The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-23
GREAT WINTER FOR SKATING.
THE RED BALL UP MORE TUav
FOR TEN YEARS PAST.
Continuous Cold weather Has Furnishes
Unusual Sport on the Park L,L.s
Records Of 10000 Skater 10 , n,S
In Central and Prospect Parks Nh,
the Newest Sllntes nre IN.

Records Of 10 900 skaters In , NJ
In Central and Prospect P~arks-Wb,,
the Newest States nre In.
The red ball which means skating In IN.
parks hasn't been up very much in the las,
ten years, and those people who like open
air skating and cannot be content with ths
kind provided in the Kinks. have had TO 20
quite a distance TO get IL. There is alwav,
more or less skating at Van Cortlandt Park
in winter, but the lake there IL too far awsy
for the man or the woman who has to work
all day. and 80 skating at this resort has
been confined largely to persons with q
large 0 of leisure at their disposal.
The weather bureau man says that tho
reason why there has been 80 little skating
In the past ten years in the parks is the lack
Of long cold spells. IL takes more than
two or three days Of severe cold to make il
safe to let people skate in the parks, and
IL isn't often that we get more than two or
three days OF severe cold in this city al
once. One moderate day sandwiched in
between q half dozen cold days will undo
the work Of three cold days.
This has been a gala winter for the park
skaters. There nave been twenty-five
days Of skating already in Prospect Park
and twenty days in Central Park. This
is an unusual record. And in Prospect
Park this includes two Sundays Of skating.
There hadn't been a Sunday Of skating
in Prospect Park for a good many years
before this winter. The ice has 70 be
stronger for Sunday skating than for any
other day, because the red ball on Sunday
means a rush for the park lakes by men.
women and children.
Central Park had it's best dayo of the winter
on Lincoln's Birthday. whom it was esti-
mated by Capt Fitzpatrick Of the Park
police that between $4,000 and 5000 per-
sons were on the ice on the different lakes
from the time skating opened In the morn
ing until the Ice was cleared In tho evening"
This was a reoord-breakfng crowd fer
Central Park.
Prospect Park had It's best day three
Sundays ago, hen about $4,000 peSons
enjoyed the skating. OF course, these wore
banner days for the two parks, but the
crowds at either park have not fallen bSlov
10000 on any day Of skating yet.
Despite the fact that there has been %
much more skating than usual this year,
there have been scarcely any accidents
reported by the police. Those accidents
that rave happened have been due TO care
lessness. disregard Of warming from the
authorities or too much confidence in their
own abilities as skaters by the victims.
In Prospect Park conditions are such
that the police have a great deal Of din
Guilty In keeping some folks within he
regulations. There are two small lakes
and a large lake at Prospect Park. The
small lakes are always the first open, and Of
course they crowd up so that speed skating
is absolutely impossible. A man Is In luck
II he can find room to skate at all.
Parts Of the big lake are opened as fase
as II is considered safe, but there is a pump
ing station on the big lake, and It makes
the ice dangerous in spots. To look past
the safety lines over the big expanse Of
clear ice on the big lake is to feel a strong
temptation to forget rules and regulations
and get out there and have u good time.
From past experience the Brooklyn police
know that 1t is a temptation which is not
always successfully resisted.
on Lincoln's Birthday a dozen young
men succeeded in eluding the vigilance
Of the police and getting out IN the big
lake. They were all good skaters. and
when the police called to them to come
back they just laughed at them.
OF course, such a bad example had TO be
| souelched. so a half dozen policemen started
| out on the ice TO catch the skaters. Then
the fun began.
The skaters Just slipped around the
| policemen, and the skaters on the other
lakes watched with great amusement the
efforts Of the policemen to catch them.
Finally a number OF policemen. who
| could skate, went pack TO the boathouse
and got on skates, Then they came back
determined TO catch the men on the forbid
den ice.
II is a matter Of record that a bicycle
policeman always catches a man on a wheel
whom he is after. But these policemen
on skates were not OF a bit more use RS
upholders of the regulations OF the park
that IL they had been on foot. The skaters
did lust as they pleased with them, skating
around them, in front Of them. and behind
After the public had enjoyed this spectacle
for an hour or more, the skaters saw that
policemen we're beginning to line the banks
OF the lake. in order 70 catch thom when
they were leaving, and so they skated 70
the far end Of the lake "a fast as they could
and then took of their skates and disap-
peared through the ~shrubbery before any
men in uniform could get near them.
One Of the reasons why there has been
so much skating In Prospect Park this
wear Is the Willingness Of the Brooklyn
Rapid Trarsit Company TO assist in clearing
the snow from the ice. What II has cost
/; in labor has been made up many times
over in car fares.
A. the skating Kinks only tho very latest
things in skates are seen, but at the paris
a%vervthing in the way Of skates from the
old wooden affairs which screw IN at the
heel and take several yards OF straps to
keep them in place, TO me hockey skate
Is TO be found. The real u~p-to-date skate
projects about an inch beyond the toe and
a similar distance beyond the heel, and the
hest wav 10 Use II is TO have IL permanently
fastened TO the shoe and TO use the shoe,
of course, for nothing but skating.