The sun., 1913-10-26
BULLET WINS SPEED
TEST FROM JOHNSON
Walter Propels Baseball at Au-
tomato Recorder With Half
Force Of Colt .45.
MAKES 122 FEET A SECOND
Has Striking Energy Of 100
Foot Pounds-Rucker Gets
113 Feet a Second.
MAKES 122 FEET A SECOND

The speediest ball that Walter johnson
spe.diest o. pitchers, can pitch doesn',
travel as fast as a bullet, though IL
might be hard to convince some ti,nid
haiters TO that effect Walter johnson and
Napoleon Rucker are the frs. pitchers 70
have the speed OF their delivery measured
with mathematical exactness They did
so recently in Bridgeport by means of
an electric device used by the Remington
Arms L. NJ. C. COMPANY 10 t.s, tho
speed Of the flight OF bullets.
The two hoxmen hurled the bas.b,,,
'h'oush a wooden frame equipped with
me copper wires and against steel plat.
nv" YARDS beyond the wooden frame, By
means OF electricity the time consumed
py the ball In winging from its contact
with the wires TO the steel plate was
registered.
Inc pitchers were from six 10 e,rh,
rect away from the copper wires, so that
the entire distance from where they stool
10 the ultimate objective of the ban :
!ourle! was about half tho distance OF
'he Pltchers box from the home platn
Johnsons fastest throw in Rridr,po,,
travelled IL: feet a second, and in spi,,
OF the increased distance II is quite likely
that that is about near enough. for nj,
practical purposes at any rate, the snsed
at which one OF his fastest shoots whizzes
past Il batter hoping agains, hope to
make hit of him.
The dozen wires in tho vooJa, ,r
run perpendicularly and not clear acros.
the frame. The frame was about two foe,
square ana on either side OF the wi,.s
between them and the woodwork. was p
space or several inches in which thera
were no wires. Therefore the test caIlei
,S % con.ro'; Ihe ball might go through
VI. frame, out outside the wires. In whict
case no time WAS registered Tn, wire,
mad to be struck and broken 10 u,orl, o.
, contrivance VIE
fucker tried twice before ge,tin, ~,
c"''rol necessary to furnish contact N4tt
'"e wires The same thing befell John.
son He didn't land on the wires ,m,,
the third try. The frame was novahl,
! UP ana down to correspond with tno
he'eht OF the two pitchers and the sor,
of a ball they threw Johnson exnla nI Ho'
the dif,culty OF getting the ball throuet
the rather narrow expanse of wires =,
remarking ~
we are after the man ut the o,hs,
/ end OF the range in the real game and
! don't think any of us pay much att,n'
/ ton to how the ball starts" In shor,
the control they are after mus, bs
reached when the ball is crossing tn,
plate. not between box and plate.
After the men had warmed up'' :,
control each s"nt the ball through th,
wires to the steel plate three times anf
each increased his speed with each suc
ceeding trial Johnson's first record WA,
l.o feet second, Rucker's los. on IN,
second trial johnson made l2l feet .
I second and Rucker llS. Ruck.r ex
pressed the opinion after the experiment
that johnson, at his best speed wa,
capable of l50 feet a second
a ball travelling A. the rate Of zee fee
a second goes from box TO plate, so fee
and fraction, In less time than IL take
a watch to record two ticks Il has III
striking energy OF 1850 soot pounds, ha!
the punch" Of a 45-calibre Colt auto
matte pistol, mile a minute railroa,
train. going SIS feet second, has onl,
about two-thirds the velocity of John
sons pitch.