The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-11-07
TAKE TO
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Game Has Been introduced in Porto Rico
and Added to Regular Program of
play Day" for the Troops.

New York, Nov. 7.--Football, not Soc
Ger, but the manto-man intercollegiate
type, has been started in Porto Rico and
the soldiers are taking to it like ducks to
water, despite heat and sandy playing
field that elsewhere would be considered
too heavy for fast team work.
The first battalion of the 3T4th regi-
ment started the football craze late in
September by challenging the rest of the
regiment. Neither side scored but two
broken noses were reported among the
casualties. This was the first blood
drawn by the warriors and it added
such zest TO the life of the camp that
the 373d regiment has taken up the
game.
As result of the interest in the foot
ball games the athletic director has add
ed the sport to the regular program Of
play day" events for the troops. This is
probably the first appearance of football
in the tropics.
With SO stars in its service flag, the
Southern association has made bid for
honors among the minor baseball leagues
Last season there were only 100 players
on the rosters of the eight Southern as.
ISOLATION clubs and almost half that
number are now in military service. In
addition several have enrolled for well
fare work or service in other non-com-
Blatant branches of the nations forces
overseas. According to latest available
figures Chattanooga tops the list of clubs
with II of its Is players either in the
army or navy, Mobile has nine stars in
its flag, Memphis eight Birmingham sew
en-, Little Rock six and Nashville, New
Orleans and Atlanta four each.
Much has been written regarding the
wonderful work of the American engi-
neers in France both at the bases OF the
United States army and along the many
connecting lines which hook up the front
lines with the sources of supply There
Is, however, another side TO their activity
which is just as remarkable and praise
worthy, especially since it is gratuitous
and done after ordinary working hours
1t is the preparing Of fields or enclosures
for the soldier athletes and without
which it would be impossible to play or
hold many of the games and contests
Stories of the helpful work Of the en-
gineers in this direction are constantly
being sent back across the seas along the
following lines. Recently a Y NJ. G. A.
athletic director with an engineer regi-
ment in the center OF France felt dis
couraged regarding the outlook for sports.
There was no field fit for baseball foot
ball or even basketball To relieve his
mind he told his trouble to a sergeant
If it's baseball field you want, quoth
the sergeant, wen have it,"
A rocky, uneven and generally desc.
late pasture was selected as the only
possible place upon which ball park
could be built The physical director
thought that possibly, after years
work, something might be made Of it.
That was before he knew the engineers
we'll II took just three days to Skin"
off the field, level il, roll it and put it in
condition for play, even to the building
OF fine wire netting backstop and mark
ing out the foul lines with flags. The
job was done by the men after they had
put in hard day at their regular tasks.
Practically the whole regiment assisted
at one time or another.
With the baseball field in operation, it
was decided to promote boxing. The
drawback was that there was no place to
stage bouts except the floor Of the hut,
and the men who wanted to read or write
or listen to the music machine wouldn't
stand for that Again the sergeant was
consulted. In three days he had put up,
near the hut, as good ring az ever
staged championship bout. 1t has a
we'll constructed platform, ropes ar
ranged in the proper manner, padded
floor and timekeeper's gong. They
didn't say where they got the boards and
nobody seemed to care because the Off
GERS who might have been fussy were too
busy crowding into ringside seats for the
opening performance. These are but two
isolated incidents Of what the engineers
do when their help is needed to keep the
sport spirit alive.