The 1913 event was the most controlled event in the history of the Tank Scrap. The 1913 rules were adopted due to pressure from the faculty who regularly threatened to abolish the event. Both the number of participants and the crowd was getting so large that it was becoming more and more difficult to control people's actions. Another element to the new rules was that the participants would be searched for contraband weapons before entering the field of battle. During the year there was an option to be excused from involvement due to a heart condition or were physically disabled. The University physician was authorized to examine students free of charge at their request and certify their infirmity. The University hoped to avoid law suits and other financial obligations due the injuries. On the night of the Scrap vehicles were banned from the campus and no one was allowed to park on the Salisbury Street near the event. Five sheriff's deputies were on hand to control the traffic. As in previous years a wire fence
was erected around the filed of battle to keep
the crowd form joining the fight.
The Exponent did not report the usual
activities such a roving bands of freshmen
capturing and painting sophomores, so it
appears that the rules were complied with.
The last class to paint their graduating year on the Tank Scrap was '17.
Source: "Underclassmen to Fight Preliminary-Physcial Examination," The Purdue Exponent 25 (September 16, 1913): 4.
