The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-19
THE TOB0GGAN
What Tobogganing Is-iIow to Make Tobog-
gan and How to Make Slide.

The simplest form of the toboggan consisted
merely of strip of bark five or six feet in
length. aud twelve to fifteen inches in width,
turned up at the forward end to prevent it from
cutting and blowing into the STOW. This form
was succeeded by one somewhat larger The
front was curved over in a semi-circular form,
and held down in position by thongs running
to one of the cross pieces beneath. Where the
thong passed through the toboggan. grooves
were cut in the bottom, into which the lacing
was pressed to protect it from injury
1t was this flexible form usually made by Indi-
ans. and costing two or three dollars, that was
In general use until recently. In 1884, Mont
real carpenter devised new type, factory
having been built to manufacture them. Kick
.ory strips were selected, about two and half
inches in width. by threeeiehts of an inch
thick. and ten feet sc in length. Each strip
was then beveled on one side, and one end being
steamed until plant it was bent over in a semi
circular or oval form. Eight of these beveed
strips fastened by copper rivets to cross-peces,
and the curved end tied down by the usual deer
thongs. formed the new model Greater strength,
stiffness and durability were secured, and the
friction area being thus materially re-
duced. the speed was considerably in
creased. The Saratoga Toboggan Club, then
ORGANIZING introduced this type upon til cir
slide, and. owing to tho rivalry among the mem
bers as to the ownership OF the fastest toboegan,
Improvement has been steadily sought. How
ever in what may be termed the tobopgan
proper. the experiment failed to develop more
than that white oak iroL wood or hickory were
the most suitable woods. possessing su fficie 1T
elasticity and caDablity of receiving high pol
foh and ha hauo linz Of naahc fr sid
AT present Saratoga toboggap, some eight
feet in length by one and half in width. with
polished bevei bottom. graceful, curved front.
brightly painted and velvet cushions. costing
from $50 to $40, bears little resemblance to the
primitive one except in general form. and will
be difficult to excel In point of speed, beauty and
model.
The speed of a tobogcan depends various
conditions. The bottom Of the toboggan. the
load upon II and the slide are all factors
The maximum speed is probably obtained by n
hard wood. polished toboggan, with q load of
from six to eight hundred pounds. as it leaves a
steep, ice. paved chute. the rate then must be
nearly mile in sixty seconds, or even less. 1t
should be remembered. however that this speed
Is over specially prepared track, with sur
face crossing or intersecting paths or roads, that
the snow banked up either side renders it
difficult il not impossible to leave the course,
and the only possible chance of collision is with
an overturned toboggan most remote occur
renee, or overtaklng slower toboggan on the
level, where the result of q collision would
be practically nil, as the toboggans are moving
in the same direction with slight momentum.
In the hands oil a novice, on fast track a
toboggan may be upset by too much steering,
for 1t is very obedient TO Its helm: but the
chances are greatly in favor of its running down
all right
The successful enjoyment OF tobogganing de-
Ponds to great extent the slide itself. In
the first place natural grade should be had
along which a straight track can be laid for
two or three hundred yards. and below level
upon which the course may be extended out a
thousand feet or more on which the nome ntum
of the toboggan may be expended At the sum
init of the grade selected. unless it has sharp
pitch Of forty to forty-fve degrees, chute
from two to three hundred feet long, with
incline of forty to fifty degrees should be
built. This must be strongly erected upon
trestle work, with as many running tracks as
The club intends having. These usually
about four feet in width with sloping sides
twelve to fifteen high In addition to these
tracks the chute contains wide stairway with
broad, easy. rising steps, and adjoining snow
track up which the tebogcan may be drawn in
ascending. At the top of the chute a large.
roomy platform, with high protecting side rails,
should be constructed. A small platform should
be built at the head of each running
track, large enough to hold a tobogean.
and raised few inches from the floor
of the larger platform. The best way to
prepare a chute running track is by paving
inches thick. These can be held in place by
cleats fastened to the bottom of the track until
the whole mass is solidly frozen together On
the sloping sides snow Is placed and sprinkled
with water until frozen solidly and smoothly
down. The lower courses should be laid out as
straight as possible, and the snow packed and
rolled firmly and evenly on the track. On the
sides of each runway the snow is piled up as
high as the depth will permit The track and
sides are then spriukled with water until ice is
formed half an inch thick on the track and a
thick crust upon the sides. Every day when it
is freezing the track is freely sprnkled and
broken places repaired This system renders
the slide smoother and faster the winter ad-
vances. Those tracks constructed along the ground
wear better than those made upon boards, as the
suns rays are not SO strongly attracted and less
thawing occurs
The slide should only be opened after or 8
o'clock in the afternoon. If it is to be exposed to
the sum- unless 1t is very cold day. as more
damage will be done by half-hour's use of a
soft track than ten hours when it is hard. The
sweeping, rolling and sprinkRng of the track
ought to be done IN the early morning It may,
perhaps. be well to say here that the duty of the
starter is to hold the toboggan the starting
platform while the Misunderstanding persons ar
range themselves upon it When this is done.
and the preceding toboggan has rushed away in
advance so far that the one about to start can
not overtake it, the starter pushes the toboggan
of on its downward flight
lis best to run track in northery direc-
ton, as the suns rays will not strikeit with so
much force and it will require far less repairing,
besides lasting much later in the spring. A lodge
house with dressing aud assembly rooms should
be erected near the chute. The house for storing
the toboegans is usually near the lodge on the
returning path.
1t is difficult to estimate the cost of good
slide. as il is dependent on the many extraneons
conditions. However, eight or nine hundred
dollars should build double track slide with n
sixty to seventy foot chute and comfortable
club house. the cost of maintenance is uncer-
tain. If repeated thawings occur then the re-
construction of the tracks entails more ex-
pense. On the average, however one
hundred and fifty dollars should be the maxi
mum of monthly expenses an ordinary
double-tracked slide for wages oil and incident
ais, though some slides expend five hundred per
month. Tobogeaning on natural slopes can be
enjoyed any time when heavy thaw rain is
followed by hard frost after deep snow GOV
the ground. In going down an incline, with
oat the character of the ground to be run over