Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-06-25
THE RINK PROTECTOR.
ANOTHER BENEVOLENT MAN's GOOD
INTENTIONS GONE WRONG.
Mr.. Hawkins Undoubtedly Meant Wen
But He Did Not Mako SuA.uisnt
Allowance for Atmospherical Elas-
ucity - Unexpected kssults-
New York TimeAl

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There is not the least doubt. that when
Mr.. Hawkins invented his rink protector b
meant we'll The idea Of the rink protector
occurred to Mr.. Hawkins one morning when
he Lad accompanied tho young ladies Of his
Bible class TO . popular skating rink. There
were seventeen Of these young ladies. and IS
Mr. Hawkins leaned against pillar AMI
watched them falling either separately or in
masses, and sustaining much apparent and
probably greater invisible injuries, be was
filed with compassion, and asked himself il
something could not b done to rsnder I'M
necessary such a painful spectacle Of sweet
girls tangled out Of tune. Use conception Of
the rink protector sud .enly occurred 10 him,
AMI he resolved to give it to tho world with
out delay.
That afternoon Mr. Hawkins took Q small
boy to the rink and exlsrimsnted with b N
for nearly al hour. He ascertainsd that
when a skater Is betrayed by his skates he
either sits down violently. thereby jarring
hi spinal CO, umn or he kneeis with equal
violence ami runs the risk Of fracturing his
knee caps. With the o facts at his comman1
Mr.. Hawkins readily perceived that his con
tsmplatei rink protector should meet .
double want 1t should be made to protect
tine knees as well as the spinal column Mr..
Hawkins therefore gave himself TO the study
Of the capabilities Of india rubber, AMI in
the course of the week he had patented I'M
der the general name Of Hawkins Rink Pro-
tector two strong india rubber Air cushions,
to be fitted to skater's knees, and Q larger
air cushion to be worn in tbs place Of an
ordinary "tress improver"
Mr.. Hawkins has a daughter. . young
lady weighing 120 pounds. He had never
permitted her to visit tine rink, but he now
informed her that il she would wear his
rink protector she might skate all Saturday
afternoon. A, the rink protector could be
worn by Miss Hawkins without attracting
attention she gladly agreed to her fathers
terms, and on Saturday afternoon last &c.
companied him to the rink, where he pro.
posed to see his new invention put to q final
test
Miss Hawkins, curiously enough, man.
aged 10 keep her feet for nearly ten minute.
after putting on her skates, but at the ex.
piratiOn Of that time she became less eau.
tious and in another moment she sat down
with tremendous violence. The air cushion
did its duty. The fair wesrer, the moment
she struck the floor. reboundsd in a way
that to the spectators seemed super
atural The chandelier was fully fifteen
eet above the noor, but Miss HAWKINS
truck it with terrible crash. Descending
among fragments Of broken glass the unfor-
tunate young lady struck on her knees, and
again rebouniei, but this time at an angle
Of forty degrees with the floor. In her aerial
fight she moved down twelve girls and
men, and had she not fortunately struck tho
wall with her head-which was not elastic
size might have inflicted still greater dam.
age.
OF course this experiment proved that
Hawkins rink protector was not desirable
thing. but it certainly did not prove that
Hawkins was actuatei by desire to njurs
the rink proprietor. and the conduct OF tine
latter in suing Mr.. Hawkins for the value OF
the chandelier and in denouncing him as
bad and malicious man cannot 10 too SO
yerely condemned by all who judge men by
their motives and not by their mistakes