Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1924-10-04
BASE BALL FANS
GET THRILL FROM
MECHANICAL BOARD
Thousands Of Fans Will Wit
ness Worlds Series Games
In This Way

The Baltimore baseball fan, instead
of going to Washington next month
to "attend his grandmother's fun
eral," will bury her in front of the
scoreboard, while yelling for the Sen
ators and crying "Quit your shown"
to the press of other mourners. For,
as every employer knows, the rate a.
mong grandmothers is something
fearful when world series is on the
boards.
Thousands of Baltimore fans, each
with grandmother ready for the
slaughter to make a baseball holiday.
gathered Saturday afternoon to watch
the tryout of the new board and to
literally see the Senators win from
Boston.
They blocked the traffic at the six
corners which form the triangular
meeting of Fayette and Liberty SITS.
and Park avenue, and with their eyes
glued on The Baltimore News score
board, flowed over into the street in
eadying crowds through which street
cars and automobiles made their way
slowly in narrow lanes kept open with
difficulty by special details from the
traffic squad.
The triangular parking immediate
~ in front Of the Baltimore News
business office afforded an island Of
safe refuge for several hundred, many
of whom failed to heed the low wire
fence and printed warnings which
are supposed, to make such parked
spots sacred to members Of the Park
Board and stray dogs to whom keep
Off the Grass" means nothing when
there is bone to be buried in the one
oass in miles Of concrete streets.
1t was "a Washington crowd-it
wanted the Senators to win and cheer
ed loudly the shouted announcement
from the Baltimore News office that
the New York Yankees had crawled
through the small end Of to 8
score in their game with the Athletics
thereby doing costly flop in the
homestretch to the world series.
Nothing quite like the new score
board Of the Baltimore News had ever
before been seen in Baltimore, and the
visual, novel manner in which the
game is "played" on it was highly ap-
preciated for the showing Of the world
series games.
Keep your eye on the ball. That's
all you have to do to enjoy the world
series games on the Baltimore News
scoreboard, for every movement made
by the ball on the playing field will
be faithfully reproduced on the board.
The game begins. Over the pitch
er's box in the playing field marked
out on the board is a little steel ball
controlled by an electric magnet oper-
ated from behind the board by man
who is in turn actuated by the click
ing telegraph instrument relaying in
slant progress of the game in con-
densed code.
The pitcher winds up and the ball
gyrates about his box and then shoots
in a straight line toward the plate.
The batter awaiting the ball has come
to the plate in the shape of a little
white disk which energies through a
hole in the board and stands at the
end of miniature bat lying across
the home plate.
AS the ball crosses the plate the bat
swings with quick chop. Strike one
and the proper numeral goes up in
the slot marked strikes.
Again the pitcher winds up while
the ball revolves in concentric circles
ard then shoots toward the plate.
Too wide and the batter lets it go by.
The bat remains still and the ball one
is recorded. The next one is a foul.
The batter swings, but the ball shoots
off obliquely to a spot marked foul
and then returns to the pitcher, guild
ed all the time by the electric magnet
holding it from behind thru the steel
board. ~
The next one is over the plate and
the batter slams it fright on the
nose." Like Ty Cobb stealing Sec
ond the little white disk streaks tow
ard first while the ball sails to the
outfeld.
If it is caught for an out it stops
over one of the fielders' positions, but
if it is safety it shoots back too late
to first base, where the little dish is
nov dancing a jig of derision.
AS batter after batter comes to the
Mate the name of each moves out
pm the line-ups on the sides Of the
ard, while another white disk
mes through the hole near the home
e. Ball and strike, ball and
Re, until the bat swings thirG