Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-03-20
THE FOUR HUNDRED ON ROLLER SKATES.


strictions concerning the time of skating
and manner of acquaintance with others.
It will be noticed by those who live in the
larger cities that there are more girl and
boy skaters on the rigid toy skates on the
sidewalks than ever BEFORE and this may
be taken as a sure indication of the in
creased desire of tho people in general for
the revival of roller skating Kinks. Many
owners of Kinks in 1884 believe that the
roller skating craze recurs every ten years,
and are contemplating opening for bust
ness again. The first great demand Of the
people for the skate was in 1874. The uni
versal popularity subsidized, apparently for
good, after two years of occupation Of the
peoples minds, but in 1884 some members
Of the most wealthy families Of the exclu
sive circles, including the Havemeyers,
the Roosevelts, the Astors and others, with
the kindly assistance of James L. Pli1np-
ton, the roller skate inventor, engaged
headquarters originated club, laid a per-
feet floor and INDUCED in the pleasant
sport for q long time before the world In
general became aware of the factfhat roll
or skating was again a possibility in New
York. In the same manner the new era OF
roller skating is beginning.
In 1869 Mr.. Plimpton was i'll, and dur
ing his convalescence visited Central park,
New York, and the sight of the ice skaters
led him to consider the subject Of an ade-
quate roller skate. Within year he had
invented and patented his skate, the sale
Of which has made him multimillionaire.
This skate has a wooden footplate, beneath
which are two rollers at the toe and two
at the heel, made Of lockwood, set on axles
and supported by hangers Of a composition
metal which seems almost indestructible,
for they seldom break and rarely bend.
The rollers are turned or guided so as to
make any desired curve, by the oscillation
of the sole plate or the proper inclination
of the foot of the skater as he moves his
body either loft or right. The rollers sit
squarely upon the floor, whether the foot
is inclined or upright, and thus sufficient
adhesion is obtained to prevent the skate
from slipping sideways. BY thus dispens-
ing with all rough, soft or elastic sub
stances, as formerly used upon the rollers,
q very easy rolling skate is obtained.
That skating is the very poetry of mo-
ton is every way apparent to the observer.
1t imparts grace to the figure, pliability to
the limbs, strength to the muscles, vigor
to the sinews, activity to the blood, roses
to the cheeks and develops the human sys-
tenn most thoroughly and delightfully."-. 1t
has less Objectionable surroundings than
any other enjoyment and may be called
one of the polite arts AS fails arc rare and
overindulgence not permitted cannot i'm
aGine how roller skating can have an enc
my or, in fact, any but enthusiastic ad
mirers. All authorities at home and abroad
advocate the art Of skating. Perhaps the
best of these is Saltzlnan, the great Ger
man author, who says of it: "It is an ex-
ercise superior to everything that can be
olassed under the head Of motion. Pure
air, promotion of the circulation of the diff
ferent fluids, muscular exertion, the exer
else of such various skillful movements
and unalloyed mental satisfaction, must
have powerful influence not only on the
corporal frame of man, but on his mind
likewise"
The first skate upon which one might
propel himself over the surface of floor
of which we have any authentic account
was invented by Pettibled, Frenchman,
patented in France, and introduced there
in the year 1919. But a moro practical in
vention was that Of Robert John Tyer,
whose parlor skate wasput upon the mar
Net in England in 1928, but had little sale
there, and it was not until it was brought
to this country and the celebrated jackson
Haynes, skater of note in his time, put
it to practical use in his exhibitions upon
the theatrical stage that it became popular
and met with great sale. With it he
went to Europe and skated into the affec-
lions of the car of Russia, who ennobled
him and enriched the skater to such an ex-
tent that he never returned to America.
This "parlor skate" had a cast iron foot
plate of light weight, beneath which were
si1 hardened rubber rollers set in rigid
axles and arranged in straight line un-
der the foot. It was intended to act well
upon the skaters foot on the parlor carpet,
but proved q failure and was used only
upon hard floor or upon the sidewalk.
The wheels being rigidly set in the axles,
skating upon this skate, excepting in a
straight line, was out of the question, and
it's popularity waned because of its imprac-
ticability and the difficult and laborious
efforts necessary to move it. "Grace was
in all her steps, when a lady skater moved
over the floor with the parlor skates upon