New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-03
Popular ''Cap'' Of Baseball Home Again
After Several Months Service IN France
Urges That National Game
Make Provision for
Badly Wounded Players
By Charles A. Taylor

Iankees, reached TINS city yesterday,
after several months service cover
there" The lieutenant colonel left our
shores soon after the United States en-
tered the war as plain Cap" title
by which he was Familiarity known
throughout all the world Of sport. 1t
was noticeable yesterday that he was
still Cap to the host of friends who
welcomed his return.
1t was in May Of last year, one month
after this country declared war on the
Hun, that cap" decided to do his bit
in answer to the call of Uncle Sam, al
though he was beyond the age when he
might be expected to take an active
part in the conflict Before Cap
reached the decision really TO get busy
he had thrown his influence as an
American League magnate into the
cause of arousing the military spirit
of the youth of the land, especially
among those whose particular hobby
in sports was baseball.
The American League, chlefy
through the agitation of the Cap" in
augurated the practice of having army
officers drill it's players, and these drills
became a feature OF the games played
throughout the johnson circuit. L n
ouestionaby this idea of the "Cap's''
had wonderful influence in the way
of stimulating the martial spirit among
the followers of the national game.
cap" Not Content
But cap" was not content. lie
forgot that he was no longer in the
first flush of youth, and only remen-
bered that he had a knowledge OF
engineering that might be Of real scrv-
ice ,'s' to- the ls government in this time of
stress and strain. The cap" also re.
numbered that he had myriad o,
friends in practically every part OF the
country and then he conceived the big
idea" He forsook his baseball interests
in New York City and was next heard
of in Cincinnati, where he devoted
the month of May to recruiting com
pany of engineers. On June o. the
Cap" and his men were ready and the
company, with cap" as captain, was
taken into the service.
Ever a modest man, the Cap re-
fers to the work accomplished by his
band in the construction of roads
necessary to the advance of our SOL
ders. in restoring the devastated sec
lions of France and the company or
the regiment that did it all and, ooh,
what a fine lot of men they were" IS
the way the "Cap" puts it. In his opin-
ion the American soldier proved 70 be
just about the best type of fighter the
world has ever seen.
But the Gaps" modestv cannot glide
over these salient truths regarding his
own career abroad. He sailed from
these shores in August Of last year, &
captain. In May of this year, while
IL, Jor:@
he was made major and the middle
of September last saw the cap" ad-
vanced to lieutenant cclonelcy. When
this highest honor came to him he was
at Movers in charge Of the cOnstruc-
ton Of base hospital to accommodate
10000 wounded soldiers. This immense
hospital was not finished, for the glad
news of the signing of the armstce
reached the cap" and his men as they
were hustling along the big work.
There is no JOY" said the Cap"
that can compare with the JOY OF a
soldier when he hears that it is all
over at last Nothing else in the world
matters then, an it appears as though
every possible care the world may hold
has gone forever"
AS for the future Of baseball the
cap" was most optimistic. He says
that despite the stories coming from
abroad during the war regarding the
playing of baseball. there was really
particular branch of the service at
least was too busy to think of such
a thing" he added. But he maintains
that interest in the national game is
just as strong among the soldiers. and
that there should be no question re
garding the success Of the coming sea-
son here.
Opportunity for Baseball
One thing the cap" believes should
be done by the big league magnatcs
every crippled ball player among the
returning soldiers sand sailors. A per-
ccntage of the receipts for the seasop
or the receipts of special games adver
tised as such should be devoted to this
worthy cause, insists the cap"
The cap" arrived in this country
last Tuesday aboard the Riandam,
which made port at Newport News. He
is in town on en-day furlough, after
which he will report at Camp Hum
phreys, Va, where he expects to re-
ceive his discharge. The cap" applied
for his discharge before leaving France.
The activities Of the "Cap's" regi-
ment as outlined by himscslf follow:
The 10th Engineers under Colonel
Harry Burgess of the Regular Engi-
neers, who except for a short time
acted as its commanding officer,
were modified at the Fair Grounds,
Detroit, Mich in June, 1917 and
sailed from New York for France on
August /, 1917 on the Tuscana
(Which was Summarized on its next
trip ovcr). The ship went aground
on a rock near Halifax and only
rising tide prevented a catastrophe.
1t spent ten days in Halifax harbor
making repairs and then arrived at
Liverpool on August 23, 1917. The
regiment travarsed England by train
to Southampton and crossed the
Channel to Havre. During the
trip across the Channel the booms
on the mainmast broke loose and
dashed everything off the decks. The
ship stopped several hours to secure
them and make them fast.
The regiments first station in
France was at Tilchatcl, north of
Dion. The regiments first work
was the construction Of an immense
railroad freight classification yard
at Is-sur-Tille. Detachments Of the
regiment did the sanitary work on
Base Hospital Is at Chaumont and
II at Dion The regiment was or
dcrcd to the British front in March,
1919, on the occasion Of the big Hun
spring offensive and was located in
the Arras l'cthunc sector building
light railways and double tracking