The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1947-02-13
Group Attacks Obstacles
Arising h Way OF Miami
Sun Sox Training Here

A small group Of men anxious
to give Key West the priceless
publicity of having a professional
baseball club here for spring
training this year appeared to,
be winning their struggle at noon
today. 1t now seems probable
that the Miami Sunsox will
come here March | with an en-
tourage of 100 or more persons
until April Is.
Prospects looked somewhat
dim at one point last night at the
meeting held in the office of City
Clerk Roy Hamlin, chairman of
the Municipal Stadium commit
tee. Attending were Glenn
Sweeting, Dave McCurdy and
Frank Varela of the Stadium
committee, City Commissioner
Louis CarboneIl, representing the
Lions Club; Jack Sellers of the
Chamber of Commerce, Wilbur
Ward of the Junior Chamber of
Commerce and John Vosburgh,
city editor of The Citizen.
Hamlin showed the gathering
a letter from Jay Cone. Miami
manager, specifying the needs of
the club if it is. to train here. AS
announced previously in The
Citizen, George Mills White, di-
rector of Key West Housing Au-
thority, had already told Hamiin
he could use the West PoiRciana
warehouse, used by the PAL or
ganiZation, for a clubhouse. Ham
lin announced last night that
White had also given him the use
of two apartment buildings for
housing facilities.
Says $4,000 Needed
Nevertheless, Hamlin explain
planned, $4,000 would be needed
to make everything shipshape for
the Sunsox; $500 to repair the
Stadium fence, $500 to repair the
diamond infield; $500 to install
plumbing facilities at. the club
house and $500 to install plumb
ing and electrical connections in
the apartments.
In view of the demands being
made on local merchants for oth-
er causes, it was deemed doubt
full that the $4,000 could be
raised The little gathering then
began to look for alternatives.
Carbonen suggested another
method for having the field re-
paired and suggested that per-
haps the players could be quar-
tered at the y. S. Army Bar
racks under 1t. Col. Clifford
Singleton, commander, Harbor
DefenseS of Key West.
Sellers, head of Key West
Transit, offered the use of buses
for the club throughout their
stay, not only offering to pick
the team up and take it to the
field and return three times a
day if necessary, but to turn over
a bus to the club throughout the
day.
Hanin said that volunteer
help would put up the fence, and
Sweeting offered to devote his
spare time to this task. Hence,
the only expenses remaining
would be $3.50 for the lumber.
Vosburgh suggested that perhaps
the Miami club might allow 10
per cent of the gate receipts to
be used for this purpose and that
over a 20-game exhibition slate
here, this cost could be betrayed,
especially since several major
league clubs will play the Sun
sox here.
Singleton Out of Town
This morning Carbonell an
nounced that Col. Singleton is
out of town but will be here
Monday. Earl Adams, president
of the Rotary Club, who was i'll.
last night, volunteered to see the
Army officer, an old acquaint-.
ance. and Carbonell said Adams.
would handle this part of the,
negotiations.
Carbonell said arrangements
have been completed to put the
infield in first-elass shape in five
days. The principal task is dig
ging up the sprinkler system
pipes and placing them back in
the ground with wet packing.
While much hinges on the de-
cision of Col. Singleton whether
to allow the Miami club to use
the vacant barracks here, COM
mittee members voiced eXpecta-
tions that the project will be car