The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-11-17
MEASURE SPEED
OF PITCHED BALL
Walter Johnson HurIs Sphere at
Rate of 122 Feet a Second

New York, Nov. 1.-THE spcediest
bail that Walter johnson, specdiest
of pitchers, can pitch doesn't travel as
fast as bullet, although it might be
hard to convince some timid batters
To that effect. Walter Johnson and
Napoleon Rucker are the first pitch
,rs to have the speed of their delivery
measured with mathematical exact
ness They did so recently i'm Bridge
lolt ny means of an electric device
used by the Remington Arms company
TO test the speed of the flights of
bullets.
The two bOXmen hurled the baseball
through wooden frame equipped with
fine copper wires and against a steel
plate five yards beyond the wooden
frame BY means of electricity the
time consumed by the ball in winging
from its contact with the wires to the
steel plate was registered.
The pitchers were from six to eight
feet away from the copper wires, so
they stood to the ultimate objective of
the bdlls journey was about half the
distance of the pitchers box from the
home plate. Johnson's fastest throw
IN bridgeport Travelled l22 feet a Sec
Uud, and i'm spite of the increased dis
lance IT is quite likely that that is
about near enough, for all practical
purposes at any rate, the speed at
which on" of his fastest shoots whiZ-
yes past "A batter hoping against hope
Co. make q hit off him.
The dozen wires in the wooden
frame run perpendicularly and not
clear across the frame. The frame
was about two feet square and on
either side of the wires, between them
and the woodwork, was space of
several inches IN which there were no
Wllcs Therefore the test called for
control Tho ball might go through
the frame, but outside the wires, in
which case no time was registered
The wires had to be struck and brok
en- iu work the cOutrivance.
Euckcd tried twice before getting the
control necessary To furnish contact
with the wires. The same thing be-
tell Johnson lie didn't land on the
wires until the third try. The frame
Nas movable up and down To CORES
pond with the height of the two pitch
-" aud the sort of "a ball they threw.
Johnson explained the difficulty of
setting the bah through the rather
harrow cXpdnsc of wires by remark
ing
We are after the man at the other
Una OF the range in the real game, and
J doui think any of us pay much at
'htion To how the bali starts" In
snort, the control they are after must
h' reached when the ball is crossing
the pIhtc not between box and plate.
Aitcl the men had warmed up to
control, each sent the ball through
TIE wires To the steel plate three
ulnos and each increased his speed
with each succeeding trial. Johuson's
IISl record was l20 feet Il second,
fuckers lOG. ON the second trial
Johnson made III feet a second and
tucker li3. Ruckcr expressed the
"pIhlon after the experiment that
''hllSon, at his best speed, was copa-
ol' of $50 feet a second
y bah travelling at the rate of ~
'''t second goes from box To plate,
v" i'ct aud fraction. in less time
'Fh IL takes "A watch to record two
u'Ns' II has the striking energy of
''V pounds, half the punch" of a i5-
N"''per Colt automatic pistol A mile
minute railroad train, going SS feet
SECOND. has only tbout two-thirds
tue velocity of Johhsons pitch