William A. Spinks

[2][6] At his peak, his was a household name in American billiards;[8] The New York Times ranked Spinks as one of "the most brilliant players among the veterans of the game",[9] and he still holds the world record for points scored in a row (1,010) using a particular shot type.[11] In 1892, Spinks was particularly impressed by a piece of natural chalk-like substance obtained in France, and presented it to chemist and electrical engineer William Hoskins (1862–1934)[12] of Chicago for analysis.[6] They eventually narrowed their search to a mixture of Illinois-sourced[6] silica and the abrasive substance corundum or aloxite[7] (a form of aluminum oxide, Al2O3),[13][14][15] founding William A. Spinks & Company with a factory[2] in Chicago[6] after securing a patent on March 9, 1897.Even the basic draw and follow shots of pool games (such as eight-ball and nine-ball) depend heavily on the effects and properties of modern billiard chalk.On December 19, 1893, in Brooklyn, Spinks played in an exhibition that also featured the great Maurice Daly and young champion Frank Ives, and gave demonstrations of fancy massé shots (see illustration).[25] Spinks was reported in the press in 1895 to be specifically desired as a competitor in an upcoming seven-man invitational tournament for "second class" professional players (i.e., not the top 3), organized by Daly, and with as much as $1,200 (approx.[39] Spinks was still considered a newsworthy contender over a decade later, for the World 18.2 Balkline Championship of 1909, being enumerated in "a fine list of entries" anticipated for the March event.The inspiration for the new system was simply making it possible for the newly ascendant Willie Hoppe to be meaningfully challenged – his near-unassailability was hurting billiard tournament revenues, because the outcome was considered foreordained by many potential ticket-buyers.[54] Spinks was active in the growers' community, and in 1922 hosted a large regional farm bureau meeting of avocado farmers at his ranch-land "mountain estate".[56] Considered "famous"[55][57] by 1918, the Duarte-based Spinks avocado orchards were contracted to supply seedlings in 1919 for the palace of Xu Shichang, President of the Republic of China, and other prestigious gardens in Asia.[62] On September 1, 1891, Spinks married Clara Alexandria Karlson (b. December 12, 1871, Gothenburg, Sweden, immigrated 1872; died October 4, 1949, Los Angeles); they were to remain together for over 40 years.After a period in a San Francisco apartment (c. 1900), they lived in the then-rural Los Angeles suburbs of Duarte (c. 1910) where their farm was, and Monrovia (later, by 1920) where they maintained a modest house.
Image: A faded white cardboard box, about 3 by 4 by 1 inches, with a red border and black text, reading "One dozen pieces SPINKS' BILLIARD CHALK" and various promotional slogans such as "BEST and CHEAPEST", and "USED BY ALL PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS", among other lines, some indistinct.
The top of a box of a dozen cubes of Spinks billiard chalk, c. 1900–1910; the box bears an endorsement by world champion Jacob Schaefer Sr. , often Spinks's opponent as a touring pro.
Image: A black-on-white line drawing illustrating the shot, described in detail in the caption; text below the drawing reads: "Fig. 1—Spink's exhibition masse, four times on cushion and carom in corner on two balls."
An extreme massé shot by Spinks during an 1893 exhibition game against Jacob Schaefer Sr. Starting from near the center of the table, his cue ball caroms off one object ball , then due to its extreme spin rebounds into the same cushion four times before finally rolling away for a perfect, scoring hit on the other ball near the upper left corner. But, Spinks lost this game. [ 18 ]
Image: A black-and-white photo of a middle-aged Anglo man with pale receding hair and a somewhat serious expression, wearing a dark tie and sport coat, but no eyeglasses in this picture.
Spinks in 1924 (passport photo from U.S. Department of State microfilm)
Image: A middle-aged Anglo couple, shown from the chest up: William, seated, is white-haired, wearing glasses and a dark suit and tie, and looks serious; Clara, standing behind him, is dark-haired and pleasant-faced, wearing what appears to be a dark cardigan over a white blouse.
William and Clara Spinks in 1922 (passport photo from U.S. Department of State microfilm)
San Jose, CaliforniaMonrovia, CaliforniaBilliardsplayerinventorhorticulturalistbilliardbalkline billiardscultivaravocadocarom billiardsPacific Coastcue sportsWilliam HoskinsCalifornianChicagoThe New York Timeshorticulturistabrasivescue stickstrue chalkplastervolcanicpumiceMount EtnaJacob Schaefer Sr.silicacorundumaluminum oxideJack Carrartistic billiardseight-ballnine-ballstraight rail billiardsEast CoastBrooklyn, New YorkexhibitionCincinnatiPhiladelphiabilliard halldouble-eliminationhandicappedCalvin Demarestexhibition gameEast-CoastersMidwesternersBrunswick-Balke-Collender CompanyWillie Hoppepetroleum industryBradburyDuartepomologyfloriculturistUniversity of California at BerkeleyCalifornia Avocado AssociationXu ShichangPresident of the Republic of ChinaHass avocadoSan JoseGothenburgMonroviaLos Angeles CountySan Gabriel ValleyChicago Daily TribuneAssociated PressSan Antonio, TexasHelena, MontanaHuron, South DakotaHagerstown, MarylandInternational News ServiceHearst CorporationLos Angeles TimesThe AmericanShamos, MikeBrooklyn Daily EagleAmerican Historical SocietyUS Census BureauUS Immigration and Naturalization ServiceUS Department of StateState of California