The sun., 1895-01-21
ICE BLACK WITH SKATERS.
ssooo or THEM, THE Police sHY,
IN CBNTRAL PARK.

such gala day as yesterday Central Park has
~, .een for years. II seemed as II every man.
-oman and child In town who owned n pair OF
,to,es aot them out and pointed for the Park
Not only this. but hundreds who didn't have
.ts,es hired them at the skate house, and thou
,ands more who couldn't hire them, because
,h.re were no more, stood about the lakes and
vatched or sat about on the benches Just as II IL
vere summer. enjoying the clear blue sky and
tbe bright sunshine. Just warm enough TO take
N. bite Of the cold from the air and yet not 30
warm as to melt out It's exhilarating keennsss or
,o soften the ice. II was an ideal skating day.
and fully 10000 people skated in the Park.
considering now rarely there is good skating
IN this neig hborhood, It is astonishing how many
Nav Workers know how 10 skate. II is not 80
..tonishng how many think they know how to
.sats when they don't, but most astonishing
n all are tho antics OF these whom they get oppor-
unity to show how much they don't know about
,t.ting. Thoy are moro fun to watch than the
.c,usl beginners, because they are more ambi-
tious, for which reason they are also moro of q
menace to the public safety. Probably three
fourths of the many collisions and smash.upe on
the ice yesterday were due to that pernicious at
tribute Of human nature which prompts man
10 try the outside edge when he can't take six
strokes straight ahead without endangering his
All sorts Of skaters were there-eood bad in-
different fancy, fast. bold. and timid-and 1t was
only the best OF them that escaped without once
coming to ekrth in the dense crowd. From
Early in the morning every elevated railroad
line and surface car track that runs near the
Park carried its quota OF skate equipped pleas
ure seekers. and the rush kept up until well
toward sundown. First to flll up was the small
lake near Fifty-ninth street. The approach to
this lake was deally. All the paths slope down
20 IT, and small boys had constructed CLASSY
slides all these slopes.
As a result the man who didn't watch his every
ttep would plant foot on the upper end of one
Of these man-traps. after which 1t was only q
question OF equilibrium whether he went down
on his feet or otherwise. The gamesome citizen
who observed the slides in time recalled the
days OF his boyhood and boldly slid down on his
feet. The less gamesome one who didn't, slid
down also. but otherwise amid the derisive
shouts Of the unmennerly small boys. He was
lucky who didn't fall on his skates.
Having once reached the bottom, the intend
ing skater, unless he got there very early. found
The small 's 9aek 5hs with suTs The early
paratively smooth ice. and some of them a
small part. however. succeeded in renting
geous opportunities which the limitations of his
sSs on he coS
Almost % any price for any kind Of runaer that hat
where u" The Sun reporter heard a young man
I've got pair myself but my lady friend hsle
she hasn't got nome"
ts tss
with the weariness born of many repetitions OF
the same Information.
In buy 'em of you" pleaded the young man.
"Tll give you any price. Me an my lady friend
come way up here from Houston street, an'we
Don't make no difference. You couldn't get
any skates II you can came % clear ] frSm
wholly unknown. So the pair went off to ride
on the merry go-rounds, which were running
originally intended TO reserve this small lake
for women and children, but so great was the
noon lines of sturdy youths in single file, each
clingng TO the one in front, were whirling about
the i lake. doing an occasional snap the whip"
policemen. 80 cut up was the ice BY the multi
tude Of skaters by afternoon that it was very
rough and covered with mantle Of the ice
Bcrapinge from the steel.
On this lake about noon came a skater who
'ass winter M she s. was SSrnE girl with hey eyes as
air rushed past her in her swift progress, and
figure the full grace Of which was shown in her
II affairs which many daring youth attempted
Il them. and darted away from all advances
@a one a. Young man with a real devilish air
,onfded to !, $ orSwd Of his companions mic that he
bold In the conceit OF his Irresistible charms.
md gliied up to the fair skater. who was rest
enton to his advances, but presently she Joined
hands IDS with him and they s,arted or together,
chorus Charley has done done the . trick.
Say. he's winner"
But they failed to size up the situation. |
conquest, led her directly toward his compan- |
Ions, who were va watc hing inteaty Just as they
"Ahi there, boys, What do you think of this9
hating partner flashed its skate In front Of his his
right foot, there was twist and turn and a
aOp and at the en- end b 9f it all Charley was
'wooped away, laughi ing mischieyously at him
md leaving him to the guying of his compan-
ms, who had seen the whole trick of the clev-
1t was up on the big lake at the end of the
Mall that the great sight was 70 be seen. From
From n distance i. looked like n fattened out
lnthill, over which thousands of ants were
Ants, however do not make short. mad rush.
md then slide along, upon their backs with
Neither do they collect. form long lines and go
Shooting abOnt in long curves, only to end in
one grand conglomeration OF prostrate bodies.
All these things and many others the skaters
on the big lake did. and. considering their num-
bers, the wonder is that there were so few acci-
dents.
One man broke leg, another head was badly
cut, and there were two or three minor acct
dents. But fve-minutes inspection OF the
darting, whirling, swooping, tumbling. tripping.
plunging, diving. headlong
skaters would lead the onlooker TO
regard the probable danger TO life and limb
lar greater than that OF the Brooklyn strike. 1t
was noticeable, however, that in most cases, no
matter how hard the unfortunate skater welted
The ice. he always got up and grinned In man
her calculated TO satisfy the most skeptical that
Re liked 1t and that in fact. 1t was just what he
had come there for
some of the dodging TO be seen was OF a
nigh order, Two colored men came on tho ice
N NTH, The early afternoon, and for two hours de-
voted themselves to an exposition OF the intri-
eeeles OF the Philadelphia twist. The Philadel-
Phla twist consists in tying your feet into true
lovers knot and untying them again all with
speh sSeh rapdty that all the onlooker can see of
iihem is gray blue. This will impart to you
numpy and sidewise mode OF progress Of the
mosl diversified description. Yet those two col
yed meu Philadelphia twisted all over the lake,
threading the crowds with marvellous skill and
,,pSmng to grief only once in a while through
VIC & stupidity Of some other skater The girl