News from the Pelham Press Printed on May 21, 1897

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During the late 1920s, the Village of North Pelham Historian, J. Gardner Minard, pulled out old copies of the Pelham Press that he published in the late 1890s and made them available to The Pelham Sun which, thankfully, reprinted news from those early newspapers.  In 1927, The Pelham Sun periodically reprinted the news from 1897 in a column titled "Pelham 30 Years Ago."  

Today these periodic news vignettes provide a fascinating glimpse of life in Pelham at the very end of the 19th century.  For example, on May 27, 1927, The Pelham Sun published news from the May 21, 1897 issue of the Pelham Press.  Today's Historic Pelham article highlights some of the more significant news of that day and transcribes the text as printed by The Pelham Sun, followed by a citation and link to its source.

The news of the Pelham Press made a brief reference to a fascinating piece of Pelham history.  In 1896, the tiny settlement of Pelham Heights with only a handful of residents stole a march on the adjacent settlement of Pelhamville and obtained special legislation authorizing it to incorporate as the smallest village in the State of New York.  When Pelham Heights incorporated, it co-opted the name "Pelham" and had its village boundaries set to include ALL of the New Haven main line railroad properties including the railroad station within the new Village of Pelham.  To the shock and dismay of Pelhamville residents, the long-time name of the railroad station, "Pelhamville Station," was scrapped and the station was renamed "Pelham Station."  For more, see:

Fri., Apr. 15, 2005:   How Pelhamville "Lost" Its Name!  

Tue., July 01, 2014:   Why Do We Call It the Village of Pelham Instead of Pelhamville? Because We Were Duped! 

Mon., Sep. 29, 2014:  The Heights Tells North Pelham: So What if We Pulled a Fast One and Renamed the Train Station? Get Over It! 

Thu., Oct. 05, 2017:  North Pelham Officials Wouldn't Let it Go: 1906 Resurrection of the Fight Over Naming the Train Station.

Shortly after the Village of Pelham was incorporated in 1896, Pelhamville incorporated as the "Village of North Pelham."  There was a deafening outcry in North Pelham over not only the co-opting of the Pelham name by the handful of residents who lived in Pelham Heights, but also the fact that the valuable New Haven line properties including the renamed railroad station were included within the Village of Pelham, thus giving that tiny village substantial property tax revenue paid by the New Haven railroad.  

Pelham Heights would not relent on being renamed, but in 1897 it relented on the placement of its northern boundary.  The Village of Pelham agreed to move the boundary to the center line of the New Haven main line railroad tracks, thus placing the railroad station within the boundaries of the new Village of North Pelham.  According to the Pelham Press:

"The village of Pelham has ceded to the village of North Pelham one-half of the property of the New Haven Railroad Company, including the downtown station.  When the village of Pelham was incorporated last year the entire railroad property was included within its boundaries.  This gave the village a valuable bit of good taxable property."

The Pelham Press of May 21, 1897 also notes that in May, 1897 "A new drinking fountain [was] placed at the corner of Fifth avenue and Fourth street for horses and animals.  This is one of the only known references to the horse fountain that once stood at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Lincoln Avenue (known as Fourth Street in 1897).  There are no known images of the North Pelham horse fountain, unlike the horse fountain that once stood at the intersection of Boston Post Road and Esplanade in Pelham Manor.  See:

Wed., Jun. 22, 2016:  1904 Newspaper Photograph of Pelham Manor Horse Fountain on Boston Post Road.

Fri., Aug. 15, 2014:   The Old Horse Fountain on Boston Post Road at the Esplanade.   

Thu., Nov. 05, 2015:   The Earliest Days of the Automobile in Pelham.  

Tue., Dec. 30, 2014:   Article from April 23, 1910 Issue of The Pellham Sun. 

 "Fountain and Esplanade.  Pelham Manor, N. Y."

