TTIE OMAHA" DAILY BEE: AUGUST 21, 1910.
4 J
Y
CD ARMS OS TUE BALI FIELD
Variotn Good Luck Tokens Affected
by he Players.
RABBITS' FEET HID UNDER, BASES
t
.Athletes el the Diamond Beset with
Wamervas taperstltleas Mas.
cots and Idols Art Suc
ceeded by Caarai,
I v
Tf that block of nice white rubber known
as the "horn plate," which , marks ths
capltol comer of the big league baas ball
diamonds, were raised In the sight of
gathering of fans and a few ahovelfula of
the under soil carefully shaken out, some
thing of interest to random might be re
vealed.
. What' under tho plate?
Host fans don't even have a suspicion
that there Is anything but earth and pos
sibly some or the little ground worms
which Infest It.
But the first shovelful taken from be
neath the home plate at the polo grounds
and jostled timidly might shake out a col
lection of rabbits feet and other luck to
kens In a manner not unlike a farmhand
pictures when In the act of digging pota
toes. The rabbits' feet and so forth are
there in profusion. And the same may be
said of all the other big league ball fields.
lake the actor, the base balllst Is tenet
with numerous superstitions. The thes
plan, with few exceptions, will freely ad
mit It; not so with the athlete of the turf
diamond. Ball players are something either
lees or more normal than the average man
in this respect, whichever way one cares to
consider It. They possess a great deal of
origlnalty of character. Under close ob
servation even the noisy McOraw, when
away from the scenee of combat. Is a si
lent l'tle gentleman who shows a disposi
tion 4i avoid the discussion of all matters
pertaining to the game.
How to Start Something.
Don't ever tell a professional base ball
player that he Is superstitious, unlees you
wish to "start something" like the response
to kick at a dog suffering with distemper.
That mild accusation would probably be
met with prompt and vigorous denial, be
cause the crowning principle of his dis
avowed adherence to occultism has become
a feeling that it should be followed in the
dark, without visible sign or publicity. For
this reason all maintenance of or interest
in mascots, baa become a dead iasue in the
' (tennant campaigns of professional base ball
: organisations.
In base ball circles they Invoke Ihe aid
of the goddess of fortune with charms
and sacrifices exclusively now, mnacots
and idols having proved futile. "Iron
Man" Joe McOlnnity's little boy was the
last of the mascots at the polo grounds,
and the destruction of the. statue of Bll li
ken, which was planed at the extreme cen
ter field boundary early this season, wound
up the career of Idols, locally, at least.
While colors, figures and strange oc
Wy l 1911 rACKAJtP "THIltTT" OOVPB I
y J Ask the man who owns one
I 1 Samuel Crozer, of Philadelphia
has owned one 1904, one 1905, one
1 h 1906, one 1907 and two 1909 Pack-
I ards. His father has owned one I
i 1906, one 1907 and one 1909 Packard
fc?WOTOR CARS
id THE MAN pJ
v x vwiio owns y
J V 7
Allotment limited .. .A few open dates for early
J delivery. Demonstration by appointment
A. v ELECTRIC GARAGE
VU7 I 2218 Farnam Street DEN1SE BARKALOW, Prop.
ELECTRIC GARAGE
2218 Farnam Street DENISE BARKALOW, Prop.
currences are potent factors In the supor.
tltlons of the base balllsts, they have
more faith in the lucky powers of a rabbit's
foot than In any other emblem of good
fortune. It that rabbit's foot has been
taken from a bu.my captured In the tra
ditional way coming from a cemetery
hastily at midnight with the moon a-ahlnlng
there la sure enough luck In It. But the
mtn of the grass diamond have decided that
Its good fortune will not grow In one's
pockt. There method aeema to be to plant
all such articles or objects In the ground,
where they want the luck to grow and
flourish most.
Rabbits' feet In Demand.
Every railroad train that passes through
the southland, where the ball playera go
for spring training. Is met at the stations
by pickaninnies, displaying rabbits' feet
a-uaranteed to have been secured In the
manner mentioned above. These are pur
chased by the players when making their
return trip northward for the express pur
pose of laying them to rest or rather, put
ting them to work under the new rubber
plate which Is set In the diamond just prior
to the opening of every league pennant
season.
