The evening world., 1911-04-17
New York's Two Big Ball Clubs
Should Join Hands Now and
Erect an Iron and Concrete
Stadium That Would Seat
Fifty Thousand People.

Copyright. 1911 Wy The Trcs7 Publishing co.
THE Nct York World.
T T would loo q great thing for baseball
and perhaps for SON. other sports
n the New York clubs OF the Ma
tional and the American League would
Join In procuring land and putting W
n great iron and concrete stadium that
woud seat something like nfty thousand
people Judging from the crush ., the
Year, bsfors Suoh Q stand win b need
ed. not only At the beginning Of each
season, but al through Il. There y nc
reason why both clubs should not b
able TO uss the same stadium nov that
the big leagues are arranging non-oon-
hictins schedules.
The nre that destroyed the Polo
Ground stand should he taken a. q
lesson. Every n has known for years
that the great wooden stand wa q
deadly fire trap. and tina, ~ q IRE hap
pened to start, especially on . windy
day. hundreds OF lives would surely be
lost before the crowd could reach q
safe place. Especially since the more
recent additions there has been the dan
ger OF running down from the seat sec
tons only 70 be caught In the ne,d.
surrounded by blazing stands on al
sides. without q possible venue Of e.
cape. or course. the MANAGEMENT did
whatever Il could to make chS wooden
structure nreproof. Sheets Of CORFU
gated IRON were fastened along the un-
der ade OF the seats. there were
and water throwing irs sx-
tlnguishers everywhere. What good this
did was shown by the rapidity with
which the stands burned In spite OF all
that the watchmen and the IRE depart
ment could do.
\ city like New York should not nj.
low another wooden stand OF such size
to be built. The next stand should be
iireproof. absolutely.
In fact. ] believe that the danger Of
hre Is becoming more generally recos.
nized every year, A, Harvard they have
euilt a magnificent structure OF con.
cTete n iron without an inch of wood
or ournabie material In II.
NJ ALL Is planning a concrete s,a
uluh Ike Harvard's. and II will
De built as soon as tho fund. can
y" raised. Yale had a lesson at the
last Yale-Harvsrd game, when a Are
started near the top OF the south
stand. The greatest luck In the world
alone averted a panic that might have
'Alsed scores OF deaths. even " the
lre admit get out OF control. A sud
zen pun Of smoke rose through the
'rowd. Those eated near the fire
Jumped up ana pushed back against
Iheir neighbors, Men threw their over
oats on the burning woodwork ana
irled TO stamp ont the flames. The
smoke grew denser. Thousands were
on lhelr feet beginning TO rush for the
'he ground when n stream OF water
shot straight into the a., through the
smoke. In an instant the spe tators
realized that a stream was being MIA we'd
on the IRE, and that Il would prob, h,y
be under control In a few minutes
They stood sim ana waited. In n
momert more they wore laughing At the
antics OF those nearest the blaze who
were getting a dueklng lum the nrr
nose The panic Sas ayertod. and IA
tho fire was out within a few second,
there were no bad results.
But see what MIGHT have bon,rn.a
In the first place. thirty thousand no..
PIE were Ia tho stands. which ~,
about nifty feet high and very staor
10 a pauic-stri,kcu rush had st,~,o.
nen and women would hay, nilo3
n a mass ten feet deem in tho ~, ro,
ane between the b tom OF IN, CO.
md the Tense separating IL rr,. =,
.Cld.
II TIE Gre hal got ont
hundreds would bava hoo, ,,,
the top rows OF seats r-,r ,ro or. .,
would have been sorccd ., u"
the ground about prv ,sc. ,, Fl,
chance OF ,,.l,a rfar, '"'
Greater DANCE ~ an
reuun 10 run tbr,,.b ,ho - "'' ",
have aus.f tge Jr.ss,s "a, N"''
and the wind woYid nave - "''''