River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-02-21
MADISON LETTER.
M.prsnN. Wis. Feb. Is. Sc

/ followed by freezing weather, has
coated the lakes with glare surface
of new ice, and brisk wind out of TIE
northwest is sending the ice boats
flying back and forth at the rate of 80
miles an hour and upward, conditioned
upon the amount of canvas carried
and the nerve of the sailing master.
Next to yachting over a rough SEA
ice-bOating over frozen sea is the
most exciting of all the manly sports.
It braces man up, physically, men
tally and morally, if courage is MOI al
quality, as l believe it is. To go out
ON one of these lakes wh-n the mer-
curry is at re d, with 40-mile breeze
blowing, is test of physical endur-
ancr which not every man can stan .
Esp cially trying are the conditions
which exist to-day. A fall of al inch
ot snow last Eight has left patches all
over the ice where crack has served
10 detain a little field two or three
inches in depth. When an ice boat
going 80 miles an hour strikes one OF
these patches it throws up from the
forward runners cloud of snow. and
that on the windwaId side is drive n
INTO the faces of the boatmen with the
cutting energy of a Dakota blizzard.
IL would be simply impossible to en-
dure this but for the use OF some
glasses or goggles with which to pro
Lect the eyes.
The sailors" usually put on two
Overcoats, the outer one with wide
fun hued collar, which is turned up
about the head, over pulled down
fur cap, and securely fastened about
the neck with scarf. Warm mittens
are "a necessity, and glasses for the
yes.
Usually three men are enough To
handle large ice. boat, but in "a gale
an extra man is carried who stands Oh
the extreme outer end of the cross
frame, holding to the weather stays.
md 10y his weight holding the "con-
Gem" from going over. IL would be
mlsnomer To call it boat, as the
frame resembles dTag-frame more
nearly than boat. There is a little
cuddy, OF open boat aft, in which two
or three men can carefully stow them.
selves. lying prone ON their sides,
hacks or stomachs, as they may iind
the least uncomfortable. There is no
positive, compaI alive or superlatIVe
of comfort used in connection with
The business. The sailing master
steers the craft wi b tilleI cOnnecttd
with the after runneI, which IS ais"
Tie Iudder of the craft. Anothe.
tends the mainsail and d third handles
the iib. Thus manned aud equIpp' d :,
bnat may, in gale of wind, MAKE go
miles al hour. IL has been doe, III
j.. q..al Uei ing wind, On these lakes. l.
can only be done Oh beam wind.
" it'll 50 mile Wind, dead aft, nOL oVei
80 miles an hour could he made. This
has been demonstrated 10y experiment.
uu these lakes.
Tue fun" of ice-boating all de
ponds upon the sperd, and upon ali
.ninLeiI upted speed. TO stop the bUd
un xpecttdly, IN mid course, 10y drop.
ing shoe INTO "A crack III the ic,-
Is al expeI fence which few bOa.mth
iesire 10 repeat afteI one tilai. tn
frame of the craft usually stops. bu
,he mast generally goes 10y the b1dId,
he frame is usually dlslUcated, anu
he crew are shot out of the shallow
'cuddy" with force that sends them
a quarter of mile over the glare ice,
and he is fortunate indeed who does
not get broken limb OF broken heau
n the catastrophe. Several cases Oi
the kind have occurred here, some vi
them of serious character; but there
are hundreds of vOtaries of the sport
Who are willing to take The risk fol
he excitement it affords.
A good boat can be built ahu
me fol $l25. A party OF three anna
rus. clerks in business houses, IN.
vested in SIS boat this winter lii,
first time they went out-on veIy
stormy day they found themselves
gmng at the rate of 80 miles All houI
AiIh the choice of three evils beiOTe
hem: To plump into an open place
where the ice company had taken Oui
The ice. to capsiZe in attempting T."
huff out of the danger, or To Iui.
Fad on into sleigh loaded with ice
they chose the latter, and did go head
IN into the sleigh, demolishing both
he sleigh and their own craft. ami
'eing badly shaken up in the collision
| would have taken the chances of d
luff first and a plunge into the water
,ecOnd, with the collision bad thlId
If had had hold of the tiller. as either
pf the first two would, to my mind,
have incurred less risk of broken bOnrs
than the latter. The probabilities are
that the boys did not have time 1"
W. Ugh the matter very thoroughly in
the time permitted them in which 1"
decide which horn of the dilemma To
axe.
Messrs. Bliss and Towner. evan
g. lists. are holding a series of revival
meetings, two weeks in duration, un-
Ter the auspices of the Congregational,
Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist
churches. combined. Meetings have
heen held every afternoon and even
ing. and four times on Sunday Al
ready over two hundred persons have
profesSed conversion. and the woi k
has only commenced on the secnnd
/ week
II is repoI ted, through the medium
uf the associated press, that "Dr =
Kate Bushnell is lecturing through
the eastern cities on the moral de-
pravity of Wisconsin at tie rate of
soc per ticket for admission, which