The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1901-01-04
FINE WINTER SPORTS.
CANADIAN PEOPLE ENJOY VGOR-
Gus OUTDOOR FUN.
skating and Tobogganing Are Popular
Diversions in Season-Advantages of
Straight-Away Skate-American's
Merry Exploit in Montreal.

} Ellsworth Hague, of Montreal, was
speaking at the Hotel Imperial recently
Of winter sports in Canada. You have
little idea here in New York." said Mr.
Hague, ''of what winter really means
that is, the sporty side of it. You
never know here what a love of yirile
life it is that fires the blood in your
veins and spurs you on to increased eff
fort when you feel the smooth ice I'M
der the sharp blade of your skate and
know that that ice stretches away for
miles and miles. A straightaway skate
like that kills rink or pond skating for
you. With the wind in your face or at
your back, as the case may be, the fire
in your blood and the glory of it all
drive you on and on, and you feel no
fatigue. No! Give me skating in the
open and over long stretch to get at
the true inwardness of the sport.
"Of snowshoeing, tobogganing and
skeeing you know nothing and all these
are sports to make the blood leap and
to cause one to cry aloud for the pure
love of being alive. In Montreal to-
bogganing has been carried to its ulti-
ma thule. Nowhere else can slides in
such perfection be found. Take that
lightning slide-I had almost said drop
for long distancel The first time
1T Is experienced it is something to
make the heart stand STILL Our per-
fectly constructed slides are high, bank
ed at the sides with snow TO prevent
the toboggan from jumping or accident
ally going off. The carefully watered
center is sheet of glare ice and in run
ming over this the toboggans get up a
speed that is simply terrific.
"Some of the slides have jumps in
them and when the toboggans go off
one of these jumps they cover with
their human freight an incredible dis
lance before alighting The jump
slides, though, are only for the stoutest
hearted.
"One of the nerviest things ever done
in Montreal" continued the speaker,
occurred there in a winter season
some fifteen years ago. 1t was perpe-
trated by a countryman of yours, and
was the result of an after-dinner wager
made in one of our clubs. The Ameri-
can laid heavy amount that he would
go down. one Of the straight toboggan
slides on skates. 1t was a thing that
had never been attempted in Montreal
and one | do not think is likely to grow
popular. for tall would result in al
most certain death or in injury so
frightful as to make death seem prefer
able by comparison.
THE American took all bets, and
when the time arrived for the trial he
appeared with a pair of old-fashioned
skates, generally called rockers You
probably know the kind-where the
steel is in the form of half moon from
toe to heel, the blade is all circle and
affords no semblance of an angle to
offer resistance. They were very pop
ular In the eos and '70s, but no one but
an expert could use them. 1t was an
exceedingly wise choice, for a skate
with a straight runner would have de-
Elected or jumped at a small obstacle,
which the rocker, on the other hand,
would pass safely over
when the appointed hour arrived
and the man appeared, far away at the
head of the slide, all present held their
breath. 1t did not seem possible that
he could make that fearful descent in
safety, and a majority of those pres
ent looked for him to pitch over the
low sides and to be killed in the fall.
With hardly a moments delay he start
ed. At first he seemed to move slowly.
and then his speed rapidly increased.
Everybody waited for the fall that did
not come. Stiffiy erect, that black fig
ure descended quickly. Half way down
his speed was so great that it seemed
to the onlookers beyond human endur-
ance for him to retain his balance
longer.
yet, flying ever faster. and ever
standing erect, he held on until he
struck the level at the foot. Shooting
out on this like cannon ball he crossed
to the soft snow like streak of light.
Then his speed materially decreased.
and when his snow-clogged skates final
ly pitched him headlong he received no
injury. He was up in a trice without
assistance, and his first words were a
request for a drink. About twenty
were handed him. Beyond a slight
pallor he showed no sign of the great
strain he had undergone, and l never
heard that he afterward suffered from
1t.
without exception it was the most
wonderful feat of halanca and simon
pure nerve I ever read of or saw. When