The act of placing this plate is sometimes
truly a solemn and mystic ceremony. It
Is said to have been performed at the polo
grounds at midnight with only players,
groundkeeper and club officials preaent,
After making a complete search of the con
fines of the IncloBure to Insure against the
presence of outsiders, the entrances were
tightly barred. By the light of a solitary
lantern the groundkeeper removed the old
rubber, the enchantments were placed In
the soli, and the new rubber adjusted with
much solemnity.
Among the colors that Interest all regluar
base ball cohorts, dark olive green Is the
most popular, while red or yellow in their
brilliant hues torment and are profoundly
eschewed. Many advertising signs at the
base ball parks have been changed to sat
isfy the color fancies of the players. For
the same reason grandstands and fences
have been repainted, and even the oolor
of all rain checks changed.
All figures are lucky. Even the de
spised "18" Is not singled out as a numeral
to be avoided.
The discovery of the "spitball" that
famous pitching delivery which la believed
to have destroyed Jack Chesbro'a effective
ness, and which Is now "Insect" Baymond's
last and only hope Is Involved in supersti
tion. Elmer Strlcklett, the , ex-Trolly vllle
boxman who is generally credited with
having introduced the "spttter," claims to
have received the "revelation" through a
habtt of aiming expectoration at the leather
covered sphere before starting his delivery.
If he missed the target It was a bad omen,
but he had sucn nne control 01 nis ex-j
Omens of 111 ' Fortune.
plosive saliva that he rarely ever missed.
Another omen of 111 fortune wbloh dis
turbs the ball player's gentle- peace of mind
happens whenever he dons his - plotbss,
whether It be his cltlxen's attire or the
livery of the sport. Should he start to
draw oh any portion of the wardrobe in
hand from the roar, so. that' the button
oome Inside, misfortune Is surely going to
befall him. And if the piece be an under
garment It la Invariably allowed to remain
reversed.
Every baae ball field of Importance Is
something of a treasure field. Various
trinkets supposed to possess the stimula
tion of luck are buried about the center of
playing positions. For the charm believed
to bear good fortune to the base ball man
of the hour Is never active in either prac
tical or ornamental use. No Jewelry, not
even a plain band ring, Is worn by the
players during a contest, and . If a ring Is
presumed to have achieved a boon of for
tune for Its owner ewny from the ball field,
no matter how valuable, it Is liable to be
cast beneath the sod at the player' home
field.
Bats, as they come from the manufac
turer, may be lucky or unlucky. There Is
a way to test their occult properties In this
direction, which every professional base
ball player Indulges In. No bat is carried
to the plate for use in a pennant contest
until It has been proved to "contain" a
satisfactory percentage of base hits in
practice. Every batsman selects a number
of sticks from the new pile and marks them
for his own particular use. After that these
particular bats are not even bandied by the
others, unless lt be by some raw recruit
from the minors,' who receives prompt re-
proval and sometimes ohastlsement for such
act.
The bats of the big league batsmen not
only have a loosely calculated base hit
average before they are wielded In battle.
but the same approximate sort of record is
followed afterward. Soma extremists In
this practice carefully preserve the exaot
figures.
Honu Wagner, the mightiest of latter-
day sluggers of record, having broken the
last of the bludgeon with which he has
won batting championships for himself and
pennants for Pittsburg, Is said to have
tested the virtues of a carload of bats this
season, and found "nary one" that pleased
him. New York Telegraph.
NATIONAL ON BOSTON LINKS
Interest of Golfers Begins to Center
on Bis Anattar Match.
BOSTON, Aug. 20. With the national
amateur golf championship only a matter
of a few weeks golfer are beginning to
give a thought to the Brooklne Country
club links, over which the big event is this
year to be held. Herbert Jacques, presi
dent of the United State Golf association,
has arrived from hi summer place in
Canada to supervise the work of getting
the grounds In order and also of seeing to
it that the accommodations for the crowd
will be right. Local player are making no
secret of their Intentions to make the tour
nament a record one in every way.
