New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1916-10-14
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With the world series games to OBJ
| serve and comment upon the local fan
has been in his glory this week. And
with SO many rabid ball fans it Is
queer that New Britain, city Of
| about 10000, cannot support even a
| third rate league team. But it cannot
! as has been proved to the financial
| dissatisfaction of several men, The
| city seems to be too busy to bother
| and absolutely the only way ball
! team could be made to pay would be
| by having Sunday games-and that
mas been tried in vain so many times
| that it ceases to arouse the faintest
| glimmer of enthusiasm in the most
ardent fan. In this respect New
Britain today is far and away behind
| the New Britain of = nalf century ago.
| behind the New Britain of a half CEN
| fury ago.
1t was about the year 1857, shortly
after the close of the civil war, that
New Britain had her heyday of base
ball. In that season there was a fast
! baseball league in which we're entered
teams from New London, Middletown,
Hartford, New Haven and New Brit
ain. The Artics of New Britain was
the fastest team in the league and was
going neck and neck with the Pequots
of New London for supremacy when
the final championship game was
played in this city.
In those days the old baseball
grounds were where COrbin place Is
now located. To the east Of the ball
ground was the old open canal that
supplied water to the old Knitting
Vehicle factory and all around were
open lots and sWamps. The late Phil
ip Corbin was president of the league
and the late James F'rary, of Landers,
Erary & Clark was also an official but
due to some disagreement he severed
bis connections with the association.
When the day for the big game with
the PeQuOtS rolled around New Lon
don sent a train Of fourteen passena
ger coaches filed with rooters Prac-
tically every one in New Britain at
tended and every factory closed down
for the occasion except Landers, Frary
& Clark, and Mr.. Frary made his
men work for spite The old Cutlery
works was plainly visible from the ball
field and the game had not progressed
very far when scores Of Workmen
could be seen dropping out of the
hustling across lots to the game. SO
many did this that finally about
o'clock the Cutlery whistle blew and
the rest Of the men were permitted to
go, the disgruntled Mr.. F'rary seeing it
was impossible to keep them from the
game. But little is remembered of the
details Of that old game, but New
Britain Won by a score Of 60-4O and
that night the town went wild. The
old Humphrey House, then the lead
ing hosiery of the village, was a gala
place that night and both teams dined
there. Of all the men who played for
New Britain on that day the only one
now living is the venerable Frank
Kent of South Main street.
The return of the soldiers this
week recalls wildly to the minds Of
many the return of the boys of '9S,
and to a very few the return of the
boys of '61. But it is the return of the
former that present day residents re-
call more wildly. Before being sent
to New Britain the local companies
were sent to Mantle, where rumors
were rife for many days that they
were about to be sent home. On Sep
TENDER 10, 1898, New Britain people
received the liscOuTaging news from
the camp that there were three or
four new cases of typhoid fever. On
this same day Lieutenant G. Arthur
HasdeIl of Co. e came home on an
eighteen hour Through and his state
ment at that time 'the New Britain
boys will oppose any suggestion about
parading in Hartford, IS is now be- |
Ing planned by the Hartford city
council" showed that even then IS
today the capital city officials were |
trying to slip something over on New |
Britain, even trying to take the |
pleasure of first welcoming her ma |
tive sons back home. The New Brit |
ain troops arrived about noon on Sep |
TENDER % and on that day the Herald |
carried photographs Of Col S. A. |
Moore, Col. C. =. Erickson, Lieutenant !
Col. A. L. Thompson, Captain G. Fl. |
Moore Captain A. L. Hauerwas and |
Captain S. L. Leonard.
At 8 o'clock in the morning the |
church bells pealed to let the citizens !
know that the soldiers had left Man.
tic ana the factory gongs joined in
spreading the news The train reached |
the local station at about 1870 |
o'clock and the soldiers WeT9 greeted !
with thousands of people. The Grand
Army was present as we'll as was other
civic organizations. There was hug
cling and handShaking. The Volun-
teers formed III rank at the west end
of the arcade where they marched 10
Main street, were met with bands
and other parad@rs and then marched
around the west side Of central park
to Franklin Square, thence back up
Main street TO Arch street and to the
The armory was the storm
center of activity. IT'S interior was
decorated With the national cOlors. Ia
blcs we're set for the soldiers and fol-
lowing a short speech from Mayor