Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-03-24
ARMY AND NAVY
THE GAME OF 1918
May Stage Battle in New York
This Year on Big Arena.
AGENTS INSPECT FIELD.
Polo Grounds Likely to be the Choice
for Football.

tor Football.
It has become known that there is
a chance to take the annual football
game between the Military and Ma
val academies to New York city next
| fall.
Represt ntatives of the rival acad-
emies inspected the Polo Grounds
day or two ago at the invitation of
Secretary John B. Foster of the New
York Baseball Club and tney admit
ted il was reported that the big sta
dium would be just the place for the
gridiron battle if suitable. arrange
ments could be made.
1t was reported further that the
Army men would agree to take the
game away from Franklin Field,
Philadelphia, at once if the Navy
would agree, but therein lies ser
ious obstacle. The Navy has many
followers in New York city, how.
ever, and among them are infiuen-
tial citizens who would be glad to
have the football ggame decided in
the Brush stadium. Perhaps with
sucfiiieut influence brought to bear
the Naval Academy and Uncle Sam
himself will arrive at decision
favorable to New York city.
The Polo Grounds can seat 40. 900
persons, as against about 2S, 600 at
Franklin Field. The hotels there can
take care of all the visitors who
might come to see the big conflict be-
tween the goal posts. The Atlantic
feet would be able TO furnish a large
roofing contingent for the midship-
mems team, while che Army would
attract adherents from all over New
England New York State and the
East.
Secretary Foster said a few days
a go that the academies had not yet
agreed to 20 back to Franklin Field
next fall, and that the Brush stadium
had good fighting chance to land
the plum.
The prospects of holding future
Army-Navy football games at the
Polo Grounds instead of at Franklin
Field, Philadelphia, looked brighter
than ever yesterday. Ii was learned
that the representatives of the Mill
tary and Naval academies, who in
spected the Brush Stadium on Friday,
paid another visit on Saturday with
the result that West Point came ont
openly in favor of shifting the battle
ground to New York city. 1t also
became known that the Midshipmen
at the Naval Academy had become
favorably impressed with the pIar
and that it required very little per-
suasion to make them join hands with
rhe graycoats up the Hudson in turn
ing down Philadelphia for all time.
The Army-Navy game has been
played in Philadelphia for many years
and thereby hangs tale of hardship
that is annually repeated by the West
Pointers. In order to get the Mill
tary Academy team to Franklin
FIELD it is necessary to arise in time
to leave West Point on a special
train at 80 o'clock Upon arriving
at Weehawken over the West Shore
Railroad the trains are switched to
the Pennsylvania Railroad and Phila-
delphia is reached about noon. The
trip involves six hours or more each
way and for eighteen years the West
Point men have taken it.
The run from Annapolis to Phila-
delphia consumes not more than three
hours, which is comparative ly easy
for the Midshipmen. With the Polo
Grounds the scene of action, the Mid.
dies would have a railroad journey of
FIVE hours instead of three, while
the West Pointers travelling would
be cut down to less thar two hours.
The graycoats argue it is high time
that the buecoats had a taste CT
long hours on the rails. 1t is said,
too, that the Government officials and
other dignitaries who usually travel
to Philadelphia from Washington
would net file seri)us objections to
visiting New York to see the football
game, one of the reasons being that
the hotels here would afford ample ac-
commodations.
When the Army anI Navy assem-
BILE in Philadelphia each fall for the
annual gridiion muss two leading
hotels, the Bellevue .Stratford and the
Walton, are literally swamped.
They are used as official headquar-
ters of the rival arms of Uncle Sans
service, but many adherents of the
academies are forced to look for
quarters elsewhere. The hotels,
therefore, have become an importan
factor In New York are fifty or
more hotels of the first class. several
of them among the biggest in the
world
The Brush Stadium. with its 40,-
600 seats, is finely adapted to foot
ball as well as baseball. 1t is pos
sible TO lay out the gridiron in
such a manner that practically the
entire length OF the chalk-ribbed
field will be within opposite ends
of the covered double decked grand
stand. In this structure alone more
than 25,O reserved seats may be
obtained, while there is room for I5,-
600 more in the open bleachers.
Because Of the fact that not more
than 2S, tickets can be sold for
the games played at Franklin Field
there is much dissatisfaction. With
the elevens lining up at the Polo
Grounds, there would be a vastly
greater amount Of money to be
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