El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-10-28

colony, Of about 1000 talked and
thought nothing else.
Baseball had been rather sporadic
IN these parts until the league vas
organized. 1t was only four CLUB
affair, but people in the United states
and especially in the big league cities,
can have no idea Of the wild excite
ment bunch Of rabid American base
ball fans, stuck off 10000 miles away
from a big league. can get up over
little league of their own.
Organized by Americans.
This league was organized in the
middle OF the summer By William L.
Merriman, manager Of the American
Trading company, Thomas +. MlIard,
editor of the China Press, the new
American-Chinese daily newspaper,
which is being published here, and Q.
w. Wolsiffer Of the British-Amertcan
Tobacco company.
Of four teams entered two were
chosen from among residents OF
Shanghai most by Standard OH and
British American Tobacco company
men and two from the American navy
chosen from the crew Of the gunbOat
Helena, which was stationed here all
summer.
The beautiful grounds Of the Shang-
hal Recreation club formed the scene
of combat. This recreation ground is
one of the most remarkable IN the
world. To the tourists 1t offers
succession of surprises. In the first
place it contains one OF the most beau
tiful race courses in the world, turf
track of one and One-quarter miles,
with a training track inside Of It, and
beautiful and costly grandstands and
club buildings In the center field Of
the track are three cricket grounds
with grandstands, polo field, where
exciting games are played every Sat
urday during the season, baseball
field and score Of tennis courts
-1-.~~ al hrr cd 81 O .
1 o'clock and the whole foreign COM
mUnity repairs to the recreation field
to enjoy the various sports Chinese
coolies keep the grounds In perfect
shape. These coolies, by the way are
very good athletes and are specially
proficient at tennis.
Idea Is Popular One.
But TO set back to the baseball
league The Shanghai and navy base
ball teams have been rivals for sew
araI years, but only occasionally got
together for games. When 1T was pro-
posed that a league be formed there
was doubt of its being possible, but
the whole community seized upon the
idea with the result that meeting
was called, and inside Of week the
whole matter had been arranged,
teams selected and schedule annOun-
,ed. It was decided that the best of
ball players should be di-
yided into two teams of about equal Z
3LEeLE IN ana that L4lE play CTS DA LAlG
Helena should be apporuoned in a
similar way.
. On the Helena the teams were d.
7fded on the basis of above and be-
0w decks, one team being called the /
Engineers and the other the Swans.
The rivalry between these two teams
even before the first game was so in
tense that by the time the schedule [
brought them against each other over
$4,000 had been bet on the one game. (
The Engineers won It,
One of the Shanghai teams. called [
the Red SOx, and the two navy teams
llternated in the lead. all three being I
close together all the time. Finally +
the Red Sox pulled ahead. but next !
lay the Engineers won both ends Of 1
!, dOuble-header and tied them.
PIay-Off Exciting.
The play-off was the most exciting I
game Of the whole league race. The !
5nEineers scored four runs IT, the sec !
md inning and the score remained /
20 until the seventh, when Shanghai 4
cot busy. The Red SOX in that inning /
sled up five runs. Neither side scoI- I
ID after that and the game ana pen |
rant went to the Rel SIX 8 to g. 4
70 appreciate the excitement Il should !
,e remembered thae about 100 sailors