The evening times., 1896-01-06
SKATED UNTIL MORNING
Throngs Of Washingtonians En-.
joy the Rare Sport.
NO DANGR OF SNOW TONIGHT
Ice Is Six Inches Thick at the Basin
and Growing Thfcker-Chevy Chase
Lake Was FavOrite Resort Yes
tcrday In spite of Low Temperature
and Biting Winds.

Not literally until morning, but far into
the small lhours of Monday, the merry crowds
of skaters continued to enjoy their sport
at the bathing beach back of the Monument
and other places last night.
II was an opportunity too rare to be
lost, and many of the merrymakcrs stood
not upon the seasona bleness OF their hours.
The sport began early in the day yesterday,
and those who did not go to one or the
other OF the available Skating places were
presumably hindered by the dread OF the
severe cold and the fierce, biting winds
which blew all day in freezing blasts from
the Northwest.
When the mercury in various house.
hold thermometers registered eight and
ten degrees above zero Sunday morning,
everybody knew that there would be skat-
ing. Those who Investigated early found
that the ice at the bathing bea ch was fully
four inches thick and this morning, with the
temperature at precisely the same figure,
the frozen sheet had increased to six inches
in thickness. The men who had skates 10
rent said il was ten, and they reaped
considerable harvest.
CROWDS AT CHEW CHASE.
At Chevy Chase Lake veritable throng
of skaters crowded the ice all the evening,
a
the afternoon hours. II was collection OF
representative Washington young people,
and the anticipations of a society event
at the opening OF the skating rink tonight
We're rendered more keen by the kind of
sport that nature made out of doors.
The entire basin 1T the bathing beach
Is availa1e for the skaters, and there is no
bound set TO the area which may be con-
sidered safe, except the open channel Of
h.,l. Ell.
covers any portion OF the river proper,
and that does not extend TO the channel,
nor is it likely to do so during the present
cold snap. Such is the opinion Of the
officials at the Weather Bureau.
The skaters at the bathing beach found
4 much more cosmopolitan crowd than
those at Chevy Chase. Some OF the bad
boys at the former resort played shiny
ali The Sabbath afternoon and FAR into the
night. The hours OF early morning came
before the ice was entirely deserted.
BY ELECTRIC LIGHT.
The Eastern Branch was also a favorite
resort, and the lakes at ROsedale and
Lakeland were also popular.
The electric light company is striuging
wires to the lake at Chevy Chase this after
noon, and tonight the icy area viii be bril-
liantly illuminated.
er skater or not, rose this morning with
the impression that the weather had med
Grated. The sky was overcast with thin
clouds, and at O'Clock the moon was
struggling to shine from a duh circle, W hicil,
TO the wcat heT-wise. indicated "A storm.
The change of temperature was only
apparent, however, but tie fact that the
wind had subsiGcd made the weather more
comfortable. The mercury at the Weather
Bureau registered eight degrees above zero
at O'Clock this morning. exactly the same
as yesterday morning at the same hour.
No snow is expected today, and it is not
likely that anyiling more than very light
fall viii occur within the next few days.
NO LOCAL SHOWS.
1--WE hardly dared to or.cist sDo W for the
District this morning." said Chief Moore,
Though there were some slight irdi, at:ons
of it. Northwest of Us, Up toward the Lake
region, they may have slight furry of
snow, however,
The freezing weather extended rs far
South as Tampa, Fla. last night, and the
damage to Orange groves is oonsidt rahie.
Up in New England the temperature is
very low, even reaching 20 degrees below
zero in some parts of Maine. The average
for the New England States is about 10
below.
The weather officials say that it viii.
begin TO grow warmer tonight. The wealth
er will gradually moderate, and there may
be rains within two or three days.
But there is little probability that the
sport of the skaters will be spoiled by
snow. year ago yesterday the mercury
dropped to l degrees above ut the Wealth
er Bureau, but 4 year ago today II was
only 81.