle increase I'm the cost Of operating eX-
csnses. the organization will thus gain
almost $4,000 or enough to materially
assist the club II these vacancies are filed. |
After going into detail in the results at
taiued I'm the different branches, the report /
gives "A detailed statement as to the cost
Of the various sports, the income, etc, and |
tho receipts from che different departments, |
such as the billiard room, the gymnasium,
etc.
The biggest athletic outlay was for the
lacrosse team. which cost $2367 80. more /
than any previous team, except the Pan
American. Baseball cost Sl,O03 and golf
81 ,62lO7. Shooting showed surplus nav
ing turned into the treasurer SiS2 ~ Iak-