The Washington times., 1921-09-24


on it, Referee Harry Ertle Shaved Il
when Referee Ertle's hand came
down for the completion Of the tenth
second" says Captain Dieges. my
watch just had registered exactly
ten seconds. In other words, Ref
cree Ertle gave Carpenter the ben
eft Of between one.tenth and two
tenths Of a second--no more, no less.
I recollect no instance in cham.
pionship encounter in which ref
cree came so close to chropomet-
rically perfect count as Ertls did at
Jersey City month ago"
Shaved Ten Seconds.
Dalton, who was connected in no
official capacity with the recent
worlds heavyweight championship
match. but who Was careful TO clock
the rounds and the knockdown, says:
"Ertle just shaved ten seconds ON
the knockdown. When l stopped my
watch it was just a hair pas: ten
seconds. The hand Of my watch
and one-fifth seconds. 1t was As
in a hundred battles. I have seen
referees exactly hit ten seconds, but
the instances have been so few and
far between as to be q rarity. Err
ties count was closer to the watch
than in any important contest which
/ can remember"
Both Dieges and Dalton, however.
are in favor of relieving the ref
cree of the duty OF making his count
by guesswork. Each insists. and
rightfully. that the timer is the prop
er official to register the count and
that the referee should be compelled
to count by the watch" by having
the timekeeper signal the seconds.
Why Timekeeper Should Count.
1T is a mystery to me-" says Dial.
ton, why 1t has not long ago boen
made imperative for the referee to
get his count from the timekeeper.
Hundreds Of thousands of dollars
hang on the balance Of many a con-
test which may be decided by a
mere knockdown to knockout or vice
versa.
"On several occasions I have seen
fourteen seconds by the watch elapse
while the referee was making his
count OF ten. Several times I have
seen referees count out boxers who
still had one, two and sometimes
three and four seconds legal tiIoe
left to regain their feet and resume
the contest.
Referee Ertle was almost right oy
the watch when he counted out
Carpenter at Jersey City. But sup
posing the referee had not hit an
approximate ten seconds7 Suppose
ne had been a couple Of seconds off
either way? Do you realize how
many thousands Of dollars might
nave changed hands because of the
error? >''o
considering what an easy matter
II would be to assure having an exact
count by the watch. II seems nothing
less than downright culpability for
.he OFFICIALS having boxing In charge
10 continue to leave such important
details to mere guesswork."
captain Dieges is equally emphatic
In his opinions. Where, except in
the squared circle" says CAPTAIN
Dieges, do they leave anything az
iecting a worlds championship or a
muse sum OF money to guesswork?
TO me II seems just as asinine TO
leave a knockdown count In a cham.
pionship contest to guess work bv
the referee as Il would for officiai.
to guess the time Of sprinter Charlie
PADDOCK on a record attempting 100
yard DASH
What Rickard Says.
Tex Rickard, the worlds rreatest
promoter, also is OF the opinion that
the count over a fallen boxer should
be registered by the watch. "At the
Jeffries-J Johnson match" SAYS Tex.
Il instructed the timekeeper to sig.
nal the seconds in case OF a knock.
down. Knowing that hundreds of
thousands Of dollars might change
hands on a knockout, I took every
precaution to have my count abso.
lutely correct.
II believe having the timekeepcr
signal the count, or make tho count
himself should be Incorporated In the
rules. Boxing, both as q sport and as
a business, 10 growing bigger every