Evening star., 1940-04-18
By LEWIS F. ATCHIsON.

We always thought the Post Of
nee Departments boast 1t could
shove q mail sack through hail,
snow, sleet or rain to Hades and
back again on schedule was the ne
plus ultra OF devotion to duty and
efficiency. But the men in gray to-
day have a trio Of worthy rivals in
trackmen Of Catholic and American
Universities and Gallaudet College
who braved weather and a hundred
other barriers to keep their annual
triangular tryst at College Park.
The Cardinals won, rolling up 103
points to 81 for Gallaudet and % for
American. 1t was a walkaway for
Dorsey Grif1th's crew, but that
isn't the story. The real yarn is
how the meet-postponed from last
Saturday-twice was postponed and
twice rescheduled in one day before
finally going on.
Meet Twice Shifted.
Mr.. Griffith was up early and after
three laps around the breakfast
table made a hurried inspection of
Catholics track. None too good at
its best, it resembled a wavy strip of
coffee grounds, broken here and
there by miniature duck ponds. 1t
would be suicidal to send boys over
that track without a Coast Guard
crew, so he called of the meet.
Then, in quick succession the big
hoofing party was rescheduled for
Gallaudet and again postponed
when Blair Smith, coach of the
Blues. decided the oval was un-
suited for anything but plowing
under. Glumly, Griffith announced
the meet was of again. Then was
born the happy thought Of staging
it at Maryland If Geary Eppley
would agree.
Maryland's director Of athletics
said it would be all right if they got
started soon enough-say around
o'clock. That was agreeable all
around, but in the rush to get to the
scene one-fourth of Gallaudet's slim
team was left behind and obliged tc
hitch-hike to College Park.
At 2 o'clock in the afternoon Mary.
lands track is as deserted as q
vacant house and that meant nc
judges, no timers, no clerk of the
course, no scorers. 1t looked pretty
discouraging, but Griffith was be-
ginning to see the light at this stage
of the proceedings. There would be
meet now If the boys had to start
and time themselves.
Smith became the starter
Griffith. Dick Gentle, American.
coach, and Eddie La Fond, c. U.'s
boxing coach, acted as starters ano
judges. Bob Addie, c. US publicity
man, was equipped with a whistle
that wouldn't blow and named clerh
of the course. An innocent news.
paperman passing by was pressed
into service as another Judge, ant
promptly distinguished himself by
slipping and falling in a mudhole
But they got started.
The affair was progressing
famously. especially In the pole.
vault, until Charley Moutenot o1
c. U. and Nelson of American
got up to 10 feet 6 inches. At that
height one Of the contestants landed
squarely on the crossbar, swapping
it ir@ two, and the contest had to be
called q draw.
One Mark Broken, One Tied.
One meet record was broken dur.
ing the hectic afternoon, and an.
other tied. Johnny Corbett, Cath.
olic's distance runner, lowered the
2-mile mark to 10 minutes 2 second.
from 11:09, and Earl Stevens Of
Gallaudet tied the high Jump mari
at S feet II inches in winning that
event.
The meet lasted little Longer
than expected and at the finish
Maryland trackmen, out on training
jousts, were coming down the track
with the 2-milers and confusing ths
timers, especially La Fond, who
insisted on counting 10 over every
! flnisher.
The payoff came when some ons