Early Industrial Leagues Baseball - "Work or Fight"

[vintagesportscollector]

Let’s see some relics from early Industrial League baseball…post anything you have. I’ll start…

First a HUGE thank you to Murph (TUM31) for sending me the lead on this item when he saw the listing and thought I may have interest.

This is a silver plated pocket knife celebrating the 1918 Northeast Manufactures League Champions, with detailed baseball design.

The Northeast Manufactures League was an 8 team Industrial Baseball League that existed from 1917 to 1920. It was part of the famed Industrial Leagues that organized around the Philadelphia area on the onset of WWI. The most well know Leagues from that group were the Delaware River Ship Building League, and the Bethlehem Steel League. Both leagues, along with other Industrial Leagues around Philadelphia and Boston areas, gained notoriety for utilizing the services of Major League ballplayers who garnered criticism for playing for these teams in order to dodge the WWI draft.



It would seem possible that teams from the Northeast Manufactures League could have employed the services of Major League players too.

Based on the 1918 final standings for the League, it appears the champions were the Frankford Arsenal “Bullet Makers”.

1918 Northeast Manufactures League teams:

• Fayette R. Plumb (cast steel tools maker)
• Frankford Arsenal (ammunitions)
• Blumenthal, replaced by Schwarz Wheel in mid-season. (auto and truck wheels)
• Quaker City (rubber company)
• E.H. Fitler (cordage works)
• Abrasive Company (grinding wheels manufacturer)
• Frankford Laundry
• Super Glass (auto safety glass)

Standings for the Delaware Ship League, Bethlehem Steel League, Northeast Manufactures League, and other Philadelphia area leagues.
Here is a very interesting article where the issue of professional players is described:




Every Monday, throughout the 1918 season, the Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger would chronicle the latest on the Minor League industrial teams.