The sun., 1897-12-25
CENTRAL PARK SKATING.
ALL THAT Is NEEDED rs a COLD
WAyE TO START THE SPORT.

The Lake Has been Open to the Ranueru SOC
DnSa DurinE tho last Twenty.nve Wears
winters Now Not 10 FriEid as They Ured 70
Beau InterettinG MetesroloEicni Table
leo is forming fast, but unless long cold
wave arrives before the now year tho Police
Commissioners instead Of the Park Commission
crs will be responsible for tho safety OF tho
thousands Of children and adults who skate on
the Central Park lakes, for, after that date,
Capt. Collins and his subordinates Will be ruled
by the former and not the latter board. This
will not mar the sport, however, for everything
Is in readiness TO accommodate the rush TO Cen.
trail Park as soon as the cold snap Is fully in
evidence. 1t must be n protractcd spell OF
frigid weather, for tho lakes arc hard to freeze,
and unless the ice is at least Dveinches In thick
ness, IL would be homicdAi to let loose the
throngs on the glistening surface.
The number OF deep spring holes Is the rea-
son that the ice forms so slowly on the entral
Park lakes. The water yelling up through the
rocky fissures in tho bottom Of tho lakc is very
cold and will only CONCEAL in zero weather On
this account there is usually good skating on
the comparatively shallow lake at Van Cort-
landt Park much earlier than in Central Park.
The public docs not appreciate this condition Of
affairs and from tho time the first film Of ice
covers the nkcs until the ban Is removed there
is one united grumble from tho skaters at the
delay in granting them q chance for sport.
Those who give thought to the matter. especially
the parents Of the school children who flock in
hordcs to the lakes, will undoubtedly indorse
Capt. Collins in his policy Of delay. for none but
the strongest and thckest ice could boar tho
weight of the vast multitude that assemblies as
soon as tho "bnll Is up" for skating. On the
night Of Jan. 3. 1895. which marked the open-
ing OF skating for that winter, 1t was estimated
that 80, 900 persons were on the ice on skates
while many moro stood in rows along the edges
of the lake watching the sport.
An interesting table of statistics in connection
with skating in Central Park. running back TO
the winter OF 1923. has been Colnted by Ser
Rennt James u. Dillon OF the Park police. To
date the record forms q cycle Of twenty-five
years of the greatest interest TO all New York;
urs both from its sporting and meteorological
| Significance. The earliest date recorded for
skating at the citys park is Dec. 49, 1872. when
the sport lasted for sixty days, or nearly twice
| as long as in any season since. two facts which
| bear out the often quoted opinions or the OLD
inhabitants that the winters now nre not as
| cold 10 they used to be. THIS opinion
| for OF the total of sos days OF skating in tho
quarter OF a century there was good sport on
37S days in the first twelve years. or up 10 lSS4,
| and only 22S in the last thirteen winters. There
| have been five bank winters, and including
| these barren times. the grand average OF skat-
| ing days each winter has been exactly twenty
| for the twenty-five years The appended totals
| do not mean successive days OF skating, for dur
| ing most winters it is usually necessary to close
| the lake for a day or two whenever the leo
| shows signs OF weakening during thaws. Tho
| following is Sergeant Dllons table to date: