Alton High School - Tatler Yearbook (Alton, IL)

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18 “THE T A T L E R.’ ’ brought into strenuous service and judging from the noise that continued during the noon hour some musically in dined individuals must have liked to blow better than to eat. y At 1130 all were on deck for the athletic events. Some novices among the spectators couldn’t understand hov. the athletes could run their best so soon after lunch, hut they were told by those who knew, that at 6 p. m. th athletes would eat their first scjuarc meal since training began. They certainly could run. as was shown when the 50 yard dash was called. Mathews, of Alton, had such an easy time over his opponents in the preliminary event, tha an over anxious longing to show them up in the final caused him to start too soon, and as a penalty he was set bad, three yards. A three-yard handicap in a fifty-yard sprint is a big one, hut Marry left all his competitors hut one behind, and the time was 5 3 5 seconds. The next event was the shot put. Just before this event, a made to order on the large scale sort of a fellow, came round one of the buildings on the grounds, carrying a spy glass. He was the Granite City shot putter a a used the spy glass in order to locate the shot; it looked like a B. B. to him. When the measure showed that he ha-put the 12-lh. shot 38 ft. 9 in., Degenhardt smiled and felt bigger than ever, after having come so close to so large, man. This big fellow was labled I lowe of Granite City—maybe because he knew how. The excitement was increasing and when we heard a noise like a gun, we thought someone had become ovet excited and had decided to bombard Upper Alton. We were mistaken,—it was the beginning of the 440; everyol hustled to windward, for all knew Ed. would stir up some dust. Ed. has a watch fob made of medals and he mu. have intended to give this medal first place, for the event didn’t look much like a race; one incredulous person sai something about “a loose brick” when told it was a race, but afterward apologized. Ed. liked it so well that he ran . few seconds longer than usual; 56 seconds being the time. Next on the program came an event in which the men appeared as knights with 14 and 15-foot spears. SonK of them, in performing their feats, made horrible faces—faces that Wolf’s sensitive nature could not endure. He resigned and quit this mediaeval sort of game; he couldn’t make that kind of face and didn’t want to look pleasant alone. Varnum, of Granite City, won at 9 ft. 4 in.

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“TH E TATLEK.” 7 T II K MKKT OF 1906. HEN a boy had been doing without pudding or pie and had been quietly sneaking away from his friends to early retirement regularly for a period of some six weeks, it is hardly necessary to state that his face wore a smile and his heart was light, when he saw, on the morning of the climax. May 5th. 190 , that the sun was one of the earliest arrivals and smiled down in approval and that the clouds were unaware that something worth witnessing was to be seen that day. The smile on the face of the hungry but wary looking athlete seemed to be contagious, and soon all the Alton patriots were laughing with the sun and filled to the brim with enthusiasm. As the run rose, the noise increased; the toot of an engine would be heard, then more noise than a dozen toots of as many engines, and the report would be brought by a frightened looking b'rcshie. that the representatives of one of our neighboring villages had arrived, reenforced with rooters, ribbons and banners, and that they appeared to be hungry. I'pon investigation they would be found apparently content, and absorbed in the consumption of a sack of peanuts or a box of popcorn. By nine o'clock enthusiasts from Highland, Madison, Collinsville. Edwardsville and Granite City had arrived at Alton and were on their way to Upper Alton, to settle the question of superiority in the county. After all the ribbons had been pushed and pulled into the Baptist Church and the judges had looked wise for several moments, the intellectual contest began. There were three events, the Declamation, the Oration, and the Essay. Alton won the best of the three by taking first place in Essay, and Miss Alida Bowler was the heroine. Miss Blanche Cartwright made another point for Alton in Declamation and we went out for dinner, feeling in high spirits; we had taken six points, when there were only twenty-seven to divide among seven schools. The strain of the morning had been intense; many a whoop and school veil had been held in onlv with the greatest effort, but all had been instructed to defer noise-making until the church premises had been vacated. When the streets were reached, the horns, having had time to cool off. were

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“T1IE TATLER.” i9 The fifth event was the hundred yard dash. This event was won by Dial, of Granite City, an old timer, and Iiat’s the way lie ran. Dial’s relationship to time of course gave him an advantage and let him come in a fraction of second before Allen. About this time we heard rumors that Ed. Enos had decided to take some exercise in jumping. Ed. would like umping all right, but for the inconvenience of having to walk back each time to the starting point; this takes time nd lal)or. He jumped 9 feet 11 inches in the standing broad jump. We may say to the credit of one of his rivals, hat he would have been close to Ed., if his toes had counted. When the broad jump was over, the hurdles had been put in position for the 120-yard low hurdle race.This is inch like going over a low fence and we had forgotten that our man Allen’s house had no fence about it on which ie might practice. This handicap proved his undoing. In the case of our rivals from Granite City, Upper Alton or Ldwardsville, it was possible for them to go to the pasture fence, watch brindle go over a few times, and imitate, iranite City’s man had taken notice, imitated successfully, and won this event in 16 3 5 seconds. The next performance was the high jump. High water had trained the Granite City boys to jump for high places;—you well know that the Mississippi occasionally sends an extra supply of II2 () to Granite City, to keep them from drying up. As soon as the stranger saw the pond at the side of the hill on which he was jumping, there was no use trying other means of stopping him than by raising and stretching the standards. This event was not over until 5 feet 3 inches were cleared and recorded. In the half-mile, Goudie of Alton, deserved great credit. The Granite City coach seemed to respect Goudie and 'to have lost confidence in his own man, for lie ran with the runners and coached his man around the track. This act should have disqualified Granite City, but for some reason as yet unsolved, perhaps lack of knowledge of the rules, jit was allowed. At 50 yards from the finish Goudie was in the lead, but fell back, and Granite City barely won. Two minutes and thirteen seconds was the time. When the hammer throw was called, all knew what to expect. After Neininger had thrown the hammer once, he was sized up by some; the second time bv more; and the third time by all. The lads that would have liked to beat him lx re a look that meant, when translated for us, about the same as the first part of the Alton man’s name. Of