1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Review, January–February
In the first half, Notts were largely on the defensive, but early in the second, they twice forced the ball home. Small Heath pressed again, and Walton scored, but they were unable to equalise. The Owl reported they suffered "cruel luck", that Notts' victory owed much to George Toone's goalkeeping, and that "the attack was better than we have seen it this season." The Dart offered particular praise to Denny Hodgetts, "by far the cleverest player on the field", and not at all the has-been he was thought to be when he signed.


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Review, January–February
Small Heath put out a strong side against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the second round of the Birmingham Cup, but lost Oakes to injury in the first half, and suffered defeat by eight goals to two. Again, the Owl bemoaned the lack of "vigorous and resourceful backs". They returned to League action with a 6–2 win at Burton Wanderers, including two goals on debut for reserve forward Walter Gadsby; a five-goal lead soon after half time led to "the visitors' backs taking things rather too easy".


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Review, January–February
A comfortable 5–1 win against a weakened Liverpool team, in which Charlie Hare, "shooting in a very dangerous manner, and making the best use of openings given him", scored a hat-trick, preceded the return fixture against Burton Wanderers, who featured former Small Heath regulars Will and Ted Devey. An exciting game saw Small Heath fight back to win 3–2 to secure their fourth consecutive victory, marred by a first-half injury to Billy Walton that proved to be a broken shoulderblade that kept him out for the remainder of the season. The Leicester Chronicle wondered what they might give now "for some of the points they let slip in the beginning of the season".


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Review, March–April
In front of 6,000 spectators at Coventry Road, Blackpool took the lead after half an hour, and doubled it early in the second half. After many fruitless attempts, Small Heath eventually scored from a scrimmage, but Jimmy Martin extended Blackpool's lead again. Despite reaching the interval a goal in arrears to Lincoln City, Small Heath's winning run resumed as they overran the division's bottom club with second-half goals from Inglis, Oakes and Jack Jones, and Loughborough found the home side's forwards in top form as they lost 3–0 at Coventry Road.


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Review, March–April
Denny Hodgetts scored the only goal of Small Heath's visit to Leicester Fosse. Despite the strong cross-field wind, the game was an excellent one: writing for a local readership, the Leicester Chronicle thought that "no one can begrudge Small Heath their victory, though at the same time a draw would more adequately have represented the play", and that "had Fosse won, the game would undoubtedly have been voted one of best seen on the ground; as it was, the only drawback to a splendid exhibition was their regrettable failure in front of goal."


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Review, March–April
The strong wind at Plumstead blew along the pitch, and had a significant effect on the game. Playing with both wind and sun at their backs, Woolwich Arsenal took a 2–1 lead in the first half, but on change of ends, former Arsenal player Charlie Hare scored twice to give Small Heath a fourth consecutive win.


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Review, March–April
A "great surprise" was the London Standard's assessment of the victory at division leaders Notts County by two Walter Abbott goals to one from Tom Boucher. The win completed  a "remarkable" series of performances for Small Heath, "who in the short space of eight days capture[d] the full share of points away from home from such clubs as Fosse, Woolwich Arsenal, and Notts County", an effort that came too late to oust Newton Heath from second position.


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Review, March–April
In the return fixture with Notts, who were by then certain of the divisional championship, Small Heath took a 3–0 half time lead, after which they "did not exert themselves to any great extent", and won the game 3–1. Playing with the wind in their favour at Coventry Road, Leicester Fosse had a one-goal lead at the interval, but on change of ends Inglis equalised, and the game finished two goals apiece.


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Review, March–April
In the last game of the season, at home to Manchester City, Billy Meredith opened the scoring after Robert Hill had a goal disallowed for offside, but Small Heath added three goals in the second half, a header and a penalty from Leake and the third from Hare, to earn a decisive victory, their seventh in the last eight matches of the season, earning them a finishing position of fourth, only two points outside the test match places.


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Review, March–April
When the Football Association announced the list of clubs exempt from the qualifying competition for the 1897–98 FA Cup, Small Heath were not on it, although their less successful local rivals Walsall were. The Sports Argus suggested that this was the club's own doing: "a well-known League club's secretary told me that Small Heath only had themselves to blame for their non-inclusion among the exempted clubs, and that whereas they had not a single 'friend at Court', the Walsall people had had most assiduously campaigned for support". After the League season finished, Small Heath played a friendly against Grimsby Town in Hull, a city with a strong rugby league tradition, in order "to encourage the game [of association football] in the town".


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Summary and aftermath
The Sports Argus' post-season editorial expressed disappointment with the team's performance and dissatisfaction with the running of the club. At the start of the season, they "confidently looked forward" to Small Heath reaching the test match positions, even if they proved unsuccessful therein. But the team's fine finish to the season on top of such a poor start made it "terribly aggravating to think that the least bit of extra effort earlier on in the season would in all probability have seen them a good second to the County."


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Summary and aftermath
The club's failure to gain exemption from the qualifying competition of the FA Cup "only serves to strengthen my belief that the club wants a thorough wakening-up". The club made a loss of £369 on the year, which the Dart suggested was due less to the effects of bad weather, as claimed in the annual report, than to a "penny wise and pound foolish" approach to the signing of players which they hoped would not be repeated in the season to come.


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Summary and aftermath
There was little turnover of players during the close season. The ambitious and well-funded Bristol City, newly elected to the Southern League for the 1897–98 season, signed both Jones and Farnall on attractive terms, reported as £5 to sign, then 50s. during the playing season and 30s. in the summer. "Abbott would also have gone but that Mr. Hart, the President, took action just in the nick of time. As to Farnall, it is doubtful whether he would have been re-engaged, but Jones's loss is regretted, as he was developing into a very smart forward." Charlie Izon left for Walsall, and Denny Hodgetts, who had been reinstated as an amateur, offered his services, but "as he could not promise to play for them regularly", his offer was declined.


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Summary and aftermath
The Dart's initial opinion was that the standard of replacement for Hodgetts, who had been reinstated as an amateur, Jones and Farnall – "two or three players who have done well with local clubs have been signed up, and a smart left-wing forward in Kirton, of Lincoln City, has also been secured" – but as the directors preferred to spend their money on ground improvements, in the shape of the purchase of Aston Villa's old stands from the Perry Barr ground, rather than on "stars", these would be inadequate to return the club to the First Division.


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Summary and aftermath
Having seen the new additions, they changed their mind.


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Summary and aftermath
"The Small Heath ground presents quite an imposing appearance now that it is adorned with the old Perry Barr grand stand, and as there is now plenty of covered accommodation for spectators the "gates" should materially increase", and though Hodgetts would be missed, Jack Kirton "appears to be a smart player, while the other new men secured are far from being 'duffers'", and apart from Jones and Farnall, "the whole of the other first team players from last season have signed again, and there is no reason why the Heathens should not render a good account of themselves" next season.


1896–97 Small Heath F.C. season, Squad statistics
This table includes appearances and goals in nationally organised competitions – the Football League and FA Cup – only. For a description of the playing positions, see Formation (association football)#2–3–5 (Pyramid).


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season
The 1896–97 season was the twelfth since the foundation of Southampton St. Mary's F.C. and their third in league football, as members of the Southern League. The season was the most successful yet, with St. Mary's claiming the Southern League title for the first time and reaching the Second Round Proper of the FA Cup. It was the start of the most successful period in the club's history — in a period of eight years, they were Southern League champions six times and reached the final of the FA Cup twice.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, Pre-season
Following the closure of the Antelope Ground in April 1896, St. Mary's were forced to look for a new home. Thanks to the connections of their president Dr. H. W. R. Bencraft, who was also Hon. Secretary to Hampshire County Cricket Club, the club secured the use of The County Ground, at an annual rental of £200.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, Pre-season
As St. Mary's were unrestricted by the maximum wages rule of the Football League they were able to "poach" players from League clubs by offering them higher pay. During the close-season, the Saints' committee signed several players  who were keen to earn more money in the Southern League. Amongst the recruits were Robert Buchanan from Woolwich Arsenal and Harry Haynes from Small Heath, but the most significant signing was goalkeeper George Clawley who was signed from Stoke and began a long and illustrious career with the Saints.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, Pre-season
Charles Robson resigned as secretary and was replaced by Alfred McMinn with Bill Dawson continuing as trainer and Ernest Arnfield becoming Assistant Secretary. The team kit was changed from red and white halves to red and white striped shirts with blue shorts; this basic design was to remain unchanged until the 1970s.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, League season
The 1896–97 season was the Saints' third in the Southern League, having finished in third place in each of the previous two seasons. The team started the league season with a run of nine consecutive victories, including  defeating Sheppey United 6–1, New Brompton 8–3 and Reading 6–0 (all at home). From the New Year onwards, results were less predictable with the season often interrupted by the weather and the demands of the FA Cup, but the team remained undefeated throughout the league season finishing as champions, four points ahead of the defending champions, Millwall Athletic.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, League season
The championship was secured only in the penultimate match of the season on 14 April, a 2–1 victory over bottom club, Wolverton, with the two points earned putting St. Mary's out of the reach of their nearest rivals, Millwall. When the team returned by train to Southampton, they were greeted by a crowd, estimated at up to 15,000, at the Docks station accompanied by the police band.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, League season
The train was late and the crowd increased. When the team stepped on the platform the "Southampton whisper" (a shout, with great vigour, of "Yi! Yi! Yi!") gained such volume that it almost raised the station roof.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, League season
The team were then put into wagons and, with the band playing, were led by the crowd through the town to Kingsland Square where, after the band played the National Anthem, the crowd eventually dispersed.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, League season
The final match of the season was at the County Ground, against Millwall Athletic; Saints were anxious to maintain their unbeaten record and Millwall, who had gone through the 1894-95 season unbeaten, were equally keen to prevent the Saints from emulating that achievement. Millwall scored first early in the match, but Southampton fought back to equalise with a "brilliant shot" from Joe Turner following one of his "mesmerising dashes down the wing".