Another Indication of the Interest that is
being taken in the forthcoming struggle is
the fact that Intending contestants from
all ovsr the country are arriving at Brook
line for a whirl around what 1 declared
to be one of the best ooursea in the coun
try. The layout 1 declared to be almost
perfect, while as a test of golf they also
state this year' selection will be hard in
deed to beat. The prophets are already at
work with their forecasts of the scores
that will Qualify. One of these thinks that
anything under W will be a Very fine score
over the remodelled links.
Along Auto Row
Dealer AH Aloaf ta "Line Are
Making' Aiuuraaoemsat of Tfcei
HW Cas far the Tear 111.
There Is a great contrast," eald H. K.
Fredrlckson, local representative of the
Chalmers Motor company, 'between the
letters we receive from country agents
these day and the one we used to receive
eight or ten years ago. In looking through
some old letters the other day I came across
one that today look positively funny, but
which was taken as a matter of ooure at
the time it was written. The date of this
letter was February J, 1901, and is said in
part:
" 1 am getting to be a great demonstrator.
Have given four demonstrations in the last
four week and can handle the tiller as well
as the next one, although I burned out the
boiler yesterday, and I want you to send
some one to fix it up tight away.
Wi are having an awful time here with
horses. There Is a runaway nearly every
time I take the machine out and this In
spite of the fact that' I do most of my
driving over the same strip of road so
that I won't meet many new teams. They
are talking of passing laws to keep horse
less carriages off the roads entirely; in
fact, half of my neighbors do not speak to
rne now.'
"Today our agency letters look like gov
ernment crop reports. The rural dealer
discuss the crop conditions and talk about
the prospect of the farmer having plenty
of money with which to buy automobiles.
Today it Is the farmer who Is buying the
cars. It is the farmer who wants good
roads and liberal automobile legislation. It
Is the farmer who gets arrested most for
exceeding the speed limit in the small
towns, but above all it Is the farmer who
demands a good car and knows one when
he sees It. He spends more time than any
one else reading automobile literature, and
frequently can bank a mechanlo off the
boards on technical points. Farmers not
only know cars, but they know a great deal
of the Inside Information.
"A prominent man from the country was
In our salesroom the other day, and in
looking over the 1910 Chalmers specifica
tions, he remarked: 'I can see the hand
of the designer, Dunham, In every one of
these changes. I have been watching his
career ever since he entered toe game at
Lansing.'
"There are mighty few city motor en
thusiasts who pay as close attention to the
Industry as that."
Mr. Ouy It. Smith is congratulating him.
self upon the opportunity afforded him
since last December of showing what an
old Franklin will do. '
At that time he placed at the disposal of
the Omaha polio department, pending the
arrival of two Franklin patrol, a
cylinder Franklin touring - car which had
been In constant service slnoe February,
1007, making 1.391 call without missing a
single calL It performed so well in fact
that upon the recommendation of Mayor
Dahlman tt was purchased by the Dahlman
democracy club for hla - use in hi recent
campe!gn for nomination for governor.
During this campaign nearly every town
was visited between the Missouri river and
the sand hill of the northwest. On the
night of August 16, after having made
speech at Fremont, the mayor was booked
for a dozen talk in Omaha and South
Omaha. The mayor was told that the
roads east of Fremont we're impassible.
Between Fremont and the West Dodge
macadam the machine plowed, at times
through mud and water up to the running
boards. One of the passengers said: "The
billow of mud and water that rolled off to
either side as we rolled along made one
think he was riding In a battleship. At
time when delay would have meant seri
ously impairing our Itinerary, the Franklin
never failed once. Frequently there was
no road save the old Indian trail. A con
servative estimate of the distance travelled
Is 4,800 miles. W crossed the line Into
Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, South Da
kota and Iowg, and on primary, day the
flag bedecked, mud beamtred car stood in
front of the city hall, awaiting the pleasure
of the mayor, as Intent a the moving
throng was on Its political mission, tew
passing without stopping to examine curi
ously the old 'War Horse,' as one wag
dubbed It. It was not realised that they
were looking at a car that had so trium
phantly finished a total of 7,500 miles and
was still far from worn out."