Undated Postcard View of the Horse Fountain at

Esplanade and Boston Post Road, Circa 1910.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

News from the May 21, 1897 Pelham Press also confirms another important fact of life in late 19th century Pelhamville and the early days of the Village of North Pelham.  There was no local hospital.  Thus, Lyman's Pharmacy at the corner of Fifth Avenue and First Street often served as a makeshift emergency care center.  

For example, during a baseball practice game held on the baseball diamond that once stood along today's Lincoln Avenue on Monday, May 17, 1927, Pelhamite Harry Patters sprained his ankle badly.  He was carried to Lyman's Pharmacy where he was treated for the injury.  Barely a year later, Harry Patterson was dead -- Pelham's only casualty during the Spanish-American War that raged briefly from April 21, 1898 until August 13, 1898.

1910 Postcard View of One Fifth Avenue, the Lyman Pharmacy

and U.S. Post Office, Designed by Architect Arthur G. C. Fletcher.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The same Pelham Press article also highlights an issue that seems quaint and odd in modern Pelham.  For many, many years, children who attended school where today's Hutchinson Elementary School now stands had to go to a well for a fresh drink during the school day.  The well is referenced in a number of sources.  According to one reference, it was dug in 1874:

"In 1874 a well was sunk at the foot of the stone steps leading up the hill to the school. Previous to this time two boys were usually sent for a pail of water. They would sometimes take this opportunity to waste a couple of hours of precious time."

Source:  Montgomery, William R., "THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE ON THE HILL PELHAMVILLE" (undated typewritten manuscript in collections of The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham).

By 1897, with water being piped to local households, such wells were unnecessary and dangerous.  Thus, according to the Pelham Press, in late May of that year the Board of Trustees of the Village of North Pelham ordered that the well be filled, which it was.

The text from the Pelham Press of May 21, 1897 contains a number of additional fascinating references to life in late 19th century Pelham.  It makes wonderful reading for students of Pelham History and appears below.

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"PELHAM 30 YEARS AGO
(Pelham Press, May 21, 1897.)
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The annual spring games of the New York Athletic Club are scheduled for June 5th.

The Pelham A. C. will cross bats with the North Sides of New Rochelle on Memorial Day.  Each team has scored a victory and this game will take place in New Rochelle will be for blood.

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The initial number of the Pelham Record made its appearance May 14.  We welcome our little brother.

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A new drinking fountain has been placed at the corner of Fifth avenue and Fourth street for horses and animals.  

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The old open well which stands in the lot opposite the North Pelham school has been filled in.  It was considered dangerous and the filling in was ordered by the North Pelham trustees.

-----

Mr. and Mrs. Pedro P. de Arozarena of Pelhamdale avenue, Pelham Heights, are sailing for Europe next week for an indefinite stay.

-----

At the regular meeting of the North Pelham trustees held at the Town Hall, Tuesday night, two bills were laid over because they were not made out on village bill heads.  Former tax collector, William Edinger, was present and asked that his bondsmen be released, which was granted.  The monthly report of the village treasurer was received but as it showed an unaccountable shortage the board held a recess to straighten it out.

-----

James Gillen, 13, of Mount Vernon was the first victim of the bicycle ordinance.  He had just bought a new wheel and was trying it out on the North Pelham sidewalks when Constable Marks arrested him.  Brought before Judge Lyon, the court did not take the offense so seriously and suspended sentence.

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Walter J. Moye, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Moye of Second avenue, met with a painful accident last Saturday.  While chopping wood a piece struck him in the eye impairing the sight.

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Times are pretty hard when a man will stoop so low to steal a tie rope, but that is what happened to Dr. Charles A. Barker last Saturday night.  He left his horse hitched outside his gate while he went inside and when he came out the animal was loose and the rope missing.  It was fortunate he came when he did as the animal is a fiery animal and has run away several times.

