Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-04-30
About Roller Kinks.

The roller skating rink business is
just now at its very best throughout the
United States, but gradual decline
from this time on and ultimate death
is the programme blocked ont by the
knowing ones. There are $4,000, 0e0
invested in skating Kinks in this country
OF course, our large cities have the
lions share in this amusement, Phia.
dclphia alone having twenty-five Kinks
now running in full blast, with a still
greater number in other places. Little
money is spent upon the Kinks, the
principal expense in the best of them
being for a smooth, hard floor. Gen
orally some large, old building is Sc
lected or hall rented, and in several
instances the Kinks are nothing more
than the upper floors of stables. In
some cases meat markets have been
turned into Kinks. Where any attempt
nj decoration has been made, it is u.s.
ually tawdry and seldom goes beyond
having 4 number of japanese umbrellas
stuck up in the rafters or along the
sides of the building. An item of some
expense attending all of them is the
lighting. but many of them have cleo
trie light and few the Siemens burner.
The business suffers somewhat from
over-production, like " Uncle Tom s
Cabin troupes, and the Kinks keep
multiplying in excess of the demand.
Owing TO the competition, they now
have to get up novelties-ike Joe
Wrght's almost nightly to
attract crowd. Some of them have
had to reduce their prices of admission,
and a few admit skaters free in order
TO sell and rent their skates.
: 1t is said it was a Frenchman, named
Ivers, who first invented skates on roll
lers. but the man whose name is more
generally associated with the roller
skate, is Boston Yankee, named
Plimpton. who has retired with several
millions from the invention. He was Il
furniture manufacturer, and is said to
have got the idea from seeing the chairs
and bedsteads spun along the floor on
casters. He spent great deal of money
in fighting of all competitors for the in
vention, aud held ii up to within a few
wears. when one, Samuel Winslow, en-
n)o, ed ia his factory, copied his skate
aud kept il atloat until the Plimpton
patent expired. Now any one can
make roller skates and great many
are doing it. Many additions are also
beiuu made to them and all sorts of APP
pliances are being devised to lessen the
physical danger of using them. One of
the very latest inventions is an ankle
corset, to lessen the danger from
sprained ankles, which is always great.
Each rink has large supply of skates,
which are rented for fifteen or twenty
five cents for stated period. Where
thousands engage daily this becomes
quite IN item. Very many, of course.
buv their own skates, which are three
fourths profit to the manufacturer. The
city Kinks, principally the larger ones,
are to great extent connected under
the same management. and are run by
or have some business connection with
the skate-makers.
The profits of some of these Kinks are
or have been enormous From MIR.
Joe Wright, of the firm of Wright &
Knapp! Lancaster,we learn that the re-
ceipts at different Kinks for single
night range from s25 TO $1,000. accord
ing to the time and place. and that
Chicago rink realized $4,000 from