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, League season
As team captain, Farrell received the Championship shield from Dr. Russell Bencraft, who was both president of the League and of the club, at a ceremony in the Artillery Drill Hall in Southampton. Each player received a gold medal, with mementoes also being presented to trainer Dawson and his assistant, Joyce.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, FA Cup
As the Saints had reached the First Round Proper in each of the previous two seasons, the FA exempted them from the first of the four qualifying rounds of the FA Cup.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, FA Cup
In the Second Qualifying Round, St. Mary's were drawn away to their local rivals, Cowes. Several thousand travelled to the Isle of Wight to see the "Saints" comprehensively outplay Cowes, with Robert Buchanan, Jack Farrell and Joe Turner each scoring twice in a 6–0 victory. St. Mary's had to travel again in the next round, to visit Elm Park; on arriving at the stadium, the team found the pitch waterlogged. McMinn lodged a protest with the referee, who declared the pitch playable so the match went ahead with the Saints winning 4–1. As had happened several times before with matches between the two clubs, Reading protested to the FA who declared that the result should stand.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, FA Cup
The next round brought a home tie against Swindon Town; despite Swindon scoring first, the Saints then ran riot with eight goals, with Farrell scoring a hat-trick. This put Southampton through to the First Round Proper for the third consecutive season, where they met Derbyshire club, Heanor Town. After a draw at the County Ground, the teams met in a replay on the following Wednesday. Heanor lost their winger, Hardy, with a broken leg and the Saints went through with a single goal from Farrell. Following the match, The Southern Daily Echo set up a fund for Hardy which raised £40.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, FA Cup
In the Second Round, the Saints met Football League opposition with a tie against Newton Heath. A crowd of 8,000 saw St. Mary's hold their opponents to a 1–1 draw at the County Ground. Willie Naughton was injured for the replay and was replaced by James Spellacy, who was making his only first-team appearance; Naughton was badly missed and the Saints went out of the cup to goals from Bryant and Cassidy.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, Friendly matches
With only ten home league matches in the season and the poor weather since Christmas, the Saints' committee organised several friendly matches in order to boost the club's finances. Over the whole season, the team played in excess of thirty friendly matches with a heavy programme of fixtures over Easter and up to the end of April, including several matches against opposition from the Football League.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, Friendly matches
On 22 March, they entertained a team for Sheffield Wednesday, who had defeated them in the previous season's FA Cup. This time, the Saints were victorious, by four goals to one. There were also victories over Darwen (2–0), Blackburn Rovers (4–1) and Derby County (7–3) with only Woolwich Arsenal winning, with a 5–1 scoreline.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, Merger proposals
At this time, the only other local professional football club was Freemantle, who had ended the 1896–97 season in a crisis, having been denied promotion to the Southern League First Division after they had used a player whose transfer had not been registered. As a result, the club was thrown into turmoil with both the treasurer and secretary resigning. At Freemantle's 1897 A.G.M. it was revealed that the club was in debt by over £200, and plans to incorporate the club into a limited company were abandoned.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, Merger proposals
At St. Mary's meanwhile, a sub-committee had been established to look into playing arrangements for the 1897–98 season, as the cost of hiring the County Ground from the Cricket club was prohibitive. The sub-committee's main brief was to negotiate terms for a further season at the County Ground, but it was also proposed that "enquiries be made as to the Freemantle ground".


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, Merger proposals
At the Freemantle AGM on 21 May, the chairman produced a pamphlet proposing a merger with St. Mary's; although some club members objected to the proposal being discussed in the absence of the club president, Tankerville Chamberlayne (Member of Parliament for Southampton), it was agreed to meet with St. Mary's to discuss the proposals. The idea of a merger between the two clubs had attractions, especially as the rent on Freemantle's ground at Shirley was only £24 p.a. compared to £200 at the County Ground. Although delegations from both sides met to discuss the proposals, there was strong opposition and after much deliberation the St Mary's committee decided not to proceed.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, Merger proposals
On 11 June, the A.G.M. of St. Mary's agreed to reconstitute the club as a limited liability company. The members were also informed that "the committee had a ground in view". The ground, it emerged, was an abandoned, partly excavated, railway cutting known as "the dell".


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, Limited company
On 8 July 1897, a meeting was held at the Bedford Hotel to agree the structure of the new company, Southampton Football & Athletic Company Limited. The first chairman of the new company was Dr. Ernest Stancomb (medical practitioner), with G.A.E. Hussey (brewer), H.M. Ashton (engineer), George Thomas (fish merchant) and George Payne (butcher) being elected as the first directors. Alfred McMinn was appointed as Hon. Secretary with Ernest Arnfield becoming "financial secretary or treasurer". Dr. Stancomb was charged with making the arrangements for the transfer from "St. Mary's F.C."


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, Limited company
At a further meeting at the offices of the club's lawyers on 16 July, arrangements were made for the issue of shares, with Tankerville Chamberlayne being invited on to the board. By the time of the issue of the Memorandum of Association, R.B. Horne (dairyman), W. Newnham (law clerk), Edward Brown (butcher) and Charles Robson (mineral water merchant and wicket-keeper for Hampshire, who had been the St. Mary's club secretary in 1895–96) had been added to the list of directors.


1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season, Limited company
One result of the change to limited company status was that, subject to approval from the Football Association, the club would in future be known as Southampton Football Club.


1896–97 Southern Football League
The 1896–97 season was the third in the history of the Southern League. Southampton St.Mary's won the Division One championship. Millwall Athletic applied for election to Football League. However, they were not elected.


1896–97 Southern Football League, Division One
Division One featured seven teams from previous season and five new clubs: two promoted from Division Two and three newly elected members.


1896–97 Southern Football League, Division Two
Division Two featured five teams from previous season and eight new clubs, all of which were newly elected.


1896–97 Southern Football League, Promotion-relegation test matches
At the end of the season, test matches were held between the bottom three clubs in Division One and the top three clubs in Division Two. Third-placed Freemantle were the only Division Two club to win, but withdrew from the league at the end of season, meaning their defeated opponents Northfleet remained in Division One.


1896–97 Southern Football League, Football League elections
Only one Southern League club, Millwall Athletic, applied for election to Division Two of the Football League. However, they received only one vote and were not elected.


1896–97 St Helens RLFC season
The 1896-97 St Helens R.F.C. season was the club's second in the Northern Rugby Football Union. In a divided county championship league, the club finished 9th out of 14. The Challenge Cup was also established that year, and it was St Helens, with Batley who contested the first final; St Helens losing 10-3 with Derek Traynor scoring Saints' only points.


1896–97 St Helens RLFC season, Lancashire Senior Championship
Source: . League points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0. Pld = Games played; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; PF = Match points scored; PA = Match points conceded; PD = Points difference; Pts = League points.


1896–97 Stoke F.C. season
The 1896–97 season was Stoke's eighth season in the Football League.


1896–97 Stoke F.C. season
After last season's success of finishing in 6th position there was high hopes that it would signal a change in the club's fortunes. Alas it was a disappointing season for Stoke as little progress was made and they finished the season in 13th position with 25 points.


1896–97 Stoke F.C. season, Season review, League
As the 1896–97 season beckoned there was a lot of talk of Stoke purchasing the football pitch at the cricket ground in the town, with a considerable amount of financial backing promised. However this never materialised much to the disappointment of chairman Mr S. Barker. During the campaign itself a total of 16 players made their senior debuts for the club including Zeke Johnston, Stoke's first Irishman signed from Burnley. There was little progress in the league with a 13th-place finish. The best result of the season saw Stoke beat Liverpool 6–1 in February 1897. Long serving forward Billy Dickson retired as did half-back Davy Brodie.


1896–97 Stoke F.C. season, Season review, FA Cup
After beating Glossop 5–2 in the first round Stoke lost 2–1 in the next to Preston North End.


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
The 1896–97 season was Thames Ironworks' second season after the club's formation in 1895.


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
"With reference to the forthcoming season, it has been decided to enter for the English Cup, London Senior Cup, West Ham Charity Cup, South Essex League senior and junior and if possible, one or two others. There will be very few dates left open for "friendly" matches, so it ought to be a good thing for the club financially." – Thames Iron Works Gazette


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
However, the most significant competition that Thames Ironworks would enter that season would be the London League, even though the West Ham area was still officially part of Essex at the time.


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
It was a seamless transition for the club to make as Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd owner Arnold Hills was also president of the London League, and along with Thames Ironworks F.C. committee chairman Francis Payne, helped to draft the competition's rules.


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
New signings for the season included Reading players Edward Hatton, Peter Davie and Frank Dandridge. H. Rossiter and Holmes, would also join from the Berkshire club, as well as many more Thames Iron Works employees that still provided the core of the team.


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
In their first ever competitive league fixture in the London League, staged at the Hermit Road ground, on 19 September 1896 Thames Ironworks beat the Vampires 3–0.


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
The following month, "The Irons" went out in the FA Cup first qualifying round for the second year running, losing 0–8 away to Kent Southern League team Sheppey United on 10 October 1897.


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
Shortly after their exit from the FA Cup they were handed an eviction notice from the Hermit Road ground. The club had violated their tenancy agreement by charging admission fees and building a perimeter fence and pavilion. Thames Ironworks had to play their next four fixtures at the grounds of their opponents, until a new home could be found. The first of these games was against eventual champions 3rd Grenadier Guards F.C. on 22 October 1896, which The Irons lost 1–4. The gloom continued on 5 December 1896, when Thames Ironworks lost in the first round of the Essex Senior Cup 2–3, in a narrowly fought game away to Leyton F.C..


