The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1941-06-03
Iron Horse
Played 2,130
Straight Games

Twice VoIuoble
Player in League;
Set Four Records
oNEW YORK. June 3-(R-
Lou Gehrig, the great Iron
horse" of baseball, is dead.
The big, handsome fellow who
was . marvel Of power and en-
durance for IL years as the
hrst baseman of the New York
Yankees died last night at his
home in the Bronx after an i'll
ness of two years from Q rare
and apparently incurable dis
ease that caused the fluid in his
spinal column to harden and his
muscles to shrivel. s..
The end came II days before
Lou would have been SO years
old and wrote finis to q fight
with disease that was as drama
tic and courageous as any of
his exploits on the diamond.
Right up until the time he
fell into . coma yesterday after
noon Gehrig never acknowledge
ed that he was licked.
But others knew that he was
waging a losing fight and when
death came his wife and close
relatives were gathered at the
bedside.
Arrangements were made for
private funeral services at 8
., m. (EST) tomorrow at the
Christ Episcopal church in the
Riverdale section of New York
where Gehrig resided. The body
will be cremated.
Gehrig's place among base
balls immortals was assured q
year ago when he was voted in
to the Sports Hall OF Fame. Be-
fore he voluntarily withdrew
from the Yankee lineup May 2.
1880. 1t Detroit, he set q never
approached record of playing in
2,130 consecutive championship
games, 81 world series contests
and countless exhibitions.
He started his streak as q
pinchhitter on June /, 1925. The
next day he replaced Wally
Pipp At first base and never
missed . game for II years.
He twice was named the most
valuable player IN the Amer
lean League, led It in batting
with 1853 in 1884, set . major
league record for batting IN
more than 100 runs = year for
Is years, set the American
League mark of l04 runs batted
in.in 1891, hit q home run with
the bases loaded on % different
times and once hit four homers
In one gam {, feats never
eQualled.
The insidious illness that
struck out Cehrig was diasnos-
ed - "amyothophic lateral
sclerosis." Just, when il entered
his system never was known.
but It may have been sometime
in 1898 when his batting aver
age dropped below 800 for the
hrst time In Is years.
It was not until he went to
Mayo Clinic at Rochester, Mimi,
two years ago this month that he
knew anything was wrong
physically. There he was told
that he never could play base
ball again and that he would
have to have IN injection In his
back every day for what proved
to be the remainder Of his Life.
Even % he continued cheerful
and hopefully remained with
the ball club, In uniform, for
the remainder Of the 1892 sea-
son. He sat in . corner Of the
dugout and on special occasions
limped out with his teams
lineup for the umpires.
After the world series that
fall, Mayor =. H. LaGuardia Of
fered him . 10-year post on the
City Parole Commission at .
salary Of 500, q modest slip
end for . man who made in the
neighborhood Of 100000 in his
years on the diamond and reach
ed q peak of $30, 900. exclusive
of world series and other extras,
in 1888.
Gehrig accepted Immediately
and was sworn in the following
January after spending the In
term reading and studying
about parole. He devoted al
his energy to this job. seldom
going anywhere except 20 his
Office or to one Of the city's In
stitutions. He believed devoutly
in the benefits Of parole to 90
ciety and took every opportunity
to talk about II, to boost Il, and
to improve the city's system.
His health grew worse by de-
grees, even though he gave each