The Washington herald., 1912-02-04
BASEBALL CAME
PLAYED ON ICE
Teams of Crack Skaters
Launch New Sport in
Nations Capital.
ARTISTS WIN BY z TO 5
Slipping and Sliding and Many
Errors Mark Novel Contest
on Tidal Basin.
ARTISTS WIN BY z TO 5


frozen, mirror-Iike diamond at the Tidal
Basin, some circling the sacks as a re-
ward for their thrilling hits. and others
speeding in pursuit of a bounding ball,
eighteen Of Washington's skating enthu-
siasts, formed in teams, officially desig-
mated as The Artists and The Doc
tors" yesterday afternoon played the
first midwinter baseball game ever held
In the National Capital.
With the Basin a solid layer of ice,
with snow still covering the Monument
slope, and with the temperature below
the freezing mark, the skaters played
game of ball which brought forth cheers
from scores Of spectators who formed
in a long line around the outskirts OF the
diamond.
Everybody conceded it was a good
game, Notwithstanding the fact that there
was much slipping and sliding, and
goodIy number Of errors. When at the
end of the seventh inning the shadows
began 10 fall over the stretch of ice, and
the hands of the great clock in the post
office tower, family discernible through
the trees across the Monument Grounds,
pointed to $50 O'Clock, and it was decided
10 bring the game to a close, the score
stood to in favor Of the Artists. 1t
was a hard-fougit battle. and the en-
thusissm was intet sc during the last half
OF the seventh inning. when, with three
men on bases and only one out, the Doc
tors were kept from scoring.
Captains of the Teams.
The Artists were captained by Jerome
Conner. the artist and sculptor, while
the captain OF the Doctors was DR.. E.
c. Meyer. of the tariff board. The Doc
tors were also supported by Dr.. W. B.
Hudson, superintendent of the municipal
bathing beach. Although the game was
scheduled for $50 o'clock, it was fully
4 o'clock before Bill Jones, the umpire.
cried out, Play ball" Both teams re-
Ceived about an hours practice before
the game. BY the toss OF a coin il was
decided the Artists should have first
innings.
Digging the point Of one skate in the
ice. G. Nolan. first batter for the Ar
fists. braced himself at the plate and
awaited the first ball Of DR.. Meyer.
the opposing pitcher. Nolan swung hard
at the big sphere-an indoor baseball
was used-but finally punched. Roule
Ie Mat then drove the bali over the
head of the second bssemsn, and went
speeding TO first base.
He gained the base long before the
ball reached the first oaseman's hands,
but he was confronted with a serious
proposition-that OF stopping, for, re-
member. he was gliding on his shiny
steels. The problem. however, was soon
solved, when he ended his run by col
liding head-on with a skater on the rink,
fully fifty feet away.
Speeds on to Third.
The first inning was soon over without
either side scoring. in the second inning
the Artists brought home two runs by
timely hits. In the second half of the
same inning the Doctors scored one run.
In the third inning PIunket. of the Art
lists. received a pass and then swiftly
sped down to second and around to
third, before he could be stopped by the
opposing players. He started from first
base at lightning speed and. STOPPING low
10 touch second with his hand. sped on
toward third. The ball was fired across
the diamond hard and straight toward
third base The baseman was standing
with one skate partly on the sack The
ball was beating the skater to the base.
and the spectators fully believed that
Plunket would be put out. when he sud
denly shot his feet from under him and
slid past the base, grasping the sack
with his left hand in passing.
The baseman caught the ball and turned
10 tag the skater, only to find Plunket
still sliding with the sack in his hand
fully twenty feet from the base
The Artists made four runs during that
inning. The Doctors failed to score In
the fourth inning the Doctors changed
their battery from DR.. Meyer and Roule
lie Mat to c. +. Wymard. the George
town University star. and J. Thomas. In
the ending of the fourth inning the Doc
tors rallied and brought in four runs
The scoring was started by w lie Mat,
who singled and then stole second and
third. lie Mat started to steal home
He was halfway 10 the goal when the
pitcher threw the ball to the catcher
The catcher was standing at the plate
ready to receive the ball. and lie Mat
WAS speeding toward him fun tilt. In an
instant lie Mat took a dive on his stom-
ach toward the base. The catcher missed
the ball, and lie Mat continued his slide
over the slippery surface.
Cut Up Near ''Home."
Rut. elias! the ice was cut up near the
home plate, and the friction caused lie
Mat to stop short several feet from the
goal. The catcher recovered the ball and
was about to tag lie Mat, when the
skater by means Of some strange con-
tortions finally grasped the plate. Wy
mard and Palmer followed lie Mat In
scoring.
Plunket scored in the beginning of the
fifth inning through an error at first
base. In this inning Wymard made the
star play of the game, when, unassisted,
he put two men out. Wymard was pitch
ing when c. Ellsworth drove a hot liner
directly at his head r. Santmeyer was
On third starting to skate to the home
plate. Wymard caught the ball and run
ming to third base touched the sack be-
fore Santmeyer could return.
The Doctors failed TO score in the fifth
inning. No scores were made in the
sixth inning, although there were several
hits and several stolen bases. The Art
lists tried hard to score in the seventh
inning, but failed. The score now stood
TO 8 in favor of the Artists The Doc
tors came in determined to either tie the
score or win the game. There was one
out when V. Sannino singled over the
first baseman's head. He stole second.
Rouie lie Mat was hit by pitched ball
Everybody laughed except LIE Mat, but
he got his base.
Conner was wild. and Thomas was
struck with the sphere. This made the
bases fun, with only one out Dr. Hud-
son knocked a hot ground" Howard the