The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-11-27
LARGE CROWD SEES.
THE MIDDIES WIN
FROM ANCIENT FOE
Vice President and Other No
tables sit in Rain to See
Big Fracas

pect of mud-besmeared huskies bat
Ting over great lump of mud that
was football held crowd of nearly
10000 persons spellbound through
three hours Of biting, driving rain
when Army met Navy at the Polo
grounds today.
1t was-as the Navy cheering sec
ton insisted-Navy weather. And.
with their indicators set at full
speed ahead" the Midshipment from
Annapolis plowed through the sticky
sea to a to 0 victory.
Brush stadium sheltered scarcely
half the throng that followed the for
tunes of the skidding gladiators up
and down the field. The others
among them Vice President and Mrs.
Coolidge--and scores of celebrities.
representing America, Great Britain,
France, Japan and Italy, stood out in
the rain.
The Vice President and Mrs. Cool
idge were among the earliest arriv-
ais, taking their seats. for the first
half. in box on the Army side of
the field and scorning proffered UNI
bre1las. The Vice President wore a
battered SLOUGH hat and a heavy
overcoat. Mrs. Coolidge was bundled
in heavy fur coat. In a box on
their right were Secretary of War
Weeks and Mrs Weeks.
While on their left sat high mill
tary attaches of the foreign delega-
tions to- the armament conference.
The visitors, most of whom were wit
Messing their first football game, in
cluded General Lord Cavan of the
British army, viscount Marshall Hig-
gins of the British royal air force,
Gen. G. Vaccari and Col. v. DE Ber-
nezzo OF the italian general staff.
Major Generals Tanaka and Haragu-
Chi of Japan and Col. E. Requin of
France.
They were guests of General Per-
shing, but as Pershing was unable to
be present because of Illness Maj.
Gen. Harbord, deputy chief of staff,
acted for him as host.
On the Navy SIDE to which Vice
President and Mrs. Coolidge were es-
corted between halves, sat Admiral
Koontz, chief of naval operations.
Admirals Jones and Eberle, COM
manders, respectively, of the Allan
tic and Pacific fleets, and Read Ad-
mirais Glennon and Benson.
Secretary OF the Navy DENLY was
not present to see his Middies win.
Frochot of the French navy were the
only representatives of the foreign
delegations on the Navy side of the
field.
The stands were packed long be-
fore the Midshipmen. in their long
blue overcoats, marched in behind a
crashing band and circled the grid
iron before taking their seats in the
rainy side cheering section. They
were led by the Navy goat, gaily
caparisoned. and prancing along as ii
,he sensed the victory that was about
to perch on the banners of his team.
The mud was so heavy that the
Midskipmen abandoned their drill,
but they marched around the gridiron
before climbing into their seats and
taking up their gilded megaphones
Scarcely were they settled when
the Army players. heavily blanketed,
trotted out on the gridiron, shed
their blankets and began warming
up. They were greeted with a great
roar from the audience.
A moment later the crash of Army's
band was heard. and the long line
of gray-clad West Pointers marched
in behind their bTavely decked black
mule
Then the Navy team scampered
forth. and with the opposing gladia-
tors in sight, the rival cheering sec
items got into action. The crowd
made up in the main of present and
past army and navy men and their
mothers and sweethearts,
took a lively hand in the cheering.
although it's effects were almost
drowned out by the great volumes Of
massed roofing that rolled through
the opposing megaphones.
It was an enthusiastic crowd,
fcotball-mad crowd that sursed to
its feet when play started and re-
n aimed tensely standing until the
last whistle had blown.
And. despite the weather, II was
a fashionable crowd That is, 1t was
fashionable until the rain had got
ten in it's work. Then, rich fur coats
began to wilt. Gaudy millinery hung
limp. Pumps and silk stockings were
bedra ggl ed-mud- smeared. Only the
chrysanthemums worn by the fair
rooters seemed to thrive on rain.
But what did the crowd care?
Nothing. A few of its members hoist
ed umbrellas and got themselves
roundly called down by their neigh
bors in the rear. Others improvsed
head coverings, of newspapers. But
the greater part-male and female,
young and old-stood unsheltered IN
the rain and forgot it,
The crowd was intent on the slip
ping. sliding players, and the gro
tcsque football over which they
waged combat football that had
to be massaged with towel by the
referee at every call of time out"
so that the players could handle it.
The crowd went Wild along with
the Navy cheering section when Navy
smashed over it's lone touchdown,
near the end of the second quarter
1t seemed to go even madden. with
the Army rooters. when the mud
caked Cadets ralired late in the last
quarter and rushed down into the
shadow of Nays goal.
And then. when Navy had broken
the march by intefcepting forward
pass, the whistle blew and the crowd
began pouring down on the field to
see the Midshipmen's snake dance OF
triumph. The Cadets alone sat
quietly in their places until the snake
dance was over.
Then they swept from their places
and Joined the crowd. scurrying
through the rain in the gathering
darkness for automobiles, subways
and LIS.
D Af&o. Ho,,&