The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-18
GLORIOUS SLElGHING.
How New York Enjoyed the
Sport Yesterday.
SCENES ON THE ROAD.
Arstocracy and Democracy Speeding
Along Side by Side.

Yesterday was one of the most glorious sleighing
days of this season. The sky. though not clear or
blue. had that graysh tinge which to be thor
oughly appropriate to the season. for 1t looks preg
nant with more snow and, consequently, with more
sleighing. The air was cold but dry. and the inn
amount of shovelling riding and sweeping
of Thursday had smoothed down the snow and made
splendid roads for the runners. From the
appearance of Fifth avenue. the drives in
the Park, st. Nicholas avenue and the
Bouevards, it seemed if, with one accord.
all New York had gone out sleighing. Probably
on no dsy during the present has the number
of vehicles on runners large it yester
day, and the number Of those who participated in
the enjoyment of seighing could have been counted
by thousands. A stranger who saw these throngs of
pleasure-seekers dash past him behind their feet
horses must have become convinced at Of the
falacy of the popular notion that New Workers. have
no time for diversion but always at money max
ing.
DEMOCRATIC sLEIGHrNG.
One Of the striking features Of the day the va
riety of vehicles whose had substituted
ners for wheels. Express wagons, milk carts, gro
Gerry wagons-all sorts of humble conveyances used
for daily humdrum business purposes shared in
general sleighing. and might be heard tink-
ling their bells in all parts of the city.
Some of these unpretending sleghs
turcd out the in the midst Of the hand
and ''arstocratic" turnouts of the fashionable
''sports." The Park hacks had all put runners,
ana their huge, unweldy bodies without wheels pre-
scented most comical appearance. So rare had the
sight of wheels become yesterday that one looked
instinctively at the horsecars and the IL" roads
overhead, and wondered if the wheels Of their cars
were also to of and be replaced by runners
The jingle of bells in some places as for instance
ut the Fifth avenue entrance to the Park and at the
linking along in perfect stream, filled the passer
by's and had most cheerful and exhilarating
effect 1t made one feel as though some huge excilr
sion or picnic were going on and as though all New
York were upon some hilarious, gleetul spree
SPORT OF THE BOYS.
If the horse cars still ran on wheels they were at
least indirectly used sleighs by the ingenuity Of
the juveniles, who attached their sledges to them
by means of strings, and thus enjoyed what they IA
miliarly called "a bully sleigh ride without
putting colleague to the exertion of pulling them
along. These little sedges were everywhere-not
only rolling down high snow banks and gliding
along the hard, smooth pavement, with remnants Of
frozen snow sfortiing them an easy road not only
attached to horse but also to ali sorts OF trucks
carts and other vehicles. would not be very diff
cult to say whether the small boy his So skeleton
sedge, pulled along by grocery wagon, did not enjoy
himself better than the distinguished banker with his
elegant sleigh. his gorgeous robes, his imposing
feathers, his prancing steeds and silver bells.
AS matter OF fact, the children who not
disportng themselves on their own sledges
but wrapped up carefully i'll seighs looked very cold
indeed Their appearance reminded one of john
sons famous definition of seighing-to sit down
and tnkle pair OF bells Mover were there bluer
faces reder noses lips of brighter purple than gst-
ened IN after rows from tie dashing throng of
turnouts in the Park and ION the roads," Whew!
it NICE it festive 1t was glorious, to anuhi-
late space III this coid bracng, brilliant air, seated
i'll these feather light conveyances. and shoot over
the glistening. frozen snow like ball; but to be
Mount St. Vincent Hotel i'll the Park, and the way
side houses along the roads way up to Kingsbridge
did magnificent business in providing some warm
ing cheer to the benumbed sleighers.
APPEARANCE OF THE
The spectacle the Park and on the roads
most respendent to be sure but 1t the vast
number and the ceasing outpour OF sleighs
which made it and not the superior quality of the
turnouts. 1t WIS essentially sleighing Tor the
million not for the few. Watching the constantly
changing Kaleidoscope scene from the Mount St.
Vincent Hotel yesterday afternoon. between three
and four o'clock when the enjoyment OF the sport
its height, the reporter overheard the OBJ
servations of several experts, who all seemed
outs were out II they were out. said they,
they have sought more obscure byways for dis
playing their beauty than the general Park drives
ana the popular roads. Nevertheless, there were
very handsome slelghs. gotten up regardless of
cost whose drivers masters instresses and Ian dogs
had been made for this outing. In these fine sleghs
the female element was. OF course. in great
numerical preponderance The lap dogs. whose little
curled heads peeped from the thick heavy robes
which caressing hands had carefully tucked round
them, looked out with rueful, watering eyes as
though they could not see where the fun came in,
and why Unexpected dariings that they
should have been exposed to such cold sport.
EALF-FRo2EN PLEASURE SEEKERS
When some little narrow sleigh jingicd by in which
attentive young gallant sat wedged close to his ruby
faced wife "lady friend the spectator could readily
that both il not warm at least not shiverng.
Parties of men i'll large sleighs also, somehow
other. managed to keep each other But il you
wanted to thoroughly cold party-with faces all
nipped up, and running eyes and scarlet noses-you
had only to look a bevy OF females by themselves
In some large family sleigh, without male compan-
ion. They always looked as though they freez-
ing each other by their very looks. You never
them smuggling up close to each other and thus
imparting to another what little animal warmth
had remained i'll them. Glow glad am not to have
gone out sleighing, one felt inclined to say ut
ing these hail frozen pleasure seekers aight from
their costly sleghs and stretch their numb limbs be-
fore they appeared to be able to ascend the steps OF
their residences
HoMIwARp BOUND.
At about half-past four O'Clock the stream of
seighs began to turn backward. and half hour
later there seemed endless line of them jingng
back from kingsbridge, from High Bridge, IRON
Jerome avenue, from st. Nicholas avenue, to their
respective starting points, Lucky the cook who had
shrewdly taken into account the increased appetite
sure to come from one OF these glorious sleghrides.
what grateful smiles must have rewarded her! 1t
was, indeed, splendid curative for dyspeptics or
hypochondriacs. Nobody could return from the ex.
hilarating effects OF the ride and the picturesque
sights 1t Afforded without feeling new zcst for fife
and pleasure and splendid appetite dinner In spite
of the cold which many of the riders doubtless suf-
feredfor 1t often seems though almost no amount
OF covering can keep ones feet warm in u sleigh
there is question that yesterdays sleighng must
have been material addition to tho sum Of New
York's enjoyment this winter.