-----

Nathan Jacobs, a peddler, residing at 87 Clinton street, New York City was tried before Judge Lyon Monday night on a charge of disorderly conduct.  He was selling writing paper and matches and called at the blacksmith shop of James Reilly.  Mr. Reilly bought some paper from him and finding he had no license, gave him a friendly warning that the constable would get him.  His reply was a lot of indecent language and Reilly ordered Constable Marks to arrest him.  He was locked up and when arraigned before Judge Lyon was very repentant and wept copiously and the court suspended sentence with a warning.

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During a practice game on the diamond on Fourth street, Monday, Harry Patterson sprained his ankle badly and was brought to Lyman's drug store where it was attended to.  It will be some time before he can use it again.

-----

A grand missionary service will be held at St. Catherine's [sic] Church, Sunday, May 23, at 7:30 p.m.  Father Godfrey, the famous missionary, will conduct the service.

-----

Mrs. Emily Fauret, of Fourth street, met with an accident last Friday.  While in Skinner's store in Mount Vernon, she was descending the stairs from the second floor when her heel caught in the rubber mat and she fell down the flight to the first floor.  She suffered only from shock and minor bruises.

-----

What might have been a serious accident occurred at the North Pelham school last Monday.  The pupils were being marched from the first to the second floor when suddenly the floor settled at the side about six inches.  The coolness of the teachers averted a panic among the pupils.

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On Thursday, May 20th, Mrs. Minna E. Raisbeck of Pelham Heights and John Butler of New York City were married at the First Reformed Episcopal Church, New York City, by the Rev. George W. Huntington.  Mr. and Mrs. Butler will make their home in Pelham Heights.

-----

The village of Pelham has ceded to the village of North Pelham one-half of the property of the New Haven Railroad Company, including the downtown station.  When the village of Pelham was incorporated last year the entire railroad property was included within its boundaries.  This gave the village a valuable bit of good taxable property."

Source:   PELHAM 30 YEARS AGO (Pelham Press, May 21, 1897.), The Pelham Sun, May 27, 1927, Vol. 18, No. 13, p. 14, cols. 1-3.

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Visit to the Wrong House Uncovered Massive Pelham Manor Bootlegging During Prohibition

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Everything was set.  It was nearly 2:00 a.m. in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, August 6, 1927.  Philip Oldwell of the Bronx and his two compatriots, Frank Reilly and Arthur Schiller of New York City were slowly cruising the streets of Pelham Manor in a Chrysler roadster.  They were searching in the dark for 1318 Roosevelt Avenue.  

The new tenant who had rented 1318 Roosevelt Avenue only two months before, 31-year-old Harold L. Peterson was ready for the three men.  He had placed a signal light in a front window of the house for the three men to see.

In the darkness, the three men in their Chrysler roadster weren't certain if they were on Roosevelt Avenue or connecting Bolton Road.  They had a good description of the home, however, and soon found what they were looking for.  The three pulled up to the house and banged on the door.

A sleepy and annoyed Pelhamite opened his front door and was a bit startled to see three visitors on his doorstep.  One stepped forward and, "in a guarded whisper," asked "Got the stuff?"  According to one account:

"Dumbfounded, the householder asked, 'What stuff'?

'Quit your kiddin',' the leader of the trio responded.  'We're here for it.  Let's have it.'"

It took quite a while before the homeowner convinced the bumbling visitors that they had the wrong house.  Indeed, it was only "after much argument" that the three men departed.  Surprisingly, having awakened the Pelhamite and having aroused his suspicions, the three inept thugs simply continued their search for 1318 Roosevelt Avenue which they shortly found.

Of course, the homeowner they had awakened called the Pelham Manor police and reported the encounter.  According to The Pelham Sun:

"Sergeant McCaffrey and Patrolman Karp were detailed to investigate.  They searched the neighborhood in question, and found the Chrysler machine parked in the driveway at Peterson's house.  They watched and saw the men bringing cases out of the house and storing them in the car.  Waiting until the machine was loaded and the trio had prepared to drive away the officers stopped the car.  A search revealed a bottle half filled with whisky in a pocket of the machine.  Oldwell was ordered to drive to police headquarters as McCaffrey placed the trio under arrest. At police headquarters the machine was searched and 24 bottles of Creme de Menthe and 12 bottles of Benedictine were found.  The trio were locked up in the cells."

