Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-07-27

3 Lady Di Beauclerk's Summer and
Winter in Norway" just published in
London, by Murray contains the fol-
lowing account Of the Skating Club in
Christiana:zg odf IA iehsh rs suoiy -
When the winter so long expected at
last arrived, the sky was as black as
ink; it blew q gale Of wind from the,
north, not dog was to be seen in the
streets, and the occasional carrying away
of the shutters that had been put up to
protect the shop windows showed how
strong the wind was. In a short time
the snow followed-net as English snow
falls in a soft sprinkle, but SO close and
SO thick tthatiit was like sheet sus-
pended before the window, hiding every,
thing from sight. This continued more
or less for two days, and then the sky
cleared and the sun shones out as bright
as ever, buton1a white world, and we ara
told that winter had arrived, and that
the snow was down for the year. ssTo zial
-As0 the ice was now covered with
snow, the Skating Club opened its ope-
rations. Men and horses were constant
ly at work plying the handy little ma
chimes for throwing off the SNOW (which,
if allowed to lie, rots the ice, j till they
had cleared about the space of two large
fields, which they flooded at sundown,
bysaheans of little pipes, with fresh
water, which frpze and become an un-
blemished sheet of ice. -
The Skating Club is to Christiania
what Rotton Row is to London. It has
its fashionable hours-from twelve to
two o'clock-when the .dandies may be
seen performing figures Of eight on the
outer edge, and helping the gungraceful
and spasmodic movements of English
beginners Like Rotten Row, it also
has its unfashionable time from two to
four o'clock-when its devotees seem to
avoid it like pestilence, and its hours
for the townsfolk, who, when their work
is over, sally, forth to skate by moon or
torch-light,l and when they depart more
fresh water is poured over the cut-up
ice, which appears the next day in re-
newed youth. .CJ5Z
Now the snow-plow appeared in the
streets to. enable traffic to be; resumed.
It was aTgiant machine drawn by ten
horses. covered with bells, and accom-
panied by men and boys, who helped the
horses up when they fell in the snow,
which was knee deep. As the pillow pass!
ed along it left hard smooth surface of
beaten snow, the snow it had thrust
away forming a wall on either side,
which was subsequently carried off on
sledges. The same process in miniature
clears the footways, and before noon the
streets are arranged to perfection. The
effect of everything dazzling white was
at first Beautiful, but it did not last long,
as the constant traffic soon dirties the
snow,,u when, 1T looks like an ordi-
nary road.g Everything was now on
sledges; people, unsteady of carrying their
loads, put them son small kelkers or run
ners, and pulled them along by string.
1t was extremely cold, twenty degrees
below freezing point. The ladies took
to hoods and fur boots, and were warned
never towear wells till the cold was over,
as the breath turns to ice on the vel, ,and
would freeze the nose without the own
er,s eogniizance. Should this most pain
full accident occur, and the frozen nose
receive blow, it would chip off like a
piece of china, and should one venture
into room before it was thawed, one
would be condemned to carry about a
very red and disfgured nose for the rest
of ones life. .-5.ssa
In the. course of the winter Lady Di
herself nearly lost an earby frost. Re-
turning from drive, during which she
had incautiously left her ears uncovered,
the porter Of the hotel remarked that
one Of them was white and frozen, and
advised her to thaw it by rubbing it
with ssssrnloo,w-a srloo,wa painful process-before
she yentured into a hot atmosphere.
After this alarming lesson she took to
going about as the Norwegian ladies do.
V with their heads tied up. as if suffering
from toothache. yss,1 ole