The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-13
SUNDAY OUT OF DOORS.
How Metropolitans Awaited Themselves Of Yes
terday's Fine Weather--The Skating and
Driving-Ice in the Rivers
Fulton Street Cleared.

A sky of wondrous calm broke upon the metr0p.
oils yesterday, and brought with IL clear, still
atmosphere that was extremely appropriate for
the 'day Of rcstn and most suspicious for those Of
citizens who desired open air exercise, either
as pedestrians cquestrians, drivers OF skaters
soon after breakfast time-whch, by the way, IL
not very definite at BEST and least OF all ON Sunday
mornings-people began to stir outward and wend
upward towards the Park most Of them being OF
the adolescent ages, with proportion OF about
one-twentieth OF the gentler sex.
THE CRISP, CLEAR FROST
Of the preceding night had made the roads as harl
as steel and FURNISHED the ice.armored breasts OF
the lakes with coat OF new formed and hardened
plate. Everything, from the clink Of horses
lronc clad hoof the road to the ripple of voice
on the thin quiescent air, was ringing and jolly.
BY three o'clock In the afternoon the lake was
well crowded with skaters, ana the meandering
roads through the Park began TO twinkle with the
glitter Of the professions Of equipages that flashed
in the sunshine as they rolled over hill and bridge
toward the fashionable resorts. The ice on
THE PARK PONDS
was never in finer condition than on yesterday,
and it probable that during the day not less than
twenty thousand persons availed themselves OF the
opportunity for diversion on skates Standing on
the terrace bridge the scene looking northward
was one OF rare vivacity and was not wanting in
beauty, though to most people 1t would prove
negative form OF beauty. 1t was frlgid, silent
beauty, which nine people out OF ten do not appre'
ciate. They may enjoy and appreciate the exhila-
rating influence Of the weather, but they can see
LITTLE OF THE PICTURESQUE
In hills crowned with skeleton trees and shrubs
robed in brown dead turf and n nee SHOW.
swing, glitter and Kaleidoscope variety In group
ing and coloring OF costume. and there were
choruses Of real healthy laughter that noated away
cheerily on the scarcely rippled air. The skaters
came up in single lines, in squadrons and In col
umns, and in another instant they were dlIused
in skirmishing order all ever the pond. Now
party Of half a dozen registering, happy girls come
hand in hand careering around
SOME LITTLE PENINSULA,
ana in another moment they are lost in the sOnibre
shadow OF the Echo Bridge. At one time there
dspOrting themselves on the large lake, and
about a thousand on the smaller ponds, and this
crowd though constantly on tne move seemed ,Gf
though arrivals and departures were incessan nt
among their numbers Theirs was by long odds
the plcasantest fun of out door enjoyment yester-
day, az they were all enabled TO keep themselves
warm by exercise, and it was evident that many
OF the driving parties that stopped for few mo-
ments on the bridges and roads to look at the
skaters were wishing that they, too, had as
| pleasant facilities for developing some OF the
calorc That they SO sadly needed in their frozen
toes and noses.
| THE LOWEST POINT
reached by the the at about six O'Clock
| yesterday morning, and was eight degrees above
zero or twenty-four degrees below freezing point.
from twelve to three O'Clock the mercury stood az
about twenty degrees with every promise OF a
within the succeeding twenty. four hours. As the
afternoon progressed the temperature moderated
pleasantly the atmosphere became more active,
and the day ended in an extremely pleasant
manner.
There was an unusually
HEAVY FLOW OF ICE
in the rivers yesterday, and II looked at one TINA
az though the East River would close up IL the
temperature fell much lower than iJ prevailed
during Saturday night and yesterday morning.
One Of the most gratifying OF
STREET SCENES DOWN TOWN
was presented yesterday In Fulton street, from
Broadway to the ferry About seven e'clsck the
Street Cleaning Department put several gangs OF
men to work, under forcmen Timothy Connolly and
Jackson, to clear the accumulated snow and Ice
from that betraveed thoroughfare. About two
hundred and fifty Corporation carts were brought
INTO requisitOn, and fast the labOrers picked
the Ice to pieces 1t sovelIed into the tumbrils
and carried away. The result was gratifying in
the extreme, and thousands OF dwellers in Brook
kn will this morning utter an Involuntary bene-
dictiOn upon the New York street cleaning author
tiles. Most OF the w0rkmen were Italians, who
looked as though ice shoveng in New York was
not half 81 pleasant as tending vineyards on the
slopes OF the Etrurian hills or 0lling in the sun
shine among the ruins OF the Forum.