Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-11-12
Testinr Speed Of Pitched Ban.

When big Walter johnson OF the
Washington Americans sent base ball
crashing through . screen Of copper
wires and against . steel plate on tho
testing range Of the Remington Arms
Union Metallic Cartridge Company at
Bridgeport, Conn.,, last Saturday, q new
chapter In the annals of the American
national game was begun. The speed Of
. pitched ball was exactly recorded for
the first time In the worlds history.
Bxllistic engineers had skilfully adapt
cd tho chronograph, an instrument en-
ployed In accurately testing Remington
U. n. @. ammunition, to measure In
seconds the flight of base ball, and at
tho suggestion of r. G. Lane, editor of
the Baseball Magazine, tho rather elsbor-
ate test had been arranged.
When the speed of Q rifle bullet is to
be determined on tho chronograph, the
arm 10 placed In . fixed position at Q
known distance from . large 5-16th.inch
steel plate ut the end Of an enclosed
range, something like an elongated shoot
ing gallery of the common type. Over
the muzzle of the gun thin copper wire
10 stretched. The speeding bullet cuts
the wire and electrically releases an up
right rod on the recording instrument at
the rear of the weapon. The impact of
the bullet on the steel plate, In the same
manner, releases knife which hicks the
bar - 1t falls past given point and
from the distance recorded on the bar,
the length of time required for the mis-
sile to travel from wire to plate is COM
puted in feet per second.
One of the changes necessary to meet
the requirements of the "pitching arm"
was to arrange q network OF copper
wires over q frame about three feet
square, through which the ball was
thrown. This frame was mounted on an
upright standard and was raised or low
cred to correspond with the heights of
the pitchers or the styles of ball to be
delivered.
In selecting the pitchers for the initial
test, Walter johnson was chosen because
OF bis reputation as the speediest "slab
artist in the game, and Napoleon Ruck.
or, the star eft.hander of the Brookly ms,
was picked a. "south paw" who pitch
es ball of moderate speed, depending
to q larger extent on "slow ball" tactics
than does johnson.
Both pitchers experienced difficulty In
the "tryout', in getting the ball through
the rather narrow wired frame. As
johnson remarked, 1--WE are after the
man at the other end Of the range In the
real game and I don't think any Of US
pay much attention to how the ball
starts" However, little practice
brought out three consistent "scores"
from each pitcher, both of whom threw
at terrific speed. Johnson's first REQ
ord was l20 feet per second, Fuckers
1O6; second trial, johnson 12l, Rucker
100, and in the final fling at the plate,
johnson pushed his speed up to 122 feet
per second and Rucker increased his to
ll3. II seemed probable that speed of
at least $50 feet per second might be
reached after longer warming up"
period and more practice.
Johnson's high mark of 122 feet per
second affords some most interesting
com PARSONS. For instance, q ball going
at that velocity has striking energy of
100 foot pounds-half tho "punch" OF a
As calibre Colt Automatic pistol. The
Twentieth Century Limited, flying at a
uiio-d- iuIuuto koit ONOt euo ioito, mohoo
but SO feet per second-only about two
thirds the speed Of Johnson's ball. II
johnson should throw at man standing
on the back platform of that famous
train-startipg his throw after the last
car had passed at the mile-s-minute
speed-the ball would catch up and
strike harder blow than If thrown by
the average pitcher at a stationary mark.
A speed of 122 feet per second means
that johnson sends the sphere from the
pitchers box over the plate, sixty feet
away, in less than two ticks of a watch
quicker than the wink Of an eye. 1t also
means that to be struck with such ball
in any vital spot
Well, 10 1t any wonder that batter
now and then "lets one 60 by" or that
he does not always respond to the fans
"Aw, stand up and hit 'em! Are you
afraid of 'em?''