The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-06
AN IDEAL SLEIGHlNG DAY
ICY SURFACE WAS UNDERNEATH THE
FALL OF CRISP SNOW.
Fast Horses Were out on the Speed
ways, as Well as the Fam
lily Mays.

Many who were sleighing yesterday after
noon pronounced the conditions for the en-
joyment of that sport better than they have
been for several winters. Only once before
this winter has there been any demand at
the livery stables for sleighs, although on
two or three occasions those who owned
their Owl cutters ventured out under the
pretext of more or less deceptive falls of
snow. Yesterday, however, every livery
stable in the city found a ready demand for
almost anything on runners, and hundreds
of private sleighs, some of them with double
loads, fitted along the speedways of up
town districts or picked their way from
drift to drift down town.
The indications are that for a day or two
at least the opportunity will remain, for
those who can, to enjoy the sleighing. More
snow is scented by the interested livery man,
who further declares that the bottom
along the improved streets, composed, as 1t
is, of two successive layers of ice beneath
sufficient snow, makes by far the best sur
face thai Indianapolis streets have presented
for the last three sleighing seasons. The
barest spot down town, in fact, almost the
only square on which the cutters found a
hard road to travel, was on Washington
street between Senate and Capitol avenues.
1neE6 the WluQ, WHICH swept dCIOSS lie
Capitol lawn. drifted the snow into the gut
tiers and many a heavily-laden sleigh was
stranded" The best sleighing was found
on Meridian street up town and on Capitol
avenue between st. Clair and New York, and
between Sixteenth and Eighteenth streets.
These were the speedways on which some
of the city's fastest ''snow horses were
brought out, with their ~fur-capped, e%xultant
ovrporc haaLr Of fhapo IN tho frfmpoaSf and
lightest cutters. Many an exciting brush
was INDUCED in. j. w Staub, with Dia-
mond, a grey, was whizzing past people and
puzzling a few young men with livery horses
who had rejoiced over passing humber
drivers of family plugs" j. L.. Reach,
with his bay Frank, and E. A. Cooper, with
Jessie c., were working out a little in an
unostentatious way, with a view to better
going to-day. Sterling r. Holt. who has a
few Tong strides" in his stables, was not
seen on the speedway, but he is expected 10
furnish some pace for the others to-day.
There were many others who seemed to be
enjoying their rapid progress ana their eX-
citing brushes, but they were only a small
per cent. of those who were out and they
did not monopolize the fun by any means.
The ordinary swell-back cutter. which had
seen the SHOWS of from five to fifteen win
ters, bore it's load of laughing children and
perhaps an equally happy man. all wrapped
up with robes, the driver giving the hop
ons" all the privileges they sought. Occa-
Slonaly a man III a more arlStocratic nign-
backed sleigh, with bells on its polished
dash, whipped at his perspiring horse as he
passed a group of expectant children, and
then chuckeld in his selfish glee. But the
tinkle of sleigh bells was not confined to the
center of town nor the wealthy. Buggy
beds, mounted on bent iron piping, were
pulled by horses of various gaits in the sub
urbs and occasionally one ventured down
town. It's occupants, usually about three
times the number that the buggy was intend
ed to hold, in sweet oblivion to those who
passed in more gorgeously caparisoned We
hicles, laughed and chatted with the same
exultation that the bright, crisp day brought
to every sleighin party. Bob-sleds have
been conditionally engaged from most of the
livery stables possessing them, for this
evening". and parties are being formed for
the enjoyment of that oId-fashioned, ever
novel form of winter locomotion.