St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-28
4 roRoGGAN sUGGEsTIoN.

A TOBOGGAN SUGGESTION.
Now that it is assured beyond all manner
of doubt that the ice palace will be COM
pleted and the grounds all in good shape by
the opening day the attention of our people
will be directed during the few intervening
DAYS between now and the opening TO max
ing preparations for the various forms OF
amusements that are to entertain the
thousands and we hope the hun
dreds Of thousands of visitors who will be
in the city during the next month. There
seems to be no doubt that the provision for
all sorts of amusements connected with
winter carnival will be ample enough with
the single exception of toboggan slides.
It is evident that the slides on the palace
ground will not begin 10 accommodate
those who will wish TO engage in the sport
of tobogganing. In fact there are not
enough slides to accommodate one
half of the tOboggan clubs now organ
lied i'm this city. AS result some of the
clubs are now considering the proposition
of building their own slides, and having
them for their exclusive use. This ought
not to be done. There should be sort or
| eXclusiveness about the carnival festivities.
| OF course there can be no objection
! to any number of ladies and gen
/ tlemen organizing themselves into clubs
/ and building all the slides they may
want and use them for their exclusive en-
! joyment. But they should have no con-
nection with the carnival. The carnival
festivities are understood TO be public and
| for the benefit of the public, in which each
and every one who pays his admission fee
shall have equal enjoyment. Whenever the
carnival association inaugurates the plan OF
admitting exclusive features into the festiy-
| tiles or of drawing lines of distinction be-
tween classes or clubs ana destroying the
community of feeling. it will strike snag
which will inevitably result in swapping
the enterprise.
Under these circumstances the only thing
to do is to build toboggan slide that will
accommodate all the tobogganers who will
participate in the festivities. And this is
an easy matter to do. and, too, at very
little expense. Let a tobOggan slide be
built on the river commencing, say, at the
foot of Robert street and extending if neces-
sary entirely across the river. 1t is not
necessary to go to the expense of building a
frame platform for it can be done by SHOW
cling the snow up into a ridge or hill ex-
| tending across the river to the height of
twenty or twenty-five feet, and by throwing
water OH it and letting it freeze as it is
going up it will be made as solid as granite.
With the proper incline a tObog-
gan could get sufficient impetus
in making this descent to carry it over the
smooth ice on the river TO Dayton's bluff.
At that point another slide of the same
kind could be thrown up, and thus the to-
bOgganer could get his slide both going and
coming. This would be comparatively an
inexpensive construction. The snow taken
from the ice on the river TO smooth the
course would answer for the material to 90
into the platform. 1t could be done at an
expense not exceeding $500, and probably
for less. And it could be done within the
next three or four days. If the carnival
association has not the funds TO appropri-
ate to it. then let the city council at its
meeting to-day make the appropriation.
We want all the amusements brought
together as much as possible and not be
scattered here and there and everywhere as
it was at Montreal. 1t will be a thousand
times more enjoyable for visitors who
come here 10 witness the carnival festivities
to go down on Third street or along the
river bluffs and watch hundreds of tobOg.
gamers gliding along the river course, thar
it would be to tramp all around over the
city, from one hill to another, and ther
only see little squad of thirty or forty per
sons on a slide at each place. st. Paul ha:
the river with the ice on it. The snow j;
there and few industrious men with teams
and snow scrapers and few feet of hos'
and a little water can make the grandes
toboggan slide the world ever saw. lie
us do it.