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
At the turn of 1897 Arnold Hills had managed to lease a temporary piece of land for the team, located in Browning Road, East Ham. However, the new situation was not ideal, as explained by future Ironworks player and West Ham United F.C. manager Syd King in his 1906 book:


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
'"For some reason, not altogether explained, the local public at this place did not take kindly to them and the records show that Browning Road was a wilderness both in the manner of luck and support." – Syd King, 'Book Of Football' (1906)


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
Arnold Hills had already earmarked a large piece of land in Canning Town and would eventually spend £20,000 on the construction of an athletic ground with facilities for cycling and tennis as well as football but the ground would not be ready until the following season.


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
Travelling across the river to Kent again provided cup disappointment for "The Irons" on 13 February 1897, when they lost their second replay in the 5th round of London Senior Cup against Bromley 0–2. They managed to fare better locally, making the final of the West Ham Charity Cup for the second year running. On 20 March 1897 they narrowly lost the final 0–1 to West Ham Garfield. It was also around that time that Thames Ironworks' inspirational captain Robert Stevenson left to return to his native Scotland to play for Arthurlie.


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
Thames Ironworks' biggest defeat of the season came soon after, on 1 April 1897, when they lost for the second time to the champions-elect 3rd Grenadier Guards F.C. 0–5 at Browning Road. Yet it was only two days later, when in another home game, that "The Irons" recorded their biggest win of the season when they beat Crouch End 4–1. Another 5 days later would see the last game of the season, this time at home to Barking Woodville. The game ended 1–1.


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
In total Thames Ironworks won 11 of their 22 league and cup games in the 1896–1897 season, drawing on 4 occasions and losing 7.


1896–97 Thames Ironworks F.C. season
Their first appearance in the London League had seen them finish 4th, but only temporarily. The 1st Scots Guards had withdrawn from the league during the season, and their record was deleted, and the London Welsh team had been suspended towards the end of the season. "The Irons" had not yet played London Welsh and as a result, and probably thanks also to Arnold Hills' presidency of the league and Francis Payne's drafting of the rules, Thames Ironworks F.C. were awarded two wins by default and finished the revised league as runners up. H. Butterworth ended the season as the club's top scorer in the league, with four goals from his six appearances.


1896–97 United States collegiate men's ice hockey season
The 1896–97 United States collegiate men's ice hockey season was the 2nd season of collegiate ice hockey.


1896–97 United States collegiate men's ice hockey season
Columbia University and Pennsylvania University fielded teams for the first time but with only four programs in existence most games were played against non-college opponents.


1896–97 WPHL season
The 1896–97 WPHL season was the first season of championship hockey of Pittsburgh's Western Pennsylvania Hockey League. The season opened on November 17, 1896, and was well underway when brought to an end by the destruction of fire of the league's facility, the Schenley Park Casino ice rink on December 17, 1896.


1896–97 WPHL season, League business
The Casino had installed an artificial ice-making plant in 1895 and the 1895-96 winter season saw the first introduction of hockey at the rink. Challenge exhibition matches of ice polo between the Canadian Queen's University of Kingston, Ontario, and Western University of Pennsylvania were held at the rink, and Queen's demonstrated the game of ice hockey. Between then and November 1896, the Casino management decided to organize two leagues at the rink; an inter-scholastic league for high schools, and a senior league. Both leagues were amateur. The senior league was named the Western Pennsylvania League.


1896–97 WPHL season, League business
The first league members were Pittsburgh Athletic Club, Duquesne Country and Athletic Club, Western University and a team to represent the Casino, or the "Pittsburgh" team. The league played twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday nights.


1896–97 WPHL season, League business, Rules
The rules of the league were published in the Pittsburg Press on December 20, 1896:


1896–97 WPHL season, Season
Play continued until December 16, when the Casino rink was destroyed by fire. The Pittsburghs, PAC and Western University teams, and all of the inter-scholastic teams lost their hockey equipment in the fire. The Pittsburghs loss was estimated at $300.


1896–97 WPHL season, Season, Regular season results
Play was suspended after fire destroyed the Casino rink. No championship was declared.


1896–97 Welsh Amateur Cup
The 1896–97 Welsh Amateur Cup was the seventh season of the Welsh Amateur Cup. The cup was won by Coppenhall who defeated Rhos Eagle Wanderers 3-2 in the final, at Buckley, and became the first English club to win the Trophy.


1896–97 Western Football League
The 1896–97 season was the fifth in the history of the Western Football League, which had been known as the Bristol & District league until 1895.


1896–97 Western Football League
Warmley were the Division One champions for the fourth time in five years, and also began competing in the Southern League during this season. Eastville Wanderers won Division Two in only their second season in the league.


1896–97 Western Football League
At the end of this season the league was restructured, with a new Professional Section being formed, taking five clubs from Division One and three new clubs joining. Division One and Division Two remained as the Amateur Section, with four clubs being promoted from Division Two to Division One, and several new clubs joining both divisions.


1896–97 Western Football League, Final tables, Division One
One new club joined Division One for this season, though the number of clubs was reduced from 12 to nine after Gloucester and Swindon Wanderers left, Cardiff were expelled and Mangotsfield were relegated to Division Two.


1896–97 Western Football League, Final tables, Division Two
One new team joined Division Two this season, though the number of clubs was reduced from 11 to seven after Cumberland, Clifton Reserves, St George Reserves and Warmley Reserves left the league and Frenchay resigned.


1896–97 Yale Bulldogs men's basketball team
The 1896–97 Yale Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Yale University in intercollegiate basketball during the 1896–97 season. The team finished the season with an 11–5 record and was retroactively named the national champion by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.


1896–97 Yale Bulldogs men's ice hockey season
The 1896–97 Yale Bulldogs men's ice hockey season was the 2nd season of play for the program.


1896–97 Yale Bulldogs men's ice hockey season, Season
Though the team had lost its founder and driving force to graduation (Malcolm Greene Chace), Yale continued to support it's men's hockey team. The second season saw a series of firsts for the program, including its first home game, its first game against an eventual Ivy League member and its first losing season. The team did not have a coach, however, John Hall served as team manager.


1896–97 Yale Bulldogs men's ice hockey season, Season
Most of Yale's games were played against amateur athletic clubs but all games were counted for the Bulldogs' record.


1896–97 in Belgian football
The 1896–97 season was the second competitive season in Belgian football.


1896–97 in Belgian football, Overview
Only one official league existed at the time. It was called Coupe de Championnat (Championship Cup) and was disputed between 6 teams since only one new team was admitted whereas the last two of the previous championship were withdrawn.


1896–97 in English football
The 1896–97 season was the 26th season of competitive football in England.


1896–97 in English football, Overview
Aston Villa became the second team (after Preston North End) to complete "the Double" of winning the Football League Championship and the FA Cup. No other team would complete the double for 64 years.


1896–97 in English football, Overview
The Cup Final was played on 10 April 1897 between Aston Villa and Everton. At the start of the day, the top of the league table looked thus:


1896–97 in English football, Overview
Consequently, with a total of 30 league games to play in the season, only Derby County had any "mathematical" possibility of overtaking Aston Villa to take the title. To do so, they would have needed to take at least seven points from their remaining four games, with Aston Villa losing their remaining three games. In the event, Derby lost 1–0 at Bury and Aston Villa were thus confirmed as League Champions on the same day that they went on to win the Cup. As a result, Villa became the first, and so far, only team to date to achieve the league and cup "double" on the same day.


1896–97 in English football, Honours
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition


1896–97 in English football, Football League, Second Division
Notts County won the Second Division and were elected to the First Division after winning a Test Match against Burnley. Following the failure of Rotherham Town, Burslem Port Vale and Crewe Alexandra to be re-elected into the Football League, Blackpool and Gainsborough Trinity joined the Second Division. Walsall (formerly Walsall Town Swifts) also returned after a season away.


1896–97 in Scottish football
The 1896–97 season of Scottish football was the 24th season of competitive football in Scotland and the seventh season of the Scottish Football League.


1896–97 in Scottish football, Scottish Division Two
Partick Thistle won the Scottish Division Two. Both Linthouse and Port Glasgow Athletic had four points deducted.


1896–97 in Scottish football, Scottish Cup
Rangers won the Scottish Cup after a 5–1 win over Dumbarton.


1896–97 in Scottish football, Junior Cup
Strathclyde Juniors won the Junior Cup after a 2–0 win over Dunfermline Juniors in a replayed match, after the first was protested.


1897
1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar, the 1897th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 897th  year of the 2nd millennium, the 97th  year of the 19th century, and the  8th   year of the 1890s decade. As of the start of 1897, the Gregorian calendar was 12 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.


1897 AHAC season
The 1897 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season was the eleventh season of play of the ice hockey league. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were again first with a 7–1 record, retaining the Stanley Cup. The club won the Stanley Cup back from the Winnipeg Victorias prior to the season. This was their third-straight league championship.


1897 AHAC season, League business, Executive
At the annual meeting on December 12, 1896, the secretary reported that the association had lost all of its records in a fire, except for its minutes.


1897 AHAC season, Season
Clare McKerrow of Montreal HC set a new record with six goals in the opening game against Quebec on January 9.


1897 AHAC season, Stanley Cup challenge
Prior to the season, Victorias would defeat the Winnipeg Victorias of the (Manitoba Hockey Association) 6–5, on December 30, 1896, to reclaim the Cup they had lost in the previous season to Winnipeg.


