Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-01-16

The game of push ball was orginat-
ed by Moses G. Crane, of Newton. Mass.
In the early nineties. AS the father Of
three Harvard football players, Mr.
Crane saw many matches at Cam
bridge. IF the ball were only made
large" he used to say; yes, large
enough so that a player on one side
could not see who was on the other,
you would then have a chance to in
terest spectators in watching the whole
game and introducing much merriment
as well as skill" So he talked it over
with some Of the members of the New
ton Athletic Association.
Why don't you make a large ball,
Mr.. Crane?' he was told "and we will
use it with the foot ball teams!" SO,
in the early fall of 1894, orders were
given for a hemisphere of wood six
feet three inches in dis leter, upon
which was to lay out and fifth the cover
and the bladder. AS it was not posi-
BILE then to weave a monstrous sphere
of canvas, a leather cover was substi-
tuted. -Four Of the largest hides were
obtained from New York. Instead of
rawhide lacings steel bolt hooks were
used. The building of the first ball
was very expensive materials alone
costing Mr.. Crane about SITS. 1t was
completed late on Thanksgiving Day,
1894, but too late for exhibition on
that day. The following Saturday,
however, the bladder was inflated and
taken down to the foot ball grounds
Of the Newton Athletic Association
Such a huge object attracted much
attention at the time. 1t was as large
as a small elephant brownish, or tan
colored, with six seams or zones cross
ing horizontally Several of the sec
tons were spliced because the hides
were not long enough to reach en- ely
around the ball The belt hooks were
small, about an inchea and half apart,
and numbered 1853 (as counted by
committee Of three the n. a. A. fair
in 1880, The bladder was made Of
rul = cloth and cemented together in
horizontal sections. Yet the entire
ball was a nice piece of work, service
able, handy and light {about seventy
pounds) 1t was found to be very
elastic when tightly blown. Shortly
after Mr. Cranes death in 1898 the
leather cover was removed and sold;
and the bladder being OF rubber, de-
cayed.
History of the Game.
The game Of push bail was devised
by Edwin Crane and William c. John
son, with the advice of several football
players Of the N. A. A. Doring the
first season, 1894, all sorts of methods
were tried. Three matches were play
ed at Newton Center.
The following year the ball was in
troduced at Cambridge, where Mr..
Crane was attending college Two
teams were mustered and drilled from
Cambridge Manual Training School
and match game was played in late
September Then as some interest was
aroused in Harvard over the new ball,
it was taken to Soldiers Field and in
tr0duced to the students. Perhaps the
lateness of the season prevented the
upper classes from leaving their foot
ball elevens to take up the new sport
enmasse. But there were quite
number among the entering class who
responded to a call for candidates.
Practice in the features of the game
was begun in earnest and two teams
organized r. A. Lesson was chosen
captain or the Freshman team, e. f.
Crane OF the college team. SO much
enthusiasm was provoked that the
graduate manager of athletics, Mr.. f,
A. Moore consented to public eXhipi-
ton game between the halves Of the
Harvard Brown foot ball game where
1000 people attended.
The next exhibition game was held
on November 2rd 1895, between the
halves Of Harvard University of
Pennsylvania game which amused over
20, 900 spectators-a number OF proml-
nent athletes taking part