The three men were put into a holding cell at police headquarters that night.  Later in the night, as the police opened the cell to release another prisoner on bail, the three men tried to overpower the cops and escape.  A ten-minute melee ensued.  It was not until the police pulled out their clubs that they were able to take control of the situation.  In addition to bootlegging charges, charges for assault were added.

With plenty of evidence of wrongdoing, later that afternoon Chief of Police Philip Gargan accompanied Federal Prohibition officers to 1318 Roosevelt Avenue where they found Harold L. Peterson still on the premises.  The officers searched the home.  According to the same newspaper account:

"The place was a veritable bottling works.  Champagne, Benedictine, Creme de Menthe, and a large assortment of wines and cordials were found in the hosue, as well as an extensive stock of labels, bottles, corks, and bottling apparatus.  Peterson was affable to the officers.  He showed them about the place, explained the operation of the apparatus and submitted to arrest without protest.  The Federal authorities agreed to his release on his own recognizance.  He appeared before Commissioner O'Neill Tuesday and was released under $500 bail."
Pelham, once again, had prevailed in its efforts to help enforce Prohibition.  

 

1318 Roosevelt Avenue Where the Illegal Liquor Bottling Plant

Was Discovered on Saturday, August 6, 1927.  Source:  Google

Maps.  NOTE:  Click on Link to Enlarge.

 

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"BOOTLEGGERS' MISTAKE LEADS TO DISCOVERY OF $5,000 LIQUOR STOCK AND BOTTLING PLANT IN MANOR
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Four Prisoners Taken After Pelham Manor Resident Warns Police of Visit of Bootleggers.  Trio Makes Bold Attempt to Break Jail.  House of Mystery Proves Liquor Storehouse
-----

A midnight visit to the wrong house, a few whispered words and a warning to the police  led four bootleggers into cells at Pelham Manor police headquarters Saturday, and disclosed a $5,000 stock of illicit liquor and a complete bottling plant in the heart of the residential  district of Pelham Manor.  Harold L. Peterson, 31, a salesman, mysterious tenant of No. 1318 Roosevelt avenue; Philip M. Oldwell, 33, of No. 2337 Andrew avenue, Bronx; Frank Reilly, 32, of No. 150 Sherman avenue, New York City, and Arthur Schiller, 23, of the same address, are held in $500 bail each on charges of violation of the Volstead Act.  The Pelham Manor police are responsible for the arrest of the latter three.  Chief Gargan and operatives of the office of Prohibition Enforcement Director Maurice Campbell took Peterson and discovered the bootlegging plant.

Including the three men taken in the raid on Newman's Drug Store, two days previous, a total of seven bootleggers were arrested in the same neighborhood within three days.  

After being incarcerated in the Pelham Manor lockup, Reilly, Schiller and Oldwell made a bold attempt to escape.  Sgt. James McCaffrey and Patrolman Stanley Karp battled with the prisoners in the cell room for ten minutes before they were finally returned behind bars.  The prisoners faced additional charges of assault and were fined $50 each, when taken before Judge Rice on Saturday afternoon.

Although the residence rented by Peterson at No. 1318 Roosevelt avenue had been under police surveillance for the last two months the quartet can blame their downfall on the mistake made by Oldwell, Reilly and Schiller, who came to Pelham Manor shortly after two o'clock in order to get liquor from Peterson.  Having a description of the house and the locality and being instructed to watch for a signal light in a window, the trio mistook a residence on Bolton road for the home where they were to get the liquor.  Believing they were on the right street they stopped their machine, a Chrysler roadster, outside of a house that tallied with their description and went to the door.

Awakened from his sleep, the householder was surprised to find three visitors, one of whom in a guarded whisper, asked 'Got the stuff'?

Dumbfounded, the householder asked, 'What stuff'?