1897 AHAC season, Stanley Cup challenge, Victorias vs. Winnipeg at Winnipeg
The Montreal Victorias submitted their challenge on November 11, 1896, and they arrived in Winnipeg on December 27 for the one-game playoff on December 30. The challenge, the first outside of Montreal attracted national interest. Excitement for the game in Winnipeg sent the price of $1 tickets to $5, with reports of tickets being sold for over $10. The Montreal Vics' practice in the McIntyre Rink itself drew a crowd of 700. The game was reported back to Montreal by telegraph, with the score available at train stations or telegraph offices throughout Canada. Hundreds of standing-room tickets were sold on the night of the game.


1897 AHAC season, Stanley Cup challenge, Victorias vs. Winnipeg at Winnipeg
The game itself was very exciting. Ernie McLea scored a hat-trick, including the game and Stanley Cup winning goal. The game started at 8:22 pm local time. Dan Bain scored at 6:30 to put Winnipeg ahead. Winnipeg opened up a 3–0 lead before Montreal scored twice (McLea and Shirley Davidson) to close the gap while Toat Campbell served a penalty. Attie Howard scored just before the half to put Winnipeg ahead 4–2 at the half. In the second half, Montreal's Davidson scored his second goal, then McLea tied the score at four with his second goal of the match.


1897 AHAC season, Stanley Cup challenge, Victorias vs. Winnipeg at Winnipeg
Robert MacDougall, on an end-to-end rush, put Montreal ahead, but Bain tied it at five with four minutes to play. With two minutes to play, Graham Drinkwater passed to McLea, who beat George Merritt on a breakaway to put Montreal ahead 6–5 and win the game. The goal is considered one of the greatest ice hockey goals of all time.


1897 AHAC season, Stanley Cup challenge, Victorias vs. Winnipeg at Winnipeg
Referee – Weldy Young, OttawaUmpires – A. Shearer, Montreal; D. Clark, Winnipeg, Shaw, Ottawa


1897 AHAC season, Exhibitions
Montreal played the Halifax Wanderers in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on February 25, 1897. The Wanderers defeated Montreal 4–3 on a second-half goal after the teams were tied 3–3 at half-time.


1897 AHAC season, Schedule and results
† Protested by Ottawa who scored the tying goal in last few seconds but the goal was disallowed by the referee. The protest was upheld and the game replayed.


1897 AHAC season, Player statistics, Goaltending averages
Note: GP = Games played, GA = Goals against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals against average


1897 AHAC season, Stanley Cup engravings, Stanley Cup engraving
It is unknown what Feb 20th stood for. Winnipeg Victorias or the Montreal Victorias never played a Stanley Cup challenge game that day in any season.


1897 Add-Ran Christian football team
The 1897 Add-Ran Christian football team represented Add-Ran Christian University—now known as Texas Christian University (TCU)—as an independent during the 1897 college football season.


1897 Alabama Crimson White football team
The 1897 Alabama Crimson White football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1897 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The team was led by head coach Allen McCants, in his first season, and played their home games at The Quad in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In what was the sixth season of Alabama football, the team finished with a record of one win and zero losses (1–0, 0–0 SIAA).


1897 Alabama Crimson White football team
In the spring of 1895, the University Board of Trustees passed a rule that prohibited athletic teams from competing off-campus for athletic events, and as such only one game was scheduled for the season. In their only game, the Crimson White shutout the Tuscaloosa Athletic Club on The Quad.


1897 Alabama Crimson White football team, Game summaries, Tuscaloosa Athletic Club
In what was the only game played as part of the 1897 season due to prohibition against playing away games, Alabama defeated the Tuscaloosa Athletic Club 6–0 at The Quad in Tuscaloosa. Immediately after their victory, Alabama disbanded their team for the remainder of the season due to an inability to secure any additional home games.


1897 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The 1897 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 11th staging of Ireland's premier Gaelic football knock-out competition. Dublin were the winners.


1897 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
The 1897 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the tenth All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1897 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.


1897 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
William Guiry scored both of Dublin's goals, as they won 2-6 to 0-2, having led 1-2 to 0-1 at half time.


1897 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
At this time, club teams represented their counties with the CJ Kickhams club, captained by PJ Walsh, representing Dublin and Cork represented by the Dohenys club from Dunmanway.


1897 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
It was the fourth of six All-Ireland football titles won by Dublin in the 1890s.


1897 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1897 was the 11th series of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Ireland's premier hurling knock-out competition. Limerick won the championship, beating Kilkenny 3-4 to 2-4 in the final.


1897 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Format
Semi-final: (1 match) This is a lone game which sees the winners of the Leinster championship play Galway who receive a bye to this stage. One team is eliminated while the winning team advances to the final.


1897 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Format
Final: (1 match) The winners of the lone semi-final play the winners of the Munster championship.


1897 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
The 1897 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 10th All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1897 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at the Tipperary GAA Field, on 20 November 1898 between Kilkenny, represented by club side Tullaroan, and Limerick, represented by club side Kilfinane. The Leinster champions lost to their Munster opponents on a score line of 3-4 to 2-4.


1897 Argentine Primera División
The 1897 Argentine Primera División was the 6th season of top-flight football in Argentina. The championship was won by Lomas that achieved its 4th Argentine league title in 5 seasons. Lomas won the title after beating Lanús A.C. by 1-0 in 3rd. playoff match.


1897 Argentine Primera División
The players of Lomas Academy (dissolved one year before) returned to its parent club, Lomas Athletic, while Lanús A.C., Banfield and Palermo A.C. made their debuts and Belgrano A.C. registered a "B" team to play the tournament.


1897 Argentine Primera División, Championship Final
After both teams, Lomas and Lanús finished in the first position, they had to play a final to decide a champion. It finished 11 after extra time so a playoff was held four days later. As that match ended 0–0 with no modifications on the score during extra time, a second game was scheduled for September 19. The result was also a tie.


1897 Argentine Primera División, Championship Final
Finally, Lomas defeated Lanús 1–0 in the third match, becoming Primera División champion.


1897 Arizona Normal Normals football team
The 1897 Arizona Normal Normals football team was an American football team that represented the Arizona Normal School (later renamed Arizona State University) as an independent during the 1897 college football season. In its first season of varsity football, the Tempe Normal team compiled a 0–1 record, losing to the Phoenix Indian School by a 38 to 20 score. The team captain was Walter Shute.


1897 Arizona Normal Normals football team
The Arizona Normal football program was organized by Frederick M. Irish who came to Arizona Normal School in 1896 as a science teacher after graduating from the University of Iowa. He remained the football coach at Arizona Normal for the program's first seven years.


1897 Arkansas Industrial Cardinals football team
The 1897 Arkansas Industrial Cardinals football team represented the University of Arkansas during the 1897 college football season. Arkansas opened its 1897 season with its sixth game in four years against the team from Fort Smith High School. The Cardinals next competed in their third intercollegiate game, playing Drury College to a 6–6 tie. On November 20, 1897, Arkansas won its first ever intercollegiate football game against Ouachita College, a liberal arts college in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.


1897 Arkansas Industrial Cardinals football team
The captains of the 1897 team were H. Y. Fishback and E. G. Martin. John C. Futrall was the manager, and B. N. Wilson was the coach. Coach Wilson received a bachelor of science degree from Georgia School of Technology (Georgia Tech) in 1896 and joined the faculty at Arkansas Industrial as an instructor of mechanical engineering. He served as the football team's trainer in the fall of 1896 and took over as the coach in 1897.


1897 Army Cadets football team
The 1897 Army Cadets football team represented the United States Military Academy in the 1897 college football season. In their first season under head coach Herman Koehler, the Cadets compiled a 6–1–1 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 194 to 41. The Cadets suffered their only loss against Harvard by a 10 to 0 score and played Yale to a 6–6 tie. The Army–Navy Game was not played in 1897.


1897 Army Cadets football team
Three Army Cadets were honored on the 1897 College Football All-America Team. Halfback William Nesbitt received second-team honors from Walter Camp. Quarterback Leon Kromer received second-team honors from the New York Sun. Tackle Wallace Scales received second-team honors from Walter Camp and The New York Sun.


1897 Assam earthquake
The Assam earthquake of 1897 occurred on 12 June 1897, in Assam, India at 17:15 IST, and had an estimated moment magnitude of 8.0. It resulted in approximate 1,542 human casualties and caused catastrophic damage to infrastructure. Damage from the earthquake extended into Calcutta, where dozens of buildings were severely damaged, with some buildings partially collapsing. Trembles were felt across India, reaching as far as Ahmedabad and Peshawar. Seiches were also observed in Burma.


1897 Assam earthquake, Earthquake
The earthquake occurred on the SSW-dipping reverse Oldham fault that forms the northern edge of the Shillong Plateau within the Indian Plate. There was a minimum displacement on the main fault of 11 m, although some calculations have placed this figure at as high as 16 m, one of the greatest for any measured earthquake. The calculated area of slip extended 180 km along strike and from 9–45 km below the surface, indicating that the entire thickness of the crust was involved.


1897 Assam earthquake, Damage
Thought to have happened 32 km underground, the earthquake left masonry buildings in ruins over 400,000 km2 area and was felt over 650,000 km2 from Burma to Delhi. Numerous buildings in the neighboring country of Bhutan were heavily damaged. Dozens of aftershocks were felt in and around the region with the last event being felt on 9 October 1897 at 01:40 UT in Calcutta.


1897 Assam earthquake, Damage
The earthquake resulted in Shillong Plateau being thrust violently upwards by about 11  meters. The fault was about 110  km in length while the fault slip was about 18 m (accuracy more or less by 7 m). At the epicenter, vertical acceleration is thought to have been above 1g force and surface velocity 3 m/s.


