The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-05-01
CHE STORY OF THE ST. PAUL ICE
PALACE.

40 -, -
'"' o"' ." h'''
calendar, the whole popnlace of ~. faui ls
- tiptoe for the advent Of the Frost King
,,e eio,als ~ tho Xvcatber Hrroe,, ara witch
=,
ca Win "hAety anu poil9A19 hio "'7-u'7et
with weather-wise sagacity. For q cold win
o. ,.,..,... e.,.o..., al - ,o..t..,1o or ,,o,.o.
II s,@.r1fcs e1oiof scfi,i., and b,s,rees ,,rl,s
,,sri,v
10, cold rroo.l,or dooe ,,ot o1,-o.,s CONN T.,
hvnerbo,ean latifndee in these laffor dovs
Tven in Ninneeota sv,oboliled Inv the North
ftar traditions and procedeuts arc sometime
Al fault. and ice does not form I'm sufficient
.nantities 10 fullv satisfy the yvants of SUM
,ner And 60 II has hammered that tL.4 winter
There is ~ be no ice ialaco Indeed if has
-, .asc,alf. d,cla~c4 fl.o4 Ioroefl.r4i tfero
a. a. La no Nor. ice ,,.i..es in ~ porl and
old FEY Boresiis has himself forroulafed "A
decreo 10 tbat effect Ioro- c0atluHaI DALI
ance with the fair sisters Of the south is said
to have demOralized him. physically and
spiritually. and he is not 10 all lOatl tO con-
fese his weakness 10 the world
OF course the Introduction has affected the
carnival clubs deeply. and caused "a marked
fall IN ski and toboggan stock. not ~ speak
of tonnes Ard Iegriu0s dare saw Do is
eouisaIent TO a dead loss of one hundred
thousand dollars u the town Iu view OF
this momentous fact. an outline sketch Of
that def and dazzIng ice architecture. which
for several successive years brought ST. paui
into euch euviable urorolraure VIII D1-si-
bly, be opportune and interesting. Much rs
the palace and the carnival have boon praised
and magnihod in general way. there Gr8cer-
tainly great multitudes oil your readers who
have scarcely concert ON OF the attraction
and tho event. while dcni1ous Of mlider
climates and latitu7es are ALWAYS Interested
in verbal or written descriptions OF them. TO
summarize. therefore.
For three successive years. from 33Gt0 1885,
Rex B0reaii3 WAS as gracious as could be de-
sired. Re gave the residents OF ST. Paul an
the frost they needed 10 form the Transparent
ice blocLq of which fho fuo.-.ro raIqce walls
were built. and the imposing structures which
annually material zod and melted away wero
transcondent for their beauty Tho last one.
Of 1888 exceeded it's pre- lece- sOr8 IN maaWH-
oence and magnitude OL that special winter
the carnival had unNisputod sway. luddy
health never bl00wcQ I'D positively ON maiden
cheeks before. rauanfs were never SO court
". personal liberty was never more graciOusiv
induced Several thousand members of
spow shoes and tob9cc.n club. and manvni--
celloneous eociofies ir candy uniforms took
part in tho reception AID installation Of lis
Geld Majesty. on tie - til oil january
Of that year. Yet this did not satisfy.
by the advent of 1880 the architects
in frost work were inspired g. even IO.der
yentaree Tho plans and specifications in-
ciudel n rovai laueuot nall .Ox Id feet i'm di-
ineuA1Cnr. "a tower I.U feet mon. Will OTut-
sleutal statuqrv throughout and yista8 of
arvstal c0lOyns7os and balconies turrets and
euires. Such "a elueriaf. ice ualac. wasnever
eouceivad bv man thouoh euluIafeG bv those
stupendous castles which annually auit down
tho Atlantic coast from the HUMBOLDT c.a-
Ger But vaulLlg ambition j. apt 10 over
lean itself and I. ssiblr tho buiilo.s were To
DO discounted because thev were SID Ovor-
weeuiug and $50 bold However that mav
be King B0reaIs ucronDuuv refused his
c0urtiv presence 4 winter of ethereal ml1-
ness onsued Flowers h.D,s0nei prem nreiy.
The Mississippi river remained uuIrO2en.
The winter OF 1850 was warmer still Gem
lie tepid showers fell 90 fine CLOSING dav 0f
lecemhcr. Such hrcmal phenomeu. IN chat
HIGH latitule vere rof.arsaIa NOW iu Is
tho same aspects nre repeated and presented
All the pr0ruosf.c5 which were uroIirate1
mon the stronptlcrinr cold off 1custlenir0
davs have failed. With tho exception of "A
couple Of cold snaps Che winter has boon
mild. and the craft ou are confused and
scattered like tie bull iers OF Babel.
Economically, as we'll 1888 socially the prob
lem IS becoming Serious. ls tlla climatic sue
CessiOn % continue Indefinitely, Isth3Icehuo
T. be permanently suppmnted9 Verify. our
ABIDING faith in the supremacy oil the leaif-
uote SOVEREIGN and patron is sadly shaken.
Ia fha dav OF thcir urinla~,. structure. more
ethereal than these quaint ice palaces We're
never formed D. the subtle agency Of the ele-
Moors. the lersiaus and the meas have piled
up arabes Iues and fantasies of marble. I'D -bas-
ter. onynX. t0cah and bery Not one cen
compare with the crystal frost WORK
which doomed mp. phantomhke and
palhd in the steel gray atmosphere OF %
cloudy day. and flashed back ihe radiance OF
the southwestern sun when the sky Was clear.
Cold and impressive THIS NNuGrous architee-
tuTe rises Ike some baseless fabric of dream,
solid yet uusubstantlal. massive yet ethereal.
whose bastiOns and turrets are mighty cnou. h
70 SILVER an onset and yet so volatile that
the warmth of wOoiug eaIug VIII dsspato
them into thin air
The first OF these crystal edihces was erect
ell ia February. 1856, and az that date was the
largest and most elaborate ever bulit dWlr
ing those previously go sirncted at MonifeA
and eXcelllng them IN design a. "a haldlwork
as much as those or Montreal hal eNce.led
the primitive ice palace OF the huseIlu lm-
press Catherine on tie NoSa. which SO much
excited tho sehool-boy admiration of fifty
years ago Doubtless it stimulated many
Juvenile attempt et snow architecture. Its
suggestion originated with Editor George
1hOmp-Om. OF the ST Paul Dispatch, some
time IN the october preceding, ahi the ~.
Paul chamber OF commerce no oHco tool n up
snd pushed II WITH such Yigor through enef-
Petic canvas.ers am NJ all the residents of
the city that IL developed into a tangible re-
atty as soon as ever the temperature afforded
a sufficient degree IT cold TO form the