1874.

First Game of Multiple Nights in America. Fall River, Mass., January 19–27th.—Wm. Briggs vs. Jerry Sullivan, for championship of Fall River and a silver cup, played in nightly blocks. Nothing reported but totals and best runs. B., 1500—26; S., 1449—19.

Multiple nights’ play, since carried to an extreme in England, originated in France in 1867.

First First-Class Tournament in Boston. Bumstead Hall, March 9–13th.—There was a prize for every player, and there was also poor playing for every prize, Garnier’s 78, 7.84 and 5.90 being best run, winning average and general average. This was the order of the prize-winners: Garnier, C. Dion, J. Dion, Ubassy, and Daly.

Daly vs. C. Dion. Tammany Hall, N. Y. City, March 3d.—$1,000 a side. Daly, 600—8.95—212; Dion, 547—81. Daly here beat the record run, which was his own 153.

C. Dion vs. Daly. Tammany Hall, N. Y. City, May 15th.—$2,000. Dion, 600—8.22—83; Daly, 578—94.

Ubassy vs. Garnier. Same hall, May 24th.—Purse game. U., 600—8.33—68; G., 446—61.

Wm. M. Dodds vs. E. H. Nelms. Assembly Buildings, Philadelphia, May 27th.—$250 a side, probably a 5½ × 11. D., 400—3.25—27; N., 334—28.

Same hall, same terms, June 30th.—N., 400—3.20—48; D., 391—31.

Rudolphe vs. C. Dion. Tammany Hall, N. Y. City, September 18th.—$500 a side. R., 600—12—79; D., 338—55.

This led to a $200 “freeze-out,” $50 a game, played September 21–22 in Tim Flynn’s room, and lasting from 8.45 P.M. until 9.30 A.M. Games (100 up) and total points: R., 13—1349; D., 9—1266.

Rudolphe vs. Wm. Cook, Champion of England. Tammany Hall, N. Y. City, October 9th.—$1,000 a side, with 21
16 balls on an English six-pocket table, 6 × 12 inside measurement. R., 400—1.96—26; C., 274—16.

Amateur Championship of Long Island. Assembly Rooms, Brooklyn, N. Y., beginning October 26th.—Tournament for gold-mounted cue and $50 for first, and $75 apportioned as other prizes. Games, 200 points, with eleven entries. Samuel F. Knight and Joseph Pihet tied. After Knight had won the play-off, the loser protested on the ground that Knight, the year before, had received pay for marking in a professional tournament, and the cue and the $50 were awarded to Pihet. Later, there were half a dozen or more matches for the emblem, with varying results.

First Three-ball Championship of America. Tammany Hall, N. Y. City, November 4–13th.—Special prizes were a gold watch from Capt. Fred Grote for best run, a watch from Peter Totans for best general average, and an emblematic gold medal from Matthew Delancy. There were also a number of special playing-rules, no one of which outlasted the championship itself. Among them was one to bar crotching by requiring a 5½-in. oblique line on the bed of the table. This had been suggested for another end in the Dion-Foster match in Montreal in 1869 (see “First Protest” under Four-ball Game). Accomplishing nothing except actually to increase the crotching area by an inch, this, too, was speedily abandoned, an imaginary line (on the principle of the spot-radius in the three-ball game and the “string” in the four-ball) having been sufficient ever since 1862.

The tournament itself was an emphatic success, but the strange rules confused the public and irritated the players; and for the first time in a professional tournament a game was not completed, and for the first time, also, a referee was impelled, in self-respect, to vacate his office in rebuke of a player who refused to defer to the official ruling. It is necessary to mention the unfinished game (Garnier ahead of Ubassy by 274 to 246) for the reason that, as his general average indicates in the table below, Garnier has a total of but 2238, whereas, beaten only by Vignaux (11) and Daly (125), he should have 2264. The average of the tournament, eight games apiece, was 8.93.

W.R.Av.G. A.
Vignaux ($1,351)715916.6610.53
Garnier ($928.58)69318.7511.36
Daly ($928.58)610821.439.73
J. Dion ($585.72)515025.  11.  
Rudolphe ($440.48)49715.799.35
Ubassy ($127.62)310412.  7.912
Slosson ($127.62)38811.117.910
C. Dion27914.298.43
Daniels045 5.13

All matches for $500 a side, and in Tammany Hall.

VIGNAUX VS. J. DION. December 30, 1874.—V., 600—12.50—192; D., 538—64.

VIGNAUX VS. RUDOLPHE. February 23, 1875.—V., 600—15.38—69; R., 326—41.

VIGNAUX VS. C. DION. March 25, 1875.—V., 600—12—80; Dion, 543—119.

April 26, 1875, his backers having failed to cover challenger’s final money on time, Vignaux forfeited emblem and $250 to Garnier. Money was returned, but emblem was retained until, on June 12th, Garnier resigned it to Daly, who had challenged May 26th.

DALY VS. C. DION. November 23, 1875.—Dion, 600—12.50—52; Daly, 557—104.

Challenged by Garnier November 30th, Dion resigned the emblem December 14th.

GARNIER VS. J. DION. November 16, 1876.—D., 600—8.22—180; G., 495—77.

J. DION VS. SEXTON. May 31, 1877.—S., 600—12.23—247; D., 442—84. This was the first match-run to beat Daly’s 212 of 1874. Sexton seemed hopelessly behind when he made it.

SEXTON VS. C. DION. November 13, 1877.—S., 600—11.32—97; D., 428—105.

SEXTON VS. SLOSSON. June 27, 1878.—Sexton, 600—28.57—158; S., 338—100.

SEXTON VS. SLOSSON. December 27, 1878.—Tenth match and ninth and final contest. Sexton, 600—20.69—158; Slosson, 468—140.

Vignaux vs. C. Dion. Tammany Hall, N. Y. City, December 8, 1874.—$500 a side. V., 800—11.94—100; D., 772—127.

Ubassy vs. C. Dion. Chris. O’Connor’s private room, N. Y. City, December 15–16th.—$500 a side, played in two nights. U., 1000—8.16—137; D., 930—91.

This was the first contest of more than one night between leading experts in America.