1897 Assam earthquake, Damage
In Shillong, the earthquake damaged every stone house and half the houses built of wood. The shock leveled the ground and resulted in 13 deaths. The fissure was also reported in the area. In Sohra Cherrapunji, it resulted in a landslide, which led to 600 deaths. In Goalpara, it resulted in waves from the river Brahmaputra, on which bank the town is situated, destroying the market. In Nalbari, there were reported sightings of earth-waves and water waves. In Guwahati, the earthquake lasted for 3 minutes. the Brahmaputra river rose by 7.6  ft. Damage was caused to Umananda Island temple and railway lines. 5 people died. In Nagaon, every brick house was damaged, while traditional houses made of wood, with grass roofs, were bent. There were many small fissures/volcanos and the road was impassable for vehicles.


1897 Assam earthquake, Damage
In the Sylhet region, shocks took place at 16:30, according to villagers living at the foot of the hills north of Sunamganj. There were 545 casualties. 55 in Sylhet town, 178 in North Sylhet, 287 in Sunamganj, 7 in Habiganj, 8 in South Sylhet and 10 in Karimganj. Many buildings collapsed and fissures and drowning furthered the number of deaths. A woman in Sunamganj is said to have fell through a fissure whilst on a river with her husband. The husband tried to hold onto her hair but lost hold of her. The woman's body was not recovered from the crevasse. The Assam Bengal Railway was severely damaged.


1897 Assam earthquake, Damage
Richard Dixon Oldham, the Superintendent of the Geological Survey of India, analysed seismic records of the earthquake, mainly from stations in Italy, and reported the first clear evidence of different type of seismic waves, travelling through the earth on different paths and at different speeds.


1897 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1897 Atlantic hurricane season was an inactive season, featuring only six known tropical cyclones, four of which made landfall. There were three hurricanes, none of which strengthened into major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. The first system was initially observed south of Cape Verde on August 31, an unusually late date. The storm was the strongest of the season, peaking as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 100 mph (155 km/h).


1897 Atlantic hurricane season
While located well north of the Azores, rough seas by the storm sunk a ship, killing all 45 crewmen. A second storm was first spotted in the Straits of Florida on September 10. It strengthened into a hurricane and tracked northwestward across the Gulf of Mexico, striking Louisiana shortly before dissipating on September 13. This storm caused 29 deaths and $150,000 (1897 USD) in damage.


1897 Atlantic hurricane season
The third storm developed in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on September 20. It tracked along the East Coast of the United States, causing widespread damage, particularly in Florida. A fourth storm was first observed in the northwestern Caribbean Sea on September 25. This storm moved in a semicircular path around Cuba and was last noted offshore Florida four days later. Minor wind and flood damage was reported in Cuba. On October 9, the fifth hurricane of the season was located near the Windward Islands.


1897 Atlantic hurricane season
Moving westward, the storm eventually curved northeastward while crossing the Caribbean Sea, causing it to strike Cuba. Minor damage was reported on the island, though a ship sank with 230 people aboard; 42 of them were rescued, while the remaining 188 were presumed dead. The final observed system developed in the vicinity of the Bahamas on October 23. It later struck the Outer Banks of North Carolina; the storm caused severe flooding in southeastern Virginia, with six deaths reported. It was last noted on October 29.


1897 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane One
The first hurricane of the season was observed near Cape Verde, beginning at 0600 UTC on August 31. Initially a tropical storm, it slowly strengthened while heading west-northwestward, reaching hurricane status on September 1. Curving northwestward, the storm intensified further into a Category 2 hurricane on September 3. It continued heading northwestward until curving to the northeast late on September 6. Around 1130 UTC on the following day, the storm attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 972 mbar (28.7 inHg).


1897 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane One
Early on September 9, the system weakened to a Category 1, before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone well north of the Azores later that day. The extratropical remnants continued weaken, before dissipating west of Ireland on September 10. The crew of the barkentine St. Peter reported that another ship capsized with 45 men aboard; all of them drowned.


1897 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Two
A second hurricane was spotted in the Straits of Florida at tropical storm intensity on September 10. Several hours later, the system made landfall in Marquesas Keys, Florida. Early on September 11, it strengthened into a hurricane. Intensifying slightly further, the storm peaked with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) shortly thereafter. The hurricane maintained this intensity while moving west-northwestward across the Gulf of Mexico and struck extreme southwestern Cameron Parish, Louisiana early on September 13. Shortly thereafter, it weakened to a tropical storm over Texas, before dissipating several hours later.


1897 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Two
No impact was reported in the Florida Keys. Strong winds in southwestern Louisiana damaged crops and toppled windmills. Offshore, boats and schooners suffered severe damage from wind-driven waves. Severe damage occurred in eastern Texas, with strong winds and storm surge damaging or destroying numerous buildings, houses, and crops in several cities, including Beaumont, New Sabine Pass, Orange, Sabine Pass, and Port Arthur. The storm was considered the worst in Orange since 1875. Overall, the storm caused at least 29 fatalities in Texas, with six died at Port Arthur, three offshore, four in Sabine Pass, and sixteen others at Beaumont. Damage in the state reached approximately $150,000.


1897 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Three
The third storm of the season was first observed in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on September 20. Strengthening while heading northeastward, the system made landfall near Boca Grande, Florida with winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) early on the following day. Heavy rainfall in Tampa caused the streets and sideways to become inundated, leaving portions of the city impassable, especially areas adjacent to the DeSoto Hotel. Two fire stations were severely damaged. On the east coast of Florida, the worst impact occurred in Cocoa, where some buildings were destroyed and others were deroofed. Further north in Fernandina Beach, ships in the harbor broke loose and tossed about, leaving considerable damage.


1897 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Three
Although the storm weakened while crossing Florida, it later re-strengthened after emerging into the Atlantic Ocean later on September 21. The system moved northeastward and made landfall near Hatteras, North Carolina at 1000 UTC on September 23, with winds of 70 mph (110 km/h). In eastern North Carolina, strong winds and high tides were observed in New Bern. Shortly thereafter, it re-emerged into the Atlantic Ocean. The system began weakening, while making two landfalls on September 24, the first on Long Island, New York, and the second near New London, Connecticut. Thereafter, the storm accelerated to the northeast and weakened to a tropical depression over New Brunswick early on September 25. Several hours later, the system dissipated offshore southeastern Labrador.


1897 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Four
Early on September 25, a tropical storm was spotted about 100 miles (160 km) west of Grand Cayman. It moved slowly northwestward and passed near Cape San Antonio, Cuba early on September 27. The storm then entered the Gulf of Mexico and began strengthening while curving northward. On September 28, the system attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 1,010 mbar (30 inHg). Early on September 29, the storm curved eastward and dissipated several hours later offshore Florida. In Cuba, the storm brought strong winds and heavy rainfall as far east as Havana, causing flooding, "but no great damage".


1897 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Five
The fifth tropical cyclone of the season was first observed near the Windward Islands on October 9. It moved west-northwestward across the Caribbean Sea and remained at that intensity for several days. The storm curved in a northwesterly direction by October 14 while located over the northwestern Caribbean Sea, and then northeastward on the following day. Eventually, it began to strengthen and reached hurricane intensity early on October 18. Several hours later, the hurricane made landfall in modern-day Sancti Spíritus Province, Cuba with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h). Minimal damage was reported in Cuba. However, the ship Triton sank offshore Pinar del Río Province with 230 men aboard. Forty-two people were rescued by passing ships, while the remaining 188 died, including the captain, who committed suicide.


1897 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Five
The system weakened while crossing Cuba and fell to tropical storm intensity early on October 19. Around that time, the storm emerged into the Atlantic Ocean near the central Bahamas. Crossing through the islands, the system curved north-northeastward and began to accelerate. It did not re-strengthen and made landfall near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h). Strong winds and rainfall totals ranging from 1 to 7 inches (25 to 178 mm) were observed along the coast of North Carolina. Strong winds were reported in portions of the Northeastern United States, with highest wind speed being 56 mph (90 km/h), observed in Block Island, Rhode Island. Reemerging into the Atlantic Ocean, this system continued rapidly northeastward, before becoming extratropical offshore New England on October 21.


1897 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Six
The final tropical cyclone was located over the Bahamas on October 23. It moved north-northeastward and remained at the same intensity. By October 25, the storm began executing a cyclonic loop while offshore the East Coast of the United States. Around that time, the system attained its peak intensity with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h). Moving southwestward, the storm made landfall near Duck, North Carolina at 2300 UTC on October 25, at the same intensity. Early on October 26, the system curved southeastward and quickly moved offshore. It then moved eastward and later to the northeast, before becoming extratropical on October 29.


1897 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Six
Along much of the East Coast of the United States, the Weather Bureau warned about gales and rough seas. From Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to Maine, storm surge and tides resulted in considerable damage to boardwalks and beach cottages. In Virginia, storm surge caused a number of small crafts and a few ships to be washed ashore or destroyed. The James River rose to 5 feet (1.5 m) above high tide. A few cities experienced coastal flooding, including Chincoteague and Norfolk. The Willoughby Spit was split by the tides, washing away the Old Point Comfort railroad tracks. Cedar Island was "leveled to a mere flat breath of sand". Six fatalities were reported in Virginia, four of them from drowning in Newport News, while the other two were caused by electrocution.


1897 Auburn Tigers football team
The 1897 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1897 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. It was the Tigers' sixth season. The team was led by head coach John Heisman, in his third year, and finished with a record of two wins, zero losses and one tie (2–0–1 overall, 2–0–1 in the SIAA).


