The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-01
BATTLE FEATURES
POLICE FIELD DAY
Airplanes Fail, but Great Bill
Has Enough to Entrance
Record Crowd.
DE PALMA SETS MARK
Caruso, Mccormack and Other
Singers Add Much to Sensa-
tional Sheepshead Day.

ereat two mile track at Speedway Park
sheepshead Bay. during the ANAL Of the
TWO Held days of the New York Police
department yesterday, 1000 mon were
making thrilling sham battle. From the
trenches the defenders poured a hot fire
or musketry into the attacking troops
who came on In wave after wave. Rapid
doomed. Shells. buried In the earth and
touched or by fuses. exploded with deaf
ening detonations and hurled great
clouds Of dirt. debris and smoke into the
air.
A crowd. greater by forty thousand
than the tremendous thronG Of 100000
that witnessed the FIRST field day a week
ago, breathlessly watched the attacking
FORCES take the trenches and drive the
defenders in rout to the shelter Of the
grove Of trees at the southern end Of the
enclosure.
''Oh, isn't this realistic !" exclaimed a
woman spectator as she turned to one Of
the 400 Pershins veterans invaded
nome from France, who was standing
by the track and trying to appear inter-
ested In the military show out on the
neld. isn't this battle Just wonderful
Isn't 1t just like the battles you brave
boys have been in Over There?"
It's great. lady, great" responded
I'VE couldn't have taken those trenches
better II we had did II ourselves"
Then turning to a bunkie ne whispered
huskily: Battle, huh? Battle? Gee,
the next thing they will be doing is call
ing dewdrop Niagara Falls"
Acceptance Missing.
To the average spectator. however, the
battle" was the real thing. On &C
count Of the thick. heavy clouds the sew
enty airplanes that/were to have staged
sham fight proved one Of the most thrill
ing events of the afternoon.
Lacking a Tody Hamilton, whose gall
Looping alternatives once prepared the
populace for The Greatest Show on
Earth the Police Department called II
Field Day and let 1t go at that. 1t is
doubtful. however. IL a show Of such stu
pendous proportions variety of enter
tainment and fulness of thrills ever was
staged. Army divisions of spectators
watched regiments Of actors perform.
Thousands Of khaki clad soldiers from
nearby environments and blue and white
uniformed sailors from battleships in
port and adjacent naval stations played
double roles Of performer and spectator.
OF course the 400 convalescent PERISH
ing veterans were acclaimed headliners.
Included on the bill. however. was Ralph
De Palma, the worlds automobile speed
king. who SKINNED the great two mile
saucer twice for a new worlds four mile
record OF 2 :o3. shooting the last two
miles in Just four-hfths OF a second
more than 1 minute; Enrico Caruso,
Pasquale Amato. John Mccormack and
Anna Fitziu, celebrated singers. who en-
tertained the crowd with vocal enter
tainment de luxe.
Then there was the mounted squad.
whose members made the spectators
gasp with daredevil equestrian feats ::
the boys from the school Of recruits. who
showed how proficient a rookie must be
before he becomes a member OF the best
police department in the world; the
women police reserves whose snappy
drill in Swedish calisthenics attested to
the physical condition even a woman
member of the police reserves must at
tain. and last but not least the police
dogs, which showed that canine men,
bers Of the Finest are almost human.
Rate of 12O Miles an Hour.
De Palma's feat OF sending his Lib
erty Motor driven Packard two miles in
2 :03 is one of the most wonderful speed
performances that the Italian-American
driver ever made. His two miles In
l 100 As were covered approximately at
the rate of 100 miles an hour, When
Ralph whizzed across the line at the end
Of the four mile burst and the watches
showed 2:03. It Topped an even six sec
onds from the former circular track four
mile speed record.
When the daredevil Italian came on
the track for his record wrecking at
tempt his motor did not seem to be sing
Ing in tune. The experts deductions
were right, for in his FIRST trial De
Palma signalled mo CO. and brought
his car back to the pits for tinkering,
Spark plug was not working right. After
the mechanics had tuned the motor to De
Palma's satisfaction he started away on
another attempt to put Father Time
down for the count
This time he was successful. Liberty
Motor and Packard worked like a charm.
Going one lap to work up speed for a
flying start, De Palma signalled Go! Up
the straightaway he shot and rounded
the first turn at cyclonic speed Down
the long far straight, round the far turn
and into the stretch he whizzed,' COM
pleting the two mile lap In :02 is. His
second swoop OF the saucer was even
faster. Almost before the spectators
knew 1t De Palma had again circled the
bowl and flashed across the line. Time,
2 :03. Last two miles In / 90 As! Some
going!
Only those within 200 feet of the stand
on which Nahan Frankie and his famous
orchestra were stationed could hear the
golden notes OF Caruso and the other
famous songbirds. 1t was a rare musi-
cal treat. Amato sang the "Toreador"
song from Carmen" and an aria from
Hamlet" Caruso brought the great
stand up with a wonderful rendition of
"Over There" and then gave Giordano's
latest, The Warriors Song" The IA
nous tenor and his lately won bride
were cheered TO the echo when they left
the stand together.
Anna Fitziu sang THE Star SpangIed
Banner as 1t seldom has been sung be-
fore, thousands and thousands joining in
the chorus Then the fiutelike peal Of
Mccormack. the one and only John Nc
Cormack, were heard In May God Be
with Our Boys Tonight" There wasn't
a soul In the audience who did not
breathe a heartfelt Amen. As an encore
Mccormack sang THE Long, Long
Trail" the crowd accompanying him.
The great tenor would be singing yet IL
the wishes of the crowd were obeyed.
Mayor Hylan was late In arriving. and
in consequence there was a delay be-
fore the games. 1t was not until 2
o'clock. half an hour later than was
scheduled. that a field piece in the
trenches doomed the thirteen gun salute
haiiing the arrival of Mayor Hylan,
Commissioner Enright. members of the
UruEuayan Commission, Gen. ]. Franklin
Bell, Gen. Kenly. Admiral Usher and
other distinguished guests.
Once the celebrities were seated, the
xUfth al. l..