The Washington times., 1936-04-20
heHockey
WdrOn in
District
Bv KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

Smouldering beneath end
less hours of a hearing before
the Securities and Exchange
Commission over the issuance
Of stock to float an indoor
sports arena in the vicinity of
Kansas Avenue and Upshur
Streets, to contain, among
other things, an ice rink,
there was unmistakable evil
dence that a hockey war is on
in the District Of Columbia.
Now if you can imagine q
hockey war in a city wherein
there is not yet q square foot OF
manufactured ice for skating pur'
poses, the above statement needs
no elaboration. But If your
gullibility is strained by such as
sertion. perhaps I can give 1t
credence in your unbelieVing
mind.
Lot Of Land Snatching
This so-called hockey war may
possibly be nothing more than q
real estate war, but evidence
was presented from the witness
chair that there has been no lit
tie option grabbing going on
around this town Of large chunks
Of unimproved realty which would
be suitable for q covered arena
large enough to freeze ice and
play the rough-and-ready Canad'
ian sport, a mixture Of mayhem
and massacre just a shade more
humane than wrestling.
One of the proponents Of the
Kansas Avenue venture declared,
off the record. that his group
Of SportSmen who had ordained
themselves to give hockey to
washington. were being check.
mated through underground
channels, by opposing interests
which had done a little option
kidnapping of their own.
He made no denial that his
principals had put the finger on
considerable yardage for the pur'
pose of an immense skating area;
but asserted that the land rush
was being initiated by imposterS
eager to beat them to the first
rink in Washington.
Too Much Outlay
It was all very remindful Of
the stories one reads in early
American history Of the Cali
iornia and Oregon gold rush,
only no covered wagons drawn
BY yoke of oxen were in evi-
dence. One Of the chief COM
ments Of one witness, Joe Turner,
incidentally, was that $500, 600
seemed to be entirely too much
gold to invest in a sports arena
with any hopes Of getting out
Of the red while a single one
of the original investors was still
this side Of eternity.
So. YOU see, this all amounts
to q hockey war and it may END
up in washington having no
hockey whatsoever.
Yes sir, open accusations OF
skullduggery at the CROSSROADS
were hurled in the cloakroom dur
ing the brief recesSes when 1t was
necessary to throw up the windows
and clear the atmosphere OF smoke
and cordial hostility between
eager option snatchecs.
Several hockey factions, not In
volved In the controversy, had OBJ
servers in the audience stealing
the signals and plans and ideas OF
the concern seeking registration OF
its securities, which was subject TO
q thorough going over that
couldn't be equalled by the talk
alive barber on the end chair.
Gold in Them Hills
They were shaved and Shorn and
manicured to q fare-thee-well, right
out there in open meeting with
thei elaborate estimates Of the
riches which await the pioneer
In ice hockey in Washington.
Chances are that a lot Of limo
cent spectators at last weeks
hockey hearings, who originally
had no idea Of the need in Wash.
ington for hockey, say nothing Of
the hidden fortune the sport dis.
guised, are around town this
very day cornering blades Of grass
which they may propagate into
nuggets a Midas might envy.
However, If they fingered to
hear Joe Turner testify, they
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