The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-02-24


banks. Those who could, kept In doors.
Those whom business called abroad. could
scarcely be recognized through the mul-
/ tlplicity Of garments. 0yer-shoes and
noccasons, bufalo-skins, and blankets.
shawls, fur gloves and caps, and volumin-
Gus cl0aks over great cloaks, every where
met such eyes as could penetrate through
the rich anu curious trost-work which ac-
cumulated with every breath upon the
W ndow. panes.
OF course the city was locked up in ice.
Canals and rivers all over the country
were closed up A silent bIeakne>s and
desolatioa reigned on land aud water,
worthy Of the polar regions. The Hudson
spread out a solid field and even the bay
"a very unusual event-preseuted to the
eve one vast mass of motioDless ridges.
iuterspersed with plains Of CLASSY smooth
ness broken masses flee, which the tide,
in the act Of congelation, had forced Mp
in heaps and hills of snow, the remnants
Of heavy storm by which this extraor-
dinarv period Of cold weather had been
preceded The southern mails were con
veyed from the jersey side in sleighs in
stead Of boat, and the papers mentioned,
as curious fact, that a pedestrian had
crossed to the city from Staten Island,
with only the loss of one Of his ears.
The excessive cold terminated as sud
denly as il had commenced. A southern
wind one morning blew 0 er the city with
a more moderate breath. the sun recained
It's warmth, aud, in a few DAYS. the caves
Of the houses began to drip. and ponder
Gus masses Of snow to slide from the slant
ing roofs, to the imminent danger Of the
foot passengers below; the wooden sheds
and house-tops reeked with the steamiDg
eyapoTation-the streets grew wet and
sloppy, and all things relaxed under the
influence of a general thaw still, however,
although the bay began to discover indi-
cations Of breaking up, under the com
blned power of the sun and those rapid
which rush, in opposing currents, from the
East river and the Hudson, yet the latter
remained bound in It's bright prison, af-
fording a strong temptation to persons
fond OF skatlnT-an amusement which
the nlud-gutters and mill-ponds render
almost peculiar to boys, yet which, 10 the
present instance, was found irresistible to
large numbers Of our population Of all
ages.
l was at that period a STRIPPING Of twen-
Il, Of rather solitary turn Of mind, though
not averse to sport, ofwhich skaGng must
ever be considered one Of the most ugreea-
bic varieties. 1t is an exercise full OF
fiery excitement and exhileration. Dist
ance Is trayer>ed with Velocity incredible
every muscle Of the form seems laid out
with unaccustomed force upon the power
of motion you glide, you float, YOU fly
YOU pass through space with a thought.
wheeling. circling, dartiDg-and rivaling
the shallow in its airy gambols. The
bosom rejoices as If IN the possession Of
newly discovered power.
The sun was about an hour above the
horizon, when, after a light dinner, l took
a pair o. skates under my arm, and bent
my wav down to one of the wLarfs on the
western side Of the town. The cold had
now. IN a great measure, abatad, and /
found thousands of men and bows enjoying
upon the ice, darting by each
other in every direction, wheeling aud dy-
ing with ceaSeless velocity and various
motions. which resembIed the play Of
swarm of insects in the summer aiI.-.
Here a troop Of little fellows lmped along
on one skate, there another glided with
both fee: equipped for the spcrt; at one
moment approaching within a few yard.
of the land. and again hurrving away of
till they lost themselves amid the busy
multitude
Every boy bred in New York knew
how to skate; but the faculties for prac-
ticing this inspiring sport are passing
away so efectuaiIy and rapidly under the
jurisdiction of our street-cutting, house
shifting, hill-levelling. pond-flling cyrpor- .
tion, that | fear the time Is nigh at hand
when the art will be almost extinct The
very climate itself Is growing more even
and insipid, as if a member Of the con
spiracy to exterminate our ancient fayorite
BE that as it may, on tnis
memorable occasion | entered into the en-
joyment with all my soul The ice pre-
sented great variety of surface on the
part selected by the skaters as the most
for their purpose. Between
the rough cakes aud hills which some
times b,tructed our career, there wound .
little barrow passages, ofsilversmoothness, +
which again expanded into fields fozen in I
furrovs aud ridges, as if the congelation
had arrested the water in the act Of lifting
its waves. Iskated leisurely along, mus
ing upon the peculiarities Of the scene, /
till at length | wandered far from the
shore. anxious to escape the riot. jostIa +