The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-02-06
ROLLER SKATING.
The Rise and Fall of the Pastiine-The
Fortunes Made During the Craze.

Fortunes Made During the Craze.
The great, empty, barn-like struct-
ures-the skating rinks-which last
season were alive with thousands of
busy skaters, are very quiet now.
Here and there in the city can be
found one that is making an effort to
keep open, but the attendance is very
poor and the attractions that last year
would have brought out thousands are
bringing but few to the Kinks this sea-
son. The "craze" is over. 1t was a
very profitable one for the manufacture
erS of roller skates and the owners of
Kinks last year There were Kinks in
this city that made thousands of dol
lars. Last year Frank Hall, the pro-
prietor of the Olympian Rink, in Phila-
delphia, and who owned factory for
making roller skates, sold one hundred
thousand pairs of skates. This year he
has sold none and has closed his fac
tory. Mr.. Hall says that, though the
''craze" is over, it is mistake to think
that roller skating as an amusement is
to die out When the ''craze" has en-
tirely subsidized roller skating will be
reduced to the limits of pastime upon
which legitimate business ventures
may be made
Nothing connected with the ''craze"
is more curious than the manner in
which it affected the trade in lockwood,
maple and hemlock. The lockwood
was found to be the best material from
which to manufacture the rollers. In
ar. logf
jumped up from S26 ton to $40, and
one firm, by fortunate purchase just
before the market took an upward turn,
made SIT 1000 in less than two weeks.
The market was stripped almost bare
of lockwood for a time, and thousands
and thousands of tons were made
up into rollers in few months.
lockwood is selling now at S19
ton, and the price is still going down.
So enormous did the proportions
of the infatuation for roller-skating
become that companies with hum
dreds of thousands of dollars as capital
were formed for the purpose of con-
structing Kinks in small cities all over
the country. These Kinks were built
for the most part of hemlock, and SO
extensive were the operations that this
lumber, Notwithstanding the immense
supply, made advances until the market
at one time showed that its value had
been increased at least % per cent. by
the large operations of the construction
companies. Since 1884 the price of
hemlock has fallen off 80 per cent. be-
cause the building of the Kinks had to
be stopped. One of these construction
companies in ten months divided profits
of $400, 900. The plan of the managers
was to build rink in promising
locality, run it a few weeks, and then
sell it out to local spectators. Maple
was found to be the best wood with
which to construct the rink floors, and
this lumber jumped up to $50 and 500
thousand feet.
1t is an interesting fact that the
''roller-skating craze" would have come
long ago but for the patent. For seven
teen years after the skate was patented
not skate was sold, and yet the
patentee in that time made $4,000, 900.
Eben Plimpton was the lucky fellow
who first conceived the idea of the
roller, and he made all the roller skates
used during the years his patent ran,
and rented them out to skating-rink
managers. He always made the con-
tracts read that he should receive ten
per cent. of the admission receipts and
all the money for the rental of the
skates. Of course, roller skating did
not flourish under these circumstances,
but the amusement was popular enough
to keep small Kinks in large cities, and
Mr., Plimpton made money. A: soon
as the patent expired and skates could
be made by any one the ''craze"
started, and started in Richmond, Ind.
A citizen of that place started the
manufacture of roller skates in little
wood-shed The skates became popular,
and he enlarged his shops until he had
a factory of over four hundred feet in
length and one in which many work.
men are employed. He has made a
round million of dollars in the business.
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