The New York herald., 1870-12-27
S X A r I N G..
The Season Opened in
Full Blast.
The Park Ponds and All Other Ponds Crowded
with skaters-A Splendid Day
ard Splendid Sport.

any more tnan any Othef particular portion 0I TINS
terrestrial sphere OF ours but she certainly must
have exerted herself little yesterday please the
majority OF New Workers. who have an idea that
Christmas without skating Is no Christmas at all.
In fact, skaters could not have obtained finer day
than was yesterday In point of weather, or more
slippery surface for every pond Tor miles around had
they Tor a month before gone down on their marrow
bones every day for two hours successively To
beg OF the authorities that be'' our freezing
destnes to grant the icy boon each so long wished
for Dame Nature, therefore, deserves wen OF the
skating community, no matter how she may see tt
TO act before the present week has run It's length 1t
is not often that the ponds in this vicinity are In
fit condition for skating early Christmas. In
fact
THE SKATING SEASON
never opened before the 26th day OF December,
with hut one exception previous To this year, since
the Park ponds were the property Of the public; but
somehow or other skaters always get 1t into their
noddle that somebody who Is an Official body is TO
blame whenever they are not allowed
on the ponds just as soon as tue
first cold snap puts transparent platform over the
waters. The Park Commissioners, however. have
most wondrous ways their works TO PERFORM and
although people do find fault with them whenever
they do not do exactly as the Aforesaid people want
them 10 do their ways, rs a general thing, always
turn ont to be the right ways IN the long run. The
Park ponds covered with an excellent layer or
ice four five days ago, ana large number OF the
employees. who are accustomed to risk a duckiDg
every winter, that the general public NAV not get
Its nice clothes wet when the season. sets IN. were
able to walk over 1t from shore shore i'm crowd
AZ early as Thursday last. During OF the essays
portion Of the layer cracked bodily, and this TACT
was sunic,ent ol itself TO make Judge Hilton and
his conn'eres refrain from hosting the ball to the
stop o The Arsenal pole. IL was IN vain that adven-
turesome urchins, who don't believe in the Park
~. -inna nnch
skulKed into tue groves the pond and then
ciided out upon the CLASSY surface with skates
tightly strapped for they were always nabbed by
those terrible gray coats, commanded by Captain
Mills. But The slqnt OF
s'THE uPN
on the Arsenal yesterday put an emu To juvenile as
well as senlle anxiety on the skating subject, and
long before many "a breakfast had been prepared the
cars leading 10 the Park were crowded to repietion
by the devOtees oil the lronsn Indeed up TO three
and as late as five O'Clock III the afternoon there
was an ncessant now through the avenues or men,
women and Children all bound TO the winter Mecca
OF Gotham--the Park ponds. Al noon the lake was
crowded that loconotion was almost an inposal-
blity, and had The ice OH the large lake especially
not been loot thick, rs II was, the pressure
MSua iop ivey isufe' sime % the eve" wet Clothes cioine.
