The New York herald., 1878-12-19
THE SKATING SEASON.
ITS ADVENT EAGERLY LOOKED FORA VISIT TO
THE INTERPRETATIONS FOR THE GREAT


THE pAEK-PREpARATIoNs FOR THE GREAT
SPORT
Lovers of skating now look longingly for the happy
day on which the announcement shall go forth.
"The bali is mp! - Where there are so many people
fond Of skating in New York there is naturally
much solictude as to whether the skating season
will set in early or late whether the Park Depart
ment have made the proper preparations for it, and
whether It will be good season. e.. whether there
will be many days which the ponds in the Park
shall offer hard frozen smooth. glittering surface
to skate upon. To the passionate skater
in New York the winter which offers no
skating is simply much time lost III
the sum of human enjoyment: but If his
hearts desire is to be gratifed then every day
must be freezing cold. at least sufficiently so to
send up the ball Thus FAR the winter has been very
mild and the skaters have been naturally getting res
tive and impatient at the tardiness with which the
skating season appears to set in
EXPENSIVE SPORT
Somehow the impression has generally got abroad
by means OF this mldness of the temperature thus
far that there will be altogether very little thoroughly
cold weather. and. consequently, but little, If any.
skating. In the minds of many this impression
is confirmed by the experience of last winter when,
after much anxious waiting and full preparation on
the part of the Park Department there only two
ana half days of good skating. The sport, though
thoroughly enjoyed by hundreds, certainly brief,
and. according to the statement OF one OF the Park
Commissioners this two and half days fun
cost the city in the neghborhood of 5000.
During the previous winter the skating was
excellent, and there was plenty Of it; so much so
that many skaters are now beginning to think that
they got much skating from kindly weather
clerk because it was to last them for good long
time In the winter OF 1875 the appropriation for
the parks insufficient to provide the rather ex-
pensye pastme. and though the weather was favora-
n t-ieft t1,.p. NJ sEni NJ all
HOPE YET SKATERS.
Past experience shows that skaters need not as yet
the As rule the skating season has begun later
than now, and frequently it has continued good Tor
most of the lovers OF the pastime feared that
the season was irretrievably gone. 1t will
be- consoling, in this view, to learn that the
first day of skating last season not until January
Z. In the preceding season the ball was hosted on
December "A, and III 1874 on December 26. The tein-
perature necessary to give fair skating is 30 degrees
and this should last least twenty -four hours. Yes
terday morning at six O'Clock the thermometer stood
at 20 and few days before it was even at u.
but during the afternoon it has thus far
always been number Of degrees above
30. The cold, however, was quite sufficient to
considerable portions OF the Park lakes with thin
ice and certain parts of them with ice sufficiently
strong TO bear the small stones and pieces of wood
which passers-py and spectators threw upon 1t by
way OF amusement.
SCENES IN THE PARK.
There seems to be no more fascinating sight for
sportve people than watch the halffroZen surface
OF pond, and to tempt danger by testing the
ldty Of the newly formed, thin, drifting ice, such
covered the lake partially yesterday. The venture
some schoolboy there with his skate casting
longing eyes the ice and tapping it boldly with
foot while he kept the other securely terra f,d
The rosy schoolgirls that 90 trooping through the
Park on fine afternoons like yesterday presumably
deepen the lovely carmne OF their cheeks) laughed
and gggled under the scurryng flakes OF snow, each
trying put the other ahead upon the trail margin
Of the ice by the way OF fun and being repulsed
in her turn by her playmate who
dscreetly unwilling to be made the victim of such
rude fun. 1t fortunate that the Park keepers
the lookout for these rollicking youngsters
and tripping girls, and thus prevented their mad
yertently plunging into ice cold bath. II ev
dent that these lively young people had gone up to
the Park in the hope of catching the very first glide
upon the ice before the official announcement should
finding that the ice was not yet ready for them.
PREPARATIONS THIS WINTER.
At the Park Department the reporter was assured
yesterday that men had been At work Tor some time
in the putting up the skating house at the lake
and that it would be ready in day or two. All that
would then be necessary to have skating the ice
Mr. Irwin, the secretary said it cost about $1,000 to
put up the skate house, but II there was good
son a considerable number of men would have to be
employed to clear of the snow and otherwise keep
ice clean, and in that the total cost of the
sport for the coming season would not fall much
short of $4,000
The reporters visit to the lake showed that the
water had been off to the extent of about four
feet and that the large two story wooden building
and restaurant which had stood the southern
shore of the lake, near the iron bridge leading
to the Ramble. in past winters had already been
partially erected. Among the loungers who had come
witness the freezing OF the lake and the prepara
tions for the sport there naturally much discus
sion as to whether there would soon be skating. If
the cold wave from the West, which IL reported as
travelling hither reaches New York within the next
few days, anticipated by some meteorological au-
thorities, New York may be happily enjoying it's ia
vorite sport Of skating before Christmas, but
then probably only for short time.