1897 Auburn Tigers football team, Season summary, Mercer
The season opened with a 26–0 defeat of Mercer. Fearing Georgia scouts watching for signals, Auburn did not use any throughout the game.


1897 Auburn Tigers football team, Season summary, Nashville
Auburn beat Nashville 14–4 in a duel between fullbacks Jim Penton and Bradley Walker.


1897 Auburn Tigers football team, Postseason
The team finished $700 in debt, and Heisman was the actor, director, and producer of David Garrick to raise the money. As such, he is founder of Auburn's first theatrical group: The A.P.I. Dramatic Club.


1897 Awarua by-election
A by-election was held for the Awarua electorate on 5 August 1897, for the seat vacated by Joseph Ward, which he had held since 1887. Despite having had to resign due to bankruptcy, he exploited a legal loophole and was re-elected to the 13th New Zealand Parliament.


1897 Awarua by-election, Background and election
Joseph Ward first won election to the Awarua electorate in the 1897 election. He held many portfolios in the Seddon Ministry, including that of Treasurer (i.e. Minister of Finance), when Justice Williams declared him "hopelessly insolvent" in 1896. He was forced to resign his portfolios in Cabinet on 16 June. In 1897, he had to file for bankruptcy, and was adjudicated bankrupt on 8 July 1897. He was then legally obliged to resign his seat in Parliament, which he did on 14 July.


1897 Awarua by-election, Background and election
A loophole, however, meant that there was nothing to stop him simply contesting it again. He did so, and was re-elected with an increased majority. His opponent, both in the previous general election in 1896 and in the by-election was Cuthbert Cowan, who had previously represented the Wallace (1869) and Hokonui (1884–1890) electorates.


1897 Awarua by-election, Background and election
Parliament passed a special Act on 13 October, the Awarua Seat Enquiry Act 1897, which required the Court of Appeal to urgently decide whether he could be re-elected to Parliament, and the court decided in his favour. The court judgement was published as AJHR H32 of 1897.


1897 Awarua by-election, Background and election
Ward actually gained considerable popularity as a result of his financial troubles; Ward was widely seen as a great benefactor of the Southland region, and public perceptions were that he was being persecuted by his enemies over an honest mistake. Gradually, Ward rebuilt his businesses, and paid off his debtors. Richard Seddon, still Prime Minister, quickly reappointed Ward to Cabinet.


1897 Baltimore Orioles season
The 1897 Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. After three straight first-place finishes, the Orioles slipped to second place with a record of 90–40, 2 games behind the National League-leading Boston Beaneaters. After the season, the two teams met in what would be the final Temple Cup competition, with the Orioles winning 4 games to 1. In all, Baltimore played in all four Temple Cups, losing the first two and winning the last two.


1897 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1897 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1897 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1897 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1897 Baltimore Orioles season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1897 Barnsley by-election
The Barnsley by-election, 1897, was a by-election held on 28 October 1897 for the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It was notable for its role in the development of the Independent Labour Party.


1897 Barnsley by-election, Background
The constituency of Barnsley had been created in 1885, and was a safe seat for the Liberal Party. Since a by-election in 1889, it had been held by the Earl Compton. On 11 September 1897, Compton's father died, and he succeeded as the Marquess of Northampton, thereby forfeiting his seat in the House of Commons and necessitating a by-election. There were eleven candidates for the Liberal nomination, including William Pollard Byles, William Sproston Caine, A. E. Fletcher, George William Erskine Russell and Charles Trevelyan. Ultimately, the party nominated Joseph Walton, a County Durham-based owner of collieries and coal and coke merchants. He had stood in Doncaster in 1895, but had narrowly lost the seat.


1897 Barnsley by-election, Background
At each election since its creation, the seat had been contested by both the Liberal Party and an opponent from the Conservative Party (or, on one occasion, from the Liberal Unionist Party). The Conservative's best result had come at the 1895 general election, where Ronald Greville had taken 40.6% of the vote. The following year, he had been elected for Bradford East, so he was not available to contest the by-election. After a struggle to find a candidate, the party selected James Blyth, a London-based captain in the Oxfordshire Light Infantry and a friend of Wakefield MP Lord Milton. He had no political experience, and it was widely suspected that the party held no hope of capturing the seat.


1897 Barnsley by-election, Background
The Independent Labour Party (ILP) had been founded in 1893 as a socialist party, committed to securing MPs who were independent of the Liberal Party. The party stood 28 candidates at the 1895 general election, but did not win a single seat, and various by-election candidates had also performed poorly. They decided to stand Pete Curran, the national organiser of the National Union of Gasworkers and General Labourers. He was a member of the Fabian Society and of the Social Democratic Federation, and had stood in Barrow in 1895, coming bottom of the poll.


1897 Barnsley by-election, Campaign
By far the largest employer in the area was the coal industry, and Barnsley was a stronghold of the Yorkshire Miners Association (YMA). Although he was not part of the Lib-Lab movement, Walton courted the support of local miners, and the YMA quickly gave him its backing. Ben Pickard, General Secretary of the YMA, was a particularly strong supporter, and he claimed that Curran was in league with the Conservatives. John Potts, checkweighman at Hemsworth Colliery, also supported Walton, although with some reservations.


1897 Barnsley by-election, Campaign
He said in the presence of Walton that he would favour a labour party at a time when state payment of MPs, and of election expenses would enable working men to be maintained in Parliament. But for now, "the Liberal party was the working man’s only hope". Walton campaigned on much of the YMA's agenda, including an eight-hour working day for miners, the introduction of old age pensions and voting reform, although he opposed their campaign for nationalisation of the mines. He also admitted to sending coal to Yorkshire during the YMA strike of 1893, excusing this on the grounds that Yorkshire coal had been sent to County Durham during a strike up there.


1897 Barnsley by-election, Campaign
Blyth opposed an eight-hour day, stating that it should not be a matter for parliamentary legislation. He hoped that the passage of the Workmen's Compensation Act under the Conservative government would garner him support, but it led many colliery owners, otherwise strong Conservatives, to refuse to campaign for him.


1897 Barnsley by-election, Campaign
Barnsley and District Trades and Labour Council, which did not include any miners' representatives, backed Curran. The ILP held a large number of meetings, bringing prominent speakers from around the country. They attracted large audiences, although they were strongly heckled and possibly attacked in Wombwell. Their campaign focussed on attacking Walton's role as an employer, claiming he had victimised miners. However, the Liberals countered, claiming that Curran had deserted his wife and was either an Orangeman or a Roman Catholic.


1897 Barnsley by-election, Result
Walton held the seat comfortably, receiving a slight increase in his share of the vote. Their triumph was largely put down to the work of Pickard, and some liberal newspapers used the share as evidence that the ILP vote was coming from former Conservative supporters, not from Liberals. The ILP was disappointed by their weak showing, taking only 9.7% of the vote. The organisation was put in debt by paying its share of the election expenses, and as a result was not able to contest any further by-elections until 1900.


1897 Barnsley by-election, Result
However, it did manage to recruit some more members in the district. Ultimately, the defeat led to a re-evaluation of its approach, and to adopt instead a short-term policy of uniting all trade unions, socialist or not, into one political party. This vision led to the formation of the Labour Representation Committee and, ultimately, the Labour Party.


1897 Barnsley by-election, Result
Walton held the seat until he stood down in 1922. Blyth did not contest any further elections, but Curran was eventually elected at the 1907 Jarrow by-election.


1897 Belfast Corporation election
An election to Belfast Corporation took place on Thursday 25 November 1897 as part of that year's local elections.


1897 Belfast Corporation election
This was the first election for Belfast Corporation since 1887. Since that election the Belfast Corporation Act 1896 had increased the borough from 6,800 to 16,500 acres, and the electorate from 39,603 to 47,294. The need to delineate new ward boundaries meant that elections could not be completed in 1896, resulting in them being delayed until 1897.


1897 Boston Beaneaters season
The 1897 Boston Beaneaters season was the 27th season of the franchise. The Beaneaters won the National League pennant, their fourth of the decade and their seventh overall. After the season, the Beaneaters played in the Temple Cup for the first time. They lost the series to the second-place Baltimore Orioles, 4 games to 1.


1897 Boston Beaneaters season, Regular season
This team has been cited (along with the 1880s St. Louis Browns and the 1890s Baltimore Orioles) as one of the greatest of the 19th century. It featured five Hall of Famers: manager Frank Selee, pitcher Kid Nichols, third baseman Jimmy Collins, and outfielders Billy Hamilton and Hugh Duffy.


1897 Boston Beaneaters season, Regular season
In just 132 games, the Beaneaters scored 1025 runs to lead the league (Hamilton had 152 of them to win individual honors). They also allowed the fewest, on the way to a .705 winning percentage. Nichols was one of the premier pitchers in the league, leading the NL with 31 wins. His 2.64 ERA ranked second.


1897 Boston Beaneaters season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1897 Boston Beaneaters season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1897 Boston Beaneaters season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1897 Boston Beaneaters season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1897 Boston Beaneaters season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1897 Boston College football team
The 1897 Boston College football team was an American football team that represented Boston College during the 1897 college football season.


1897 Boston mayoral election
The Boston mayoral election of 1897 occurred on Tuesday, December 21, 1897. In a rematch of the previous election, Democratic candidate and incumbent Mayor of Boston Josiah Quincy defeated Republican candidate and former mayor Edwin Upton Curtis, and two other contenders, to win re-election to a second term.


