New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-01-16
SWIMMING OVER FROZEN LAKES.
GREAT CROWDS ENJOY THEMSELVES AT CENTEA

GREAT CROWDS ENJOY THEMSELVES AT CENTRAL
PARK.
While the city was occupied,w with the routine Of
its daily cares aud hustle yesterday, Central Park
presented animated scene OF gayety. In the
streets the melting snow had mingled WIN the
native 9Th and produced that lndeScIbabe com
pound that Is so exasDeratlng to travellers IN the
ciiy's thoroughfaTes But over the knobs and in
Tie rIens of the Park the hite covering still
manned unsnllicd The avenues. thanks to the
efforts of the r. TX directors, had been packed with
hard snow ma; sparkled III .ae crisp air aud the
hight sunlight. Long lines Of cutters aud slelghS
of every description gded along the roads, jinging
with bells and loaded down with furs. among
winch only the heads of the ;idsrs sbO wed dis
tiDctiy But longer lines of pedestrians were stream
Ing along the alks iIom every direction with tue
lakes rs a common destination There the people
scattered over the whiieBed surface OF the ice,
gliding and darling tGrItllng and getting up
again and joining III the shouts and laughter that
filled the AIR.
II is frequently the most enjoy 3D. The skates have
a tendency to move of themselves and the expert
foreets IN the first moment the incl:iatIon TO cat
fantastic figures in the desire TO scud along at head
long speed across the br0edest expanso and into
every mock and inlet. The experts were not numer-
ous Yesterday, but the ordinary skaters were on
hand in every variety liz the early part Uf The day
the crowd was not large and the few thousands had
abandaat room to swSg hsmeEe Hd 1SSs' q
sch0OlbOys came rushing mp Almost GREATNESS In
their eagcrness "a reach TIE leo and get on
their skates Groups of schO0igIrs with their
cheeks flushed with excl cment added 10 the
skmming throng bright bits or colos. Ihen SOBER
looking men gided over the Ice III cautious
stately motion, and stout men seemed to lose all
control of themselves after the first movement and
shoot along eiinpIy with the impetus of their
weight About O'Clock the crewd was at ITS
height and The lake seemed "a section OF animated
matter placed under the lens of an enormous micro
scope. In the evening there were many skaters.
and the ponds were lighted by the lamDs aud the
moon. 49,. 81,
IL was badly cut up before night. Large quantities
of snow ice covered the surface IL was so soft
that the skates soon cut through it aud ground 1t
10 a powder IN some places b IF an iucb deep. To.
day the skating Will be better. A number OF
plsnes will be drawn over the lakes ana che soft
Zee cut up BY the skaters will be more readily re-
moved and swept away There Is plenty
of hard good ice beneath and Tire skat-
ing may be expected to- improve with
each day Harlem Mere was not so much crowded
as the central lakes. but there were a good many
skaters on 1t from the upper part of the city The
small pond at Fifty-nnth-st. known as the
Ladies' Pond, was also cleared IN the afternoon
AVID number of womeE ana children enjoyed the
skating there. There heing no school to-day III ID
exnected that the lakes will be we'll patronized.
i, spite of the poor condition of the Ice thousands
of merry skaters listed the lakes in Prospect Parx
RrookIyp Yesterday and enjoyed as much as
nossibIe the exhilarating pastine. The uneves
snrfacc caused many falls TO the amateur skaters.
fThe ice Ia badly mixed with snow aud 1t viii take
sons;derab,c scrapiBg to reach black Ice. There
vas o remarkably large number OF ladies' ~ Inc