Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-12-27
ALLAB0UT TIE TOBOGGAN
A STYLE DE- coASTlNG WHICH is
GROWING IN POPULARITY.

Frequently Eet Heavily.
The toboggan may now be fairly ranked
as a representative American amuse-
men5. 1t has been claimed by several
notable writers on sports that it is essen
italy of Indian origin and therefore may
be classed as a purely American phase
of sport. 1t is a representative sport
among the best known nations, although
no other civilized nation than our own
makes leading feature of it, or carries
it tosuch perfection.
TIE FIRST ToBoGGAN.
The earliest mention of the primitive
toboggan is found in the history of the
inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands, in
the Pacific ocean. The game as prac.
ticed by them was called "holua" and
was undoubtedly the forerunner of the
coaster and the toboggan slide. 1t was
participated in by several players, each
of whom was furnished with q kind OF
sleigh called papa. This was composed
of a couple Of rather narrow runners,
varying from seven to eighteen feet il
length, according to the skill and caprice
of the player-the runners being made
of hard, sound, seasoned wood, about
three inches in thickness, and curved UP
at one end so as not to catch in the
ground and to better enable the sleigh tc
rise over small obstacles encountered in
the "run," or slide. A curious point OF
construction, however, was that these
runners We're not placed in a parallel po-
sition like those on a sleigh, but diverged
slightly at the rear end, being about
seven inches apart, and converged at the
front where they turned up, until they
were within two inches of each other
The idea was to render the sleigh more
easy Of guidance. These runners were
bridged across with pieces of board to
render them rigid, and the bridges were
covered with a mat of native fiber.
To form q slide the side Of steep
mountain was chosen and q narrow
trench cut extending from the summit
to the base, and frequently Il mile OF
more on the fiat, the distance varying ac-
cording to the nature of the surrounding
country, This trench was always kept
clear Of vegetation when not in use, and
could be plainly seen from a considera-
ble distance. When the season came for
the game the trench was lined with dry
grasses SO as to make the sleighs run
faster. The players assembled at the
top Of the mountain and one Of them,
drawing back some little distance from
the trench, raised his sleigh in his hands,
and running at full speed threw himself
bodily into the trench with his sleigh
underneath him Failing upon the
slippery, dry grass, it shot forward
down the incline at terrific pace. As
the angle was frequently as high as
forty to forty-five degrees, it is mat
ter of wonder that scores of riders
were not killed in that headlong flight
The winner was the man who travelled
the farthest. So excited did the players
become that they frequently wagered
their huts, their lands-everything they
possessed, even to their wives and chill
dren-on the result of the sport. Cases
are recorded where, sixty years ago, men
who had lost everything also staked their
own bones, to be made into fish hooks
and arrow heads after their death
TIE CANADIAN oDABoGGAN.
The pastime has existed for centuries
among these people, and the history of
its eventful Introduction into America
and its subsequent development is very
interesting The first use of the tobog-
gan in this country is said to have been
as a hand sleigh used by the Indians
when on snow shoes. on which to pack
their pelts. These sleighs were used ex-
tensively in the early wars between the
French, English and Indians, and were
found Invaluable in transporting camp
baggage through the northern wilds.
French writers call them the train
savage, but the Indian name was oda-
boggan. The sleigh was turned up at
both ends, while the modern one turns
up at one end only. Sixty years ago the
British officers at Montreal emulated the
Pacific islanders by sliding ON these oda-
boggans down the slopes of Mount Royal,
and the pastime, becoming popular,
spread until it finally crossed the Cana
dian line and located at Saratoga, N. Y,
which may aptly be termed the "home
of the toboggan." Here was erected the
first artificial slide, which still ranks as
one of the finest in the country, although
many others have been erected at greater
expense by clubs and private individuals.
So popular has this sport become in
winter that modification of it will be
adopted for the summer at Fort Hamil-
ton and Ocean Grove, N j. At both of
these places a long, solid slide will be
built, extending, from the land over into
the water, the end of it being slightly
above the water line, so as to insure the
toboggan clearing the slide in its run.
Not having the smooth surface of the
snow or ice to produce speed and easy
transit, the flooring of the slide is to be
fitted with number of small iron wheels
four feet abreast, and each row about
two feet apart over the entire length of
the slide. The tobogganis intended to be
of the usual shape, and will run rapidly
over these rollers to the water, turning
over as it reaches it and upsetting the
riders in all directions. A trial of this
idea proved so successful that leading
feature will be made Of it at these two
resorts. s.-Brooklyn Eagle.