The morning times., 1896-01-19

same event.
SKATES FOR HEA LTH.
Invariably passing ard rcpassinr her,
will go the Thin man who is forced 10 the
rink more than the open to keep the winds
from blowing him away like a wiihercd
leaf, and whom the doctor told 10 wheel
aud skate IL he would become robust
The whcclmau and wheelwoman, with
their bikes chained to a tree by the bank,
or closetCd in the special room for them,
are ever present, tuc, n Il know above all
others how tocnjoy the sport.
There are few, If any, expert skaters
in Washington, or skaters with records.
Miss Mabel Davidson Of Montreal, one
nf the greatest fancy skaters in the world,
will bc here this week, and the public Will
be able Ia see what n really good skater
is. She gives exhibitions in trick, figure
and fancy skating.
Speaking OF skaters ard ska ting brings
tu mird the skates themselves. The skate
of today has reached about as near per
fcciiou as il Will ever come, announced n
dealer. Yankee genius is Ia be credited
with every Improvement the skate has
seen since the first one was made, IL Is
said.
No, thereislittlenew in this year sskate, :"
the dealer said but OF course inventors are
always trying to put something new ON the
market
81 received sample of an aluminium skate
, Il few da vs. ago, but we won t handle thern-
They would have to retail at s. and $40 n
pair, and no one would buy them at that
The skate had an elongated runner of about
eighteen or twenty inches, and a wooden
routboard, supported by Il skeleton plat
form.
The length Of the runner would, Of
course. tend to give the skater an increase
in leverage and reach that would add TO his
speed The skate is much lighter than
steel, but / see little advantage i'll ii for
the ordinary skater.
CLUE SKATES POPULAR.
Now and then one finds Few speed
skate. hut the American club skate and its
kind are the most popular skates of all.
They 20 Oh easily, are not clumsy and are
not intricate.
"A person should never pay less than So
for a pair of skates. though ii is true he can
| buy thcmfor all the way from 30 ccntsup
There is n ladys skate fitted with a
rigid rod OF steel running up tic back. A
strap stretches from this around the ankle
and holds that member stiff Many of the
club pattern skates are fitted with straps
at heel and toe. those for the ladies mean.
Others have only the clamps.
Then we have the skates with wooden
foothods and straps al hCc! and toe; the
ones like our fathers wore, ycu know;
but in TIE ones today the runner stops IN
the wooden fOothOard at the front, while
in tn" old-raShiOEcd ones, ii ran around
and curled like tie tail Of on Italian grey
! hound. They are very good skates. but
! there is little demand for them and lcw are
manufactured any more"
When Miss Davidson appears in Wash
| ington she will ride all ice bicycle. OF
| course, no one has ever thought for minute
that such machine woGd not be invented.
The machinc looks like an ordinary safety
with the front wheel replaced 10y steel
runner. This runner is about two feet long
and about half an inch in width. 1t curves
gently up in front and is attached TO the
FORKS of the front wheel 10y slender hol-
low steel rods leading To the axle holes
and to othchottum orthc hradofthe machine.
1t is guided as an ordinary bicycle
The rest OF the machine is Ike other
bikes. except the hind wheel Is fitted
with small spikes that prevent ii from
| slipping on the ice when curves are made.
| Very good speed can be made on the slid
! ing safety.