1897 British Guiana general election, Electoral system
The elections were held under the 1891 constitution, which provided for a 16-member Court of Policy, half of which was elected. The Court included the Governor, seven government officials (the Attorney General, the Government Secretary, the Immigration Agent General and the Receiver General, together with three other appointees). The eight elected members were elected from seven constituencies; Demerara East, Demerara West, Essequebo North Western, Essequebo South Eastern, Berbice, City of Georgetown (2 members) and New Amsterdam.


1897 British Guiana general election, Electoral system
In addition, six "Financial Representatives" were also elected in six single member constituencies; Demerara, Essequebo North Western, Essequebo South Eastern, Berbice, Georgetown and New Amsterdam. Together with the Court of Policy, the two groups formed the Combined Court.


1897 British Guiana general election, Electoral system
The franchise was restricted on the basis of a minimum income level, and women could not vote. The 1897 elections saw the introduction of the secret ballot.


1897 British Guiana general election, Campaign
The elections saw a strong campaign to get non-white representation in the Court of Policy. The Progressive Association supported several candidates, including Andrew Benjamin Brown after he was attacked by the white-owned The Echo newspaper. Brown and Patrick Dargan were both supported by Alfred A. Thorne.


1897 British Guiana general election, Results
Almost all the candidates supported by the Progressive Association were elected, including Dargan and Brown.


1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms season
The 1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms finished the season in seventh place under new manager Billy Barnie. Also the team's ownership underwent a change as Charles Byrne and Ferdinand Abell buy the shares previously owned by George Chauncey and Charles Ebbets becomes a part owner of the team.


1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases


1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases


1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts; CG = Complete games


1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts; CG = Complete games


1897 Brown Bears football team
The 1897 Brown Bears football team represented Brown University during the 1897 college football season. The team's captain was Dave Fultz.


1897 Buffalo football team
The 1897 Buffalo football team represented the University at Buffalo in the 1897 college football season. Under head coach C. W. Dibble, the team was a perfect 7-0 against collegiate foes and 9-1 overall for the year. The team beat the Syracuse Orangemen twice during the season. The Buffalo offense scored 144 points while the defense allowed 12 points.


1897 Calgary municipal election
The 1897 Calgary municipal election was scheduled for December 13, 1897 to elect a Mayor and nine Councillors to sit on the fourteenth Calgary City Council from January 3, 1898 to January 3, 1899. Arthur Leslie Cameron was acclaimed as mayor.


1897 California Golden Bears football team
The 1897 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley during the 1897 college football season. The team competed as an independent under head coach Charles P. Nott and compiled a record of 0–3–2.


1897 Carlisle Indians football team
The 1897 Carlisle Indians football team represented the Carlisle Indians football team of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School during the 1897 college football season. The Indians were led by William T. Bull in his first year as head coach. The team compiled a record of 6–4 and outscored opponents 232 to 98.


1897 Carlisle Indians football team
Frank Hudson was the quarterback. On the line were the brothers Bemus Pierce and Hawley Pierce. The two Pierce brothers, each weighing over 200 pounds, were both among the best players of their day. In 1906, The Washington Post declared them the greatest pair of linesman brothers in the history of the sport:


1897 Carlisle Indians football team
"But the greatest pair of brother linesmen were the Indians, Pierce. Bemus Pierce and Hawley Pierce were right guard and left tackle in the Carlisle line in the old days when the redskin booters of the prolate had everything in the country scared. Two hundred pounds apiece they weighed, and they won games for their team in 97. Tackle back and guard back for a solid half was the Indian play and it was 400 pounds of Pierce into the opponents' line pretty steady. Bemus was captain of the team and one of the best men on the kick-off football has seen. He could measure and place his kicks accurately and every red knew where the ball was going before it soared."


1897 Carlisle Indians football team
Hudson gained acclaim for drop-kicking field goals against two of the top teams in the country—Yale and Penn. Hudson accounted for all of Carlisle's points in a 20-10 loss to Penn at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. The New York Times wrote that "little Hudson showed his ability as a kicker by dropping the ball squarely between the posts." The game against Yale was played at the Polo Grounds in New York, and The New York Times described udson's field goal as follows:


1897 Carlisle Indians football team
"[S]teadying himself for an instant the ball was dropped and with a delicate touch from his foot was sent sailing straight as a die toward the Yale goal. The spectators held their breath and watched the ball as it sailed on just over the heads of the Yale players and finally dropped over the bar. Then they cheered and young Hudson was the hero of the day. The goal was one of the prettiest ever seen ..."


1897 Carlisle Indians football team
The success of the Carlisle football team was a source of great pride for Native Americans. In 1897, the Indian Helper (the Carlisle school newspaper) described a celebration that greeted the football team on its return from a game played in New York City against Yale University:


1897 Carlisle Indians football team
"On Monday morning after breakfast, the football team, who returned the evening before from the Yale game which was played at New York last Saturday, was treated to a free ride across the parade, in the large four horse herdic, drawn by the entire battalion. Capt. Pierce, Frank Cayou, Frank Hudson, and Martin Wheelock occupied the small phaeton drawn by boys, and went in advance of the others. The band played lively marches, as handkerchiefs waved and mouths shouted. The demonstration was a great surprise to all making a unique scene for such an early morning hour. The school is proud of the record made for clean playing, and were gratified that the boys scored.”


1897 Central Colonels football team
The 1897 Central Colonels football team represented Central University in Richmond, Kentucky during the 1897 college football season.


1897 Central Michigan Normalites football team
The 1897 Central Michigan Normalites football team represented Central Michigan Normal School, later renamed Central Michigan University, as an independent during the 1897 college football season. Under head coach Carl Pray, the Normalites compiled a 2–1 record, and were outscored 16 to 18 by their opponents. The most important benchmark during the 1898 season was the program's first game against a collegiate opponent, a 18–0 loss to Alma.


1897 Challenge Cup
The 1897 Challenge Cup was the inaugural staging of the Northern Rugby Football Union's Challenge Cup and involved 52 clubs from across England from the 1896–97 Northern Rugby Football Union season. The tournament was played over six rounds in March and April 1897, culminating in the final which was won by Batley.


1897 Challenge Cup, Background
The Northern Union decided to hold a cup competition called the Northern Rugby Football Union Challenge Cup in July 1896. The cup was commissioned from Bradford silversmiths and jewellers, Fattorini and Sons. Fattorini's designed the trophy themselves and it cost the Northern Union £60.


1897 Challenge Cup, Draw
The draw for the competition was made on 3 September 1896 although the matches were not due to be played until March and April 1897 over six consecutive weekends commencing 20 March 1897. All rounds were drawn at the same time with matches in the second and subsequent rounds given an identification letter such that ties for later rounds were expressed as, for example, "Q. Winner of Round C. v. winner of Round N."


1897 Challenge Cup, Draw
The team drawn first had the option to play at home or could agree to play at the opponent's ground. The semi-finals and final were to be played at neutral venues.


1897 Challenge Cup, First round
The first round involved 20 matches and 40 clubs. 12 clubs (Batley, Bradford Church Hill, Brighouse Rangers, Crompton, Heckmondwike, Liversedge, St Helens Recs, Stockport, Swinton Church, Thornton Rangers, Tyldesley and Werneth) were given a bye to the next round.


1897 Challenge Cup, First round, First round replays
The three games requiring replays were all played on Wednesday 24 March


1897 Challenge Cup, Second round
The second round of 16 ties was played on Saturday 27 March 1897.


1897 Challenge Cup, Second round, Second round replay
Stockport and Eastmoor replayed the tie on Wednesday 31 March.


1897 Challenge Cup, Third round
The third round of eight games was played on Saturday 3 April.


1897 Challenge Cup, Third round, Third round replay
Swinton and Rochdale replayed the drawn game on Wednesday 7 April.


1897 Challenge Cup, Fourth round
The quarter finals were played on Saturday 10 April 1897.


1897 Challenge Cup, Semi-finals
The semi-finals were scheduled for Saturday 17 April. However, due to a waterlogged pitch, the tie between St. Helens and Swinton, due to be played at Broughton Rangers ground - Wheater's Field -  was postponed until Monday 19 April. The game between Batley and Warrington, played at Fartown, Huddersfield did go ahead on a very soft pitch.


1897 Challenge Cup, Semi-finals
After the game Warrington lodged a protest over the result, claiming that the game should have been postponed due to the state of the pitch and that the game having gone ahead, the referee allowed the game to end six minutes short. Both grounds of protest were dismissed by the Northern Union Committee.


1897 Challenge Cup, Semi-finals
The rearranged game between St Helens and Swinton was played on Easter Monday, 19 April, watched by a crowd of 20,000 taking advantage of the bank holiday to attend.


1897 Challenge Cup, Final
The final took place on 24 April 1897 at Headingley, Leeds. The official attendance was 13,492, with gate receipts of £624.17s.7d. Batley wore white shirts and black shorts and socks in place of their normal cerise and fawn colours. St Helens wore blue and white hooped shirts, white shorts and black socks.


1897 Challenge Cup, Final
St Helens won the toss and elected to have Batley kick off. Despite playing into the wind in the first half, Batley took the lead after five minutes when stand-off Joe Oakland, kicked a drop goal to give Batley a 4–0 advantage. Batley extended their lead to 7–0 when centre John Goodall scored the first try of the game. These were the only scores of the first half. Early in the second half St Helens scored a try when centre David Traynor took the ball on the halfway line and beat four Batley players before touching down. The St Helens fightback did not last long as Batley flanker John T. 'Paudy' Munns scored Batley's second try to make the score 10–3 which remained the score at the final whistle.


1897 Challenge Cup, Final
After the game the cup was presented by Mrs Louisa Waller, the wife of the president of the Northern Union, Henry Hirst Waller. Mrs Waller presented the Batley players with commemorative gold medals and the St Helens players with silver medals.


