Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 286, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 December 1914 — For Drying Ball Grounds. [ARTICLE]

For Drying Ball Grounds.

A machine fitted with gasoline blow torches was put in use last summer at a Tacoma (Wash.) baseball park for the purpose of artificially drying the grounds following rainstorms. The apparatus is similar in principle to devices used in asphalt pavement repairs. It is built with an iron frame in the shape of an equilateral triangle, mounted horizontally on swivel wheels, carrying five coil burners with downward projecting jets. Over these burners is A deflector hood with adjustable wings made of galvanized iron and asbestos. At the front of the Carriage are a gasoline tank and pressure pump, which supply the fuel. When the machine is drawn slowly over a moderately wet field, it is asserted, the ground is within a short time dried sufficiently for use.—Popular Mechanics.