The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-11-26
THE EXCELSIOR RINK.
Grand Opening of the Great Rink Last
Night...Hundreds of People Pres.
ent-.-The Artistic Exhibition
Of Messrs. Knittle and
Miller.
Sights and Scenes on the Fl0Or-..The
BillOwy Girl and the Smart
Aleck Vie for HOnOrs.

AItCk vie iOT HUHOESs
The Excelsior roller skating rink was
opened to the public last evening in a
most suspicious manner. The work of
building this great rink had been push
ed by the proprietor and manager Mr.. E..
II. Collins from the beginning, but moth
ing was neglected in all the many details
which went to make up superbly com,
plete rink. The enterprise and energy of
Mr.. Collins were rewarded last night by
the turning out of an immense crowd of
his friends in the tri-cities to the grand
opening. An extended and complete
description of the Excelsior rink was
given in the ARGUS recently. We can only
add now that last night the vast building
lighted up fully substantiated our predc
ton that it would be found one of the
most complete Kinks in the north or the
west Hundreds of our Young people and
many from Davenport, Moline, Milan and
Geneseo We're present. AT $50 o'clock an
ingenious revolving sign over the ticket
office announced general skating, march
es etc, and the hundreds of merry skat>
ers who had been waiting impatiently,
dashed out upon the floor to the sweet
strains of music from Biehls full orches-
ira, which occupied the band stand at the
west end of the rink
THE FLOOR.
The porcelain cement floor was almost
dry, hard and smooth last Saturday when
the heavy rain came up. The new roof
had leakage or two in it, and through
these the floor became dampened, and
last night it was not perfectly dry, cons
sequently it was not so smooth and agree
able as it otherwise would have been
But as soon as it is perfectly dry there
will not be a finer floor for skating pur
poses in the country. It's noiseless, and
the uproar so dIsagreeable in Kinks with
wooden floors is done away with in the
Excelsior
THE DIZZY SKATERS
glided around the floor with amazing
agility, and the spectators were treated tC
some fine exhibitions Of skatorial skill
but the comical side of the situation wa!
by no means unnoticed. The reporter
who had on previous occasion demon
strated to his own satisfaction and t.
those who witnessed his evolutions, tina
he could never electrify the world by thu
means of roller skates, quietly sat in ,
convenient corner, where he could easily
witness the animated scene. 1t could bC
easily seen that a great many Of thu
skaters were wrapped up in the idea tina
he or she las the case might be) wa
the great and only professional rollcl
skater in the world Oncc in a whilt
their self conceit would receive a severe
shock, particularly when there was mis-
understanding between the skaters ant
the floor, and they both came togcthe
without much ceremony.
THE BILLowY GIRL.
There was the girl with the hip to til,
hop movemeut-a kind of rattlesnakt
movement billowy, unduating, get-on
to>my style sort OF action that was rcall,
paralyzing. She confined her exertiOns tC
the middle of the floor, where she wa!
certain to be observed, and when her I'M
lucky hour arrived she must have wished
that she had confined her operations t
some back yard with high board fence
She came steaming down the room will
lateral motion, like hog going to war
with a look Of determination on her face
that would have conquered an army, wher
she suddenly seemed to hesitate, and at
tempted to put on brakes. But 1t wa!
too late; she went half way around thu
room on her left cheek. her feet just miss
ing the lamps hanging from tn,
ceiling. 1t looked as though sh,
would NOW down about fifteen other
and make a pyramid of writing form
and waving limbs that would knock tn
stuffing all out of Barnum's pyramid o
elephants. But this scene was happily
averted.
Then there was the smart Aleck who
was away up in the fancy movements
He had, by some great stroke of inborl
genius, caught on TO particular fame.
step, so TO speak, and it was his sole de
light and occupation to instruct all othe
skaters in the intricacies of the aforesaid
movement--a peculiar catch step affair
one foot being made to slip. around TIT
other in Il sort of peekaboo fashion
while the body wobbled along like lamt
duck going to water
OTHER CELEBRITIES.
A tall, cadaverous, wild looking fellow
with q crooked nose and mustache tina
had been frost bitten before it maturad
had movement like cross saw-a reg
ular get>over there>and- comeback her
kind of stroke, that made it dangerou
to be in the same room with him On
girl sported cresendo movement-a mu
steal, symphonic, languid, dont-touch
me sort of action that fitted her like {
Jersey. She was regular cyclone 70
speed, and rather took the bakery. Blu
her glory faded in moment She wa
cut down like flower in the field-evel
as the pig weed falleth before the sickle
of the hired man, so fell that young gil
on the field of her former achievements
She corked herself, or interfered, and tn