Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-04-24
ROLLER SKATING.
The PFoaens rhe T.hfra craze Of che
Mfm0 fn rTnEu Country.

was issued In France In 1919. From
tnat time 10 the year 1868 there were
nine patents issued for roller skates.
lnree OF these were French, three Eng.
llsn, and three American. In ell Of
them the wheels were set In fixed sock
cts, and run only in direction parallel
with the length of the skate. There
was some variation in the size Of the
wheels, and their number varied from
two to five. There was an attempt to
ADAPT them to the capabilities of ice
skates by varying the position and size
Of the wheels, but it was not until 1868
that any success was secured in making
roller skates with which the skater could
make all the motions that can be per-
formed on ice skates. In the year 1868
James l.. Plimpton. of New York,
patented the guidable roller skate. This
was radical improvement in attaching
the runners to the rollers to the stock or
loot stand of the skate, whereby the
rollers or runners are made to turn or
cant by the rocking of the stock or foot
stand SO as to facilitate the turning of
the skate on the ice or floor and admit of
the skater performing with ease gyra-
tons or revolutions without testing un-
duly the muscles of the foot or ankles.
Mr.. Plimpton made improvements on his
own invention, which were patented in
1860 and 1866, and since that time there
have been no less than 345 patents for
various notifications OF roller skates,
chiefly in England and America. But
the practical roller skate of to-day is
substantially an American invention.
There are thousands of persons engaged
In their manufacture, and they have been
introduced about all over the globe.
The present roller-skating craze is by
no means the first. 1t is, in fact, the
third. There was q very extensive roll
er-skating craze in this country in 1872,
where there were many skating Kinks
and many thousand skaters in various
parts OF tue country, and in some places
almost as much excitement over it as
there is now. Roller.skating halls were
established in this city by Mr.. Plimpton
as long ago as 1865. They were attend
ed by staid and orderly people, includ-
ing ministers, deacons, and church
members, and on one occasion the good
folks astonished their friends, and, IN
fact, themselves, by skating a waltz
figure during Lent They did not awake
to the enormity of the offence until some
Of the newspapers began to write them
up. Roller-skating was extensively in
troduced in schools aud continued In
private social circles for many years
without any attempt to make the skating
halls the resort of promiscucus assem-
blages.
In 1866 roller skating was started at
Newport in the Atlantic House, and for
several years was patronized by the
best society The large dining room OF
the Atlantic was used for skating, and
clergymen, lawyer, doctors, and the
most exemplary citizens joined in the
sport.
In 1876 q considerable number of lead
ing members Of New York society were
interested in roller skating. The Union
club members were prominent IN IT.
Among those who participated were
James g. Bennett, M. Douglas, A.
Wright Sanford, Mr.. Rowland, Mrs.
John Jay, NJ M. Livingston. and Others
equally we'll known. They first engaged
Lyric hall, and subsequently Irving hall,
and the attendance was very select The
public was not admitted.
The fret absolutely public roller-skat-
ing rink in this country was established
in Cincinnati in 1857, and the amusement
took firm hold there. They had q
newspaper devoted to the interests OF
roller skating, published in Cincinnati
in 1877. called the Skate Roll. At that
time the Kinks were rigidly conducted,
SO as to interest the most conservative
and orderly persons. The rules and
regulations of the floor also were such
90 would obviate many Of the objections
to the modern shaking Kinks.
Mr.. Plimpton had his skates patented
in England, and about ten years ago
there was roller skating craze IN that
country similar to that which prevails
here now, with the exception that Il
was started with the deliberate purpose
of interesting the most conservative and
orderly people, and TO make it reputable
amusement. There were at one time
about 400 places for roller skating In
England. Mr.. Plimptoa invested con-
siderable capital in the enterprise, and as
soon as he became successful found hlm-
| self confronted with al army Of infring-
ers. He fought about two dozen Of
these infringers in the law courts and
won al his suits. Roller skating in Eng
land was conducted at first under very
high social auspices. There was one club
known a. the Prince club, which con-
sisted entirely of titled personagcs ana
their children. The suits TO restrain the
;nfrinOers Of the American patents at
tracted widespread attention, and the
trials were attended by great crowds.
The American patentee WAS denounced