The Daily Missoulian., 1914-03-18
.TUG.0 WAR ENDED
AZ TER DARK BY
REFEREE
ooRNBLAsER CALLS CLASSIC
STRUGGLE A DRAW AFTER
THREE HOURS or PULLING.

Thanks to the haughtiness OF lordly
upperclassmen and the obstinacy OF
the freshmen cheer-leaders, Is young
men were forced to lie in the dirt
for two hours and thirty five min
utes Yesterday, strainin9 every mus
Gle in mad endeayor to secure an
impossible victory.
AT the end of that time Paul Dorm
blaser, referee, called the ANNUAL tug
of-war between the freshmen and
sophomores Of the university draw.
Even this was done in the face of bull
headed opposition. After the two
teams had labored for two hours with
out changing their relative, positions
so much as an inch, Referee Dorm
blaser, realizing that the strain was
likely to injure the men, announced
that in ten minutes he would stop th9
contest. make both teams leave the
trenches they had dug and pull from
the level ground. To this proposition
Lucius Forbes. the referees lieuten-
ant on the freshman side of the river,
rose in protest. He was upheld by the
numerous freshman coaches and
cheer leaders, who nobly refused to
leave their arduous labors as long
as their less conspicuous comrades in
the pits were breathing.
Dornblaser let the contes, proceed
for 50 minutes, then called 1t q draw
Last Under Old Rules. s
Judging from the expressions OF SEN
timent from students and faculty
members Yesterday this prolonged
,s1f, -.
Quoted under the present rules. Last
year, when the tug of-war lasted two
hours, the protests we're many. Yes
terday's contest seems to, have swung
the balance.
DisregarGing the physical danger Of
SO fearful strain extending over
nearly three hours, the tug of wal
loses ali it's attraction as d spectacle
when it takes so long for either side
to gain victory. The pull itself il
not especially spectacular. and few
people like to stand for three hours
watching a dozen men sweat in pits
| without any apparent effect on theil
opponents. The students seem tt
realize that If their tug-of war is t.
become at all popular it must be short.
ened somewhat.
Straight Pull Favored.
The majority seemed last night K
favor a straight pull, with each team
/ standing on cleated platform. Al
most all big tugs of-War are arranged
| in this way, so that holes can't be dut
and the contest win beone OF strength
! quickly decided. s8
4 A partial realization of these fact
caused the upperclassmen TO revls'
| the rules a trifle yesterday. They tor
bid either team to use old pits, but al
/ lowed the two classes five. minutes
for hole digging. This time was sui
! fcient for the construction of gen
nine trenches. so that for all practica
purposes the rule might as well iav'
never been passed.
1t may seem strange that the lnel
/ who did the pulling all of whom Wer
absolutely exhausted when the Goftcs
ended-were willing enough TO aclep
Referee Dornblaser's pla, for a sh u
and equitable struggle The oppcsi
/ ton all came from an upperciassmar
loudly conscious of momentarg autl1or
ity, and the large crew of coaches
| proudly ejecting perspiration an
naughty words before the supposedl
admiring co-eds.
However that may be, the questio
of supremacy remains unsettled, an
for the first time in the history Q
the university q freshman class ha
emerged with equal honors from tn
annual tug war with. the sopho
/ mores, s.. s. --G. p. S.
|