Henry H. Van Brunt was at the Over
land factory last week selecting such 1911
models as be has found serviceable for Iowa
and Nebraska. Thesa machines will come
forward during the next few weeks and the
big sale will begin. The Overland has not
had a mushroom growth In this section of
the country. It has gone along step by step
meeting the requirements of both the town
and country gentleman until the demand
for it ha outgrown the supply of It. It
has been nip and tuck for the Van Brunts
to keep peace with their customers until
they supplied them, but they have finally
done It, and to meet every such future
contingency, a large enough contract for
1911 models has been closed to make de
liveries promptly.
Lewis Doty, manager of the Maxwell
Briscoe Omaha company, Is reeclvlng his
new cars. The Maxwell Is one of the first
cars which had a sale In Omaha. It was
pushed hard at the outset and It has nsvsr
been out of the people' mind. It la re
garded as one of the most acceptable ma
chines in all models that was ever put
upon the market. The small runabout has
has few equnls. It Is a neat little car
and runs along easily and keeps In order.
The other and larger models are better
than ever. They are trimmer and stronger
and faster. Ths price of the Maxwell has
not been Increased, but it Is believed that
more good things are embodied in the 1911
makeups than were ever added to a
former model.
It Is refreshing to listen to George Relm
tell of the Cadlllko' capers from Detroit to
Chicago and to Omaha. He and Drummond
drove It. Relm is an old racing man. He
was with the White Eteamer people back
east year ago. Then he was with the
Steven people In Chicago, and slnoe he
was in Omaha he ha handled the Cadillac
for Kimball. Since Relm and Drummond
got the ageney of this machine a fsw
months since and took It up to Charles
Louks' garage, Relm ha been a happy
boy. He forgot hi lost dog. He has been
working and the people pretty generally
know that the Cadi Uae is hla lot keeps.
The new models have attracted a great
den! of attention and people have already
began to buy them.
"To see so many ladles and girls drive
machines through your streets makes one
think that automobiles are, after all, about
the simplest, handiest Invention of the age,"
remarked an eastern man last week. He
went on to say that the restrictions
thrown around the driving of cars In some
sections of the country Intended to be
safeguards are not only not safeguards at
at, but are rather productive of ac
cidents. Pedestrians should not be re
lieved of all blame for accidents. Care
lessness on their part bring on trouble as
often as reckless driving does. It I about
as difficult for a careful driver to save a
daring person la the street as it is for a
careful person In the street to avoid a
reckless driver.
"Talk about these enduranoe runs," said
an automobile man last week, "they may be
all right, but I have never seen where they
do good. Nobody sees them except those
who happen to be on the roadside, and It's
sip and gone and they know precious little
whether the engine Is 'hitting' or 'missing.'
Then look at the Junk piled up when the
event Is over. Sprung axles, puncture,
lost seals, broken lamps, scarred bodies and
a hundred and one ailments, that almost
any car would be a year coming to with
ordinary use. I do think a hill climb
somewhere around Omaha, well advertised
so that everybody might go out and see it.
would be capital event; don't youT"
Can anything be the matter with the re
port of the secretary of the state of Ne
braska In the matter of automobiles regi
tered during the last few months? None
of the dealers have manifested a great deal
of Interest in that report. Not long ago
about all of them were digging for it.
Every fellow could point to a splendid
snowing, adouc as many car as ever
have been sold, and the different dealer
seem to be holding their own. If no material
change for the sale of machines has taken
place, this may account for the lack of
interest In that report.
The great New York editor, Arthur Bris
bane, made the bankers think when he be.
gan to talk in Omaha last month. When he
aid that a man had a right to borrow
money to buy a car, he began to talk about
a principle dear to Americans. Upon the
neeis oi tnat speecn came the message
from banker from about every section of
the country denouncing the policy of de
ollnlng to make loan to those who wished
to buy car.
Doherty la one of the salesmen sent out
by the Mason factory to assist Freeland
Bros. eV Ashley in the distribution of those
two train loads of Maytags advertised
In last week's Bee. Doherty' noise la parti
cularly about the hill climb of these cars,
"We can climb hills so steep as to tip
the car over It's a fact," he said. The
salesman went on to say that his factory
would ereot a SO per cent grade at tha
Nebraska State Fair this year, and that
the Mason would take it every day with
f people In the car. The Maytag Is doing
some clever stunts, now climbing the steps
at the high school grounds.