1897 Chertsey by-election
The Chertsey by-election, 1897 was a parliamentary by-election held on 19 February 1897 for the British House of Commons constituency of Chertsey. It was caused by the resignation of the constituency's sitting Conservative Member of Parliament Charles Harvey Combe, because of his ill-health. Combe had held the seat since the 1892 by-election.


1897 Chertsey by-election, Result
The seat was held for the Conservatives by Henry Currie Leigh-Bennett.


1897 Chicago Colts season
The 1897 Chicago Colts season was the 26th season of the Chicago Colts franchise, the 22nd in the National League and the 5th at West Side Park. The Colts finished ninth in the National League with a record of 59–73.


1897 Chicago Colts season
While on the surface the season seemed to be uneventful, on June 29, the Colts beat the Louisville Colonels 36–7, the most runs ever scored by a team in a single game.


1897 Chicago Colts season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1897 Chicago Colts season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1897 Chicago Colts season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1897 Chicago Dental Infirmary football team
The 1897 Chicago dental Infirmary football team was an American football team that represented the Chicago Dental Infirmary in the 1897 college football season. The Dents, as they were occasionally known, compiled a 2–2–1, and were outscored by their opponents 97 to 48, with a majority of the lost points coming at the hands of Notre Dame, who shut them out 62–0. In a game for the unofficial title of "Western Dental college champion", Chicago Dental lost 0–14 to Northwestern University Dental department.


1897 Chicago Maroons football team
The 1897 Chicago Maroons football team was an American football team that represented the University of Chicago during the 1897 Western Conference football season. In their sixth season under head coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, the Maroons compiled an 11–1 record, finished in second place in the Western Conference with a 3–1 record against conference opponents, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 331 to 68.


1897 Chicago mayoral election
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1897, Democratic nominee Carter Harrison Jr. was elected, winning a majority of the vote and defeating independent Republican  John Maynard Harlan, Republican nominee Nathaniel C. Sears, independent Democrat Washington Hesing, as well as several minor candidates. Harrison carried a 26.7 point lead over second-place finisher Harlan, a margin greater than Harlan's vote share itself.


1897 Chicago mayoral election
Incumbent Republican mayor George Bell Swift declined to seek reelection.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations
The election had held the record for being the Chicago mayoral election to have the most candidates running on the ballot for 122 years, until the 2019 Chicago mayoral election surpassed it.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Democratic
Harrison was the son of late mayor Carter Harrison Sr.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Democratic
Considered to be young and charismatic, and the namesake  of his popular father, in 1896 a number of political actors began to court Harrison as a potential mayoral candidate for 1897. In 1896 the Harrison Club, which had been founded by his father at the start of the decade in the hopes of forming the base of a political machine, but which had gone defunct following his fathers' assassination, was revived.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Democratic
During his pursuit of the nomination, Harrison aligned himself with William Jennings Bryan, 1896 Democratic presidential nominee.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Democratic
Harrison's potential candidacy began to accrue the backing of political players of the Chicago Democratic Party scene. Chief among these was Robert Emmett "Bobby" Burke, who abandoned his initial support for the candidacy of Superior Court of Cook County judge John Barton Payne in order to back Harrison.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Democratic
John Barton Payne was broadly-liked, but did not arouse strong enthusiasm, and was criticized by some Democrats for his tepid support of William Jennings Bryan's presidential candidacy. Payne ultimately abandoned his plans to run after being discouraged by the greatly enthusiastic response which Harrison received for his opening speech at the January 8, 1897 Jackson Day Celebration.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Democratic
Another challenger to Harrison was A.S. Trude. Trude, whose long political service had been admired by John Peter Altgeld, unsuccessfully sought Atgeld's endorsement. He ultimately withdrew as well.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Democratic
At the city's Democratic Party nominating convention, Harrison faced no open opposition. Harrison's former challenger Trude introduced Harrison's name for nomination by acclamation.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Republican
The Republican Party nominated Nathaniel C. Sears, a judge on the Superior Court of Cook County. Sears was the first resident of Edgewater to run for mayor. Sears was selected as a compromise candidate in an attempt to avoid a potentially divisive fight between the leading candidates that had sought the nomination (which included William Lorimer).


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Socialist Labor
The Socialist Labor Party nominated John Glambeck. Glambeck was a clerk and the editor of the Arbejderen paper, a mouthpiece of the party.. Glambeck had been involved in the party, including having previously served as a delegate to the party's 1893 national convention.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Independent candidates
Incumbent alderman John Maynard Harlan ran for mayor as an independent Republican. Harlan was the son of then-sitting Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States John Marshall Harlan.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Independent candidates
Washington Hesing resigned his position as Chicago's postmaster to run for mayor as an independent Democrat.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, Nominations, Independent candidates
Less notable candidates also running as independents were Frank Howard Collier and J. Irving Pearce, Jr.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, General election
The election was contentious, with four major candidates and numerous minor candidates.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, General election
The Chicago Traction Wars were a prominent concern in the election.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, General election
Throughout the election, Harrison was the apparent frontrunner. As a result, he received the most attacks from opponents. Opponents sought to paint him as a machine politician (which was true), as in the pocket of streetcar company (which was untrue), as a opponent of civil service reform (which was partially true), and as a "puppet" of Robert Burke and other career politicians (which a fair criticism at the time). Reformists voiced alarm that the Democratic slate included William Loeffler as its City Clerk nominee.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, General election
Harrison's campaign was well organized, and benefited from the disunity of Republicans.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, General election
Appealing to citizen's concerns regarding the developments of the Chicago Traction Wars (particularly the Humphrey bills, bills backed by Charles Yerkes and introduced to the Illinois Senate by John Humphrey), John Maynard Harlan advocated for regulation of the city's streetcar systems. He supported municipal ownership of streetcars. Harlan received what effectively amounted to an unofficial endorsement from the Muninicipal Voters' League.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, General election
Hesing had begun preparing for his campaign in the autumn of 1896. He ran on a markedly liberal platform which proposed a mayoral administration modeled after that of Detroit mayor Hazen Pingree. Hesing advocated for civil service reform, an end to machine politics, traction law revision, and the use of vacant lots by the poor for the purposes of growing beans and vegetables. Despite his reformist platform, Hesing did not receive sizable backing from the city's reformers, who instead flocked to the candidacy of Harlan. However, very late in the campaign, Hesing did receive a lukewarm statement of support signed by a number of prominent gold standard-supporting Democrats.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, General election
By the end of the race, it had become apparent that Harrison and Harlan were the frontrunners to win.


1897 Chicago mayoral election, General election
The second-place finish by Municipal Voters League reformer John Maynard Halran evidenced the strength of the independent pro-reform vote in Chicago.


1897 Cincinnati Reds season
The 1897 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The team finished in fourth place in the National League with a record of 76–56, 17 games behind the Boston Beaneaters.


1897 Cincinnati Reds season, Offseason
The Cincinnati Reds were coming off a fairly successful season in 1896. They had been in first place late in the year, but the team struggled badly over the last part of the season. to finish in third place in the National League with a 77–50 record. This marked the second consecutive season that the Reds collapsed at the end of the year.


1897 Cincinnati Reds season, Offseason
Player-manager Buck Ewing returned to the club, but would retire from playing and focus on just being the manager. The Reds made a deal in the off-season, as Cincinnati traded away Germany Smith, Chauncey Fisher and $1,000 to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms for Tommy Corcoran. Corcoran was coming off a season in which he hit .289 with three home runs and 73 RBI with the Bridegrooms in 1896. The team also purchased pitcher Ted Breitenstein from the St. Louis Browns for $10,000. Breitenstein was 18–26 with the Browns with a 4.48 ERA in 43 starts in 1896. His best season had been in 1894 when he was 27–23 with a 4.79 ERA, while leading the National League with 50 starts, 46 complete games and 447.1 innings pitched. Breitenstein also led the NL with a 3.18 ERA in 1893 while in St. Louis.


1897 Cincinnati Reds season, Regular season, Season summary
The Reds started the season off hot, winning their first six games, and would remain hot, as they were 19–7 in their first twenty-six games, only half a game behind the first place Baltimore Orioles. At that time, the New York Giants released Jake Beckley, and the Reds immediately signed him to take over first base. Despite their new addition, Cincinnati fell into a slump, winning only eight of eighteen games to fall into third place, 6.5 games behind the first place Orioles.


1897 Cincinnati Reds season, Regular season, Season summary
The Reds then snapped out of their losing ways, as they won twelve of their next thirteen games to move back into second. However, they still remained 4.5 games out of first with a 39–18 record. Cincinnati remained in the pennant race until late August, when they went on a ten-game losing streak to fall into fourth place, eleven games out of first. They remained in fourth place for the rest of the season, finishing with a 76–56 record, 17 games behind the Boston Beaneaters.


1897 Cincinnati Reds season, Regular season, Notable performances
Beckley, who the Reds acquired during the season, led the team offensively, batting .345 with seven home runs and 76 RBI, all team highs. Dusty Miller had another solid year, batting .316 with four homers and 70 RBI, while Tommy Corcoran batted .288 with three home runs and 57 RBI in his first year as a Red.


1897 Cincinnati Reds season, Regular season, Notable performances
On the mound, Ted Breitenstein led the way, leading the team with a 23–12 record with a 3.62 ERA in 40 games, completing 32 of them. Billy Rhines was solid also, posting a record of 21–15 with a 4.08 ERA, while Frank Dwyer was 18–13 with an ERA of 3.78.


1897 Cincinnati Reds season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1897 Cincinnati Reds season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in