New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-11-09
NEW YORK BOWLERS TO
MAKE TRIP TO BERLIN
Fifty Members of United Clubs
Will Try for German
Title Next Year.
THUM TO HEAD THE PARTY
Americans Won Individual and
Team Titles Nine Years Ago
Moving Objects Dis.
tract Players.

While international sport was supposed
10 have reached the zenith Of its popu.
larity last summer. the end Is not yet
Fifty or more bowlers, members Of the
United Bowling Clubs OF New York. will
visit Berlin, Germany. next year for the
purpose of competing in the annual
tournament for the German champion
ships.
At a meeting OF the United Bowling
Clubs at the White Elephant Academy
the other evening It's was formally de-
cided that a team representing the Or
ganzation should visit Germany and
that the party should be headed by Jo-
seph Thum, the president. While bowling
will be the principal reason for the trip
the members of the party will take along
their wives and friends for the purpose
OF making a Continental tour.
This will be the fourth time that Amer
lean bowlers have been represented az
German tournaments. The first party
visited Hanover in 1891 and brought home
the German trophy with them.
The most important tour occurred in
1904 when a party of more than hum
dred in all went 10 Solingen This ume
the conditions called for challenge
match, the Americans having forielted
their title in the long years intervening
between the first and second visits. 1t
WAS arranged that twenty Germans, the
selected men of the empire, should bowl
a match against similar NUMBER Oh
Americans The American team won
II was this year that Frederick
Schwartz, of the famous old Rosedaies
and later Of the Superbas, won the In
ternat!onal title, the only American who
ever accomplished the feat Schwarue
also won the American championship az
Rochester in 1903
The method OF deciding the interna-
,ional Match was unusual. to say the
least 10 less than three different kinds
Of alleys we're used. The balls, too. wero
not the same as here. Under ordinary
circumstances two kinds OF alleys would
be sufficient. The type In use among the
old style Germans consists or mario"
runway. scarcely eighteen inches WIDE
which broadens out just before the pins
are reached. This makes II necessary Tor
a bowler to get decided hook In rolling
for a seven pin spare, or It's equivaisn''
while TO shoot for ten pin requires as
much OF come back" The other
variety Of alley is one with perfectly
straight sides, but II is narrower than
those in America. Moreover. II Is not so
long and the pins are smaller.
In 1904 at Solingen the Germans had
constructed especially for the match an
American alley, sixty-hve feet long from
foul line TO headpin and the regulation
width Of FIVE and a half feet, including
the cutters. The American team was
handicapped through the fact that the
sixteen-pound sphere. twenty-seven inches
in circumference. could not be used. In
Germany the balls are scarcely half the
weight and size and contain no nnscr
, holes. 1t was ruled that German bans
should be used, likewise German pins
but as a concession the Americans were
permitted TO put finger holes IN tneir
spheres Under such conditions IL MAS
40 small achievement for the Americans
to bring home the two championships.
Four years later a small party headed
by Uncle Joe" Thum went to Dresden.
but In view Of the fact that the ar
rangements had not been completed In
time an American alley could not be
built There vas no international con-
test. therefore, although the American
bowlers were acclaimed In state by the
populace and big men in the various
towns they visited.
There are about two dozen bowling
clubs embracing a membership Of ap-
proximately five hundred men In the
United Bowling Clubs Of New York IL
the party which goes abroad is large
enough a special steamer will be char
tered, but this is a matter to be decided
upon In the future. The New York or
ganization Is an honorary member OF
the United Bowling Clubs Of the German
Empire.
II is not usually difficult thing 10
fuss" a bowler unless It happens to be
through the medium of a moving object
Back in 1906 the AlgoDquins. of New
York. and Universals. Of Brooklyn, had
their famous match to settle the argu-
ment over the supremacy Of a strictly
amateur team and team OF men aug
mented by several famous employees, who
practically made a business of bowling
On this occasion Maurice c. Wyman.
who atterward~ became an alley owner,
was the Algonquin anchor. 1t came to q
critical stage wherein every pin obtained
by the Alsc nquin mainStay was needed 10
win the game. John Nelson, the Uni
versal anchor, who had one more ball
for his team. walked in front of Wyman
as the latter had taken his stance ana
picked up his ball from the return rack.
crossing again in front of the Algonquin
man to take his own position on the ad-
Joining alley.
Wyman merely laid his ball down to
permit his opponent TO shoot first and
then proceeded TO strike out and win
the game. The Algonquin also won the
match. II will be remembered.
During an Eastern League match be-
tween the Newark and New York on the
old Tuxedo alleys IN Newark several
years ago John Roster had to get twenty
pins at least in the last frame to win
the two-man series for New York. He
made a strike. and as he got set for his
second ball careless spectator went 10
put on his overcoat and the coat swung
out over the alley. 1t distracted John
and he ''poodled." The New York cap
"a Ill. 20