"The factory ought, to furnish the cars
for endurance runs," said a dealer. "A
run of any value at all means rather hard
use, and the. manufacturer derives more
benefit from the advertisement of a winning
car than the local dealers. The car's per.
formance is advertised all over the coun
try, and Is an asset for every agent ot
the company everywhere." The dealer went
on to say that If a car has a mishap, the
dealer loses, And if he comes through
without a scratch he finds that he will
have a "wear and tear" Item. It 1 un
derstood that many factories stand the
expense of these endurance runs, and all ot
them might share with the dealer If the
matter was brought to their notice prop
erly.
Raclne-Sattley company have begun to
push the Firestone-Columbus again vigor
ously, and the popular car will have to
be reckoned with, when the other fellows
make their figures.
The Brush that great little car, which
the T. O. Northwall company has sent fly
ing like a shuttle cock Into almost every
nook and corner of Nebraska and Iowa Is
doing the best sort of things all over the
west. The Brush, Mr. Northwall says. Is
the pink of perfection. It's the1 car of in
dividuality; the oar that goes and comes In
Its own way, and that does it about as
quickly as the car costing many times
more.
Denies Barkalow had a crowd of en
thusiasts around hlro yesterday. They were
Interested in a statement that he had re
ceived from the Packard people. It was tha
annual statement for the last fiscal year
of the company, showing that the total
output for 110 was ,270 cars, an Increase
Of 970 over the 1909 output. During the year
the number of men on the company s pay
roll increased from 4.715 to 7,211, and the
floor space was Increased from t'wenty
thre to thirty-three acres.
The Omaha speedway Is about completed,
and during this week the grandstand, band
stand. Judges' and reporters1 stands will be
erected. The first event will be Beptemoer
From the outlook this will be one of
the most liberally patronised tracks ever
opened In Omaha.
Colonel J. J. Dertght is In the game
"strong" this season. The 6toddard-Day-
ton, which he has made famous in ni-
braeka and Iowa, and for which he has
made a demand always to exceed his sup
ply, Is built along prettier lines than ever.
The body la lower to the ground and la
elegant because It la simple. The dash la
freed from everything except the dials ana
tarter button. Aoceelblllty is made a
feature of the make-up. In general, the
machine is made stronger all the way and
Is far more desirable. )
The 1911 Cadillac iiurty" made Us ap
pearance In Omaha last week, and Is cer
tainly creating a wide sensation.
There are a nmber of Improvements In
this new car over the 110. The power has
been Increased and the ear has now a
Utk motor.
The four eyTlnder are cast singly, with
copper Jacket applied, retaining the ex.
elusive Cadlllao feature throughout.
Th car is Increased In comfort, the wheel
base being tnereased from 110 to lie Inches.
It has been improved In appearance, -having
a duble 4rc frame, which ipakeaUhe car
set lower, nnd a larger hood and more
roomy tonneau.
The radiator la larger, hence It haH
greater ooollng rapacity. Ttils Is not
withstanding ttie fact that the Cadillac
was never deficient In that reapeet.
The exle Is of the full floating type.
The car la equipped with larger brake,
and larger brake drums, giving greatly In
creased efficiency. It has contracting and
expanding dmible acting brakes, both equal
ised. There are two complete and Independent
Ignition system, each with Its own st of
spark plugs. The two ignition systems
consist of Bosch high tension magneto, and
the new and Improved Peleo ej-stmm with
single unTt roll and high tension distributor.
Bother system alone is efficient for oper
ating the car.
All electric wiring is enclosed in copper
tubes.
Copper msnlfolds are used for water In
lets and outlets in the circulating system.
The lubrication Is by the same Cadillac
exclusive system, automatic splash.
The transmission Is of the selective typo.
three speeds forward and one reverse.
The drive Is a direct shaft with two uni
versal joints running In oil bath.
Thirty-four Inch by four inch tires are
used. ""TT
THE,
Omaha
n I R ECiTORY
Uof Automobile
Mid-West Auto Co.
tl Boats, nineteenth Street.
J.
