The sun., 1918-07-05
HALF MILLION SEE
CITY TRACK MEETS
Thirty Thousand Athletes, All
Ages, Both Sexes, Many
Bloods, Compete.
NAVY BOYS SWEEP DECKS
Pores, Gordon, Dernell and
Other Tars Triumph-Rec-
ord for Kyronen.
~ GEORGE n. UNDERWOOD.

~ GEORGE n. UNDERWOOD.
More than $4,000 contestants. an ath-
letio army that overshadowed any
Olympic entry list both in numbers Of
individuals and numbers OF nations and
bloods represented. competed. and half
q million persons looked on at annual
Safe and Sane city athletic meets
throughout the sixty odd parks. play
grounds and baths yesterday. Accom-
panying the Loyalty Parade Pop Knick-
erbocker's great athletic carnival offered
soul stirring proof Of the patriotism
and homogeneity Of the American people.
Uncle Sans foreign blooded people
marched together In the Loyalty Parade
down Fifth avenue Slav. Celt. Jew.
Gaul, Teuton. Morse, African, Celestial.
they played together in the various
PARIS and Fairgrounds. It was as sep
arate units they marched mid blare of
bands and waving banners in the great
loyalty procession. They shook of their
individuality when the great god Sport
waved his magic wand and became
plain Americans. One and all came out
to celebrate Independence Day by striv-
ing heart and limb to win laurel wreath
In competition or by straining throat
and lungs helping some one else to do It.
In every park. playground and bath.
budding In the crowded East Side or
laying in the lap OF the green fields OF
the suburbs, they gathered. tiny tot to
eenile but red blooded seniors, rosy
checked school girls to wrinkled old
women. both sexes. all ages. many
blooda While they met and mingled
in play merrily boiled the melting pot
Service Men Help.
Former safe and sane meets have at
tracted hordes Of star athletes. There
were not so many champions seen in
competition yesterday. Most Of Uncle
Sans sports stars earnestly are engaged
In beating the Hun "over tho-e." How
ever. almost every good athlete still
around little old New York competed
in some meet. 1t is a credit to sport
dom's patriotism that practically all Of
the star athletes who contested yester-
day wore either army khaki or navy
blue. Those who didn't had good rea-
sons for II.
The Pelham Bay Naval Reserves
swept the decks wherever they sent
their athletic fiotillas. At Chelsea Park
Yeoman Willie Gordon. former national
mile champion. captured the one mile
open run. That the former Mercury
Footer has not lost his land legs was
shown by the handy way he defeated
the field. Yeoman Gordon turned in
%:42. which athletic experts recognize as
"going some, on the Chelsea Park track.
National five mile champion Charlie
Pores carried the silks Of the Pelham
tArs to victory in the mile run at Astor
Field. Pushed hard by Bob Crawford OF
Flushing High. scholastic half mile. mile
and cross country champion, Pores was
forced to step the eight furlongs In
faster time than Gordon made at Chel-
sea Park. The Ave mile king was
clocked in 4:40 Is.
Crawford Stars at Aston Field.
Though Crawford was beaten by Pores
in the mile run Bob was the star of the
day at Aston Field. The fleet scholastic
champion besides giving Pores a grand
race In the mile run finished second In
the running high jump and breasted the
tape a winner in the open quarter mile
dash.
More laurels were harvested by the
athletic sailors from Pelham Bay at De
Witt Clinton Park, where George Der
NELL metropolitan 440 yard champion
now Pelham tar. won the open quarter
mile run. and his brother seaman Ken
c. star took the A. A. L. pole vault
competition.
OF course the Pelham tars had Just as
much success on sea" as on land. Any
way one would gain that impression
from the results Of the open fifty yard
swim at the Betsy Head Baths. w. De
Lacy of the Pelham Bay Naval Reserves
finished first. and close in his wake cam,
his matey F. O. Day. who also captured
second place in the open plunge for dis
lance.
The land branch Of Uncle Sans ser
vice was represented at Bushwick Park
Brooklyn. by Private Eddie Mayo from
Fort Slocum. The soldier showed hi
heels to a fleet field in the one mile run
Eddie formerly sported the silks OF thu
Brooklyn A. A., and has been a runne
UP in several cross-country champion
ship events.
KyrOnen q Medal Winner.
Among the other athletic celebritie
who obtained medals from Pop Knicker
booker were Viler Kyronen. the nationa
cross country champion; Otto Laaks
and Hans Schuster the we'll known dis
lance runners; Alex Feher of the Hun
garian American A. c.; James O'Briei
of Loughlin Lyceum, 440 and 900 yart
Wilson of the New York A. c.. w. F. L,
Rose, the Junior metropolitan sprin
champion of 1916: Kurt Zulch OF tn
American Walkers Association TER
Halpine and NJ. Voelkl of the Morning
side A. c.
Kyronen captured the three mile ope
run at Betsey Head Park. with Lacks
and Schuster 200 yards in his wake
Kyronen stepped the three miles Il
Is 81 1-5, knocking OFF almost ten sec
from the former track record o
1870 2-5.
For the first time in seven year
neither traffic cop Pat Mcdonald no
police lieutenant Matt McGrath, Olympi
champions in shot put and hamme
throw respectively. competed in tn
Safe and Sane Meet. There was
reason. Neither Celt could be In tw
places at once and as the pair OF Their
acted as standard bearers for Bria
Boru in the Irish section of the Loyalt
Parade they could not be In any par
shatterIng weight heaving records
Huge crowds gathered to witness tn
sports at all OF the parks. Not littl
interfamily rivalry cropped up. At 8
Gabriers Park M Meehan captured tn
40 yard dash for ITO pound you.pest er,
with w. Meehan second. The two m
fshed in the same order In the potat
race. At Cherry Street Park w. Finkel
stein and y. Finkelstein finished frs
and second respectively In the 400 var
dash. and j. Friedberg and NJ. Friedber
same in first and second respectively !
the so yard event.
At Yorkvi'le Playground T. and I
Salerno finished second and third r,
l,,