The sun., 1919-07-05
NOTABLE GATHERING
ATTENDS Big FIGHT
Men Prominent in All Walks
of Life at Ringside-Army
Well Represented.
WOMEN IN OWN SECTION
Covered PaviliOns Shade Fair
Sex From Sweltering Heat
Temperature 1870 Degrees.
WOMEN IN OWN SECTION
sDecia, Despatch TO Tue suS.

= Special Despatch TO The suS.
TOLEDO, July 4.-The one man who got
, an easy decision was the weather man.
He predicted a 30 degree afternoon, with
nary a breeze, for the Willard-Dempsey
fight and he surely kept his promise.
In the arena 1t was e5 degrees, with
no shade and the sun beating down
from a sky unlocked by even the
suspicion of n cloud. 1t was a blazing.
relentless sort of sun. The kind one
reads of as having Its bailiwick over
the Sahara. For those at the rlngside
who had to work II was brutal Type
writing machines soon beclme as hot
as griddles and sandwich left out in
the sun soon became a piece Of hot beef
between two slices of toast 1t was an
afternoon altogether reminiscent OF
Reno on July 4 just nine years ago.
But that Reno crowd dwarfed before
that which damned this modern COLI
scum on the shores of Maumee Bay.
1t is true that the gathering did not
come up to expectations and that the
million dollar gate did not materialize.
but there were at least $4,000 persons
In the arena The crowd was damned
Ia gradual, octagonal tiers, a waving
sea of straw hats and white shirts. with
here and there an aristocratic "silker"
OF perhaps talkative design.
Hero and there vacant seats showed
like blast blemishes on the green sides
of q mountain. And the crowd was
not one to be kept in one place. 1t
moved and surged and kept going and
coming: that of course was before the
big fight went on.
Just as soon as a man found that
the sun was getting to him he made
q dive for the nearest entry to the
shadows under the grand stand. Along
about l AS a sirocco blasted its way
over the arena from the southwest but
soon It cooled. A bit of breeze sprang
up from the west and made the flags
on the top tiers flout bravely in the
Eephyr.
Gen. Gomez on From Havana.
Men prominent in every walk OF life
were at the ringside. There was Gen.
Gomez and big party all the way from
Havana The General has reputation
as a pretty combative individual and
he was all set for a real battle. The
Generals party bought their tickets in
New York at SIS each, and when they
found $50 tickets going for $40 and
even less here they were bit chagrined.
Sammy Harris, one time manager Of
Terry McGovern, was right up front too
Though Dempsey was referred to as
big edition OF the late Terrible Terry.
Harris said he had his money on Will
lard. Harry Payne Whitney was ex-
pected but could not be found.
The riding division OF the turf was
represented by Lawrence Lyke, the
jockey. Jim Corbett. one time heavy
weight champion, sat and smiled in the
ba zing sun. Jim wouldn't say which
man he favored to win the title he used
to hold. but he looked for a great battle.
Army and Navy Represented.
Admiral Sims and Secretary OF War
Baker were scheduled to see the fight.
If they we're here they came incognito.
But there was no lack of military and
naval representation. Men and officers
were AL over the arena.
Jim Coffroth headed a big delegation
OF sports from the Coast. He said
that he had hoped to bring Jim Jeffries,
but that the old champion preferred to
stay in retirement on his ranch and de-
clined to revive sad memories Of Reno.
Corbett was the chief of big boxing
representation. There was Frank Mo-
ran, who had no success against Willard
in New York in 1916; Tommy Ryan,
former middleweight champion and
friend and chief second of Jefries: Jack
McAuliffe, former lightweight champion
Ted Lewis, former welterwetght title
holder Jack Skelly, the alternate ref
cree; Bill Brown, the New York referee
Honest John Kelly, opce a referee of
many big heavyweight battles in New
York: Johnny Dundee. Joe yelling. and
Kid Graves
Many were the baseball men at the
fingside. Frank Chance. former mana
ger OF the Yankees and the Cubs, mo-
tored here all the way from California
with Mrs. Chance. Roger Bresnahan,
president OF the Toledo Club and once a
Giant, passed UP his own attraction at
the ball park in favor OF the fight.
Ted Sullivan. the veteran baseball
man. came from Washington. He said
that he had been commissioned by vari-
Gus South American republics TO go
down there and start real baseball in
earnest.
Flo Ziegfeld and Sam Harris brought
TO the ringside n big party which includ-
ed Paul Block. Irving Berlin. Lou Gin
bel. Billy Baxter, Gene Buck, A. D.
I.asker. Ray Comstock, Sailing Baruch,
Paul Faust. G, A. ONeill. Frank Mckee,
Morris Rose. Ed Arlington and Walter
Hass.
Others seen near the ring were Walter
Barringer. Chappie Reuben. Lou Morris
and John Ringing and Freddy Welsh.
Billy Gibson, Benny Leonard and
Charles Harvey.
Thermometer at 100 Degrees.
Two o'clock saw the ringside Their
mometer jump TO 1870 degrees, while the
arena blimp hit the sky The blimp
broke loose from its moorings and
started for the great lakes. The two
men in the cage let out the gas and Il
began TO descend in a hurry
After Jack Malone and Sailor Rostain,
had got through with their little mess
the crowd was entertained by an army
aviator who did all the stunts in the
usual repertoire. The little breeze had
died down and a thermometer at the
rlngside showed lis degrees.
The most striking part of the fight In
30 far as the crowd was concerned was
the small turnout for the ten dollar
seats. More than $4,000 seats were pro-
vided for the bleacherites, but not more
than 1000 at the very most showed I'D,
This was peculiar angle that took both
Richard and the crowd by surprise.
Only 800 Women in Arena.
The number OF women who came 10
the fight also did not come I'D to expec-
tations. Two big covered pavlions
were provided for the fair enthusiasts
at the southwest side. along the rim of
the arena. The women had the COM
fort OF an awning over their heads.
There were not more than 800 OF them
and II was hard TO see whether they
were enjoying the spectacle T,hav 70