New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-12
0verrunS Field in Brooklyn,
Leaving Barely Elbow Room
for FarCiCal Game
of Ball.
POLICE CALLED. BUT IN VAIN
Superbas Form Human Chain to
Force the Crowd Back and
Then Go Down to a
Crushing and Dis
NAL Defeat.

al n A'lpbhlN H. NNSbVihhN anu saw u
squad Of city police. in blue and a band
OF special officers in gray utterly unable
to cope with or control frenzied mass
of baseball fans" who had stormed the
park TO see the New York Giants open
the National League pennant race with
the Superbas. Fully thirty thousand
persons jammed their way into the park.
where there was hardly room for twen-
ty-five thousand, and the playing field
was so overrun that the Giants had just
about elbow room enough and no more
10 defeat the Superbas in a farcical
game by a score Of Is 10 3.
1t was through good luck rather than
good management that tragedy was
averted instead Of a comedy enacted.
AS II was, dozens of persons were
bowled over when the home players
formed a human chain Joined by links
OF bats. and rushed across the field to
drive the crowd back one elderly man
was struck in the back Of the head
by a bat as he tried to get away, ana
was cauried from the grounds, while
little cripple was rescued from being
trampled to death only by the quick
action OF some of those about MIN
The players did it all in good spirit anc
showed no undue roughness. but the fact
remains that It was dangerous eN-
pertinent. and the situation was saved
only by the good temper OF the crow"
and the iov of being out to see rea!
baseball game once more.
Crowd Surrounds the Diamond,
The game was delayed a full half hour
and IT was 4:3O O'Clock before enough
space on the field had been cleared 10
hermit the game to begin. Even thea
there was not half room enough FOR
<oir expositIon Of baseball. but the TWO
teams carried the dismal farce along TOT
six innings before KLEIN. the umpire III
chief. called the unequal struggle on az
count of the gathering gloom. beiore
tho first inning was over the police ana
tho enecial officers engaged by the CLUB
practically gave up their effort TO Keep
the crowd in bounds behind the ropes
en- that the overflow climbed on chalrs
and benches and so completely surrouhu-
ed the playing field that only those "ho
sat in the upper tiers OF the STANDS cou'i
see what was going on.
Those who had purchased box seats
three and four weeks ago anu 'noee WIZ
found places in the lower tiers OF the
erandstand could scarcely get glimpse
of what was going on and had all 'hen
trouble and expense for no'hins' mo
,o,obau vriters were in sad predlca-
or+ When they stood up TO get an
occasional glimpse Of the game "hi0"
thew were expected to describe they were
anathematized and bomoarded WIN
hous Of paper. apple cores and' IN tac'
ANYTHING that was throwaDle' hol
centine bottles That nobody was pauiy
,,t,red "a the wonder. To describe IL al
- Fou, words 1t may be said that the
handling of the crowd was u''e
and the game joke.
Standing Room Badly over'0'd'
rho ,nexcusable mistake that caused
:, 49, trouble came in overseliing ihe
standing room by fully hVe 'nous"il1
uor.ors This desire to get every uo',"'
ir sight without providing ehoue" o
80 Leep the crowd in check is qul'e
49,. 90 cost the club many friends'
m1 ond beean to gather as early as
IA o,c,ock. and when the gs'eS Noie
onened. about noon, hood p'uieu -
.to. o,,cklv filled every seat III 'ho
t'obars and grandstand ana over
flowed on the field. .,
Rv o'clock the park was 'a'''''''D
,d charles II. Ebbets' chlei o"hei Va
tho club. stood at the only entrance '''a'
,oired omen, shouting NO more au-
,.s,or seats will be sold"' and doing
,',- toa, N help the box holders WORK
,heir WAY through the clamorihs hos' -
oot inside the grounds the n'lS'aNe
tad heen made, however, as even a' ''''''
.'.,,o is tho whole playing field was a mass
aors as the special officers were
absolutely unable to Keep the oio"u -
.,ooL behind the ropes when hau peo'
..o,cbed about the diamond nv"
-. failed TO get In Will never oe
'''' t,,, thousands were eic- Hpointed
N'V .,,o the National League cham
pions in action ..,I cent o1 -
ooo nersons. and. needless to say every
80. ,,as occupied. and even the alsies
,,,ore TANNED full in spite OF the Hfe
# was hard 10 estimate the
ia on the field. but nine thousand
or more scrambled and fought
,,,,r,oredly for places in the front
I, was practically impossible for
.,a,ers TO take any warming up
'io .,oo bevond batting a few ground
u 49, ineelders. and when 4 o'clock
Go ,round. the time set for the game
an ~ il looked as if the umpires
u ,,oye 10 declare 1t on for the
',Uonle reason that there was 20 place
o.. ~ the players to perform
, -, o'or o Gaynor had arrived in the mean
"a took a seat in box TO The left
l'n'V' ,,rass stand. ready to throw out
oi ' nau and formally declare the season
the '' Deputy Police Commissioners
open, o,so was on hand. smiling. When
Wa'S" "a % by the newspaper men TO
appe'' the space back Of the catcher
ha,s ia he kept on smiling while saying
ciea' =. .he city police were rot allowed in
side the parA' .,,esIed to him to
d hftf nnmaIFraH