THE PAXTOll-MITCIIELL CO. AifJM.SDli-.Pr,0
Csoa. 7281 ' 2318 Harney Street 4-2011
CuHasoim
milium
GUY L.
iAKER ELECTRIC
AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE ne,rugu.,d,n8
H. E. PALMER, SON & CO., John W. Redick. Mgr. Auto. Dept.
KISSEL KARSBSSK KiSSEL AUT0 co
ItlUULL lrlll $3,000 60 H.P. 2129 Farnam St
Ford Motor Co
W. L. Huffman Auto
202B FARNAM STREET.
Ln
Detroit-Electric
MOTOR CAH
BRUSH RUNABOUT'
II, E.Freil ricks on Automobile Co.
S044-46-4S PARNAM STREET
Deright Automobile Co.
Henry H. Van
MURPHY DID IT" AufoW;
14TH AND JACKSON Trimming
Nebraska Buick Auto Company
Xanoola Branca, 13ta and 9 Bts., at. . nxX.CS, Oea1 Mr.
Oataha Branca, llU-14-le yaraasa KV, LII
CHASE MOTOR
DELIVERY
WAGONS
Appcrson Automobile Co., 1102-04 Fat-nan
APPERSON CARS
The springs are rr mi-elllptiral in front
and three-quarter platform springs oa tie
irar.
A new feature Is tho removable dutch, i
It can be removrd In a very few mhrates) i
without disturbing other members.
The Cadillac principle, faithfully fottwe& ,
all these years. Is that any one of 10,000 or j
more Cadillacs should be intereAaagwaM !
In Its parts with any other Cadtllao of the)
same type. It reduce frliMkm to an in-. ,
rtnlteximsl minimum, augmenting? ensr)f
particle of power generated by the engine
We know that this cat cannot be cosOe4
In scientific standardisation. '
ivenlne Barkalow is the man who marts) (
the electrio machine go in Omaha. HTav
name is so interwoven with this totaineM
that the thought of electrio car suggest
Barkalow. It Is said that it does not matter
whether a customer uees a tt&ker or Rouota (
& Lunge, or another, manufacturer, thatv)
customer first consults Barkalow Barker;
low has put on the Packard, and the
manufacturers couldn't have selected a.
dealer so well equipped to handle thl, (
famous machine as he.
In the outset the Packard ha pum
ahead and It goes without saying that
Barkalow will honey-comb Nebnaska wttii I
It before he gets through with It.
bees
' and Accessories
R. R. KIMBALL,
202S Faroim SL
Cole 3C$1.500. Cole Flyer $1,1500
Wastcott 40 $2,000
FULLY EQUIPPED
none It-Wat.
Detroit liicotrio
MIDLAND MASON
Freeland Bros. & Ashley
1115-1117 Farnam St
PEERLESS
SMITH, 2207 FARMM ST.
Eloetrlo Garage
DENISE BARKALOW,
22 1 8 farnaa Street
MOTOR CARS
VELIE AUTOMOBILE CO., IS02 Farnam Jt.
John Deera Plow Co.,. Distributors.
1818 Farnam St., Omaha, Heb.
Co.,
n lYiattneson
UlSJirMO
JACKSON
Pioneer Implement Co.
Council Bluffs. Iowa.
Roadster, 4 cyl., I passenger "Mo
Touring Car, 4 cyl., ( passenger S1.SM
Touring Car, cyl, T passenger taOtt
Coif Automobile Co., 2209 Farnam 'St,
7a!!aco Automobile Co.
24th Hear Farnam Strict. ,
MARVEL OF WORKUAXSttl?
T. 6. KORTHWILL CC
914 JfiBis XL
Thomas,Hudsoa
Pisrce,
CbMlmers-Detrolt
Stoddard-Dayton.
Waverlv, Lexington,
1814-16 Farnam.
Brunt
Overland, Pop?
Hartford
Council Bluffs. Iowa.
Euiek and Olds
mobils Cars.
mtfTT. Mga,
Zi m d.tuen.irai lv yuu tue .wiguf f iitA
OXAIE MOTOS SCUUIT WAOOXI.
Workman Automobile Co,
a 07 south Txarrx nun,