'Quit your kiddin',' the leader of the trio responded.  'We're here for it.  Let's have it.'

It was some time before the householder could satisfy the visitors that they had the wrong house.  Convinced, after much argument, they departed.

Being suspicious of his callers the householder immediately notified Pelham Manor police headquarters.  Sergeant McCaffrey and Patrolman Karp were detailed to investigate.  They searched the neighborhood in question, and found the Chrysler machine parked in the driveway at Peterson's house.  They watched and saw the men bringing cases out of the house and storing them in the car.  Waiting until the machine was loaded and the trio had prepared to drive away the officers stopped the car.  A search revealed a bottle half filled with whisky in a pocket of the machine.  Oldwell was ordered to drive to police headquarters as McCaffrey placed the trio under arrest.

At police headquarters the machine was searched and 24 bottles of Creme de Menthe and 12 bottles of Benedictine were found.  The trio were locked up in the cells.

A short while later McCaffrey and Karp opened the cell door to release a prisoner on bail.  The trio made a break for liberty and a free for all ensued.  The officers were forced to use their clubs in subduing their prisoners.

Saturday morning the trio appeared before Judge Charles E. Rice and were held for the Prohibition Commissioner.  They paid fines of $50 each on disorderly conduct charges as a result of their attack on the officers in their attempted jail break.

Chief of Police Philip Gargan in questioning the trio obtained enough evidence on Peterson to warrant an investigation; in company with Federal Prohibition officers he searched the residence Saturday afternoon.  

The place was a veritable bottling works.  Champagne, Benedictine, Creme de Menthe, and a large assortment of wines and cordials were found in the hosue, as well as an extensive stock of labels, bottles, corks, and bottling apparatus.  Peterson was affable to the officers.  He showed them about the place, explained the operation of the apparatus and submitted to arrest without protest.  The Federal authorities agreed to his release on his own recognizance.  He appeared before Commissioner O'Neill Tuesday and was released under $500 bail.

Little activity has been noticed about the house since it was rented by Peterson two months ago.  Chief of Police Gargan aroused by the veil of mystery woven around the apparently deserted house had instructed the officers of the department to keep a close vigil.  Peterson apparently kept his activities well covered.  The illicit liquor stock was reported to be of the best imported brands, running mostly to wines and liqueurs.

The Federal authorities removed the liquor early this week."

Source:   BOOTLEGGERS' MISTAKE LEADS TO DISCOVERY OF $5,000 LIQUOR STOCK AND BOTTLING PLANT IN MANOR -- Four Prisoners Taken After Pelham Manor Resident Warns Police of Visit of Bootleggers.  Trio Makes Bold Attempt to Break Jail.  House of Mystery Proves Liquor Storehouse, The Pelham Sun, Aug. 12, 1927, Vol. 18, No. 25, p. 3, cols. 1-3.

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I have written extensively about Pelham's struggles with Prohibition and the enforcement of the unpopular laws that it spawned. See: 

Wed., Jan. 03, 2018:  The Massive Illegal Still Discovered at 137 Corlies Avenue During Prohibition in 1932.

Wed., Jun. 21, 2017:  The Infamous Ash Tree Inn of Pelham Manor and its Prohibition Violations During the 1920s.

Thu., Feb. 02, 2017:  Bootleggers Began to Feel the Heat in Pelham in 1922.

Mon., Dec. 26, 2016:  Pelham Stood Alone in Westchester When It Voted to Go Dry in 1896. 

Mon., Aug. 22, 2016:  Pelham, It Seems, Became a Hotbed of Bootlegging and Illegal Stills During Prohibition.

Mon., Jul. 06, 2015:  Police Raided a Massive 300-Gallon Illegal Liquor Still on Corlies Avenue in 1932.  

Fri., Jun. 19, 2015:  More Liquor Raids in Pelham During Prohibition in the 1920s.

Wed., Jun. 17, 2015:   Prohibition Rum-Runners Delivering A Boatload of Booze Were Foiled in Pelham in 1925.

