The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-22
FUN AND SPORT ON THE ICE
DOUBLE CONTINUOUS BILL DAILY
At THE ST. BOL1S RINF.

a. Much Entertainment Afforded by this
Skaters ne by the of skhters-
Women Talk of One Another - The
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Indoors and Out,
The skating boom has taken q fresh start
aimee Christmas. and skaters are enjoying
themselves immensely. There Is only one ard-
fetal Ice rink In the city now. and IL IL doing a
business that would Ill the treasures OF three.
IL IN the st. Nicholas Ice Skating Rink In West
eixty.sixth street. That is the official name.
More properly speaking It should be called the
81, Nicholas playhouse or something OF the
sort, for a show goes on there from morning
until night. Matrons. maids and men play
many parts. to say nothing OF tho everywhoro
present small boy. They appear to enjoy their
entrances and exits. their ups and downs. and
10 falling. flying and frolicking over 10000
SQUARE feet OF ice that would shame Green
lands best product when 1t comes to clearness
and smoothness.
Skaters appear to enjoy tho sport indoors
oven moro than outdoors. 1t certainly has its
advantages indoors. There is no wind to con-
tend with. no danger OF the ice cracking;
neither does the indoor skater have to turn
play into work In order to keep warm. One
immediate result OF this Ia that those who in
dulee In tho sport can give more time to per-
fecting themselves in the art Of cutting the Ice.
Long-ago champions the world over conceded
that New Workers we're the best skaters on the
face OF the globe. and no one who visits the
rink lie inclined to adopt the contrary opinion.
The 81. Nicholas Rink stands in a peculiar
relation to the public. 1t is owned by q cor
poration and is a happy solution Of a problem
that for years puzzled the st. Nicholas Skating
Club. This club was organized years ago by q
few men and women conspicuous socially In
this city. They hired "A lot at Fifty-seventh
street and Eighth avenue and skated there for
four consecutive winters. The first year the
members enjoyed forty days of skating on
their pond. But the climate of New York be-
gan to change. Climate is no respecter OF
persons and cares little for swells and their
wishes. 1t just kept on growing warmer
and warmer. and Farmer Dunn. who
was paid to keep the run Of such
things then. chuckled TO himself and
prognosticated that there would be less and
less skating each succeeding winter. And he
was right. The time finally came when the
st. Nicholas Club had only two days Of skating
in one winter. That settled it. The members
determined to outwit nature: she wouldn't
give them the cold shoulder: so they gave 1t to
her. Nature has to get up and hump herself II
she wants to get ahead Of Yankee ingenuity,
which conceived the idea Of an artificial ice
rink. 1t was late in the season OF 1905 when
the big ice Kinks doors swung open. but
when they did the club members swooped
down on the CLASSY ice pit in delight saying.
This is ours" with an exclusive shrug OF Joy.
That was where thew made their mistake. It
was soon evident that the rink could, not be
run successfully without money. and plenty OF
Il. and SO the public had 10 be admitted. That's
the reason the rink is so interesting a place
now. All sorts and conditions and sizes of
men. women and children form q perpetually
exclusive OFT, would see there only the neatest
OF neat little boys and girls and big boys and