Evening star., 1923-08-21
BIG STADIUM HERE
TO HANDLE $4,000
READYBY AUTUMN
Clark Griffith to Enlarge
League Park for Big
Sporting Events.
HOPE TO BRING SPORT
FEATURES TO CAPITAL
New Concrete Stand to Seat 49,
600 Chief Feature-Work
Starts at Once.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

DI-NHAN
An athletic field capable Of accom-
modating upward of $4,000 spectators
will be available for Washington this
fall. President c. c. Grifith of the
Washington Base Ball Club. today an
the stands at the Georgia avenue in
closure have been perfected which
Will give the Capital a plant eX-
ceiling In size and modern appoint
ments that boasted by any city in
the south. and hopes by this means
to make the seat of the national gov
ernment real center for athletic
events of all descriptions
The immediate cause for the re-
modelling of American League Park
on such an extensive scale as that
planned. is for the purpose of pro-
throng expected to attend the Army
Marine foot ball game to be played
here Saturday, December l. but the
ultimate purpose is to assure for this
city site adequate to care for mon
ster assemblages that may be at
tracted in future years. Heretofore
Washington has been handicapped in
bidding for sporting events of major
Importance owing to the fact that II
had no fitting place to stage them,
but with the facilities made possible
by the project now to be undertaken
this drawback will be eliminated.
The gridiron clash OF the soldiers
and marines. an event which an
nually is assuming more and more
Importance. will be the chief attrac-
will be supplemented by numerous
games listed by Georgetown Univer-
sity. which has designated the park
as its home field. These include en-
gagements with elevens representing
George Washington University. the
RnQfnr
nell University and the Univer-
sity of Oklahoma. Ultimately 1t Is
hoped that the foot ball battle of Un-
Gle Sans service schools at Annapolis
and West Point. the prize of the entire
gridiron season. may be staged here. at
least every other season. No assur-
RANGES te this effect have been receiv-
ed. but intfInatfons given indicate that
with an adequate plant available,
bid for the classic would receive Sc
rious consideration.
The enlarged park, when completed.
will be known as the Clark Griff1th
Stadium; The principal addition will
be the construction of new concrete
stand designed to seat approximately
10000. The contract already has been
let to the George A. Fuller Company
on a cost-plus basis. with the stipu-
lation that IL be completed by Novem-
Der next Actual operations are to
be started tomorrow. 1t is estimated
tudt TIC tHbcI pl WI Tic
outlay of about $4,000.
New stand Mt East End.
The new stand will be situated
starting from a point east of the end
of the present left-field pavilion and.
paralleling the wall. extend south
field. where it will run obliquely to
the far end of the present score
board in right center. 1t will be
thirty-seven rows deep and have
total length of 400 feet. with numer-
Gus aisles and spaces for the en-
trance and exit of spectators. In ad-
dition to the present gateways on
Georgia avenue and Bohrer street
there will be three openings on the
egress of the public, with two broad
exit lanes on the east designed to
make possible the emptying of ca
pacity crowd in short space of time
and with a minimum of discomfort.
For the purpose of providing places
of vantage for many hundreds of
spectators in addition to those in the
permanent stands the new structure
will be nine feet high at the point
nearest the playing field, and in front
of 1t, for its entire length, will be
placed temporary seats of the type
used for foot ball games at the park
last fall. -
Wooden seats will be Installed to
run from the far end of the present
permanent box seats in front of the
left field pavilion and temporary seats
also will be placed in the open space
in front of the wire screen in the
center of the grandstand back of the
home plate.
The entire field will be sodded for
foot ball, and with the new stand
less than sixty-two feet in depth the
distance from the home plate to the
limits in left field will be approximately
400 feet, which will provide a playing
space for base ball considerably more
extensive than a majority OF ball
parks in the major leagues.
Grid scoreboard Planned.
Gridiron enthusiasts will be assured
an unobstructed view of the field from
every seat and efforts will be made to
provide every facility for their en-
joyment of the games. Plans include
the erection of a modern scoreboard
on which the number of downs, iden-
tity of the player carrying the ball,
distance gained, yards to go, etc, Will
be depicted and press box to accom-
modate 100 newspaper men win be
erected opposite the center of the
gridiron, which will be laid off as
formerly, with the goal posts at the
eastern and western ends of the park.
Tickets for the Army-Marine game
already have been ordered and now
are being printed. The scale of prices
for the contest will be determined
within a few days at a conference be-
tween the heads of the two branches
of the military service. Applications
for reservations already received in
dicate widespread interest in the con-