Fri., Apr. 24, 2015:  The North Pelham "Speakeasy Section" Created Quite a Stir During Prohibition.

Tue., Nov. 18, 2014:  More Bootleggers and Speakeasies Raided in Pelham in 1929 During Prohibition.
Fri., May 23, 2014:  How Dry I Am -- Early Prohibition Efforts Succeed in Pelham in 1896.

Thu., Apr. 03, 2014:  The Prohibition Era in Pelham:  Another Speakeasy Raided.

Tue., Feb. 18, 2014:  Pelham Speakeasies and Moonshiners - Prohibition in Pelham: The Feds Raid the Moreau.

Thu., Feb. 07, 2008:  Village Elections in Pelham in 1900 - New York Athletic Club Members Campaign Against the Prohibition Ticket in Pelham Manor.

Thu., Jan. 12, 2006:  The Beer Battle of 1933.

Thu., Aug. 11, 2005:  How Dry I Am: Pelham Goes Dry in the 1890s and Travers Island Is At the Center of a Storm. 

Bell, Blake A., The Prohibition Era in Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 25, June 18, 2004, p. 12, col. 2.

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Famed Pelham Athlete Bob Cremins Made the Boston Red Sox Team in 1927

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He knew he was ready.  He looked sharp that evening during the twilight baseball game at City Park in New Rochelle.  He was Bob Cremins, famed local athlete and talented pitcher for the Pelham Firemen baseball team.  That evening he faced the New Rochelle Elks and held them to five hits and a single run in a strong 7 to 1 victory for the Pelham Firemen.  Yes, he was ready.

After the victory, Cremins packed his bags.  The next morning, he departed for Boston.  He knew he was good enough to make the Boston Red Sox.  It was time to try out for the team and show Pelham -- and the world -- he was good enough. 

Local baseball was a big deal in Pelham during the Roaring Twenties.  Bob Cremins, an exceptional multi-sport local athlete, was a big deal in local baseball.  Born in Pelham Manor on February 15, 1906, Cremins batted left and threw as a lefty.  He was 5 feet 11 inches tall and reportedly weighed 178 pounds when he tried out for the Boston Red Sox during the 1927.

Robert Anthony "Bob" Cremins, who lived virtually his entire life in Pelham, was a four-letter athlete in high school.  He attended the Grand Central Art School and became a cartoonist for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin.  He was elected Town of Pelham Receiver of Taxes in 1932 and held that position for 32 years until 1964.  In 1964 he was elected Pelham Town Supervisor and served on the Westchester County Board of Supervisors.  He managed a boxing gym and a schooner sailing business on Long Island Sound.  He died on March 27, 2004 at the age of 98 and was buried on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 following a funeral at St. Catharine's in the Village of Pelham.  

It turned out that when he departed for Boston on that fateful day in 1927, Bob Cremins was indeed ready for the Big Show.  Though the Boston Red Sox team that year has since been described as "talent starved," Bob Cremins made the team as a relief pitcher.  As the New York Daily News noted in his obituary published March 31, 2004, the first batter he reportedly faced in the majors was no other than Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees.  Cremins forced him to ground out to the first baseman.  During his stint in the Majors, he was known as "Crooked Arm Cremins."

In a superb article about Cremins by Bill Nowlin published by the Society For American Baseball Research, Nowlin quotes Cremins from an interview regarding how he made it the Majors:

"Our parish priest knew the Boston Red Sox manager, Bill Carrigan, so in 1927 he told me to go see him and ask him for a job. So, I took the train to Yankee Stadium where the Red Sox were playing that week, but I lost my nerve and I came home.

When I confessed my fear to my brother he said, 'You go back tomorrow. Don’t come home until you get the tryout, or I’ll beat you up!'

The next day I went back down and I met the manager [Bill] Carrigan as he was going in to the stadium. I asked him for a tryout and he said, 'No way.' And I said 'Look, my parish priest sent me down here to talk to you. You know him. He said you would give me a tryout.'

