New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-19
CHARGES FLY
WHEN BIG RUN
IS POSTPONED
Club Politics and Not Bad
Weather Blamed for
Change of Date.

The senior national 'cross-country
championship run at Van Cortlandt
Park was not decided yesterday after
noon. as scheduled. because Frederick
W. Ruben, president of the Metropoli-
tan Association, secretary OF the ANA
teur Athletic Union and chairman Of
championship committee, after con-
ference with various individuals, de-
cided that conditions were impossi-
BILE" on account of the slush and slop-
DIV snow. The race was officially post
porcd until Saturday, January 8, and
then all hands went home.
tubien.s action aroused a storm of
dissent upon the part of some of those
who believed the race should be run
according to schedule and were ready
, and willing to compete under the con-
dtions. Melvin W. Sheppard coach Of
the Millrose A. A., was one Of the most
outspoken against postponing the run,
and announced that his team would not
toe the mark on January 8.
Sheppard asserted that II was not the
weather that was responsible for the
postponement, but the fact that Bernie
Wefers. coach of the New York Ath-
le.ic Club team, and Lawson Robert
son, the Irish-Amcrican Athletic Club
coach. did not have full teams on hand,
and hence lodged the issue. His men
were ready 20 race, he said and were
in their running togs in the dressing
room awaiting the starters plstol-al all
eight of them.
81 know said the Millrose coach,
chat both the New Yorks and the
Irish Americans are short Of men and
only have five entries each. My full
team is here on the ground, and pro-
test against this postponement Why,
/ Robertson himself was willing 70 start
B his men ten minutes ago. when ne
found that Tom Barden and Arthur and
William Fogel had not shown up
A peep into the dressing rooms
showed that Nick Gianakopulos, j. W.
+ Soukup, o. Laakso, Charley Pores, W.
+ Kyronen, J. +. O'Connor, VI. A. Devan-
ney and J. Scarlata, composing the full
Millrose team, were ready for action.
OF the New York Athletic Club run
ners only j. d. Bell, II. Alderman, J. X:
O'Neill, c. J. McSorley and j. j. Mitchell
coulL be seen. Hannes Kolehmainen,
Pat Flynn, Nat Veg and !. Messer
we're the only Irish American athletes
/ in the room, although Frank Zuns re-
ported about $3.50 o'clock, half an hour
after the scheduled starting hour.
John W. Overton, OF Yale, the in
: tercolegiate champion. and Russell
Springsteen, Of the Yonkers Y. VI. {.
I A., entered as individuals, did not APP
pear, but Stanley W. Root, of the Mer-
curry A. c., Of Philadelphia. made the
trip and was ready to run.
Mr.. Ruben went out on the course
shortly before O'Clock and inspected
the ground. He found the snow treach-
erous underfoot and the course COW
cred in many places with slush. Ar
engagements had already been made to
cut out the most difficult sections OF
the route. such as the golf hill and
&c letery Hill, and substitute some OF
the macadsm roads.
The bone of Sheppard's contention
vas that Mr.. Ruben should have an
nounced the postponement sooner
"Why didn't you call il off last night
he demanded. Conditions were a
great deal worse Ibis morning than
they are now. | even had your Office
on the telephone as late as ! o'clock
this afternoon. but nothing was said
then about n postponement.'
Ruben protested that he had per
sonally inspected the course and found
conditions so bad that it would be dan
cerous for the men 10 attempt TO run
and invited Sheppard 10 60 out and look
the route over himself, but this the
Milroso coach refused to do. saying
he had himself competed under worse
conditions.
II vas also pointed out to the presi.
dent Of the Metropolitan Association
that weather conditions are hardly
likely 70 improve with the advance OF
winter and that freezing weather be
fore January viii render the course
infinitely more dangerous than al pres.
cnt.
The postponing OF the race marks
the Grst time that such action has been
taken in years; in fact, nobody present
a, the conference yesterday could re-
call any instance Of similar kind. but
1 Mr.. Ruben and his advisers were in
sistcnt. and Sheppard went back TO the
dressing rooms aud told hi, men TO
L