The Old Time Billiards

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Jan. 30, 1896

The Old Time Billiards
A Gray Headed Player Grows Reminiscent

A reporter of this paper dropped into one of our leading billiard parlors yesterday afternoon. As he gave a casual glance around the room his eyes chanced to rest upon a gray-haired man, who seemed to be taking a great interest in watching two well-known amateurs manipulate the ivories.
...
"This isn't anything like the way the game used to be played in my time--I mean when my hand was firm and steady, for I now begin to feel the approach of the end. In the old days, it was between the years '55 and '70 that I did the most of my playing--we need to play carroms on a six pocket 6x12 table with wooden beds and oval hard rubber cushions. It was before the marble or slate beds had been introduced in America. ... Finally, about the year '60 the pockets of the tables were reduced from six to four and the size of the tables to 5 1-2 by 11 with slate beds. In the natural course of events the regulation carrom table, a 5 by 10 with no pockets, was introduced.
...
At that time there were no clubs and few if any enthusiasts had tables of their own. Nowadays, nearly all the well-to-do citizens have private tables at their homes and all the club houses are furnished with them."

Found on www.fultonhistory.com, a great resource for searching historic upstate NY newspapers. This link is the page with the article.