He finally gave in and said, 'Do you have your uniform? Go put it on.' Since I had my baseball uniform from the fire department team in Pelham, I was ready to go. 'I pitched batting practice that day and I must have impressed them because after batting practice they said that they would sign me up after they got back to Boston. I was so excited, but I didn’t drink to celebrate that night. I have never smoked and I only took five cups of coffee in my whole life. I went to Boston and they signed me up right off the bus and I pitched batting practice every day.

Then one day we were playing the Yankees and we were behind 13-1. Carrigan asked for a volunteer to go in and pitch and I said, 'I do.'

He said, 'Warm up because I’m going to put you in.' 

'I had been pitching batting practice that day so I went down to the bullpen and tried to get myself warmed up. So I went in at the eighth inning and who comes up [in the ninth] but Babe Ruth.

Our catcher signaled for a fastball and my first pitch was low. The catcher came out and said, 'God damn it, Cremins, I signaled for a fast ball!'

I said, 'I’m throwing it as hard as I can.'

I don’t remember what I threw next, but I know I was just trying to reach the plate. The second pitch Ruth grounded out to first base.

Then Gehrig came up. He hit a bullet to center field and it went between the hands of the outfielder and they gave Gehrig a two-base hit, but it was really an error.

I finally retired the side and the next day a sports writer wrote, 'The thing you can say about Cremins is that he is the only one to get the Yankees out.'

Source:   Nowlin, Bill, Bob Cremins, Society For American Baseball Research SABR.org (visited Jan. 27, 2018).

Bob Cremins had a rather brief career in the majors.  His Major League debut was August 17, 1927.  He faced only 24 batters in the Majors before he injured his arm and quit the Red Sox in 1928.  His baseball career has been described thusly:

"In four relief appearances, Cremins posted a 5.04 earned run average without a decision in 5 1/3 innings pitched.  According to Baseball Almanac, Cremins faced Babe Ruth once and retired him on a grounder to first base.  His career ended in 1928 due to an arm injury."

Source:  "Bob Cremins" in Wikipedia -- The Free Encyclopedia (visited Jan. 27, 2018). 

 

"BOB CREMINS  Pitcher of the Pelham Firemen's Team who left

Pelham on Tuesday for Boston to join the squad of the Boston Red

Sox.  Source:   Cremins and Lohman Leave Firemen For Higher Circuit

-- Bob Cremins Goes to Boston For Tryout With Red Sox and Ed.

Lohman Leaves For Buffalo to Join Havana Cubans, The Pelham

Sun, Jul. 29, 1927, Vol. 18, No. 23, p. 12, col. 3.  NOTE:  Click on

Image to Enlarge.

 

Detail from Photograph of Bob Cremins Available Via SABR.org.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"Cremins and Lohman Leave Firemen For Higher Circuits
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Bob Cremins Goes to Boston For Tryout With Red Sox and Ed. Lohman Leaves For Buffalo to Join Havana Cubans
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Following the twilight game against the New Rochelle Elks at City Park, Monday evening, which he won 7-1, allowing the antlered tribe but 5 hits, Bob Cremins packed up bag and baggage and departed for Boston where he will make an attempt to break into the big league circles with the Boston Red Sox.  Always a favorite with the baseball fans of Pelham, more so since he has aided the firemen nine to a number of victories, Bob has the well wishing of all the sport fans of Pelham in his latest venture.

'Cannonball' Ed Lohman also has left the fold of Broege, Zernoski and Company, to travel in faster company, that of the Havana Cubans.  Lohman left Sunday night for Buffalo where he will join the Cubans who are a touring nine playing all over the country."

Source:   Cremins and Lohman Leave Firemen For Higher Circuits -- Bob Cremins Goes to Boston For Tryout With Red Sox and Ed. Lohman Leaves For Buffalo to Join Havana Cubans, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 29, 1927, Vol. 18, No. 23, p. 12, col. 3.

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