Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-24
SCHWAB GIVES
ATHLETIC FIELD
TO HIS $4,000 MEN
Employes of Bethlehem
steel Co. Now Have Finest
Sport Grounds in the
Country
RIG ABE TODAY
Five Thousand Men From Nine
teen Departments Cele-
brate Dedication

rrrt1r ,FtIEM, Pa, June 24.--what Is
s..Jared in many respects the finest ath-
ioto field in the United States was this
ssternoon presented by Charles NJ. Schwab
- the 22, 900 employees of his Bethlehem
steel plant for the purposes OF healthy eH-
srclse, sport and physical Improvement
Always n promoter Of athletics. Mr..
r.s,,ob several years ago conceived the
.daa of creating an athletic field for his
smployes. and with that end In view bought
a tract two blocks long and block Wide,
located on Elizabeth avenue, from the
Mornylan congregation, which mad owned
,bs land from the days the Moravian
nloueers settled this community In l14l.
rro carry out the ideas of Mr. Schwab,
,he Town Council vacated street which
injected the tract. In charge of Newton
poberts. field was laid out and constructed
which includes n soccer field, "a baseball
diamond gridiron, q dozen tennis courts,
a track and a straisht-away OF 22O yards.
Topping ALL there Is a steel and concrete
srandstand which will seat about 5000 peo-
nle and which also contains bowling alleys
and quarters for the athletes, from rest
and dressing rooms to shower baths. As
for sod, 1t is said to be the finest field In
the country. To date. Mr.. Schwab has ex-
pended upward of 100000 on the field.
CELEBRATE WITH BIRTHDAY.
In honor of it's dedication there was a
half holiday this afternoon at the steel
works. and an elaborate program was car
ried out under the direction Of the Bethle-
ham Steel Athletic Association, engineered
chiefly by II. Edward Lewis. assistant to
President Eugene G.. Grace and accredited
with being the master spirit back of the
movement which has developed the Bethle-
hem Steel soccer team into the United
States champions.
The safety First" crews were given pref
As n1yIr ANTS
and In every department these men took
the lead In making a, showing. Preparations
have been going on for several weeks, and
each of the 10 departments tried to outdo
The others in producing float that would
be called the best, the ensemble making
showing that has seldom, IL ever, been sur
passed In the way of an industrial pageant.
One of the shops made a submarine An
other produced some striking reproductions
of beams The centre of the display of the
blacksmith shop was monster anvil.
others had monkey wrenches and files as
big as man.
The parade started from the plant at / 80
and 500 strong marched through the prin-
cipaI streets of South Bethlehem and Beth
lehem to the athletic field, of which they
took possession with whoop Out of one
department alone 100 men came in uni
, forms purchased especially for this event
7 Admission was by invitation, and on the
Erandstand and on stands especially erected
was a crowd estimated at 10000.
MIR. SCHwAB NOT THERE.
There was but one rift in the original pro-
gram the absence of Mr.. Schwab himself,
on whom the strain Of the great business,
now larger than Krupp's, Is at times over
powering and he found 1t necessary several
days ago togo to White Sulphur Springs
for a rest. He was ably represented by
President Grace, for whom. among all the
men, there Is a great and growing admira-
'tlon for his genius, organizing ability and
foresight Taking the place of Mr.. Schwab,
Mr.. Grace presented the magnificent field as
gift from Mr.. Schwab to the Bethlehem
Steel Athletic Association, to be devoted
forever to the physical betterment and well
fare of the employees of the company.
The formalities completed Mr.. Grace, by
throwing the first ball. started the first ath-
letlc event on the new field. baseball game
between the Stroudsburg and the Bethlehem
Steel teams of the Penn-Jersey League.
The order of the parade was as follows:
First Divison-Bethlehem Steel Police
Department, Bethlehem Steel Company
Band, Bethlehem Steel Company soccer
team on float, Active Safety Committee
banner, Active Safety Committees 1st-2d-Sd
prlZe-wnning teams on floats; Bethlehem
Band. Bethlehem Steel Company Fire De-
partment and Truck.
Second Dlvision-Slavor Band, safety
hoat flag bearer, Lehigh departmental
teams: Quakertown Band; flag bearer
Haucon departmental teams; Dixie Drum
Corps; flag bearer. Redington departmental
teams.
Third Division - Departmental floats,
Battery A, superintendents in automobiles.
Floats-Mechanical department Lehigh
plant; yard department, Lehgh plant cleo
trical department, Lehigh plant; yard de-
partment, Saucon plant; boiler department,
Lehlgh plant; No. 2 ammunition depart
ment, Lehigh plant; No, 2 machine shop,
Lehgh plant; No. 8 machine shop. Lehigh
PANT; open hearth No. 2, Saucon plant
bridge shop. Saucon plant; Redington fuse
shop. saucon plant; No. machine shop.
Lehgh plant; laboratories, Lehigh plant
blast furnace, Lehigh plant; carpenter shop,
Lshigh plant.