The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-12-06
THE SKATING SEASON.

P0nds-PrOgrammo for the Winter-POpu-
larity Of the Sport-The Metropolis ON |
Skates.
The advent Of winter brings with 1t its pleasures
as well as its sorrows. The unprovided poor who |
burrow in alleys and exposed places. and who know
not whore from day to day TO look for bread to |
appease the morrow's hunger, trembe at its coming
with fear that knows no equal horror. To them /
1t Is anguish, made all the more poignant by pre-
vIous acquaintance, certainly prolonged suffering,
probably lingering death. Without fuel to give |
warmth by day or covering to shelter from the |
storms OF the night and 1t may be- without strength
to seek for the food which begging may obtain, |
many of them will 60 down before the wintry |
blast this season, % many have gone down BEFORE
unwept and uncared for The rich and the well to |
DO the other hand rejoice over the coming OF the
bleak north winds. Jack Frost to them is right !
welcome guest for his appearance is hailed with
shouts Of gladness and jingle of merry sleigh bells
that browns the faint death cry Of the starving
man next door.
Winter, this much feared tyrant this greatly well
coined guest is now our midst, and the busy pre-
parations for the enjoyment which he affords the
well to do are many and active. Sleighs that have
lain in lofts for months all busted and stained are
being painted ana frightened, and the men who
deal in skates and skating ponds are stranng every
nerve to obige everybody who wants to be obliged
and pay well for the favor Indeed skating has been
for years, and will be for many years to come, the
pleasure, the exercise, the sine qua non OF enjoy
ment of young New York at least and the skating
rink and pond managers working with profit
able ambition to have their resorts in readiness for
the present season.
ORIGIN OF SKATING.
Like that Of great many other sports OF which
much said, tradltionally and otherwise the origin
of skating is rather in the dark There have been in
times gone by men OF very commendabe spirit Of
research who have gone so far as to make OF 1t an
anteduvian art which, with many other arts and
articles, engulfed in the 'rage OF waters" How
or by what means this sage conclusion was reached
which has never as yet been denied by any person
who may have known anything about the art pre-
vlous to Noahs little boat excursion, is rather a
mystery. People, however, who have never put
much faith In the anteduvian age OF the skate have
contented themselves with believing written works
on the subject rather than pinnng tner ialta to ira
only little over 200 years ago the skate
was quite slippery infant At any rate
ance In England for the first time about that PERIOD
and was practised in st. James, Park London, and Is
the Cavaliers 1t Is recorded in the quaint diary or
Pepys, under date Of December Is, 1852, ITO the.
the ice was broken he would 60 slide upon his
skaits, which did not like but ne slides very We'll"
The rude inc ar are m, thus n
moore (Which watereth the walls OF the cite on the
north side) Is frozen many young men play upon
sWity some tye bones to their feete and under their
heeles and, showing themselves by little pked
safYe doe Slide swiftly birdie nyeth in the afr
or an arrow out OF o cross bowl Genial old Cole
ridge evidently uJlit In the art. According to
st stan Infinitely subtle particles Of ice which
the skaters up and which creep and before the
skater like low mist, and IN sunrise or sunset be-
come coored; second, the shadow OF the skater in
the water seen through the transparent ice; and
third, the melancholy undulating sound from the
owto vhaVu
skating together the sounds and the noises give an
impulse to the icy trees and the woods all round the
will, naturally enough, be the attraction for the
great majority OF skaters during the season The
portant on skates as any goslngs Of exclusives who
can enjoy themselves within private enclosures for
good round sum, will frequent them as they have
e1pS W no doubt be- fully as grsa
the known winter resorts, pay Or no pay.
Every preparation Is being made by the Park Com
one. OF course they cannot make Ice nor have they
az yet invented any process Dy watch the he avens
can lie induced to forego snowstormlng during the
winter; but they are, nevertheless, determined to
fight the weather as well as may be so long Jack
Frost keeps his bridge over the lakes clear and
smooth and not too yielding to bulky butchers, who
have bad habit OF Involuntary testing the solidity
OF ice by force of conclusion.
The winter refreshment houses at the lakes will be
as in former seasons. Of commodious size. The Ter
House will be $50 feet In length by rs fe ct In
width the Beach House i20 feet IN length by 20 IN
two stories in height the houses are
win be ready for the arrival Of the 'freezer that is
generally expected to take place some tfne before
Park wall that runs along Fifty ninth street. there Is
to be this year. In addition to the houses which
new and commodous building which, It is tho1gnt
will afford elbow room sufficient to satisfy the spare
cravings OF the most nervous OF skaters. male or
nth rtyian Tna hnnQh hp furn aba1 wit nat
exactly all the ''modern improvements but with
everything that IS necessary to skaters comfort.
the manner OF the houses the upper lake, with
plenty or seats fashioned from the soest side OF pine
highly desirable things OF the edible and drinkable
kind Will be furnished for the mere asking and q
qtanatna s'sncn 90, OF the genus stamps; The Com.
they hope to keep the Ice continually free from OBJ
sructions. Ordinarily but Q small portion OF the
perfectly satisfactory all the atmospheric condi
tions required to perfect 1t being rarely combined
snow, sect rain, wind and temperature varying
daily and even hourly at times during the winter.
Artificial modes OF improving the surface after IL has
been severely cut by skaters honeycombod to the
depth OF one more inches by o fall Of snow fol.
lowed by warm rain, have In seasons past been
used with great degree OF success and the inven,
In their contrivance, are undergoing improvements
and win probably be perfected by experience. Tie
average expense OF keeping the Ice In the various
lakes free from snow during past seasons has been
about s6000 the expense OF the erection aud OF
the DulluinRB DelnB lnCluueu III THIS ana the
Commissioners hope that In time the methods TO
the snow from the Ice will be such to cut
this figure down materially. 1t may be mentioned
for the sake OF Harlemtes that the lake 126th
street has not been forgotten, aud that comforta-
bic house has beep erected on us borders for the en-
joyent OF It's patrons. The little lake heretofore re-
served for the special use OF canny Scots who have
a weakness for curling will be kept IN good order
for them this season.
THE NEW YORK RINK.
The growth OF the city In the upper part
OF the island since last winter has In several in
stances compelled pond managers to move out OF
town entirely in search OF sunken lots which no
pront-loving alderman has lit to buy, that the
city might NIL at public expense in years TO come.
Oatmans old pond, corner Of Fifty -nnh street and
Sixth avenue, Is mere duck puddle now, so mar
rowly has the extension OF the streets hemmed IL In
on all sides; and tue same may be said
of all the other ponds in its vicinity.
Everybody knows, that no matter how commodious