Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1890-05-21
ALL ABOUT THE TOBOGGAN
A STYLE OF coASTlNe WHICH IS
GROWING IN POPULARITY.


Enjoyed In the Sandwich Islands Before
the Bob Sled Was Heard Of-rhe Natives
Played n Sort of Game ON which They
Frequently Bet Heavily.
The toboggan may now be fairly ranked
as a representative American amuse-
ment. It has been claimed by several
notable writers on sports that it is essen
TALLY of Indian origin and therefore may
be classed as purely American phase
of sport. It is representative sport
among the best known nations, although
no other civilized nation than our own
makes leading feature of it, or carries
it to such perfection.
THE 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. It was
participated in by several players, each
of whom was furnished with kind OF
sleigh called papa. This was composed
of a couple of rather narrow runners
varying from seven to eighteen feet in
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 were not placed in parallel po
sition like those on 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 tc
render them rigid, and the bridges were
covered with mat of native fiber.
To form a slide the side of steeI
mountain was chosen and a narrow
trench cut extending from the summit
to the base, and frequently mile OF
more on the fat, the distance varying &C
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 considera-
BILE 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. Falling upon the
slippery, dry grass, it shot forward
down the incline at a 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 understanding they
possessed, even to their wives and chill
dren-on the result of the sport. Gases
are recorded where, sixty years ago, men
who had lost everything also staked theiI
own bones, to be made into fish hooks
and arrow heads after their death.
THE CANADIAN oDABoGGAN.
The pastime has existed for centuries
among these people, and the history OF
it's 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 odar
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 a modification Of it will be
adopted for the summer at Fort Hanil-
ton and Ocean Grove, N. j. At both of
these places 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 toboggan is 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.-Brooklyn Eagle.
Remarkable S0mnambulism.
Two remarkable cases Of somnambu-