Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 233, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 October 1917 — BALL DIDN’T TOUCH GROUND [ARTICLE]

BALL DIDN’T TOUCH GROUND

Fielder Chases Up Ladder, Gets Pill Out of Water Tank and Nails Batter at Plate. Tex Jones, who used to play with the White Sox and now is out in the Western league somewhere, says this play actually happened in a game he took part in. It’s areal “tank town" story, at any rate. The playing field was along a railroad track, and there was a water tank without a roof on it just back of the center flelder. The batter hit a high fly, and it landed plunk into this open water tank. The batter thought he had a home run, so he jogged around at his leisure, but the center fielder chased up the. ladder at the side of the water tank, reached tn, got the bail that had come to the surface of the water, and from his perch threw home, getting the runner byastepL The umpire studied the rules, held the play was fair because the ball hadn’t touched “ground" after being hit, and allowed the putouL ■