line, and probably IN the coughing
bear r ap ' the thirty thousand or more persons who
during the day cut up their iron-ical shines with
their patents but was so slippery that the nnlucky
wights who attempted to walk across the lakes with
the GOODNESS they would have displayed IN stepping
| from side Of a parlor to another, and who
were not scientific enough to know
now TO SKATE,
came TO untimely grief many times before they
| there never was inner field OF ice In the PARK
since It was opened, and THIS iact may
no uH aSs9 Ware nnd anout on manv fnre
heads before evening had well set IN, az well aS FOR
the canes that were IN demand all day long by the
skateless portion Of the many thousands present
so great was the eagerncss displayed by old and
young alike get the ponds early as possible
| after the mystic ball had been deserted dangling an
invitation to every one, That hundreds reached the
| lake houses only 70 discover that they had LETT
| their skates at home. others who do not care to
trust 70 sham Natures fantasies and run the chance
OF profit the .'loss' side OF their ledger by In
vesling IN pair OF skates every year arrived at the
ponds geeully the iolliesL skater on the
Ice and made the most OF their poverty ny hiring
pair iu-t Tor The occasion: TO say that the Park
commissioners did not make
GOoDLY PILE OF GREENBACKs
for the benefit OF the Park by this, although the
ubiquitous Braun, sveltered as ordinary men do IN
lie dog DAYS, In his vain efforts 10 make even non
skaters add TO the general fund.- would be a hazard
Gus assertion The ladies' ala not turn out III very
great iorce having evidently been compelled TO stay
AT home to sleep on the tlresome effects OF Sunda,
Christmas but IN their stead there was goodly
| supply OF the beginners who, thanks 10 their
| sprawlings their langs and their grasplngs for d
hoid Shen they fell their unSerpinnlng giving way
managed 10 secure very clear space Tor them
selves III whatever part OF the lake they saw lit %
stumble and tumble. The large lake Afforded
| THE BEST SPORT
az The Ice was much more CLASSY than upon the
others. As a consequence the crowding was i'm.
mense. The fancy skaters who love TO have elbow
|
the gaping multitudes who follow them
Mom ,o place ITO, 10 place, IN hope no doubt
n they dash ABOUT at all sorts OF angles were at a
loss to know how q avoid furnishing the coroner
with lew accidental cases selected from the Begin
ners, who were sure to stumble in the way Just as
Ml. Fancy skater was performing music Daion's
small lake, which Joins the large one beneath the
great bridge, the ice was excellent but the northern
oortion OF IL was reserved exclusively Tor number
ncANSY scoTSr
VINO enjoyed themselves hugely In a ''cnrng' game,
| Many OF The old curriers' were on hand, prominent
among whom was Willie Houston, who tried 10
| make more points than any else, but did nor
succeed by good many odds. There was large
! number OF spectators OF the game, OF whom was
| an adventuresome Englishinan who got excited and
IN making an effort TO skate across the curling line
| the play when he found himself sprawllng on the
| broad oi his pack. because OF an unruly "stane''
slung by one or the Scotso very accideptly.
One OF tue best jokes OF the day on this lake was
big sgns.0f "Dangerr which was placed on "a
Deam stretched from shore to shore In such q way
| that he who ran, or rather skated, In It's drec-
non was certain To read IT, fhe could read al all.
Wnat the danger really was the skaters were unable
10 iihd out IRON the policeman who stood guard at
| the beam and warned all intruders away with a
majestic gesture OF the hand that put flight every
| urchin that came within hailng distance. There
was little pool OF open water the boat steps
which The gray coat occasionally eyed with sort
OF contempuous regard, as though IN his heart and
! soul he were wishing IL to be
| 8. o.
| Danger eh !" exclaimed burly skater who was
i
every time he attempted to put foot before the
! other. He looked very much like raw countryman
| IN town 10 enjoy the holidays
| Great danger,n growled the gray coat.
| Water deepf'i
| About twenty eight feet ~
! You don't say 20 ~
Fact, pon my sonl; man fell In there ,osiay.~ -
| Bless my soul How'd they get i'm outa''
\ They didn't get him out. lies there yet. We
| never take anybody out who gets in where It's
| marked Danger We ets 'em drown and scoops
| en up IN the summer
| Ihe cguntrymAn became Shakv than ever m,
| the knees, and he put Tor the shore at once, While
| the crowd of small boys turned about and wenC
| away from the danger spot II needless to state
thar all the danger sign meant was TO warn stray
folks away from the 'curiing.r
| Ihe skating went on merrily 10 very late in the
| evening on all the lakes. and should the weather
continue AS cod as 1t was yesterday it may be- after
an, tlat the skatng season OF 1870 Will be right
! Jolly one u should be mentioned that there were
large nrnMlls AZ The LfIh AXenua IA at an.